MAXIMIZING STUDENT ENGAGEMENT in LIVE VIRTUAL CLASSES

About this course

CAUTION: Your live virtual class (on Zoom, etc.) is now just one more tab in a sea of tabs open on your students’ computers. You are officially competing with Youtube, Netflix, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, the news, their phone, and their dog. They have infinite options, literally one-click away, to listen to content that is more interesting than your class.How can instructors grab student attention, and spark engagement, to create a unique and meaningful classroom experience that is worth showing up for? How can we overcome the 8 obstacles below:Compared to the traditional classroom, live virtual classrooms present UNIQUE and NEW obstacles to teaching well:1. an increased sense of separateness, and decreased connection.2. near total loss of socializing between students, loss of ability to build trust, bonds, friendships. No chat before/after class, in the hallway, on breaks, etc.3. Zoom fatigue: “exhaustion felt due to the increased cognitive demands of video conferencing communication”.4. decreased accountability for students to “pay attention”.5. genuinely short attention spans, getting shorter by the month due to smart phones and social media.6. a natural tendency for students to treat screens passively, to observe class like a show.7. the ability for students to “hide” behind black screens or be totally unresponsive.8. the ability for students to multitask during class: to be on their phone, playing games, watching videos.All of these obstacles above, if not addressed and handled well by the instructor, can make teaching live virtual classes an absolutely excruciating experience. The passionate spark that attracted many of us to teaching, that love of real human interaction, has been completely eliminated. If instructors don’t make adjustments, they can be left with classes that can feel flat, forgettable, and disheartening.

Course objectives

• to help instructors adapt their teaching strategies for virtual environments
• to provide tools to overcome challenges of online teaching
• to foster a sense of connection and engagement among students