Module 3 Online learning activities at a glance

Time to Read: about 7.5 minutes

New pedagogy, technologies, and tools enrich the online learning experience and enable different forms of student engagement. What your engagement activities look like will largely depend on if the course and/or activity is synchronous or asynchronous.

The recommendations for engagement/activities, assessment, and feedback throughout Module 3 are intended for use in asynchronous and synchronous higher education courses.

Asynchronous learning

Asynchronous learning does not occur at the same time for all students and is the most common form of online learning. Students complete learning activities independently at their own pace. Asynchronous learning can include watching pre-recorded videos, engaging in online discussions, taking quizzes, using collaboration tools, and creating content to share with peers.

One of the benefits of asynchronous learning is that participants can take their time to craft responses allowing them to engage more fully with the concepts and course materials. Asynchronous instruction also provides flexibility in attendance by removing the need for participants to coordinate their schedules to have productive interactions with their peers and instructor(s). Most activities developed in synchronous courses can be adapted to work asynchronously.

Strategies and tools to try:

Discussion boards. This is a great way to build a community of learners. Discussion prompts enable students to voice their opinion and share it with peers, which facilitates back and forth exchange of ideas.
- - Yellowdig is an alternative to the Canvas discussion boards that provides a social-media-like feel for students.
    - Yellowdig is available through the UNL bookstore or Inclusive Access.
  - Consider encouraging students to use video rather than text responses to build community. Flip is a video discussion board tool from Microsoft.
Collaboration Tools (These can be used synchronously as well.)
- - Annotation. Tools like Hypothes.is and Perusall allow students to interact with one another when reading by leaving comments or posing discussion questions that other students can respond to.
  - Simultaneous Editing. Microsoft and Google office products provide opportunities for asynchronous – and synchronous – collaboration. The tools can serve as a central hub for students to work together or contribute when they are able.
Interactive videos. You can embed quiz questions or discussion prompts into YuJa videos to increase engagement levels when students are watching lectures.
Learning quizzes. Alternatively, you can create short a short quiz after each online lecture that gives students an opportunity to immediately practice the skills presented in the lecture. This serves as a checkpoint to help students gauge their understanding before moving to the next concept.
Peer feedback. The peer review tool or other forms of peer feedback help students learn collaboratively together.
Project-based learning. Allow students to do the tasks where professionals in your field use the skills they're building. Allow them to take these projects in a direction of their own interest.
Muddiest point. Students submit their most confusing question or concept from the week. The teacher picks one or a few of the most frequently reported questions/concepts and makes mini lectures focused on each.

Synchronous learning

Synchronous learning activities occur on set schedules. Students and instructors are online at the same time to participate in lectures, discussions, and presentations. Synchronous learning requires using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom. We recommend crafting the synchronous components of your course with purpose. These sessions should enrich the learning experience by providing social engagement opportunities rather than trying to mimic the in-person class experience.

Strategies and tools to try:

Discuss expectations in advance. Synchronous online training requires active participation. Let students know before the synchronous activity that they're expected to actively participate. Encourage them to find a space free of any distractions.
Polling. Ask questions to gauge student learning and get students actively involved in the class. You can use the polling results to further discuss the topic.
- - Zoom offers a variety of polling features.
  - Slido is a polling tool that can be used during a Zoom meeting or webinar and has some additional features beyond what is offered in Zoom.
Group activities. Breakout rooms can be great ways for groups to work collaboratively. Ensure students understand the task and have practiced using the collaboration tools before breaking into groups. We highly recommend providing opportunities for students to ask questions before the group activity begins.
Use the chat. Video conferencing platforms like Zoom have a chat feature that you can use to have students respond to questions without needing a microphone. This can be a good way of keeping students engaged if they keep their camera & microphone turned off.
Use student feedback. Use an end-of-class 'exit ticket' activity to understand where students are having trouble with content. Ask them about their overall experience and what can be done to improve the activity or course.
Record the session. Some students will miss the synchronous session and others may want to revisit the session later. Be mindful of time zones and student schedules when determining when to have synchronous sessions.
Use closed captions. Inform your students how to enable captions in Zoom when they join live.

More recommendations

Engaging in active learning online may be outside of your students' comfort zones and/or misaligned with your students' expectations for the course. Furthermore, due to the challenges of educating through the COVID-19 pandemic, your students may have had poor experiences learning online and could be resistant to your efforts to create active learning. Here are some recommendations for successful active learning online.

Leverage past online learning experiences. If your students have had a negative or poor experience learning online, explore those experiences and invite student input to better forge positive future experiences. However, don't get stuck on the negative experiences. Leverage positive experiences learning online and connect those to your efforts to craft an inviting and inclusive learning environment online.
Give clear instructions. Explain exactly what students are expected to do and what the expected timeframe is.
Have a clear purpose. Tell students why you're using the activity and what important things they'll learn. This helps avoid the perception of activities as 'busy work'.
Monitor group dynamics. If you're requiring group work, gather feedback at regular intervals to ensure everyone is fully participating. This can be done in a real-time Zoom meeting or via a Canvas survey.
Scaffold learning. Break large projects into smaller pieces to keep students on track. If they need to apply a new skill to a high-stakes assignment, give them the opportunity to develop competency using low-stakes assessments.
Do a test run. For activities during synchronous sessions, do a test run of all technology you'll be using. For tasks that ask students to implement new technology, be sure you've tried the task you're asking them to do and give them all a chance to try the task before starting.

Getting started

Active learning refers to instructional activities that involve students "doing things and thinking about what they are doing" (Bonwell & Eison, 1991). Students learn and retain new information better when active learning strategies are used. Instructors can use this three-step strategy to design active learning activities in their classes.

Identify the core concepts of the module and/or unit. This will drive the format of the active learning activity.
Plan the learning activity and select the tool. Determining an active learning activity is based on the concept being learned, the size of the class, the time available, and other constraints of the learning context.
Communicate details of the activity. Students must know the purpose, expectations, deliverables, and how the activity will be assessed.

Reflective Pause

Pause for a moment and think about your online course. Consider the following questions. Write down your ideas.

Is your course most suited for synchronous engagement, asynchronous engagement, or a mix of both?
What challenges do you see for implementing asynchronous learning activities?
What challenges do you see for implementing synchronous learning activities?
How can you use active learning strategies to enrich your course?
What other tools or methods do you think would work well for your course?

References

Bonwell, C.C. & Eison, J.A. (1991). Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report 1. Washington, D.C.: George Washington University.