{"id":4090,"date":"2024-04-15T07:00:56","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T11:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/elpsclone.flywheelsites.com\/?p=4090"},"modified":"2024-05-13T16:22:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-13T20:22:58","slug":"engaging-students-in-online-asynchronous-courses-strategies-for-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cehhs.utk.edu\/elps\/engaging-students-in-online-asynchronous-courses-strategies-for-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging Students in Online, Asynchronous Courses: Strategies for Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

By S. Nicole Jones, Ph.D.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Hello! My name is Nicole Jones, and I am a 2022 graduate of the Evaluation, Statistics, and Methodology (ESM) PhD program at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK). I currently work as the Assessment & Accreditation Coordinator in the College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) at the University of Georgia (UGA). I also teach online, asynchronous program evaluation classes for UTK\u2019s Evaluation, Statistics, & Methodology PhD and Evaluation Methodology MS programs. My research interests include the use of artificial intelligence in evaluation and assessment, competency-based assessment, and outcomes assessment.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to teaching part-time for UTK, I served as a graduate teaching assistant in two online, synchronous ESM classes while enrolled in the PhD program: Educational Research and Survey Research. In addition, I taught in-person first-year seminars to undergraduates for many years in my previous academic advising roles. However, it wasn\u2019t until I became involved in a teaching certificate program offered by UGA\u2019s CVM this year that I truly began to reflect more on my own teaching style, and explore ways to better engage students, especially in an online, asynchronous environment. For those who are new to teaching online classes or just need some new ideas, I thought it would be helpful to share what I\u2019ve learned about engaging students online.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online Learning<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While many online courses meet synchronously, meaning they meet virtually at a scheduled time through platforms like Zoom or other Learning Management Software (LMS) tools, there are also online classes that have no scheduled meeting times or live interactions. These classes are considered to be asynchronous. If you have taken an online, asynchronous course, you likely already know that it can be easy to forget about the class, primarily because there is no scheduled class time to keep you on track. When I worked as an academic advisor, I would often encourage my students who registered for these types of courses to go ahead and set aside certain days or times of the week to devote to those classes. Many college students struggle with time management, especially in the first-year, so this was one way to help them stay engaged in the class and up to date with assignments. While it is certainly important for students to show up (or log in) and participate, it\u2019s even more important for instructors to create an online environment that will motivate students to do so. As discussed by Conrad and Donaldson (2012), online engagement is related to student participation and interaction in the classroom, and learning in the classroom (online or in-person) rests upon the instructor\u2019s ability to create a sense of presence and engage students in the learning process. The key to engaging online learners is for students to be engaged and supported so they take responsibility for their own learning (Conrad & Donaldson, 2012). So, how might you create an engaging online environment for students?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Engaging Students in Online Classes<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are some strategies I currently use to engage students in my online, asynchronous program evaluation classes:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n