Jessica Jatau

A few weeks back, I attended an online class, intending to leave after 30 minutes because I had some unavoidable tasks to catch up with. Fortunately, thanks to the instructor, I got glued to the end of the class, which lasted about 2 hours and 30 minutes. What happened? What got me glued? I mean, I could replay the class and watch at my leisure so it wasn’t mandatory. I stayed till the end of the class. One thing that made me stay until the class ended; the teacher made the class so interactive and engaging that about 80% of the students stayed till the end.

What’s an online classroom without the active participation of your learners? Terrible yeah? The success of any online class lies in the active participation, and engagement of both the teacher and students. And what makes the learners actively engage is the approach the instructor uses. In this article, we will share 5 strategies to engage your learners in your online classes effectively.

Effective Ideas on Driving Engagement in Your Virtual/ Online Classroom

1. Create Engaging Content

Gone are the days of long lectures which can be boring when not engaging. Studies have shown that human attention spans keep decreasing. It is regarded that the average human attention span is around 8 seconds to 8 minutes. Hence, it is important to create engaging presentations, images, or infographics, among other formats of content to keep your students fully engaged. This variety of formats not only keeps students on their toes and enhances their information retention rates, but, it also enhances the promotion of your online classes because some of them can be repurposed to serve as snippets that can be posted on other digital marketing channels like social media, blogs, landing pages, and ads.

2. Incorporate Storytelling in your Teaching Methodologies

Stories have the power to transform us, ignite emotions, and make information easily recalled. Integrate interesting stories into your lessons. Use real-world examples, historical events, or even fictional scenarios relevant to the topic. Stories make learning relatable and leave a lasting impression on your learners.

3. Using Chat Features

Don't let the online format stifle communication. Effectively use the chat functionalities of your learning management system (LMS) to foster active participation. Encourage students to ask questions, share insights, and discuss points in real-time. Through that, they can clarify doubts, understand better, and also enjoy a sense of community within the virtual classroom.

4. Encourage Brainstorming Sessions

During your live classes, create sessions for creativity and critical thinking while taking your class. Klas, for instance, allows you to create collaborative whiteboards where students can brainstorm ideas virtually together. This not only helps students develop problem-solving skills but also adds fun and interactivity to the learning process.

5. Use an Effective Learning Management System (LMS)

Your choice of online learning platform significantly impacts your learner’s engagement. Look for a learning management system that offers interactive features, and a user-friendly interface.

How Klas Can Facilitate Your Online Training

If you're looking for a learning management platform that streamlines and empowers you to create engaging online classrooms, then try Klas.

Klas offers a suite of features designed to streamline your online teaching experience and facilitate learners’ engagement. You can develop and stream in-depth live online classes with the interactive course player, which accommodates unlimited students and supports uploading lessons. It also supports the active participation of learners throughout your classes with features like live polls, emojis, and Q&A functions. Plus, Klas Pay, the built-in payment system, facilitates seamless global transactions for both you and your students.

Ready to create a virtual classroom to teach what you know?

Sign up for a free Klas account today and experience the difference an engaging online learning platform can make to your virtual or online classroom.