How to Make Online Classes More Interactive
See Dojo360Learners love online classes because of the flexibility they provide, whether they are studying high school biology or medical compliance training. Instructors can benefit from the additional freedom remote learning offers as well, but they may be hesitant if they see online learning as too passive for their students. Luckily, online learning can be just as engaging as traditional classes, if not more so.
The key is to distinguish between modern online learning and the pre-recorded lectures and videos that defined it in its infancy. Dojo360 is a learning engagement platform built for everyone, everywhere by the experts at Turning. It is predicated on our e³ philosophy of equity, evidence, and engagement to help learners develop a deeper understanding of whatever they are studying. Without further ado, here is how to make online classes more interactive:
How Can My Organization Make Online Content More Interactive?
Instructors sometimes go into cyberlearning with a preconceived notion that interactive lessons will be challenging but are pleasantly surprised when they see what modern technology can do for them. Online curricula need several qualities to promote interactivity: engagement, equal access, and accountability and reporting (collectively, evidence of participation and outcomes). Let's look at each in further detail:
- Engagement
Instructors want to design interactive lessons to promote engagement, but engagement also fosters interactivity. Dojo360 allows instructors to build interactive polls, inline quizzes, and comprehension checks into their lessons so courses never devolve into mindlessly staring at a screen for an extended period. It also includes powerful communication tools such as threaded message boards and virtual meeting spaces to encourage peer interactions, giving learners a reason to think about the material beyond needing to. Perhaps most importantly, gamification elements like leaderboards and social media badges give learners attainable goals to strive for. - Equal Access
Interactive online courses require all students to have equal access to educational content. Our platform offers single-source hybrid learning functionality so that all of your organization's material for both synchronous and asynchronous learners is available in one convenient location. Asynchronous learners enjoy equity in that live classes are automatically recorded for on-demand playback, while synchronous learners can go back and relive past interactions with instructors and colleagues whenever they wish. Dojo360 also meets or exceeds all WCAG 2.0 guidelines, ensuring that learners with sensory impairments or other needs can still interact with their peers and instructors freely. - Accountability
Interactivity works best when learners feel like stakeholders in their education or training, and Dojo360 helps facilitate that. Taking advantage of self-paced learning features, students can access content whenever and wherever they wish instead of following a set schedule somebody else made for them. If you're concerned that your learners might abuse these freedoms, Dojo360 tracks attendance and enrollment automatically so that you'll have evidence should anyone stray from what they are supposed to be doing. - Reporting
Finally, Dojo360 can automatically grade assessments and deliver the results in a sortable dashboard to help you track learner progress. Learners can also see how they did without waiting for their instructor to grade an exam by hand, letting them know what to review before moving to the next topic. If you use self-paced assignments, our platform can tell you who completed them by the target data at a glance. Thus, everybody has the evidence they need to work toward the best learner outcomes possible.
How Else Can I Make Online Classes More Interactive?
Some of your instructors might have PowerPoint presentations or LMS materials that are great at promoting interactivity. Dojo360 can integrate with many of the most popular LMS solutions for K-12 students including Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, D2L, and Schoology, allowing instructors to keep using their proven tools. Learners can also provide real-time feedback to their instructors, helping your organization brainstorm new ways to promote interactivity throughout your content.
Online learning sometimes carries a learning curve, but the results will be worth it. If you're looking for engaged learning made easy, we invite you to explore Dojo360's features in further detail today!