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FOLIO's 9 Tips for Engaging Students Online

Keep students actively engaged w/ you, classmates, & content

Dear Colleagues,

The Fostering Online Learning Improvement and Opportunity (FOLIO) working group at UMBC has gleaned and synthesized ideas from PIVOT, the Undergraduate Student Success Committee, the Faculty Development Center, and fall faculty gatherings to develop 9 Tips for Engaging Students Online. The tips in this short document are intended to be broadly applicable, and many require little effort to implement. So as you prepare for the spring semester, you may find some of these suggestions helpful toward keeping your students actively engaged with you, their classmates, and the course content.

Meanwhile, the Faculty Development Center will host several upcoming synchronous sessions on engaging students online. Register today at the links below.

Best,
Kerrie

Engaging Students Online Part 1: Chat and Polling √ §

How do we engage the whole class without relying on video?

Tuesday, January 19, 2021 · Noon - 1 PM · Online · REGISTER HERE

How do we engage students as a whole class without relying on video? Students may have good reasons for keeping their video off, so it’s important to measure their engagement through other means, including polling, chat, and discussions. In this session, faculty panelists will share their experiences, lessons learned, and strategies to successfully engage students online. The panelists represent a diverse set of disciplines and teach courses ranging in size from 30-300. Many of the strategies they will be describing  are not discipline-specific and are adaptable to any course. Panelists include Kristen Anchor (MCS), Tamra Mendelson and Mercedes Burns (BIOL), and Tanya Olson (ENGL).

Engaging Students Online Part 2: Gamification √ §

Energize your online classroom & motivate students to engage

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 · Noon - 1 PM · Online · REGISTER HERE

How can you energize your online classroom and engage students through games and gamification techniques? Well-designed games for learning motivate players to work through challenging problems that require them to engage with concepts, take calculated risks, and reflect on the learning process--collaboration and/or competition can heighten this enjoyment (Gee, 2007; Smith-Robbins, 2011). Join us as we explore general principles about using games for learning, specific examples from UMBC colleagues, and applications to our own online classrooms. Faculty panelists will present examples designed to engage students, motivate them to learn, and create social connections as they collaborate or compete to demonstrate their learning. The strategies are not discipline-specific and are adaptable to many courses. Panelists include Kerri Evans (SOWK) and Caitlin Kowalewski (BIOL).

Posted: January 13, 2021, 11:19 AM

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