Collaborative learning, also known as group learning, is an opportunity for students to develop higher-order cognitive skills, promote connections and community, and engage with different perspectives. To facilitate student collaboration online, it requires designing the activity as well as selecting the best technology to connect students.
Continue readingVideos are gaining ground in online education as a result of their versatility in promoting learning, satisfaction, engagement, and interest (LSEI; Costley & Lange, 2017). With this fast-growing dependence on videos, online educators need to become mindful of what constitutes quality videos and how they are best integrated into online content delivery and interaction.
VoiceThread is an asynchronous discussion and presentation tool that is integrated into HuskyCT (Blackboard). A VoiceThread is a collaborative multimedia slide-based presentation that can include materials such as PowerPoint slides, images, documents, videos, audio files, and other audio-visual content. Users can engage with the content and each other using video-, audio-, and text-based interactions. Online instructors can leverage VoiceThread to create asynchronous discussions, deliver interactive lectures, or facilitate group projects. Its flexibility supports diverse learning styles and encourages participation, making it an ideal tool for building community in online courses.
Continue readingStudent engagement is essential to effective teaching, but it can feel more elusive in online environments. Instructors often wonder how to foster interaction, ensure students engage with course materials and build a vibrant learning community. This article provides practical, actionable strategies for increasing student engagement in online course modalities.