Best practices that support student engagement

Student disengagement is a frequent problem when teaching – whether in-class, online, or by Zoom.

• In the current Zoom/online reality, though, it poses unique challenges as students may not log-in into D2L, not show up to Zoom classes, or not participate in class work or Zoom sessions either visually or orally.

1. For students who do not show up initially in the first week or two, instructors can proactively attempt to engage them by sending an email:

• Mention that you noticed they haven’t logged in.

• Remind them of the course dates and times for Zoom sessions (if relevant).

• Comment on the need to get/stay engaged and keep up with the workload so they don’t fall behind.

• Express concern, ask if there is anything you can do to help them get started and direct them to the Student Success Centre for further assistance.

• Indicate the drop dates for the course in case they have decided to switch classes, not continue with your section, etc.  

• Repeat a similar email each week for the first few weeks – until the drop date.

2. To heighten engagement for students who have shown up for the course, at least minimally, but present other engagement participation challenges, practical suggestions can be found at the following:

• “More Engaging Lectures”

• “Starting Strong: Engaging Opening Activities”

• “Capture & Hold Students' Attention”

• “Engaging Challenging Students”

• “In-Class Discussion: Engaging Students”

• “Engaging Students through Course Content”

• “Synchronous Online Classes: 10 Tips for Engagement”

• “Increasing Student-to-Student Engagement Online”

• “Using Effective Questions"