When you are hired by a university, one of the main goals that you will have as an instructor is keeping your students engaged and active in the classroom. This short guide will help you learn some key strategies for success.

1. An
Introduc+on
to
Student
Engagement
Strategies
How
to
keep
students
engaged
in
the
online
classroom
A Publication of FacultyClub.Org
FCO

2. When
you
are
hired
by
a
university,
one
of
the
main
goals
that
you
will
have
as
an
instructor
is
keeping
your
students
engaged
and
ac+ve
in
the
classroom.
This
short
guide
will
help
you
learn
some
key
strategies
for
success.
The
learning
objec+ves
of
this
+p
guide
are:
• Understand
your
responsibili+es
in
the
classroom
• Develop
a
communica+on
strategy
with
your
students
• Iden+fy
adult
learning
theories
and
prac+ces
• Know
the
value
of
technology
educa+on
in
the
classroom
Introduc+on
FCO

3. “Student engagement is the product of
motivation and active learning. It is a
product, rather than a sum because it will
not occur if either element is missing. ”
-­‐
Elizabeth
Barkley

4. CHAPTER ONE
Faculty responsibilities in the
classroom environment
FCO

5. Know Your Role
• As
ac+ve
facilitators
and
teachers
in
the
online
classroom,
faculty
have
the
responsibility
to
ensure
students
meet
the
required
amount
of
credit
hours
in
the
classroom.
• Faculty
members
are
responsible
for
being
ac+vely
present
in
the
discussion
forums
that
can
be
for
4-­‐7
days
out
of
the
week.
• Consistent
visibility
in
the
discussion
forum
encourages
students
to
post,
feel
supported,
and
expand
on
their
ideas.
• The
discussion
forum
is
the
heart
of
the
classroom,
and
can
be
compared
to
a
student
siOng
in
a
classroom
face-­‐to-­‐face
seOng.
ONE
You are a very
important part of
the classroom
environment.
Without you, the
students do not
learn.

6. Remain Active and Present
• What
does
only
pos+ng
the
minimum
say
to
your
students?
It
may
say
that
you
do
not
care
about
the
class.
• It
may
also
say
you
do
not
care
about
them.
In
the
case
of
the
online
classroom,
percep+on
is
reality.
• You
will
reap
what
you
sow
when
your
students
mirror
a
high
level
of
energy
and
par+cipa+on.
• Check
in
with
students
and
remind
them
of
upcoming
deadlines
or
requirements
of
an
assignment
and
offer
your
assistance.
• Provide
feedback
that
is
both
posi+ve
and
substan+ve.
Give
encouraging
comments.
ONE
You can always
do a little bit
more to help
students feel
welcome in the
course.
Go above and
beyond to help
your students.

7. CHAPTER TWO
Develop a winning
communication strategy
with your students.
FCO

8. Get to Know Your Students
The
first
day
of
class:
• Make
it
mandatory
for
students
to
post
a
detailed
introduc+on
and
then
personally
respond
to
each
one.
• Set
the
tone
by
crea+ng
a
safe
and
friendly
learning
environment
so
students
feel
comfortable
par+cipa+ng
from
the
outset.
• Make
your
ground
rules
known
but
do
so
in
a
non-­‐threatening
manner
so
students
feel
welcome
to
contact
you.
TWO
Plan your communication strategy.
During
the
course:
• For
all
student
communica+ons
in
the
discussion
forum,
it
important
to
build
a
strong
sense
of
community
by
personalizing
the
experience
as
much
as
possible.
• Address
each
student
by
name.
• Sign
your
name
to
all
of
your
discussion
posts.
• Use
personal
examples
and
anecdotes.
• Using
humor
can
help
bring
down
mental
barriers
in
the
classroom
and
help
students
feel
comfortable
to
share
their
ideas.
• Use
a
conversa+onal,
yet
scholarly,
tone
in
your
wri+ng.

9. Master the Discussion Forum
Use the Socratic
Method to
engage your
students, and
reveal more
thoughtful
responses in the
classroom.
TWO
• When
students
post
in
the
classroom,
ask
them
to
offer
more
than
a
simple
“I
agree”
to
the
conversa+on.
• It
is
important
for
faculty
to
adhere
to
this
rule
and
set
the
proper
example
for
student
communica+on.
• Faculty
should
ask
open-­‐ended
ques+ons
where
appropriate
to
help
students
further
explore
their
thoughts.
• Your
pos+ngs
should
be
substan+ve
in
nature
and
most
importantly,
not
sound
canned
or
ar+ficial.
• Talk
to
the
student
as
if
you
were
talking
face-­‐to-­‐face.
• Show
empathy
where
appropriate,
understanding
where
needed,
and
apply
a
“listening
ear”
as
you
read
and
reply
to
their
posts.

10. CHAPTER THREE
Technology Education
in the Classroom
FCO

11. Your Technology Resources
• Students
can
become
frustrated
if
they
are
not
able
to
properly
navigate
a
course.
• Faculty
should
be
able
to
give
instruc+ons
and
answer
ques+ons
related
to
the
mechanics
of
the
online
classroom
such
as
submiOng
an
assignment.
• Before
the
class
begins,
ensure
you
are
aware
of
the
numbers
and
e-­‐
mails
for
technical
support
for
your
university,
as
well
as
contact
informa+on
for
the
advisement
team.
Providing
a
student
with
this
informa+on
will
help
them
stay
engaged
and
on
track
in
the
classroom.
• Follow
up
with
a
student
in
24-­‐48
hours
to
ensure
their
issue
was
resolved.
If
it
was
not,
reach
out
to
your
faculty
services
liaison
or
program
chair
for
guidance
on
how
to
help
the
student.
THREE
The ideal online
teacher has a
toolkit for every
situation.

12. Conclusion
• Keeping
students
engaged
in
the
online
classroom
can
be
accomplished
with
the
use
of
crea+vity,
diligence,
and
a
li_le
bit
of
fun.
• Set
the
expecta+on
by
ins+lling
a
sense
of
urgency,
mo+va+on
and
desire
to
excel
within
your
students
and
lead
by
example.
• Give
students
a
reason
to
be
engaged
by
engaging
in
their
success.
FCO

13. FACULTY CLUB CONNECTS YOU
The
Faculty
Club
is
an
online
academic
community
created
for
faculty
by
faculty
that
connects
members
with
premier
job
openings
in
higher
educa+on.
Members
will
find
relevant,
immediately
useful
job
and
career
informa+on
as
well
as
professional
development
materials
and
resources
to
help
boost
teaching
qualifica+ons
that
can
lead
to
increased
employment
opportuni+es,
teaching
performance,
and
job
sa+sfac+on.
SIGN UP TODAY
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us
provide
you
with
the
resources
you
need
to
become
a
successful
faculty
member
in
today’s
educa+on
landscape.
@FacultyClubOrg
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