This document provides 10 strategies for making online course content more engaging for students: 1) Build foundation with video introductions, photos, graphics and quotes. 2) Encourage collaboration through grouping students and role playing exercises. 3) Use starter and wrapper assignments to frame discussions. 4) Gamify content using games, badges and other rewards. 5) Incorporate case-based learning using student-generated case studies. 6) Have students post and review projects and solve problems together. 7) Ask higher-level, inquiry-driven questions to cultivate learning. 8) Mix up discussion boards using videos, photos and other media. 9) Add an engaging YouTube playlist to

1. NO MORE, BLAND, BLENDED AND
BLAH, ONLINE CONTENT
CYNTHIA SISTEK-CHANDLER & MICHAEL MYERS
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
SAN DIEGO, CA
Have an LMS or use embedded links?
10 new tips to spice up online content

2. OBJECTIVES
• Participants will learn 10 strategies for student engagement in the
online course and come away with a sense that they will no longer have
to put up with bland content.
• Apply practical strategies with online tools inside and outside the LMS

3. #1 BUILD THE FOUNDATION AT THE BEGINNING
Video Introductions at the start of every
class/unit. (Voki, BB use Kaltura Media)
Photographs
Representative Graphic
Favorite Quote http://www.quoteland.com/

4. #2 ENCOURAGE AND MODEL COLLABORATION

5. #3 GROUPING
• By affinity
• By geography
• By occupation

6. #4 ROLE PLAY
• Answer and engage with your persona, characterization, a unique lens.
• What would you do?

7. #5 STARTER-WRAPPER
www.trainingshare.com/download/tufts_may/discuss.ppt
•Assign Starter
•Assign Wrapper
(Hara, Bonk, & Angeli, 2000)

8. #6 GAMIFY & PLAY
•Hunt
•Tag
•Rate
•Badge

9. GAMIFY & PLAY

10. GAMIFY & PLAY
Also - Remember
that games
engage the whole
family –
Parents can get
involved with their
kids games and
adult college
learners can
involve their kids in
course activities

11. #7 CASE-BASED LEARNING: STUDENT CASES
• Post a case rather than using the assignment mode.

12. CASE-BASED
LEARNING

13. CASE-BASED LEARNING
Students
construct a case
study based on
what they have
learned

14. #8 POST & REVIEW PROJECTS
-Use your assignments and discussion
boards as a “free space” for students to
solve a problem or work on a project
together that they can all see and
practice
-Then assign a similar project for them
to work alone on for a grade if
necessary

15. POST & REVIEW PROJECTS

16. #9 ASK BETTER QUESTIONS
cultivate inquiry driven learners
https://inquiry-questions.wikispaces.com/Creating+Questions
Who Cares Test - Moving Beyond Simple
Information Gathering to Higher-Level
Questioning
Kinds of Questioning
http://www.fno.org/toolbox.html

17. #10 MIX IT UP
Your Discussion Boards and other content are not just for text
Mash Up-Videos
Zaption.com

18. MIX IT UP WITH PHOTOS AND OTHER MEDIA
http://www.morguefile.com/
Model correct behavior and still acquire engaging photos using free websites
Copyright/Royalty Free Music:
http://www.peakwriting.com/nu/music.html
Copyright/Royalty Free Photos:
http://www.peakwriting.com/nu/photos.html
David's Collection of SVG Images:
http://www.peakwriting.com/nu/svg_images.rar (this is a
zipped file download)

19. MIX IT UP WITH YOUR OWN YOUTUBE
Add your
YouTube
playlist to your
course!
…and embed
in your
discussion
threads!

20. MIX IT UP WITH YOUR OWN YOUTUBE

21. MIX IT UP WITH YOUR OWN YOUTUBE
Many sites and
programs now exist
to produce video
that can be
uploaded to
YouTube (Microsoft
Mix, Camtasia
Studio, Kaltura
Media ….)

22. MIX IT UP
Camtasia 8 now
- Has very
competitive
educational
pricing
- Is easier to use
- Has an extensive
built in library of
music and clips

23. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
Cynthia Sistek-Chandler
cchandler@nu.edu
@CynthiaChandler
Michael Myers
mmyers@nu.edu
@MPMyersPhD