Tag: student engagement

The first week of class carries more weight than it often gets credit for, especially in online or hybrid environments. Without in-person cues or casual interactions, students in digital classrooms rely on structured signals to feel welcome, supported, and motivated. As the first week wraps up, here are three practical ways you can still spark […]

On July 9, Digital Learning Strategist Dr. ‘dara Abimbade led a Workshop Wednesday session titled Increasing Engagement in Your Zoom Classroom. The session explored why engagement on Zoom often falls short and offered practical strategies to improve it. Dr. Abimbade began by identifying common challenges to Zoom engagement in online classrooms. He then introduced a range […]

First impressions matter, even in digital spaces! Whether you’re teaching asynchronously, synchronously, or somewhere in between, the start of the semester is your chance to set the tone for a connected, inclusive, and engaged classroom. And yes—it is possible to break the ice digitally. Here are a few digital icebreakers that actually work in online courses (and don’t make […]

Summer isn’t just a time to recharge—it’s also the perfect window to refresh your teaching toolkit! With fewer immediate deadlines and a lighter student load, the summertime offers a low-stress opportunity to explore new tools, experiment with course design strategies, and revisit ideas that were too ambitious to tackle mid-semester. Not sure where to start? Here […]

Short-term summer courses present a unique challenge: how can instructors build meaningful student engagement in such a compressed timeframe? In a traditional 15-week semester, there is time for community to develop organically. In short term courses, such as 3-week online Maymesters, engagement must be intentional, structured, and embedded from day one. Here are three evidence-informed […]

On March 5th, Digital Learning Strategist Millie Tullis led an informative presentation on how to increase student-instructor engagement in online class settings. The presentation provided an in-depth explanation of various strategies instructors can adopt to increase the effectiveness of their office hour sessions, as well as additional methods educators can utilize to connect more personally […]