How to make online courses more interactive

Meaning

Mutual communication is a key element with interactive communication. Before the arrival of computers, internet, and digital and mobile devices there was only one-way communication. With one messenger, and the receiver unable to respond. Only the given information was received. Examples of one-way communication systems are books or television. Interactive communication is an exchange of ideas where both participants, whether human, machine, or art form, are active and can have an effect on one another. With that said, let’s give you some tips to make your online course more interactive!

Tips to improve the interactivity of your online course

Encourage group collaboration

Start group discussions on your online course. Participants can discuss certain questions, and work together on projects. It’s even possible to add a teacher to your chat. This way, the teacher is able to lead the discussion and to encourage learners to solve problems collectively via group chats. In that way, the teacher can still keep an eye on participants. Human interaction gives them the opportunity to learn from each other!

Ask questions during an online lecture

Online lectures can be a bit boring if participants are not able to ask questions. Involving learners is important to enhance their activeness. During an online lecture, allow students to ask questions to the teacher. The other way around is that the teacher asks a question that can be answered by learners.

Include quizzes and tests

Not only getting a response from a person but also getting a response from a medium is a form of interactivity. Including quizzes and tests increases the involvement of learners. It’s a fun way to learn things, and you can get immediate feedback, which makes it interactive. In this way, the quiz or test will show participants their performance.

How interactive is our LMS?

Let me give you some examples of how our Learning Management System is interactive.

Our LMS includes the use of quizzes and tests. You can vary the amount of interactivity within your quiz. You can choose to give feedback directly after one question or to give feedback after participants have completed all questions. You can choose when learners have access to your quiz: for a whole year, one month, only half an hour, etc. After finishing the quiz you and your participants can see the results, and whether more learning is needed, or if the participant is already an advanced learner.

Group collaboration is also possible with our tool. Using the Disqus plug-in, you can create a discussion forum in our Academy portal for your participants. Find out more about how that works here!

Useful resources

• University of Illinois