Have students practice skills early in your online course

7 April 2020

Everyone needs positive reinforcement to stay motivated, regardless of what they are doing. The same applies to online learning and online courses. The best way to ensure that your students stay motivated during your course is to include practical tasks early in your course and continue making use of formative assessments and practical tasks throughout your course.

By completing assessments and practical tasks, your students will have an opportunity to demonstrate, early on, their newly acquired knowledge and skills. This will enable them to realise that they are learning new skills, which in turn, will keep them motivated.

The tendency of course developers is to burden learners with theory knowledge first, before introducing any practical components. We are discouraging this, as the importance of keeping students engaged throughout the course takes preference. The best way to do this is through the use of continuous practical tasks that demonstrate the student’s progress. How do you do this? Keep an eye out for our next set of online course tips.