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Dear Frank,
I am teaching an asynchronous undergraduate course and would appreciate some guidance on how to engage students who do not seem engaged in the course based on what I see in Canvas.
Sincerely,
Frustrated Online Instructor
Dear Frustrated Online Instructor,
If you’ve ever taken an online, asynchronous course, you know how easy it is to push it to the back burner. Without scheduled meetings or live faces, students quickly feel disconnected and unmotivated. The question is: what will nudge students to log in, contribute and stay engaged? Step into their shoes for a moment and you’ll see why structure, incentives and human connection are key.
Try these strategies:
- Build routine: Require short weekly reflections or discussion posts so participation becomes a habit.
- Encourage collaboration: Assign team-based projects that push students to interact with one another.
- Reach out: Personally contact students who are disengaged (*worth doing at least once even in large classes)
- Spark curiosity: Post provocative, relevant prompts students can’t resist responding to.
In short: give them a reason to show up, a way to connect, and something too interesting to ignore.