Integrating a VLE into your school’s everyday learning is a golden opportunity for providing a more immersive learning experience. The benefits of using a truly engaging VLE and the positive effect it has on students’ learning has been well documented; but to get the most out of it, you have to make sure their experience of online learning is one they enjoy – and and want to experience again and again.
A more engaged student is one who will work harder and ultimately achieve more. But how do you create a more engaging VLE, and therefore a more compelling learning experience? Here are four easy steps to a more successful e-learning experience, and more engaged students.
Explore each of these four steps – and then assess the difference in your school’s learning outcomes.
Make courses fun
We’ve already covered the benefits of using video in courses; this is just one way of making the learning experience more varied and entertaining. Videos are easy to embed in learning platform courses and are a great way of capturing attention.
There are other ways to make courses more fun – gamification (the application of game elements to learning) or games-based learning (using games as a learning tool) for example. Your students will spend hours every single week playing games at home (in fact, over 5 million people now spend an average of 45 hours a week on games) – so introducing elements to their learning that will feel fun and familiar will only enhance their experience, and the outcome.
If your learners are physically interacting with the course you have created, they will be hooked.
Let the learner feel in control
Another way to make your students feel more engaged is to give them the reins a little. Provide them with the opportunity to make choices during the course you’ve created – and being in control will give them the feeling of ownership of their own outcome.
For example, allow them to choose which order they complete the sections of the course in. You may also want to allow them to choose how they find out information they need to answer a question – e.g by either watching a short video, or reading a passage.
Make it relevant
Keep the content within your course relevant and to the point and you stand more chance of keeping students’ attention.
Even for adults, it’s hard to get excited about something that doesn’t feel relevant to us.
Provide real-world scenarios in your course, allowing them to understand the wider connotations of what they’re learning about – and subsequently their learning will feel more important.
Include learning elements in your course that young people can relate to – we’ve already used video and games as an example above, but why not take it one step further and include a social media element to your course?
Once you have addressed the question of ‘why should I do this?’ and provided material that actually means something to your students, you’re more likely to keep their attention.
Give feedback
If a student has completed a course in your VLE, it’s natural they’re going to want to know how well they’ve done – particularly if they enjoyed the learning experience.
Provide them with feedback as soon as possible, either by using the VLE’s internal messaging, or by taking advantage of self marking. Self-marking tests mean students can instantly see how well they’ve done in a format they understand. Build these results into a leader board – and you’re creating positive competition amongst your class – great for spurring them on to work harder every time!
For more help and guidance with creating an engaging VLE which inspires students, or to find out how Titus Learning can help you deliver a more rewarding e-learning experience, get in touch with the team here.