Motivating Online Learners
Online delivery of Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia has been on the rise in recent years. According to a 2019 report by NCVER, more than 10% of VET qualifications delivered in NSW and Queensland are now delivered fully online, and student outcomes are broadly comparable to other delivery modes. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have no doubt increased the numbers of online VET students.
However, online delivery presents unique challenges for both students and providers, compared with traditional face to face delivery methods. A big one is student retention - NCVER’s 2019 report also found subject withdrawal rates are higher and course completion rates lower in online VET delivery. There are many reasons for this, but a big factor is motivation and engagement - it’s simply more difficult for trainers to keep their students on track when they are not seeing them regularly ‘in person’, and it’s easier for online learners to feel isolated and become frustrated while studying. So how can trainers motivate students studying online?
Image by Sandeep Virk
Setting Pre-Enrolment Expectations
It starts before and during enrolment. Online learning does not suit everyone, and it is important for students to have realistic expectations about their online studies, and enough information to be able to make an informed choice. This includes having clear information about the technology they will need in order to study. If a course requires a high-speed internet connection to stream videos and participate in online meetings or lectures, students who don’t have access to such a connection need to know upfront. As well as setting students up for success, providing this information will help RTOs meet their obligations under Clauses 4 and 5 of the Standards for RTOs 2015.
Providing an Outstanding Orientation
Once students enrol, a comprehensive orientation explaining the use of the course’s Learning Management System (LMS), how and when to get help, and setting expectations regarding course participation and assessment will increase the likelihood a student will remain enrolled and see their course through. Giving students a role to play in the orientation - such as stating how often they will be working on their course each week, and nominating their study goals - can also increase their motivation.
Keeping in Contact
Regular contact with trainers, student support staff, and other students is another key ingredient in the online student retention recipe. Training providers should establish contact with online students soon after they start training (preferably not just via an automated text message or email - a personal call with the trainer will be a great help) and keep in regular contact from there.
A combination of automated (e.g. a weekly email introducing that week’s course topics), responsive (e.g. a motivational text message each time a unit is successfully completed), personal (e.g. an ad-hoc voice or video call from a trainer to provide personalised assistance with an assessment task), and social (e.g. course Facebook groups or forums for peer-to-peer support) communication can be used to keep learners engaged.
Generally, more contact is better, however, providers should be careful not to use too much-automated communication, which can start to feel like spam. Surveying students about their preferred level and methods of contact at course commencement can help to fine-tune communication strategies. Trainers should also be proficient in the use of the technology they are using to communicate with students - it is frustrating for students to receive poorly-written emails or to have to wait while their trainer fumbles around trying to get their camera and microphone working on a video call.
Dazzling with Course Design
In terms of the learning experience, it is no longer enough to host some PDFs and embed a few videos in an LMS and call that “online learning”. Course design is critical - today’s students are used to sophisticated and well-designed apps and websites and will expect the same from their online courses. Whether the work is done in-house or outsourced, training providers need to ensure that their online courses follow eLearning best practices that make them accessible, engaging, and enjoyable for students. That goes for assessment tasks as well, which should make use of a variety of methods.
Fundamentals of Feedback
Finally, training providers need to ensure that online students receive timely, useful, and personalised feedback from their instructors. Nothing is more disheartening as an online learner than to wait weeks for feedback from a trainer only to be told ‘good job’ or ‘unsatisfactory - please resubmit’. Feedback doesn’t have to be paragraphs long - a sentence or two can often be enough - but it does need to be worth reading and tailored to each individual student.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt that online learning presents unique challenges for both training providers and their students. Chief among them is keeping online students motivated and engaged with their studies. But the challenges are not insurmountable. By setting clear expectations, regularly communicating with students via a variety of methods, putting effort into course design, and providing high-quality feedback, training providers can maximise online student engagement, satisfaction, and completion rates and ensure that online learning is every bit as good as traditional delivery methods.
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