Online education: tips for supporting students

Actions aimed at guiding students from the moment they enter an educational institution have a very significant impact on the overall student experience. In this note we tell you all the details.

Online education has experienced exponential growth in recent years, becoming an increasingly popular option for students of all ages and profiles. With the flexibility of schedules, accessibility from anywhere in the world, and a wide range of programs and courses available, online education offers countless opportunities for those who wish to expand their knowledge or acquire new skills.

However, while online learning has numerous benefits, it also presents major challenges. Learning autonomy, time management, and personal motivation are just some of the aspects that can influence a student's success in a virtual environment. Therefore, it is essential to have proper guidance and resources to make the most of the online educational experience.

In this article, we will explore a series of practical and effective tips to guide students on their online education journey.

Recommendations to improve the student onboarding process

From the design of welcome activities, to establishing an effective environment over time, these suggestions cover a wide range of key aspects that contribute to academic and personal success in the digital world of online education.

1. Welcome activities

This allows you to engage students before the academic period begins. Online welcome activities should provide the opportunity to establish connections between students and also with teachers. The good news is that in the online environment there is a wide variety of tools and applications that allow you to do it in an entertaining and fun way. Some suggestions for online welcome activities:

Thematic discussion forums

Organizing online discussion forums based on topics relevant to the course. Students can participate, ask questions, and share their perspectives, which encourages interaction and idea exchange from the start. Depending on the Learning Management System (LMS) you have, you can use the following tools: Canvas Discussion Boards, Moodle Forum.

Videoconference meetings

These virtual meetings allow students to introduce themselves to each other and establish initial contact with their instructors. They provide an informal environment to build relationships, share common interests, and generate a sense of community, all through videoconference platforms like Zoom and Google Meet.

Orientation and presentation sessions

Offering informational sessions that provide an overview of the course, curriculum details, expectations, and any relevant information can help familiarize students and allow them to clarify doubts. There is a wide range of tools that can help create attractive presentations such as Canva, PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, Loom, among others.

Games

Games offer a fun way to engage students and promote participation and learning. Trivia challenges knowledge, virtual escape rooms require teamwork and puzzle solving, while bingo, for example, is a more relaxed game that can generate interaction among participants. Some tools you can use are: Triventy or Google Forms to create quizzes; ClueKeeper or LockPaperScissors for escape rooms or Bingo Baker to create Bingo cards.

2. Process simplification

This is a fundamental pillar to ensure a smooth experience in online education. From the admission and course registration process, to technical assistance and answering questions, everything must be polished with the goal of simplifying each step as much as possible. Having accessible and efficient technical support is key, whether through live chats, clear tutorials, or ticket systems to resolve issues quickly.

Simplification is also applicable to the design of online courses, where priority should be given to ease of navigation by creating a clear layout of modules, intuitive menus, and structured and easy-to-understand content presentations.

Following best practices in educational design, such as the inclusion of a clear navigation guide, brief and explanatory videos, as well as an interface adaptable to different devices, creates an accessible and user-friendly learning environment for students, regardless of their previous familiarity with online education.

3. Resources for online students

In virtual education, accessibility and centralization of information are crucial elements. Therefore, the creation of a resources page is essential to provide students with a single point of access to all relevant information. This page should help deliver a wide range of resources, from technical requirements, video tutorials, documents, to important dates and access to academic support. Here we present a more detailed list of what this resources page can include:

• Hardware and software requirements
• Academic calendar
• Access to technical support and help options
• Information on student privacy

4. Safe examination spaces

With the rise of online academic training, it is crucial to provide students with a protected learning environment. In that sense, it is necessary to support confidence in online evaluation instances, safeguarding students' personal information and data transparency.

A good option is to contract monitoring systems capable of responding to the regulatory patterns established by the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

At Klarway, we not only offer educational quality, growth and security, but we also accompany institutions on their digital transformation journey. Thanks to our proctoring tool, it is possible to conduct reliable remote exams, while guaranteeing the academic integrity of the virtual environment. Contact us here.

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