Improving student engagement in online courses through interactive and user-centered course design: Practical strategies

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many teachers in higher education to move their courses online. Recent research on online teaching indicates that students and teachers experience challenges with the online mode. Students express less positive feelings towards synchronous online learning, concerns about lower academic performance, and dissatisfaction with the way lecturers adapt their teaching to the online environment. These findings warrant a re-examination of current practices. This article presents a set of research-based online teaching strategies meant to promote student engagement and motivation. The strategies are illustrated with practical examples of the authors’ own experiences with online teaching in higher education. While this article primarily targets teachers who are planning their first online courses, it will also be useful to those who wish to enhance the quality of existing online courses.