Enhancing Student Engagement Online: Creative Pedagogy in the Digital World

Student Learning Outcomes

Most faculty start a class by considering student learning outcomes. While the content taught should not be significantly different from face-to-face classes, there should be additional outcomes that apply specifically to the online world. Not only that, but the humanities need to be clearer about how humanities courses are meeting the needs of the modern workforce. If professors can form student learning outcomes that easily translate into marketable skills, everyone benefits.

Here are some examples of ways to craft such learning outcomes:

The Importance Of Good Orientation

Some institutions provide a general online orientation for students, while others leave it to faculty to embed such material within the course. Ideally, in a unified online curriculum, such an orientation would be universal to the campus. The literature often talks about modern students as being “digital natives,” but their skills are often overstated and apply more to phone apps, games, and social media, than to the skills they need in school and for future employment. Many students also buy in to the idea that “online” means “easier,” or “faster.” In the experience of the authors, this is a key reason the drop rate in online courses at out institution is higher than in face-to-face classes.