Increasing students' motivation during the pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic has had consequences in all areas, from personal to professional. The repercussions have also shaken the foundations of the education sector between closed schools and an increase in demand for online courses. In this area, it is not only necessary for teachers and students to adapt to new ways of teaching and studying, but also to deal with all the fatigue caused by the lockdown and constant tension.

It is often the motivation that suffers. It is not always easy to adapt to this new normality. Here are a few tips to keep the motivation of participants high during the pandemic:

1. Target-based activities

When designing an online course it is essential to know what the target audience is. However, it is impossible to create a tailor-made course for each student. The risk is that content and activities that are too complex or too easy can drastically reduce motivation. In this case, extra content is of great help. While students who have less preparation can draw on additional sources to fill in the gaps and keep up, more prepared learners avoid getting bored and always find new ideas for learning.

2. Listening to the voice of the students

If there is one element that cannot be missing, especially in this difficult situation, it is feedback. Asking for students' opinions during and immediately after the course is essential to constantly improve the design phase. During the pandemic, it is preferable to gather as much feedback as possible, not only to make improvements, but also to make the students feel listened to and therefore feel more involved and motivated.

3. "Contague" the trainees with motivation

When students sign up for the course they tend to be interested in its content. Nevertheless, there is a part of the motivation that goes beyond personal interest. It is possible to convey the involvement, in fact, through a tutor who is able to convey interest in the course topics. This means that, even more so in the coming months, it will be necessary to create and offer engaging and expert content that is passionate about the topic.

4. Underline the value of the course

At a time when many people's jobs are at risk, it is necessary for trainees to know what added value your course offers at a professional level. Although it is essential that they know this from the moment they enrol, motivation increases if they remember during the course what skills they can use in the near future.

5. Interactive challenges

An online course has a wide range of possibilities to keep trainees active, one of which is to constantly offer different "challenges". How? From quizzes to gamification, students are constantly challenged to improve their skills through constructive comparison with others. Between lockdown and limitations, having an objective improves the motivation of the trainees.

6. More "social"

In general, direct participation is essential to increase student involvement. Most have a great familiarity with socials, forums and video calls and this ability provides an opportunity to interact with tutors and other students to promote debate, resolve doubts and share experiences. This will make the course more humane, especially at a time when you feel more isolated.

Article translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator