Increasing interactivity and engagement in course design

When it comes to devising an engaging course, so much effort and time is spent choosing the topics, devising assignments and deadlines, and structuring lectures. However, all of this effort might not bring the best of results if the course is lacking a core element: interactivity.Thinking about the intended learning outcomes, creating modules, selecting what to talk about in each lesson, and planning for assessments are just the first steps in creating an effective course.

Flexible teaching – the ability to accommodate different learning needs as well as course settings (face-to-face, online, hybrid, blended, etc.) has emerged as an important strategy for institutions to achieve quality education. However, to harvest the full potential of mixed modalities, educators must be able to not only provide good content, but also to create opportunities for meaningful interactions, by inserting elements of engagement in their courses and materials.

With this in mind, this course aims to 1) provide instructors with insights about what interactivity is and how it works from a theoretical perspective, to 2) share hands-on techniques and strategies to apply in different course modalities and to 3) showcase studies and experiences, highlighting potentials and limitations of tools and their best application for a more engaging course.

Student – Content engagement is one of the key areas in promoting interactivity throughout the learning experience. By creating meaningful interactions within the content, students are encouraged to critically study and better understand the given concepts. However, it has always remained a challenge for instructors to make sure such engagement is continuous and active, especially within mixed modalities courses (synchronously and asynchronously, hybrid, and blended); and students can participation meaningful conversations at different levels (peer to peer, teacher-student, self-reflection).

This course is then designed to help instructors resolve this issue by 1) introducing practical methods and strategies to create meaningful interactions that empower engagement and active learning; 2) sharing successful examples of enhancing interactivity with the study materials; and 3) highlighting potentials and limitations of pedagogical technology in facilitating multi-level interactions. 

In this course, we will delve into the vital aspect of fostering an interactive and dynamic learning environment through effective discussions. Engaging discussions not only enhance students' understanding of the subject matter but also cultivate a sense of belonging and collaboration within the learning community.

We will explore a wide range of strategies, techniques, and tools that empower you to create meaningful and interactive discussions that captivate your students' attention and ignite their intellectual curiosity. We will 1) discuss the methods and approaches suitable for facilitating interactivity in discussions, 2) reflect on how to adopt these methods and approaches in your own courses, and 3) examine and evaluate the potential of pedagogical tools to facilitate interactivity in discussions. By the end of this module, you will have the knowledge and skills to transform your classroom into a vibrant and stimulating learning community, where students actively participate, collaborate, and construct knowledge together.