When I create an online course for a client, that course is designed to be practical, not just theoretical. In other words, these courses are designed to create real-world differences for the learner. How? By being intentional with how I create the online learning environment for each course. A well-designed learning environment encourages real-world application through a couple of key ingredients: active learning, critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving.
The question then becomes, how do we do this in an online setting?
Here are some tips for doing just that:
1. **Interactive Learning:** Incorporate interactive elements such as role-playing, simulations, case studies, and hands-on exercises that encourage students to apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios. This engagement keeps learners active and invested in the learning process.
2. **Real-Life Examples:** Use real-life examples and case studies to illustrate how the concepts being taught are relevant in various contexts. This helps students connect theoretical knowledge to practical situations they might encounter.
3. **Practical Assignments:** Design assignments that require students to solve problems, analyze situations, and propose solutions. These assignments should mimic real-life challenges and encourage critical thinking and creativity. If the word “assignment” sounds to formal for your course, you can use another term such as “application step”.
4. **Collaborative Learning:** Create opportunities for students to collaborate with others. Group coaching, discussion boards, and forums allow learners to share diverse perspectives and collectively find solutions to complex problems. Something magical happens when you get a group together all trying to solve the same problem.
5. **Feedback Mechanisms:** Provide constructive feedback whenever possible. This helps learners understand their strengths and areas for improvement, allowing them to refine their skills further. Provide ample opportunities for your learners to share what they are working on or real-life situations they encountered that are applicable to what you are teaching.
6. **Supportive Instructors:** Instructors should be readily available to answer questions, provide guidance, and offer insights. Their expertise and mentorship play a crucial role in helping students apply theoretical knowledge in practical scenarios. It’s easy for students to fall between the cracks in an online setting. Remember that each learner is a real person looking to you for help.
7. **Emotional Awareness:** Our emotions play a big role in our ability to learn and recall information. Ideally, your learners would be in a calm, engaged emotional state both when they are learning and when they need to recall what they’ve learned in real scenarios. However, that’s rarely the case. So consider how you can encourage the student to be calm and engaged while learning AND how you can encourage them to return to that state quickly when they need to recall what they’ve learned in real-life situations.
By creating an online learning environment that encourages application and not just knowledge consumption, you can make a greater impact on your learner’s lives.
If you’re ready to create an online course that makes a big impact in your learner’s lives, let’s talk! We’ll discuss how we can make this a reality in as little as two weeks.
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