As the coronavirus takes over the streets globally, traditional classrooms were shifted to virtual learning sessions. While it might sound comfortable, virtual learning has plenty of challenges that it needs to tackle.
Keeping the students engaged in the learning session, ensuring the attendance of students, and the way they are spending their time during the school hours are perhaps a few of the common challenges that are being faced by virtual teachers and instructors.
When students are sitting at their homes, they tend to get distracted easily and it can further hamper with their learning.
There are several methods and tools that are now available in the market that virtual learning providers can consider investing it. It takes a lot more than just a few scoldings or relevant reading material to attract the students to the course.
In this article, you can read about various ways that you can keep in mind to ensure effective virtual training for your students.
Ways to offer effective virtual learning to students and learners
- Set a clear timetable
No one can underestimate the power of a rigid routine. Everyone can only benefit from a solid routine, be it the students or teachers. Hence, it is often suggested to establish a clear routine with students and their parents for online classes, similar to how it is with the traditional, physical classrooms.
One digital tool that you can make use of to ensure that your students are adhering to the timetable is a time tracking software. This time and attendance tracking software help you record the time and days that your students are logging in.
When you know the days that your students miss out on, you can make sure that the relevant reading material is still reaching them.
For the routine, you can set the timelines for deadlines of submissions, timings for video lessons, and days for group activities.
- Ensure that students are geared up
Another challenge that can turn into a hindrance during virtual classroom sessions is the lack of necessary equipment. Students who are learning from home via online classes would need a laptop, a phone, or a personal computer with decent internet connectivity to always remain present for the lessons.
It is, hence, important for teachers to discuss the availability of required equipment for online classes. In case there is any shortage, see how the school can support and accommodate students with the necessary tools and equipment.
This is one of the most crucial aspects that can ensure smooth and efficient virtual learning sessions for both students and teachers.
- Use game-based learning
One of the major challenges that are often faced by teachers and instructors is keeping their students motivated and engaged to attend the sessions. When students are not physically present in the classroom with their fellow classmates and teachers, they tend to feel disconnected and don’t take e-learning seriously.
Hence, in order to make sure that your students feel motivated to be a part of your session, you can make use of game-based learning. Add an element of competition into the sessions and classrooms.
This will shake up and nurture the competitive side of your students and make them want to attend your sessions.
You can utilize the gamification features of a learning management system to ensure your students are interested in your classes. Leaderboards, reward points, badges, and points are just a few examples of these features that you should not miss out on.
Conclusion
Virtual learning has several challenges that teachers and instructors need to tackle. There are several tools in the market that you can invest in to ensure appropriate attendance and make sure that your students are engaging with your material.
