How to Motivate Your Online Students

Madison, Wis.—Feb. 23 — Motivating students in face-to-face courses is difficult enough. And motivating students in online classes can be even more difficult. As Excelsior College composition instructor Errol Craig Sull puts it, “How do you take a smile on the instructor’s face and put it into bits and bytes?”

Sull, who has more than 10 years of experience teaching online and is a 2005 Dell Teacher of Excellence, recently offered his advice during the online seminar “Building and Maintaining Motivation in the Online Classroom.”

During the February 22 event, Sull advocated tying real-life examples to course content to keep student motivation high.

An instructor can begin gathering these examples well before course begins. “Always be on the lookout for them and file them away,” Sull said. Instructors can also ask students to contribute their own examples. This creates a two-way exchange and tells you what students are interested in.

Sull also offered participants advice on using humor judiciously and effectively to enhance students’ motivation. If you missed the February 22 seminar and would like to order a transcript or CD of the event, visit http://www.magnapubs.com/catalog/cds/599446-1.html.

For more information, please contact David Burns, publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109 or dburns@magnapubs.com.