Engaging Passive Learners in E-Learning

Ria Lacson-Vital

There are two distinct types of learners. One may be active who attends to every learning opportunity, engages himself in every activity, performs assessment tasks and participates actively in an online discussion or presentation. On the other hand, one may be passive who simply attends every online class and completes every given task for the sake of compliance without trying to make his presence felt.

Though there are really these types of learners even during the face-to-face setup, online distance learning just seems to make it harder for the teacher to provide intervention right away. As such, eLearning Industry has suggested tips to engage passive learners in E-Learning.

Teachers may encourage online peer collaboration among their students, because as human beings, when we share our knowledge and skills, we develop selfconfidence, making us feel that we are useful and productive member of any group. By collaboration, we encourage passive learners to reach out to their peers and participate in an online learning activity.

Teachers should make every learning encounter visually compelling and should consider giving the students control over their personal E-Learning experience. Contextualization may also be one of the ways to engage students, for when examples are easy to understand and something that students can relate with, it builds a connection between their subject matter and the real world.

Lastly, as teachers, we have to find out what motivates our students. It is our role to know all our students in order for us to create an environment where everyone is engaged, acquiring knowledge and skill necessary for everyday life.

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The author is Secondary School Teacher I at Camachiles National High School, Mabalacat City, Pampanga.