Getting students to live chats?
I am curious if anyone has ideas on how to get students to come to live chats? Are they tools you all use to encourage students to attend?
One of the keys to participation I find is the first live chat I present within a course. If that one is fun, informative and engaging I find that usually the same students return the following weeks for the live chats and they also invite others in the class to join. Another method is to mention in the gradebook that segments in students' work that can be improved upon were discussed within the Live Chat. This stimulates them to participate because they have a better chance to improve their grades.
Hi
Getting students to live chats especially when attendance is not mandatory is a secret art for sure! I have been teaching online for 11 years and I have run out of tricks. I have tried different times of the day and night, sent invitations via email and have posted weekly reminders. When students write me questions I always add that going to chat will also help. However, there has been many a night where I conducted a chat session where I was the only person in the room.
Bill Becker
Great tips Phyllis. I find that holding my live chats earlier in the week help with my participation level.
rebecca,
Nothing better than experience to really get a good discussion going forward.
Shelly Crider
Topics are what attract students to participate so I try to choose topics that are part provocative and part opinion. And I require that students back up what they say with an experience or information.
Rebecca Smith
Martin,
Gentle reminders are a good thing to do.
Shelly Crider
Hi Cheryl
Some ideas to getting students to live chat is finding out a time that working so many. For example, if you have a live chat in CT time. Please to have your live chat later at night for the Alaska and Hawaii students along with CA, etc.
Thanks
Alana
This is always a major problem. I tend to email invitations at the start of the week reminding them of the time. I try to let students set the agenda for the session by bringing questions to it; this helps them feel that the session has personal value. And I post an announcement afterwards detailing what was covered in the session in the hopes that this might motivate students to come to the next one or at least review the saved version.
Hi Cheryl,
I too am looking for a trick to get the students to attend the Live Chats more often.
A few things I do to make it almost "can't live without my Live Chat" follow;
1) I talk about the assignment. My goal is to make it perfectly clear how to complete an assignment.
2) I go over the rubric. Again, I spell out what I will be looking for in the work so that they can be successful at completing it.
3) I walk them through research information to help them make heads or tails of it.
4) I have found templates to be a great guidance for students when completing assignments. I've received a lot of positive feedback about how they help. I walk through the template during my Live Chats.
If this still doesn't get them to attend the Live Chats live, it definitely gets them to review the archived Live Chats.
Smiles,
Tammie
Hello Cheryl--Some of the methods that I have used to increase attendance in live chats are: (1) At the beginning of each week, I send students an email inviting them to the weekly live chat. (2) I post an announcement detailing the topics that I will be discussing. (3) Before the live chat, I view the online portal students' panel to find students who are currently online. I "instant message" (IM) the student online "Please join us in the live chat." This approach has been successful in the classes that I teach online. Best wishes.
