Emotions In Online Teaching: A Powerful Tool

Digital learning is replacing traditional methods of learning every day. With the rapid change in classrooms, it is best to forget old methods and embrace new contemporary learning techniques with the help of digital learning tools and technologies. With digital learning slowly taking over traditional, online classes have gained much popularity in recent times. One can also find that online courses in a teacher education program are much in demand than regular courses. But the question in everybody’s mind is -

Are these virtual classes as productive and effective as the ones that take place in traditional classrooms?

The answer is - yes, why not?

If conducted properly, online classes can be as effective as regular school classes, even more for few students. However, there are also some barriers that students might face in online classes. One such barrier is student engagement and learning.

The very nature of online classes creates barriers to student engagement and learning. These barriers are the main reasons for low student engagement and higher attrition rates in online classes. But there exists a powerful tool that acts as an important factor for student attention, engagement, and persistence in online classes: emotions.

With the increasing rate of online education, students must engage in learning and get acquainted with the aspects of online education. Usually, the engagement of a student is measured through their performance, their access to the course content, or the time and effort they invest in the course.

Previous studies and research say that students engage in learning via five dimensions: cognitive, social, behavioural, collaborative, and emotional. It implies that apart from highlighting only student access to the course content and design, educators should also encourage social and collaborative interaction to keep students emotionally connected within the course.!

Here are few ways how educators can facilitate student engagement in the online learning setup:

Strengthen the teacher-student relationship

■ The factors stimulating the risk of disengagement among students taking online classes are anxiety and feelings of disconnectedness. Teachers should create ways to connect with students and encourage good relations among students and their peers. Thus, teachers play an important part in boosting student retention and assisting them to fully engage in their academic degree program.

Arrange the online platform clearly and logically

■ A clear and organized platform always influences the quality of the online learning experience, positively affects students' performance, and provides students a great experience in accessing the course content and activities that are important to the lecturer. A course that is well-organized positively plays a vital part in creating the student's emotional connection to the learning community.

Inform students that you care about their progress

■ Students always want their teachers to be aware of their progress. They look forward to the feedback that the teachers provide to know their performance as it is connected to the learning objectives of a course. The progress of a student is monitored by the online-management systems using tools like badges and activity and task-completion. These tools let students know that teachers track their progress and guide them for future activities.

It can be concluded that the most important and valued part of an online course is the emotional engagement of a student. Although it is important to receive online content quickly, teachers should focus more on the teacher-student relationship, connect with students and create opportunities for interacting with them emotionally within their courses and motivate them to engage in their learning.