Engaging various learning styles online
This chart reinforces the notion that students learn differently. Adding any of the content below also tends to engage students more online. Keep in mind that when you add this type of content, you have to ensure that the content is accessible to students with disabilities.
| Audio. For those learners who learn best by hearing the material, the use of audio is needed. |
| Example. Most students appreciate an example of material presented. |
| Charts and graphs. Visual learners tend to process information better when it is in the form or charts or graphs, as opposed to only in the textual format. |
| Glossary. Use Glossary to create a fully searchable
glossary for your course. It can contain images as well as text, so that
illustrative glossary definitions are possible. The advantage of using an online Glossary over a hard copy is that students can link directly to a definition of term while reading the text. And, all the glossary terms are in one area, so printing them is also easy. |
| Interactive activities. For those kinesthetic learners, interactive activities online, such as simulations, work well. |
| Movie. While the implementation of good movies is time consuming, they can be very beneficial. |
| Pictures. A picture is worth a thousand words. Students tend to remember pictures. Be aware of size and downloading issues for students with older computers. |
| References. Give the students an opportunity to look up items fairly easily. |
| Self-test. While students, especially adults, get very nervous about test taking, the fear can be minimized by how it is presented. The word "test" is foreboding, but the terms "self-quiz," "self-assessment," or "test your knowledge" do not conjure up the feelings of failure that students experience. |
