Engaging Students in Remote Learning

In a world where attention is fleeting and virtual fatigue is real, how can you successfully host online events? Here are 9 essentials to keep in mind: 1. Start with a Compelling Opening Your opening should grab attention, set the tone, build anticipation and give people a reason to stay. 2. Make Eye Contact Look directly into the camera to create a sense of connection. If you're using a teleprompter or script, keep it at eye level to maintain that engagement. 3. Mind Your Facial Expression People are paying close attention to your face. They can see when you’re smiling, or when you appear bored, upset, or frustrated. Be conscious of your expression. 4. Manage Your Energy Your energy drives the entire experience. If you seem disengaged or flat, your audience will tune out. 5. Build Emotional Connections Use personal stories, relatable examples, and analogies. These human elements help your message resonate on a deeper level. 6. Engage the Audience Make your audience part of the experience. Use polls, Q&A, or chat prompts to keep them actively involved. 7. Be Clear and Concise Attention spans online are shorter. Get to the point quickly, and use clear language. 8. Use Visual Aids and Multimedia Use images, short videos, graphics, and animations that support your message. However, don’t overload your slides with text. 9. Check Your Tech Setup Poor lighting, audio, camera quality, or an unstable internet connection can lead to frustration and reduced participation. Test in advance. Hope this helps. I’m Temi Badru, a professional event MC for physical, virtual, and hybrid events. I also train individuals and teams in public speaking and effective communication. #temibadru #voicesandfaces #eventhost #mc #moderator #speaker #events

One of the most common mistakes in corporate learning is trying to embed motivation directly into the course — as if making the content fun or engaging will magically make people want to complete it. Let’s be clear: it doesn’t work that way. Never has. In reality, motivation always lives inside the learner. 💡 And it stems not from gamification or animations, but from an unmet need. In this case, the course becomes a potential solution. So how do we find or create that unmet need? Let’s not reinvent the wheel. We’ll revisit Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and reframe it in a workplace context. Reframing Maslow’s Hierarchy in the Workplace Enablement Needs — access to resources (workspace, equipment, internet, time, and the opportunity to learn). Safety — stability, confidence in the future, feeling competent and in demand. Belonging — being part of a team, a profession, a company; not feeling excluded. Recognition — contributions are noticed, achievements acknowledged, feedback is given. Self-actualization — growth, new challenges, career opportunities, autonomy. Now ask yourself: How can we activate one of these needs so that our course becomes the clear next step? If you select the right level and method, motivation will follow and your completion rate will soar. How it can work: Enablement Needs 🫧 Creating the need: restrict access to tools or systems until the course is completed. When to use: compliance training, security protocols, data protection. Safety 🛟 Creating the need: create a sense of risk — of falling behind, becoming irrelevant, or underperforming. Show the course as a way to stay afloat. When to use: courses on tech updates, AI tools, process changes, digital fluency. Belonging 💕 Creating the need: introduce team-based activities, social dynamics, shared goals. Create FOMO. When to use: soft skills training, project management, onboarding — anything involving collaboration. Recognition 🏆 Creating the need: add gamification, certificates, dashboards, and leaderboards to make achievement visible. When to use: long or complex programs, skill development, leadership tracks. Self-actualization 🚀 Creating the need: offer choice, tie the course to personal growth, career goals, or talent development. When to use: career paths, upskilling, reskilling, HiPo programs, individual development plans. So, learning is never “just a course.” It’s about mapping your training to a real learner need — or creating that need through thoughtful communication, planning, and experience design. Still trying to motivate people with gamification alone?

The quickest way to lose a class is to start with objectives. The quickest way to win them? Start with a question they actually want answered. When I taught Algebra I swapped “Today we’re learning linear functions” for: * "Could a paper airplane cross the length of a football field?"     * "How long would it take to walk to the top of Mount Everest—on a treadmill?" Heads lifted, pencils moved, and equations suddenly felt useful. Over the years I’ve kept one rule for any lesson I design: open with a curiosity hook that ties directly to the concept. A good hook is: * Short (under 15 seconds)     * Concrete (students can picture it)     * Connected (leads straight into the math)     Here’s what happens when curiosity leads the way: * Engagement rises before the slide deck even appears     * Students remember the concept because they remember the story     * Even the quiet kids take a shot at the first problem     If we want meaningful learning, we have to pay the curiosity tax first.

Across the Global South, expanding school enrollment has been central to progress. But access alone isn’t enough—family awareness and engagement are just as critical to turning schooling into real learning. In Kenya, “Nudging Parents out the Door” shows how simple SMS messages to caregivers—combining encouragement and performance information—improved test scores, particularly for lower-performing students, at very low cost. At the same time, as parents became more informed, higher-achieving students were more likely to switch schools. The intervention didn’t just boost learning—it increased parental agency and responsiveness to school quality. Read paper: https://lnkd.in/eiEXTBF8 By: Guthrie Gray-Lobe, Michael Kremer, Joost de Laat, Oluchi Mbonu, Cole Scanlon In #Uruguay, drawing on the Inter-American Development Bank’s experience, a nationwide behavioral intervention used a government app to nudge parents about preschool attendance. While average attendance effects were limited, the program improved children’s language development, with especially strong gains in remote and underserved areas. Even though the messages focused on attendance, parents translated them into broader support for their children’s development. Read publication: https://lnkd.in/gfP9qxcB By: María Mercedes Mateo-Berganza Díaz; Laura Becerra Luna; Juan Manuel Hernández-Agramonte; Florencia Lopez Boo; Marcelo Perez Alfaro; Alejandro Vásquez Echeverría What does this tell us for the #GlobalSouth? • Enrollment is necessary, but not sufficient: Getting children into school must go hand in hand with informed and engaged families. • Awareness drives action: Both cases show that when parents better understand education, they actively respond—whether by supporting learning at home or making different schooling decisions. • Systems must be ready for informed parents: Greater awareness can reshape behavior—through increased engagement or shifting school demand—requiring systems to adapt. The takeaway is simple but powerful: If enrollment builds access, parental awareness unlocks impact. #GlobalSouth #Education #BehavioralScience #HumanCapital #Development #ECDFund Carolina Freire Andrea Bergamaschi

Regardless of how great your ideas are in your virtual sales pitch, webinar, or team meeting… People are most likely checking their email, browsing social media, or working on other things while you present. How can you prevent that and actually get your audience to pay attention? Here are 4 of the most powerful techniques we use for our own virtual training courses: 1. Win the first five seconds According to research from the University of Toronto, people need only five seconds to gauge your charisma and leadership as a speaker. In virtual environments, this first impression is even more critical. To establish instant rapport: - Keep your posture open and inviting (avoid fidgeting, crossed arms, and closed-off postures) - Use open gestures that welcome the audience into your space - Gesture with your palms showing at a 45-degree angle - Speak with clear articulation and energy from the very first word The quickest way to lose your audience? Starting with tentative body language that signals you’re unsure or unprepared. 2. Design your presentation for virtual viewing When designing slides, assume varied viewing conditions. Design for the smallest likely device and the slowest likely Internet speed. Make your slides accessible by: - Using larger fonts (24-32pt) - Applying higher contrast colors - Limiting each slide to ONE clear idea - Adding more space between lines when using smaller text - Stripping excess content (you can provide additional information in a separate document) 3. Vary your delivery Our research shows the optimal length for linear presentations is just 16-30 minutes, while interactive ones can maintain engagement for 30-45 minutes. People’s attention will go through peaks and valleys during that time, so try these techniques to keep their attention: - Vary your speaking pace (faster to convey urgency, slower to express gravity) - Use intentional pauses to let key points land - Adjust your vocal tone (lower pitch for authority, higher for approachability) - Shift between slides, stories, and data at regular intervals Each change helps reset your audience’s attention and signals importance. 4. Build in structured interaction Don’t make your audience wait until the end of your presentation to interact. According to our research, presentations that incorporate audience engagement through polls, chat responses, or breakout discussions maintain attention longer. For the highest engagement: - Use a variety of interaction types throughout your presentation - Incorporate breakout rooms for small-group discussions - Switch modalities regularly to keep it interesting Remember: In virtual environments, you need to recreate the natural engagement that happens in person. Your virtual presentation success isn’t measured by perfection…it’s measured by action. Master these techniques and your audience won’t just pay attention, they’ll respond. #VirtualPresentations #CorporateTraining #WorkplaceLearning

I walked into a classroom and there were only 3 students waiting. Two girls and one boy. 🤷♂️ That was all. I waited for five minutes. No one else came. I assumed the obvious. “They’re not interested.” I decided to cancel the session. That’s when one of the girls looked at me and said, “Sir, give me two minutes.” She stepped out and started calling her classmates. One call became five. Five became ten. Within minutes, 60% of the class walked in. Here’s what struck me later. I was replacing another guest lecturer. Students routinely skipped his classes. But when they heard I was coming, they showed up. Not because I’m smarter. Not because my content is rare. It showed me something deeper: they wanted to learn but only if they felt connected. That day reminded me of a hard truth about modern classrooms and modern audiences. People don’t show up for content. They show up for connection. Here are a few things I’ve been consciously doing as an educator and presenter that have helped me over the years. 1️⃣ A bitter pill served in a sweet casing is easier to accept/swallow It’s not just about content, it’s also about delivery something many presenters ignore. The syllabus matters. But students need something to hold on to: your energy, your intent, and your clarity. 2️⃣ Emotion decides attention Logic embedded in emotion makes more sense and stays longer. People don’t first remember what you taught. They remember how you made them feel. If they feel safe and comfortable, they’re willing to listen. 3️⃣ Care earns trust Credentials may impress institutions, but care impresses people. It’s not who you are. It’s whether they feel you genuinely care. And students can sense that very quickly. 4️⃣ Facilitation creates ownership Teaching still has value, but today’s minds need facilitation. Students don’t want to sit idle. They want to participate in their own learning. They don’t want ready-made answers. They want involvement in discovering them. 5️⃣ Authority is no longer assumed It is earned in the room. By listening. By inviting voices. By dropping the ego. 6️⃣ Relevance beats brilliance You can be extremely intelligent and still lose the room. If students can’t connect your words to their life, they mentally leave even if they’re sitting right in front of you. 7️⃣ Presence matters more than preparation Students can sense obligation when you’re speaking just to finish an assignment. They can also sense authenticity. The question is simple: Are you genuinely present? That class filled up not because of persuasion, but because of human connection. Modern students are not disengaged. They are selective. They don’t ask, “Is this lecture important?” They ask, “Is this person worth listening to?” And that question doesn’t stop at classrooms.

The antidote to academic dishonesty isn’t stricter monitoring—it’s deeper engagement. After more than 30 years in education, I’ve learned that students cheat when they see no purpose in their learning. But when we bridge the gap between curriculum and real-world application, something remarkable happens: students become invested in their own growth. Key strategies that work: • Connect every lesson to tangible outcomes • Share stories of how past students used these skills • Invite industry professionals to show practical applications • Create projects that solve real community problems In this way, you will have students who are too engaged in authentic learning to consider shortcuts or cheating with AI. How are you making learning meaningful in your field? I’d love to hear your approaches. #EducationalLeadership #StudentEngagement #TeachingStrategy #ProfessionalDevelopment #EducationInnovation

Universities and colleges put enormous effort into welcoming new students. Orientation weeks are colourful, busy, and full of opportunities to connect, but research shows that the sense of belonging students gain in those early days often fades as the semester progresses. The challenge, and opportunity, is for practitioners to design approaches that sustain belonging beyond the first few weeks. A recent study (International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, October 2024) examined how students navigate educational transitions and highlighted the importance of realistic preparation, sustained connection, and the role of educators in shaping belonging. Drawing on the study, here are five domains to guide practice: 1️⃣ Prepare by setting realistic expectations. Too often, students arrive with glossy images of university life, only to feel blindsided by the pace, workload, or challenges of forming new friendships. Providing honest, balanced information before arrival helps normalise difficulty and reduce the shock of transition. Examples could include current student or alumni-led Q&A sessions, “What I wish I’d known” videos and resources.   2️⃣ Connect by creating micro-moments not just big events. Large welcome events can spark initial excitement, but belonging is sustained through everyday micro-connections - someone to sit with in class, a lecturer remembering your name, a peer inviting you to coffee. Encourage tutors to use ice breakers beyond week one, support student leaders to facilitate ongoing low-barrier activities that foster peer and staff connection like weekly walks or shared study sessions. 3️⃣ Empower educations as ‘belonging builders.’ The research reinforces that educators play a critical role in student wellbeing. Approachability, empathy, and inclusivity from teaching staff often matter as much as peer friendships. Small practices like checking in, learning names, or acknowledging diverse perspectives can have outsized impact. 4️⃣ Integrate by addressing compounding transitions. Academic demands, social shifts, housing changes, and wellbeing challenges often overlap. Students rarely experience these in isolation, and when combined, they intensify stress and risk of disengagement. Consider integrated and holistic advising models where academic, wellbeing, and housing staff collaborate to support students. 5️⃣ Monitor, recognising loneliness as an early signal Finally, loneliness is often the first indicator of deeper wellbeing issues. Monitoring connection levels can provide an early warning system for support. Use pulse surveys, quick check-ins in tutorials, or digital tools to flag students at risk of isolation, paired with clear referral and early intervention pathways (e.g., peer connectors, student mentors, proactive outreach). 🔗 Read the full study: https://lnkd.in/gjvUH6sa

For millions in Northeastern Brazil, a lack of internet access isn't just a technical issue, it's a barrier to education and jobs in rural areas. But in working to overcome this barrier, we are also finding new opportunities to scale our community engagement. I recently met with the team at Brisanet Telecomunicações, this region's largest fiber-optic provider. Microsoft has been partnering with them since November 2022. Since then, we've worked together to strengthen network infrastructure to enable Fiber-to-the-Home, which brings high-speed internet directly to homes, and Fixed Wireless Access, which delivers wireless broadband to rural areas where laying cables is difficult. To date, Brisanet has brought 1 million people online, creating unprecedented opportunities for communities that were previously left behind. Three years in, we are on track to meet our shared goals to help these services take root across the community, empowering people to pursue jobs, advance their careers, and improve their overall wellbeing. And connectivity is proving to be the foundation for even more impact. Today, this partnership is a blueprint for integrated progress: helping rural farmers transition to clean energy and use this to also irrigate more sustainably during dry seasons. They are able to diversify crops with options like pitaya and acerola. Digital inclusion and climate action are deeply connected. When communities can access both connectivity and clean energy, they gain adaptability and the capacity to thrive in the face of global challenges. 🎥 Watch this video to learn more: 

Moving a course from the physical world (a live classroom) to a virtual environment is hard. Online learning suffers from higher dropout rates and lower engagement. It doesn't have to be that way. But here are four things that Paul Stanton and I have learned to do to make the online experience even better when we move Thesis Driven learning programs online: 👨👩👧👦 Cohorts. Each student is in a cohort of no more than 8 others. These cohorts meet for weekly discussion sections with an instructor (Paul and Brad) to review questions and tackle interactive exercises. 🕰️ Sync and Async. Good online learning combines asynchronous (on your own time) with synchronous (at the same time) learning. In addition to weekly lessons and content, each cohort will meet synchronously once a week for discussion, questions, and group work. 🏗️ Practical Application. As with our live program, our online program ends with a capstone project in which students work in small groups to underwrite and develop a business plan for a redevelopment project. This kind of practical application is key for learning. 🏫 Community. Learning works best in a group of peers. We’re aiming to keep the best social aspects of our in-person classes, running our programs on Circle and offering an ongoing peer group even after courses finish. We just moved our third program - Selling into Real Estate Owners - online. Full details in comments below!