Twelve tips to enhance student engagement in synchronous online teaching and learning

Abstract

Synchronous learning is a component of online learning for engaging students in real-time. It is the nearest we can get to a live feeling in the e-environment. These sessions must be designed in a way to keep students continuously involved. This paper aims to provide health professional educators with tips for increasing student engagement in the online synchronous environment. The relevant literature regarding student engagement and synchronous online learning was reviewed and collated with the authors’ own experiences, to formulate these tips. Health professional educators can use these tips to enhance student engagement in online synchronous classes.

Increased student engagement in online sessions, means better learning. These tips have been tried and tested by the authors as being satisfactory for increasing student interest in synchronous sessions and hence providing an optimal learning experience online.

Keywords:

• Student engagement
• synchronous online learning
• learning management system

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rehan Ahmed Khan

Dr. Rehan Ahmed Khan, MBBS, FCPS (surgery), FRCS, JM-HPE, MSc HPE, MHPE, PhD (Scholar), is an Assistant Dean Medical Education and Professor of Surgery at Riphah International University, Pakistan. His interests include curriculum development and innovation, assessment, and online instructional designing. He has done master’s in medical education from the University of Glasgow and is currently a PhD scholar in medical education at Maastricht University.

Komal Atta

Dr. Komal Atta, MBBS, MPhil Physiology, MME (Scholar), is Assistant Director of Health Professionals Education, Senior Coordinator School of Optometry, and Assistant Professor of Physiology at The University of Faisalabad. She is also a scholar of master’s in medical education at the University of Lahore, Pakistan.

Madiha Sajjad

Dr. Madiha Sajjad, MBBS, FCPS (histopathology), MHPE, is a Professor of Pathology and member of Curriculum Committee at Riphah International University. She has also done master’s in medical education from Riphah International University. Her interests in medical education include assessment and professionalism.

Masood Jawaid

Dr. Masood Jawaid, MBBS, MCPS (surgery), MRCS, FCPS (surgery), MHPE, is a General surgeon, medical educationist, technical advisor at ‘CorTeach’ and visiting faculty in medical education, at the University of Lahore. His interests in medical education include e-learning and instructional designing.