How to Write More Engaging Courses
It’s hard to be engaging when you’re standing in front of your audience and realize that they are doodling, checking their email, or looking out the window instead of listening to what you have to say. When students can’t pay attention, it doesn’t mean that you aren’t interesting or that your content isn’t useful; it simply means that your delivery skills could use some work. There are several things you can do as a teacher to make sure that your material is more engaging for students.
3 Tips for More Engaging Course Materials
Identify Your Target Audience and Write for Them. Who are you writing for? In order to write in a way that is engaging, it’s important to know who you’re writing for. The better you can identify your target audience, or your ideal learner, and write for them, the more engaging your course will be. If you struggle with knowing who would enjoy your content – think about what type of people might have a similar problem as yours and how they could benefit from it. For example, if you had an idea for a course on learning French, I would ask myself “Who needs help learning French? What kind of person is looking to learn French? Does she already know English?”
Have a Visual Opening
The visual, or attention grabbing, opening is a popular format for an introduction. In theory, it is supposed to grab your audience’s attention so they will continue reading. There are three main types of visual openings: narrative, anecdote, and startling statistic. A narrative opening sets up a story or a personal experience that relates to you as a writer and your subject matter. It helps readers envision you interacting with real people doing real things in your field of expertise. An anecdote is exactly what it sounds like — a short story about something amusing or interesting that happened in your work life (or personal life). This often draws on humor and emotion to engage readers early on in their reading experience with you.
Hook Students With A Question
If you’re an educator, chances are you’ve taught an introductory course. It doesn’t matter if it was physics or calculus—every class starts with an intro lecture and a set of homework problems. But how much thought do you put into these? Many students feel as though intro lectures are boring and irrelevant, which can make them tune out early. Instead, get students invested right away by asking them to consider a question that relates directly to the topic at hand; that way they’ll think critically about what is being presented while they process your material.
End Each Lesson With An Assignment
To make your courses more engaging, you need to give your students a reason to interact with each lesson. The simplest way is by giving them an assignment. If you’re trying to learn something new—whether it’s how to use a new piece of software or write code in Python—there are often exercises at the end of each lesson that allow you to practice what you just learned. In many ways, writing assignments force learners into action and help them retain what they learned during class. When designing your course outline, try adding an assignment after every section or module in order to keep students engaged throughout class and make sure they take away some key points before moving on.