Designing K-12 Online Learning Experiences in Support of All Students

Mike Karlin, PhD. Assistant Professor, STEM & Director, Snap Inc. Institute for Technology and Education, California State University, Dominguez Hills

While the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically altered the K-12 teaching and learning landscape, even before the pandemic many schools were beginning to incorporate online learning in a variety of ways.  From hybrid and blended classes, to e-learning days instead of snow days, to fully online courses that give students more course offerings and options.

However, online learning has historically only been beneficial for certain types of students.  Specifically, students who are highly self-motivated, comfortable troubleshooting and solving problems on their own, and have the space and resources to be successful.  In other words, online learning is not typically designed with the needs of all students in mind.  This is often reflected through higher dropout rates, greater feelings of isolation, and overall dissatisfaction with online learning experiences.

In this article, we’ll discuss some of the common challenges of online learning, and how those challenges can be addressed through design decisions that support all students, not just those who typically thrive in online spaces.

The central question to address is: How can we make sure all our students are supported and successful online, especially in ways that are meaningful to them?

Before we begin, there are 2 important ideas to keep in mind across all of these challenges:

1. Myth of the digital native: Just because our students grew up around technology, does not mean they inherently know how to use it, or to use it in ways that support the learning process

2. Transitioning to teaching online: A lesson or activity that works in-person will not necessarily work online.  There are different affordances and challenges in online spaces that always need to be accounted for.

With those key ideas in mind, let’s explore 3 common challenges for online teaching and learning, and some practical solutions to address those challenges.

"Overall, teaching online in more accessible and equitable ways to support all of our students takes immense work"

Challenge 1: Isolation

Regardless of your context, isolation is reported as one of the most significant issues students face in online learning.  Students (and teachers) often feel disconnected from each other in online environments. 

To address the challenge of isolation, regularly scheduled, required check-ins can help.   So can tools for group chats and text threads.  Additionally, requiring synchronous sessions (when possible) and using small breakout discussion groups are also beneficial. 

Having specific online office hours or times to meet with students and parents can also improve connectedness, as can offering in-person meet-ups when possible.

Challenge 2: Engagement and Motivation

In addition to feeling isolated, online learning requires high levels of self-directed work and motivation from students.  While this works well for some students, many struggle.  Coupled with isolation, a lack of motivation and engagement can lead to high dropout and failure rates in online courses and programs. 

There are many best-practice strategies to address engagement and motivation, but a few foundational ideas are:

​● Organization: Clear, consistent organization is crucial for student success and engagement in online courses.  When students don’t know where to look or go to complete activities and find resources, they lose interest and motivation quickly.

● Relationships: Building relationships and connections with students is foundationally important for helping them stay motivated and engaged with your course.  Building community is critical!  Student choice, establishing relevance, and incorporation of extensive formative feedback can all help (more on these below). 

● Digital Access & Digital Equity: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) frameworks can be helpful in designing accessible content and lessons. Plus, not every student has access to technology, wifi, or a safe space to work outside of the classroom. Another important reason for building relationships is to learn exactly what your students are experiencing outside the classroom, so you can better support their individual needs.

Challenge 3: Pedagogical Approaches

As mentioned above, there is not always a direct translation between teaching in-person and teaching online.  Part of keeping students engaged and motivated is using pedagogical approaches that move beyond lecture → quiz → lecture → quiz cycles, even though these are often the simplest to implement online. 

Student choice, establishing relevance, and incorporation of extensive formative feedback are all beneficial pedagogical tools and approaches that can be implemented in online learning. Activities that involve collaboration, interaction, project creation, creativity, and problem-solving will also be more engaging for students. 

Particularly, when these types of activities establish real-world connections and provide opportunities for student choice and voice, they are more likely to lead to positive online learning experiences.

Conclusion

Overall, teaching online in more accessible and equitable ways to support all of our students takes immense work.  On top of the numerous challenges and burdens classroom teachers already face, finding the time and space to do this work can be difficult.  However, if we are to truly support all our students, improving the design of our online learning experiences is critical.