Active Learning in Online Asynchronous Environments: Best Practices

Today's learners are increasingly inquiry-driven, seeking education that meets them where they are. With greater dependency on technology and the need to apply and synthesize knowledge across multiple disciplines, modern education requires a learner-centric approach that emphasizes engaging activities and measures active participation.

Why active learning matters

Active learning is important because it helps students learn, retain, and apply knowledge in a more interactive way than traditional lecture-based classrooms. With adult learners having demanding schedules and not being bound by constraints of fixed class times, access to immersive asynchronous experiences is imperative. 

The key is to keep asynchronous students engaged, prevent feelings of isolation, promote deeper understanding by giving time for reflection and thoughtful responses, and provide mechanisms of immediate feedback. 

Creating engaging asynchronous learning environments

Video conferencing systems provide asynchronous learning through a didactic approach, which is an instructor-centered, lecture-based method of delivery to passive listeners.

Engageli has introduced an innovative solution. Through playback rooms, it delivers recordings and content in a learner-centered approach that combines active learning and critical thinking with the thoughtful pedagogical strategies of a connected live classroom experience. Engageli has been designed to provide all materials, recordings, digital engagement tracking, and feature access under a single link, thereby being a full service provider for the asynchronous learning experience. 

Example of social annotation using Engageli's collaborative documents

Best practices for online, asynchronous active learning

• Introduce quizzes often and track learner responses regardless of modality
• Encourage learners to take digital notes in Engageli - these notes persist across all classes, serving as valuable study resources to help students process and reinforce key concepts
• Use the Engageli classroom Q&A board for interactive discussions and receive immediate notifications of learner responses 
• Use Engageli’s AI to segment your videos into meaningful topics and create relevant checks to determine learner-material understanding
• Use Engageli’s collaborative documents to foster collaboration and enable real-time feedback mechanisms
• Remind learners to leverage Engageli’s AI assistant in the playback room
• Leverage Engageli’s native interactive toolset, including whiteboards and other interactive features, in the playback room to increase the fun factor

Measuring success through engagement analytics

Tracking asynchronous engagement is critical for educators to identify and implement preemptive measures for learner success, while respecting the flexibility of self-paced learning that asynchronous education offers. Engageli offers rich tracking of learners' digital footprints in the playback room and breaks the walls of a classroom to allow for 24x7 learning - all designed to improve outcomes. 

Tracking of asynchronous attendance amongst adult learners using Engageli

Building better online asynchronous learning experiences

Education is evolving, and with it, the need for better asynchronous learning tools that keep students actively involved. Engageli's platform meets this challenge by giving educators powerful ways to track engagement, encourage collaboration, and provide quick feedback - all while letting learners study at their own pace. By combining smart teaching strategies with AI features, institutions can build rich learning experiences that deliver real results.

Ready to transform your asynchronous learning environment? Discover how Engageli's learner-centered approach can boost engagement and improve outcomes across your institution.