We interviewed Glendale Community College instructor, Alisa Cooper, about building student engagement in online Composition courses.

How would you recommend a new faculty member get started?

“To help with student engagement, I would recommend assigning quizzes and chapters from the eBook. In the online environment, it's often difficult to measure the engagement of students with the course content. With McGraw Hill Connect®, you can keep an eye on students' participation using reports that detail student progress, performance, and understanding of the content. The quizzes are an easy way to get a quick check on understanding.”

What are some of the standards you need to keep in mind?

A quality online course should offer access to a variety of engaging resources that deliver content and support learning and engagement (OLC). Connect tools provide that. The Adaptive Learning Assignments can be used as a quick tool for checks on student engagement in the online environment. You can quickly check in to see if students are actively engaging in the course.

What specific Connect tools would you recommend using?

“In addition to the quiz bank and eBook, I recommend using Power of Process (PoP) and Adaptive Learning Assignment as ways to drive student engagement. PoP helps student learn how to engage more effectively with course readings and learn how to analyze and evaluate sources. The Adaptive Learning Assignments tool is flexible in that you can break the topics down to smaller lessons or group them for longer ones. The lessons also provide the instant feedback students need in order to understand the concepts, and it takes a burden off faculty having to constantly grade remedial work. It also can be used as a quick tool for checks on student engagement in the online environment. You can easily check in to see if students are actively engaging in the course.”