The principles of motivating and supporting learners who are working in an online environment are really no different from those that apply in the classroom.

One important issue is to know when to be directive. While online learning is associated with flexibility and self-direction, there are also times when you need to be very assertive and take the initiative:

‘We’ve realised that when you teach online, you still need to do what you do in class: push, direct, encourage, inspire. Next time, we won’t be waiting for students to phone us, we’ll be calling them directly to check on progress. And we won’t be waiting for them to find their own learning partners-we’ll assign them to groups at the outset.’

It is also important to be involved. In the classroom, if the teacher drifts off and conveys ‘lack of interest’, students will be quick to pick that up. Teaching online is no different. Clearly, in terms of motivation and support, it is better to take the initiative and let students know you’re interested and ready to help, rather than sitting back and waiting for students to chase you:

‘Right through the module, we attempted to keep in touch with the students. For example, we sent out emails asking them how they were going. We got quite a few emails back, and were able to help them with a number of issues.’

It is very evident from the Exemplars that when it is done well, online teaching is not an easy or time-saving option. For example, several Exemplars illustrate that forums and chats won’t run by themselves-at the very least, you need to participate enough to let everyone know that you’re a mindful observer, there in the background, keeping an eye on everything.

Most students want to be known, liked, respected, and made to feel part of the group. The challenge is how to meet such human needs when some of your teaching is happening online.

Part of the answer lies in the face-to-face component of your blended program. At the very least, there should be opportunities for students to meet and socialise a few times per year, including an orientation session at the start of the module or course (for more details, see Planning the Orientation Session). If your course is run in remote locations, and involves people with limited computer skills, you may also want to arrange local mentoring support for students, to keep up their levels of motivation.

But, as the Exemplars illustrate, you can also do a lot to meet people’s social needs online:

‘At the end of the course, we had an online ‘party’. We each posted our photos onto the forum, which was fun.’

It is also motivating to help people deal with problems or challenges they face. For example:

  • learning new skills in searching for information online means that evening students can make much better use of their (limited) time [Exemplar 6]
  • selling the online option as a ‘high status, challenging’ alternative which provides the opportunity to graduate more quickly [Exemplar 19]
  • providing individual mentoring for students, in their own language, over the telephone each week helps them practice their skills and deal with cultural issues and uncertainties [Exemplar 20]

Feedback, and taking the initiative to make personal contact, is also very motivating:

‘It is important to give the students feedback on their online activities as soon as possible, so that they feel motivated to continue. This also helps you know if students are experiencing any technological problems or whether they may need some extra tutorial support. If they miss a few classes or stop participating, I also ring them at home. Doing so gives me an opportunity to speak to them on a one-to-one basis. By doing this, students realise that you really do care about them!’

And finally, people like to be rewarded. Something that everyone values and can look forward to, as described in Exemplar 22, can be extremely motivating:

‘The final ingredient, which gave my [Retail Operations] students an opportunity to observe first-hand what they had been learning about, was a fully funded excursion to Brisbane. We visited and examined operations at the major shopping and distribution centres. It was just fantastic! From the start, I used the excursion as a carrot: "If you get through the first three terms, you will be rewarded with a an excursion to Brisbane"!’