Set the stage for high learner engagement

Define what ‘engaged learners’ means in your community

Engaging learners can mean different things, depending on the type of course and the KPIs you’re tracking. Student engagement strategies are essential methods to foster student involvement and motivation in educational and corporate settings.

From the beginning, you should be thinking about how members will interact—like through event attendance, participation in coaching sessions, completion of assignments, or providing feedback and testimonials. This will help you crystalize the idea of engagement, and what it means to have “high engagement”.

Part of this process is establishing clear engagement metrics and expectations early on so that you can craft your learning experiences to guide and motivate learners in their journeys.

Bonus tip: Disco lets you create a weighted engagement score system. This lets you determine the importance of each type of interaction, like completing modules or leaving comments. It’s a more accurate way to ensure your learners are getting what you want out of your content.

Gamify learner engagement strategies for sticky results

Who doesn’t love a good game? Gamification is a powerful tool that you can use to boost engagement and motivation among learners. Using a leaderboard to track and display learner achievements helps to create some friendly competition and collaboration, enhancing behavioral engagement by encouraging learners' actions and efforts to complete tasks using a learning management system.

This approach, based on the LC engagement framework, encourages consistent participation and helps maintain high energy levels within the cohort.

Put AI to work to keep learners engaged

AI prompts can help keep community engagement alive by dropping in conversation prompts, questions, and quizzes to get the chat hopping again. Disco AI can enhance cognitive engagement by presenting training materials effectively, enabling learners to actively participate and employ various strategies to assimilate information. You can even use it to answer learner queries so that everyone feels engaged and supported, even if you’re not online.

It can also be used to process engagement data—such as for event attendance—and surface useful insights that help you plan for future learning experiences.

Offer ways of engaging all types of learners for a better learning experience

Engagement isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. That’s especially true in an online learning environment, where everyone ingests, processes, and engages with learning materials in their own way. Adult learners, in particular, require tailored approaches to maximize their engagement, as they often juggle numerous responsibilities.

To foster an inclusive environment—one that supports and engages all types of learners—you should provide various means through which course goers can engage with their cohort. This may mean supporting an engaged learner in sessions, including live events, coaching or group sessions, reading materials, and video content.

This will ensure that all learners can participate in a way that suits them best, enhancing their overall experience and boosting engagement.

Encourage learners through ongoing feedback loops

Constructive feedback is essential for the growth and improvement of any learning program. By regularly gathering and acting on learner feedback, you can adapt and refine your courses to better meet their needs. This ongoing dialogue not only improves the course content but also makes learners feel valued and heard, which is critical for sustaining engagement over time.

Learner success stories

One way to encourage learners and increase emotional engagement is by sharing learner success stories within your community. Highlighting achievements and milestones not only motivates others but also fosters a sense of belonging and pride among participants. When learners see their peers succeed, it encourages them to stay engaged and strive for similar outcomes.