What Actually Works in Online Learning? These 7 Strategies Do.

“Everyone, please turn on your cameras for this Zoom meeting!” Groan.

If finding out they forgot to turn on their screen share mid-lecture was a teacher’s biggest fear, being collectively asked to turn on the camera was that of the students. And that was how things were while schools around the world plunged into a crash course into digital survival as classrooms suddenly went virtual.

It wasn’t pretty. Screens froze, chat boxes turned into chaos, and the line between “home” and “school” blurred faster than the wifi could handle. But beneath the awkward Zoom etiquette and video fatigue lies a question teachers still wrestle with today:

How do we keep students not just present, but genuinely engaged when learning happens online?

While remote teaching poses its challenges, creative strategies can help teachers maintain focus, engagement, and intentional learning online.

Remote Education: A Saga

What began as a “two-week experiment” became months of virtual classrooms, makeshift home offices, and students attending class in pajamas with cameras firmly off. And even as schools reopen, online learning in some form is here to stay.

The following strategies address the core challenges teachers continue to face: focus, participation, structure, and connection.

What Are 7 Ways We Can Keep Students Engaged When School is on a Screen?

1. Keep it predictable

   Remote learners love to know what’s coming. Clear agendas, and instructions, as well as consistent check-ins do a lot to reduce cognitive load and help students settle into the session.

   
   

   Research on online learning shows that structured design and transparent expectations are closely linked to stronger student engagement (Martin and Bolliger, 2018; Richardson et al., 2016; Akpan et al., 2024).

2. Have a variety of ways to participate

   Few things drain energy like a 40-minute talking head. Variety keeps students alert.

   Mix in polls, short videos, breakout discussions, quick quizzes, and visual tools.

   
   

   Interactive activities have been repeatedly linked to higher engagement and stronger teaching presence (Rapanta et al., 2020; Martin, Sun & Westine, 2020).

3. Give students simple choices

   Small choices matter. “Pick the prompt.” “Vote on the next example.” “Choose between two tasks.”

   
   

   These micro-choices increase ownership and agency, which lead to deeper emotional, cognitive, and behavioral engagement (Reeve, 2013; Reeve & Tseng, 2011).

4. Create moments of connection

   A two-minute check-in, a quick “How’s everyone doing today?”, or acknowledging a pet wandering across someone’s screen goes a long way. Human moments are so, so important!

   
   

   Teaching presence, instructor interaction, and relational connection regularly appear as strong predictors of online engagement (Garrison, Anderson, and Archer, 2010; Richardson et al., 2017; Rapanta et al., 2020).

5. Help students stay on track

   Online time feels different from classroom time, which means attention drifts differently too. Breaking lessons into smaller segments and adding light checkpoints helps learners feel less overwhelmed.

   
   

   Research repeatedly shows that self regulation, task completion strategies, and clear structure play central roles in sustaining engagement during remote learning (Zimmerman, 2002; Broadbent and Poon, 2015; Xie, Hensley, and Law, 2021).

6. Blend live learning with self paced time

   The best online classes are not giant uninterrupted video calls. Try pairing a short asynchronous video with a live activity or combining an individual task with a real time discussion.

   
   

   Reviews of online and blended learning show that hybrid formats often support stronger participation and attention than fully synchronous classes when designed well (Means et al., 2013; Hrastinski, 2019; Graham, 2013).

7. Keep things fair and flexible

   Not every student has perfect Wi-Fi, a quiet workspace, or an ideal device. Offering flexible timelines, multiple participation pathways, and low-bandwidth alternatives creates more equitable conditions for engagement.

   
   

   Research during the pandemic highlights how digital divide issues and technology constraints can significantly impact participation (Wallace, 2023; Samawi & Al-kreimeen, 2022). A little compassion can go a long way.

Remote and hybrid learning will continue to evolve. Engagement will always be a challenge, but it is also a chance to rethink how students show up, interact, and learn in digital spaces.

Educators have always been resourceful, and the shift to online and hybrid learning has made that clearer than ever. Technology does not replace good teaching, but the right tools can remove a lot of friction.

At HiLink, we design our platform to support the strategies teachers already use: keeping lessons structured, encouraging participation, and helping connection feel natural online. Interactive elements like polls and breakouts are built in, and features such as translation, summaries, and low-bandwidth access help students stay engaged even when attention or Wi-Fi slips.

To Conclude

With thoughtful design, a bit of creativity, and tools that support interaction, online learning becomes more than a backup plan, but rather, it can be a meaningful extension of the classroom.

Cameras may stay off and groans may still happen. And yes, Wi-Fi will misbehave from time to time. But with purposeful teaching and the right support, students can stay connected and ready to learn wherever they log in from.

Source:

• Akpan, N., et al. (2024). Online learning engagement: A systematic review.

• Broadbent, J., and Poon, W. (2015). Self regulated learning strategies and academic achievement in online higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 27, 1 to 13.

• Fawns, T., Jones, D., and Aitken, G. (2021). Challenging assumptions about digital equity in online learning. Postdigital Science and Education, 3, 275 to 288.

• Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., and Archer, W. (2010). The Community of Inquiry theoretical framework. The Internet and Higher Education, 13, 86 to 89.

• Graham, C. R. (2013). Emerging practice and research in blended learning. In M. G. Moore (Ed.), Handbook of Distance Education.

• Hrastinski, S. (2019). What do we mean by blended learning. TechTrends, 63, 564 to 569.

• Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., and Bond, A. (2020). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning. EDUCAUSE Review.

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• Martin, F., Sun, T., and Westine, C. (2020). A systematic review of research on online teaching and learning from 2009 to 2018. Computers and Education, 159.

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• Rapanta, C., Botturi, L., Goodyear, P., Guàrdia, L., and Koole, M. (2020). Online university teaching during and after the COVID 19 crisis. Postdigital Science and Education, 2, 923 to 945.

• Reeve, J. (2013). How students create motivationally supportive learning environments for themselves. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105, 579 to 595.

• Reeve, J., and Tseng, C. M. (2011). Agency as a fourth aspect of student engagement. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 36, 257 to 267.

• Richardson, J. C., Maeda, Y., Lv, J., and Caskurlu, S. (2017). Social presence in relation to students satisfaction and learning in online environments. Computers in Human Behavior, 71, 402 to 417.

• Richardson, J. C., Koehler, A. A., Besser, E. D., Caskurlu, S., Lim, J., and Mueller, C. (2016). Conceptualizing and investigating instructor presence in online learning. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 17, 1 to 14.

• UNESCO (2020). Education during COVID 19 and beyond.

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