How can you use chat features to engage learners in synchronous e-learning sessions?

2 Set clear chat guidelines

To use chat features to engage learners, the second step is to set clear chat guidelines and expectations for the session. Before and at the start of the session, you should communicate these guidelines to learners and remind them throughout if needed. Establishing what the purpose and scope of the chat feature is, as well as the etiquette and tone of messages, the frequency and timing, format and length, roles and responsibilities, and moderation and feedback are all important. By establishing these clear chat guidelines, you can ensure that the chat feature is used appropriately and effectively, without interfering with learning objectives or the flow of the session.

3 Use chat features to activate prior knowledge

The third step to using chat features to engage learners is to use them to activate prior knowledge and connect it to the new information. This can help learners recall what they already know, relate it to what they are going to learn, and prepare them for the session. You can stimulate learners' curiosity, interest, and motivation by asking them to share their experiences, opinions, or expectations related to the topic; answer questions, complete quizzes, or solve problems; brainstorm ideas, generate questions, or make predictions; or comment on or discuss a video, image, or text related to the topic. Activating prior knowledge in this way creates a foundation for the learning process.

4 Use chat features to facilitate interaction

The fourth step to using chat features to engage learners is to use them to facilitate interaction and collaboration between learners and the instructor. This can help learners build rapport, exchange perspectives, co-construct knowledge, and apply what they have learned. You can use chat features to foster a sense of community, engagement, and accountability by asking learners to introduce themselves, share their goals, form groups or assign roles, work on projects or simulations, present their results or findings, and evaluate or critique each other's work. By doing this, you can encourage collaboration and enhance the learning outcomes.

5 Use chat features to support learning

The fifth step to using chat features to engage learners is to use them to support learning and address learners' needs, questions, and challenges. This can help learners to clarify doubts, reinforce concepts, overcome difficulties, and receive guidance. To support learning, you can ask learners to ask questions or raise concerns, summarize or explain key points, review or reflect on their learning, identify or solve errors or misconceptions, and provide tips or resources to each other. By using chat features in this way, you can give feedback, scaffolding, and differentiation as needed while also improving learners' confidence and competence.

6 Use chat features to enhance engagement

The sixth and final step to using chat features to engage learners is to use them to make the session more enjoyable, meaningful, and memorable. This can help learners to stay attentive, interested, and motivated while also appreciating the value of the learning. To enhance engagement, you can ask learners to share their emotions, opinions, stories, or use emojis, gifs, memes, polls, surveys, or games. This will create a positive and fun learning atmosphere while increasing satisfaction and retention.