-1.png?height=120&name=EtonX-nostrap%20(6)-1.png)
Here are some proven methods to keep students on track and able to get the most out of their EtonX course.
We all know that you need plenty of motivation to keep going with a self-study course! So, we’ve worked closely with our school partners to find out what schools can do to support students with their course, and we’ve talked with students to find out how they got the most out of their learning experience.
We’d like to share those tips with you so that your students can feel proud of finishing their EtonX course and can apply what they’ve learnt to their everyday lives.
1. Certificate of completion
At the start of the course, many students find it motivating to know that they can receive a certificate of completion at the end. They can use it to prove that they’ve worked hard on the course. Encourage students to keep track of their own progress regularly as that will also keep them motivated.
2. Spaced learning
Talk to your students about the importance of spacing their learning. Our research shows that students who engage with course content at regular, spaced intervals have time to absorb and apply what they have learnt and report the most benefits from their course. It can help students to space their learning if you set some targets for your students to work towards – for example, you could suggest they work on their course for at least one hour early on in the week and apply what they've learnt during the rest of the week.
3. Set deadlines
EtonX courses are divided into handy bite-sized units, organised into six main sections. To encourage spaced learning, we recommend setting a deadline for each of the six main sections of the course or if that feels too much, every two sections. If you like, you can tell students that you will be keeping track of their progress in the platform and you can monitor this from Grades in your Teacher account. We have found that anonymous progress updates are both popular and effective with students, for example, ‘70% of students have completed Section 2. Well done to those students – keep up the good work! And a reminder to the remaining 30% that the deadline for section 2 is tomorrow.’
4. Additional tasks
Ask students to complete additional tasks and submit them to you. They could complete a reflection activity at the middle point and/or at the end of the course. For this task they write about what they’ve learnt from the course and how they’ve applied it in their lives. Alternatively, you might like them to complete a practical task to demonstrate the skills they’ve learnt. See Resources > Teacher Resources > Follow Up Activities, available in your Teacher account, for our suggested end-of-course task.
5. Face-to-face practice
If you’re able to set up some classes, you can meet with students to practise some of the skills they have learnt in the course. Go to Resources > Teacher Resources > Workshops in your course for ideas and materials for four workshops. See the Content Map (Resources > Teacher Resources > Teacher’s Guide) for information about the best stage in the course to carry out each workshop.
Alternatively, you could set up one session to discuss students’ SMART goals and how they intend to apply what they’ve learnt to their everyday lives.