Could you run 100 miles? Or climb to Mont Everest? Or pass university algebra online? These tasks may seem overwhelming and perhaps insurmountable, but with components of social interaction and fun distractions, others can be accomplished. For any task that seems impossible, the addition of social commitment and active learning can be a significant variable towards success.
For many university students, participation in an online mathematics course provokes the painful emotions of a monumental chore. Within the Mathematics Department of Purdue Global within the School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies, many innovative and inspiring ideas are combined with active learning tactics to promote the teaching of Haute-Présence in the online class.
1. Everything except the text
Personalize your communication with avatars, emojis, animojis, memos, bitmojis, anyway. If there is a way to transmit a message using something other than text – try it! The variety of media will probably draw attention and engagement more than any character text chain.
- bitmoji.com – Create your own personal emoji with expressive cartoons and lyrics. They are easily integrated as chrome extension and with mobile and desktop. The images can be saved, then used in a number of other contexts such as DB announcements or publications.
- emojicopy.com – A way available to copy / paste emojis easily accessible via Chrome Extension or website. Their Emoji library includes a range of accessible emojis linked to an integrated ALT text, which makes them conform to the Unicode ADA.
- Animated memojis – (Apple Devices Only) – Create and save short Memoji video messages, called clips. Short sentences such as “excellent work”. “Thank you for your hard work!”, “Good effort”. More details at https://support.apple.com/en-gb/11115
- Genmoji (IOS 18.2 only) – The last and largest in the world of emoji. Now you can create your own emoji according to a description – the sky is the limit. As they say … Imagine it. Genmoji it.
2. Bring the game
Everyone likes to play games. There are many ways to mix monotony in skills by using games. Many websites have free online manufacturers / models of online games.
- Bingobaker.com – Create a bingo game using your own images and formulas (even Bitmojis!) To review terminology, concepts or even make it a formative evaluation quiz.
- Somescapemaker.com – Create points games and click with puzzles, puzzles and clues. An experience of a fun escape room for an online course of any subject.
- triviamaker.com -Create Jeopardy, Trivia, Wheel of Fortune or Tic-Tac-toe games. Easy way to attract the attention of your students during live seminars
3. Chat
It is imperative to meet your online students where they are, to contact them through communication channels which are currently used rather than obliging them to … Well, check their email (in particular their student email awarded by the University!)
- Google Voice is a great way to connect with students via a phone number, whether phone call or SMS. Google Voice allows you to share a professional phone number that will be sent via your personal device (hiding your personal information from students.) Since students are more likely to reach out with questions using their mobile devices, the mail option is important. Google Voice also has an office interface (ideal for typing – or copy / paste – Longer text messages!)
- Google spaces (Gmail users only):: It is a fantastic group cat that can be used as a study chat with file sharing and easy photo / video sharing, by which the whole class can benefit from questions and answers. Instructors can monitor the cat but allow a community focused on students to converse and share. In addition, spaces given accessible outside of learning management systems (included in the Gmail interface), it may seem more visible to – create an informal space of the class community.
4. Mobile Mobile
Mobile devices may not be optimal (or encouraged) to complete each assignment in a course, but there are advantages to match the course activities to mobile use. Given that 85% of blacks and Hispanics have smartphones, against only 69% / 67% (respectively) with an office or a laptop (Pew Research Center, 2021), non -traditional students are more able to access their courses via mobile devices (Galanek et al. 2018). Mobile learning is the best for:
- The delivery of microlearning content such as short videos / animations, practical guides, games and tasks with low challenges (that is to say control lists, calendars, outing surveys or impulse verification questionnaires.)
- Social learning / human interaction such as discussion forums, social networks or interviews with experts in the field.
- Any task conducive to the effectiveness of time. Allow students to be productive by taking advantage of small moments of learning by which they can “sneak” learning tasks for a busy day.
“”Research has shown that we learn more (and keep it better) when we study in short targeted bursts than when we are forced to sit for a hour – but of course, your younger self who got bored at school already knew.»(Andotis, 2015)
5. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
Online learning is intrinsically insulating, so everything that can be done to build a community and help students establish links are worth it.
- Small group discussions – Many learning management systems make it possible to build groups / teams in the discussion. The use of small group discussions (5-8 students) compared to whole class discussions (30 students) has the possibility of closing the geographically insulating quality of online education.
- Collaborative software – Many websites / applications allow several games to work together at the same time. The simplest (for Gmail users) is probably throughout the Google – Doc suite, sheets or slides, because most students know the interface and the functionality. Additional sites include collaborative white tables such as Figjam (Figma.com/figjam/),, Padlet.comAnd mathwhiteboard.com.
These suggestions provide a superficially simple but practical approach to learning where social and interactive components are important tactics and engagement inhibitors to learn difficult concepts and mathematical skills. Let the pleasure start!
Credit – Thank you very much to the members of the Mathematics Department of Purdue Global within the School of Multidisciplinary and Professional Studies, including, but without being limited to it, Leslie Johnson, Peg Hohelsee, Nancy Reck, Nikki Williams, Michael Heeren, Rebecca Calahan, Tiffany Eaton, Nicolae Borota and many Algebra instructors.
Kirsten K. Meymaris obtained his MS in mathematics by emphasizing the educational technology of the University of Colorado in Boulder. She obtained a BS in mathematics and BS in computer science from the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology. These diplomas offer Kirsten the basics of experience throughout the spectrum of online education, including content development, management and maintenance of online tutorials and direct course facilitation. She joined Purdue University Global (PG) in 2009 in addition and, in 2014, became full time for the Mathematics Department within the Multidisciplinary and Professional School of Studies. Kirsten has been recognized several times for its high standards and teaching practices at Purdue Global, including the candidate in 2025 for exceptional full -time teachers and the revision of the 2018 curriculum. She published works in scientific journals for innovative civic scientific work and a contributor to mathematics and recent educational texts. At Purdue Global, Kirsten teaches numerous undergraduate courses in the mathematics survey of commercial statistics and quantitative analysis. More specifically, it manages the algebra of high -level courses colleges, emphasizing the integration of technology and active learning tactics for a mathematical understanding accessible in the online world.
References:
Andotis, N. (2015, September 01). Everything you wanted to know about the micro-learning (web news article). Recovered from
https://www.efrontlearning.com/blog/2015/09/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-bout-micro-learning-but-were-afraid-toask.html
Ben-Eliyahu, A., Moore, D., Dorph, R. and Schunn, CD (2018). Investigate the multidimensionality of commitment: emotional, behavioral and cognitive commitment between activities and scientific contexts. Psychology of contemporary education, 53, 87–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2018.01.002
Borup, J., Graham, Cr, West, Re, Archambault, L., and Spring, KJ (2020). Academic communities of engagement: a vast objective to examine support structures in mixed and online learning. Research and development in educational technology, 68 (2), 807–832. https://doi.org/10.1007/S11423-020-09744-x
Galanek, JD, Gierdowski, DC, Brooks, DC (2018). Ecar Study of undergraduate students and information technology. Educational.
https://www.eduCaux.edu/Ecar/research-Publations/Ecar-study-of-Undergraduate-Students-And-Information-Technology/2018/INTRODUS-AND-KEY-FINDINGS
Gardner, K. and Leary, H. (2025). Online learning for minorized first generation and under-represented students: a literature review using a student engagement model. Online learning, 27 (1), 263-291. DOI: 10.24059 / olj.v27i1.3392
(April 7, 2021). Mobile information sheet. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/
