For detailed information on facilitating courses, please refer to Facilitating your course, but here are some quick tips:

Running a course on OpenLearning requires dedication and time investment. As a facilitator, you should check in often to make sure the course is running smoothly and to connect with your learners.

A lack of attention towards your course can cause major problems for your learners down the line. Here are some tips to make sure your course continues to run smoothly after launch:

Send Announcements

Keeping a proper rapport with your learners is key to keeping them engaged with your course. Send announcements regularly to notify your learners of the current course schedule, updates, related opportunities or any other relevant details.

How do I send a course announcement?

Send Reminder Messages

Course admins and facilitators can send a pre-defined reminder message to selected learners. Reminder messages are great for nudging learners who might not have made any progress for a while.

To send a reminder, go to Administer Learners > Learners and tick the box next to the selected learner name(s). Then, click Send Reminder Message.

Check the Comments

Be sure to check in periodically to see if your learners have left you any questions in the course comments as well. Although they may come to OpenLearning support with their technical and platform issues, we cannot assist them with course-specific queries.

Allow Direct Messages

Make sure that direct messages are turned on in your notification settings as well. Sometimes learners will use this method to contact you with questions. It would also be wise to advise your learners to keep their direct messages open in case you need to contact them regarding their work in your course.

How do I enable chat (or direct messaging)?

Set Up Pre-Enrolment Questions

Occasionally, there will be a case where you cannot get in direct contact with a learner. When this happens, OpenLearning support cannot give you their email address or other contact info. However, you can avoid this by setting up pre-enrolment questions and having learners provide their contact info at the start of the course.

How do I set up pre-enrolment questions for my course?

Check Your E-Mail

Make sure the e-mail you've registered to OpenLearning with is one you will check frequently. Any notifications you've opted to receive will be sent here, like comments made within your courses. This is also where OpenLearning support will contact you with any relevant or urgent matters regarding your courses or account.

Check-In Often!

Although OpenLearning's teaching philosophy believes in a learner-centered learning approach as opposed to one centered around a single teacher, facilitation is still necessary to make sure your learners can keep moving forward and that your course continues to run smoothly and efficiently.