In e-learning, participants are often left to fend for themselves. Therefore, today we present three exercises in which participants can learn together online. Including concrete examples – there is surely a suitable exercise for your training or coaching!

Yes, cooperative online learning works!

Are you considering offering your training or coaching as e-learning? Then rest assured: The exchange between learners also works wonderfully online!

Especially in e-learning, where participants generally learn in a very self-organized manner online, cooperative exercises provide a welcome change. The exchange with others promotes transfer thinking and solidifies what has been learned in the long term.

That's why today we present to you three specific online learning exercises for your e-learning or blended learning that you can easily incorporate into your online course!

1. Exercise: The virtual discussion

Time necessary for…

• creation: 30 minutes

• participation: 10 minutes

How it works

The virtual discussion is particularly suitable for topics where participants may have had different experiences. To heat up the discussion a bit, pose a somewhat provocative question. Important: Don’t make the question too narrow so that participants can answer more elaborately and engage with each other!

Tip: Better than a purely text-based question in online learning is a concrete example, such as a video snippet or an image.

This is what the exercise looks like in the online course with blink.it:

Cooperative exercise in online learning: The virtual discussion. Presented in the blink.it learning platform.

Effect

Participants should actively engage in the discussion. This promotes commitment or attachment to online learning. With a good question and participant motivation, a detailed discussion will ignite here.

Warning: You are the moderator – keep an eye on the discussion and intervene if unsavory remarks or even insults occur! If the discussion isn’t getting started properly, you can stir it up with your own comments.

2. Exercise: It’s better to travel in tandem

Time necessary for…

• creation: 45 minutes

• participation: 45 minutes

How it works

The “tandem” is a mutual 1-to-1 coaching between participants. This exercise works best in blended learning – so if you have in-person appointments in addition to e-learning. For example, participants can pair up during a seminar and organize themselves. Of course, this also works completely digitally. As a trainer or course leader, you have the task of regularly asking prompting questions and providing additional support.

In tandem, participants can discuss their learning goals and successes, clarify simple comprehension questions, or give each other tips.

This is what the exercise looks like in the online course with blink.it:

Cooperative exercise in online learning: It’s better to travel in tandem. Presented in the blink.it learning platform.

Effect

In this exercise, self-organized online learning is promoted again. However, the tandem work creates a higher commitment. Participants, for example, take turns as the coach and ask their tandem partner about their learning progress. This perspective shift additionally promotes new viewpoints on the topic.

Warning: A clear call to action is always important – and especially so for this exercise! Regularly give the tandem pairs concise and easy-to-understand tasks to complete by a certain time.

3. Exercise: Suggest an exercise to me

Time necessary for…

• creation: 15 minutes

• participation: 30 minutes

How it works

Completely turn the tables! In this exercise, the participant should completely put themselves in your shoes as a trainer: What would be an exciting exercise for the current topic? How could the participants apply what they have learned meaningfully in everyday life?

Important: You don’t need to prepare much, but the right timing is crucial! Especially towards the end of the training, you can push your participants out of their comfort zone with this exercise. At the same time, you can use it to check the learning progress of your participants and their understanding of the respective topic.

This is what the exercise looks like in the online course with blink.it:

Cooperative exercise in online learning: Suggest an exercise to me. Presented in the blink.it learning platform.

Effect

Putting oneself in the trainer's shoes involves a good deal of self-reflection: How far have I come as a participant, and how could I ensure that what I have learned is solidified in the long term? With "Suggest an exercise to me," you can reach individual participants who may have pedagogical skills themselves and bring good ideas.

From theory to practice: Put the best ideas into action! For example, you can present the top three ideas and have the participants choose one that they should complete by the next meeting / by a specific time.

With these three exercises from our rocket pack, you achieve a varied and at the same time effective cooperative learning experience for your participants in online learning. Just give it a try!