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How to Engage with Students on Ensightful

January 10, 2022
How to engage with student on Ensightful (student engagement): cartoon characters of four people on a tablet screen having an online call

Ensightful aims to better connect you with your students and to help you tackle the headaches of group work. Here are some tips on how you can effectively engage with your students and make the most of your experience on Ensightful.

Tip 1: Leave comments or feedback on their work

Instructors have access to all team task boards where you can review individual student and team progress, as well as provide feedback or leave comments. Simply click on a specific task and leave the relevant feedback directly! This is highly recommended to guide students in the right direction. Even a quick message like “Great job!” could encourage students to keep going and let them know that they are on the right track!

Instructors have access to all team task boards where you can review individual student and team progress, as well as provide feedback or leave comments. Simply click on a specific task and leave the relevant feedback directly! This is highly recommended to guide students in the right direction. Even a quick message like “Great job!” could encourage students to keep going and let them know that they are on the right track!

Ensightful instructor side: instructor leaving feedback on the task dashboard kanban board

Tip 2: Check the #general chat from each team

In addition to having access to direct conversations with individual students, instructors can also connect with the whole team through the #general channel. This is the perfect space for students to ask you questions and the entire team can be in the know once you respond. We recommend that you check your messages regularly to ensure that you address any questions within a reasonable amount of time.

Ensightful instructor side: Instructor sending a message to the group general channel

Tip 3: Schedule check-in dates

Check-in dates can be extremely helpful when a group project lasts for a few weeks. Students sometimes get lost in the middle of the semester, so a check-in could provide them an incentive to work towards a certain goal. This is also an opportunity for students to come forward with any issues they might have. Ensightful can facilitate the check-in process by housing all the teams’ tasks and documents in one place, saving more time for student and instructor interaction.

For more tips on how you can conduct an effective check-in, visit this blog: How to Conduct Check-ins with Your Students.

Tip 4: Reach out to teams that need help

Some teams will require more assistance than others, so it is important to look out for struggling teams and help them get back on track. If you are busy and do not have time to check in on teams weekly, you can browse the alerts in the Review Suggested page where potential issues are flagged for each team.

Ensightful instructor side: review suggested page task alerts

On those hectic weeks where you do not have time to check in on teams, you can opt for weekly summary emails. These emails will provide you with an overview of how all the teams are progressing, along with information on teams that could be falling behind.

Ensightful instructor side: weekly summary email update

The emails will help you streamline your next check-in process so that you can focus on teams that require your attention the most. A quick check-in message is a great initiative to encourage students to start asking questions!

These tips are highly recommended to maximize your experience on Ensightful. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to our team at info@ensightful.ca — we are always happy to help!