How to increase student engagement via online contests and competitions

Ideas how language schools can additionally promote their online platform and engage students in short-term activities and contests.

Besides traditional functions like homework assignments, tests and training activities, it is possible to use the online platform by PushtoTearn as a tool to create and deliver relevant content to students linked to major events or dates. Here is how you can do it.

Event: Football World Cup. It is held once in four years and attracts great interest as a sports and cultural event.

«Get ready for World Cup with ХХХХХХ(name of the language school)!»

Activity 1. Marathon.

- Upload lists with football-related vocabulary into the Vocabulary section on the platform (e.g. football terms, visiting a football match etc.), words are automatically distributed into different online training activities.

- Students have to take a certain number of training activities with this football vocabulary (e.g. 100 activities a week).

- Those who manage to get the required number of training activities can get prizes/gifts/discounts.

- Announce the promo on your website and social networks

Activity 2. Football sprint

- Upload a test with football vocabulary

- Link the test with training activities = students will be able to see the test only if they complete a certain number of online training exercises

- The goal is to practise football vocabulary and take a football test.

- The one who completes the test with the best result will get prizes/gifts/discounts

- Announce the promo on your website and social networks

Activity 3. Essay competition

- Students have to write and submit essays for one the suggested topics (Why do you think football is the world’s most popular sport? / Ronaldo or Messi – who is better? / Do you think professional footballers get paid too much? / What do you like and dislike about football?)

- Essays are written and submitted on the platform in the Tests section

- Expert council consisting of teachers/football players/journalists chooses the best essays

- Award prizes to the winners

Activity 4. Football quest

- Prepare and upload a football-related test. First letters of answers should make up a code word. (Acting world champion? – Germany; Words of the famous football song “Campeone.... – ole, ole, ole”; Which national team represented Diego Maradona? – Argentina; What is the name of Messi? – Lionel = code word G-O-A-L)

- The test is placed in the Tests section on the platform

- Users have to take the test, find out the code word and write at the end of the test

- Prepare prizes/gifts/discounts for those who mange to guess the code word

Activity 5. Word dribbling

- Users have to add to their “My words” units on the platform as many football-related words as they can/or set a required minimum to be added

- Prepare prizes/discounts for those who get the greatest number of words/required minimum

Activities can be adjusted to any event or topic: movie premieres, holidays and festivals etc. Thus students are engaged in online activities, compete and spend more time on the online platform of the language school.

We are always ready to help you to create and develop activities for the platform.

For Language Schools PushtoLearn