Alex Witkowski, Director of Education Programs and previously Director of Community at Section, came onto our Zoom call with the warmth and openness that I immediately recognized as a former educator.
After teaching for 6 years, Alex put together his passion for learning, communication, and empathy as a Community Manager for Idealist, Course Hero, then Section.
Section is an online business course platform, connecting subject matter experts with live classes for hour-long courses, 1-week sprints, and a new 8-week mini MBA.
Alex explained that one of the most important engagement strategies he’s learned in his journey is meeting people where they are.
Generally, there are 3 groups of people within any community:
Outspoken Group: Those who always participate. They are constantly speaking up in a group.
Annotate Group: Those who add to the conversation in the chat with resources & outside materials. They provide new insights into the conversation.
Attendant Group: Those who are not as comfortable participating under expectations, so are most likely to leave the call when breakout rooms open. They act as a contributing audience.
To add value to the entire learning community, Alex explains the factors he considers when designing an experience.
Added Value = incorporating new knowledge, skills, and attitudes into life
Designing for the Audience
The main question is whether the group is a mandated audience or an autonomous audience.
A mandated audience is being told to be there. Participants might need more transparency around the value add of the session. It can require more condensed material, internally focused projects, and solution generation around real, day-to-day questions.
An autonomous audience, one that has freely signed up for the session, often maintains a higher investment in the session. People want to network within the group in order to connect and learn from others. It also combines cross-disciplined areas of expertise because the group comes from diverse spaces.
A good example of this distinction is a fitness class. Remember P.E. class in school? Having to run the pacer test? That’s an extreme version of a mandated audience. Now, think about the best fitness class you’ve been to. It’s a very different experience than P.E. Instructors need to change their tactics based on the type of group in the class.
Designing with Subject Matter Experts
In order to meet audience needs, instructional designers need to collaborate WITH the content experts to create more authentic participation.
The experts know the content but don’t necessarily know how to create an engaging session. The Learning Community thesis by Transcend Network, a fellowship for founders building the Future of Learning and Work, identifies a massive gap in Subject Matter Experts having access to the tools to drive learning outcomes, build engaging courses, and create audience participation for all.
(Audience Purpose + Subject Matter Expert) x Instructional Designers = Authentic Participation
Instructional designers are the magnifiers that pair audience needs with content to create participation and engagement. But what does that look like?
Throughout my conversation with Alex, it was evident that his time in the classroom gave him these instructional design skills that he then leverages to bring people together to learn. He holds space for each group, whether participation looks like speaking up, sending chats, or acting as the audience. This ensures that every session adds value to the community.
Added Value through Authentic Participation
The goal is always to add value throughout the entire learning experience.
Encouraging all types of participation leaves each person the opportunity to engage authentically.
Alex navigates each part of the community in different ways. He gives opportunities for the Outspoken group to elevate their voices, which will benefit the entire community. A small group can create outsized value and content for others when empowered and amplified.
Participation in the chat is always encouraged, it’s a great way to open up the conversation. Use the Annotate group as resource gatherers, posing questions and tasks that need outside research.
The Attendant group is a meaningful audience, although seen as bystanders, are hungry to learn and absorbing tons of new information to spread and influence outside of the session.
Meeting people where they are means tailoring instructional design to the audience while collaborating with the subject matter experts to create high-quality learning, and prioritizing authentic participation so that all parts of the community will gain value from the experience.