By David Healey

This blog post shares the results of a voluntary and anonymous survey of composition faculty about the challenges of teaching online synchronous seminars in conjunction with innovations they have undertaken to improve student engagement. A secondary focus of the survey asked questions regarding generational differences and expectations in the classroom as perceived by instructors. Comments from instructors were taken directly from the survey results to share individual insights. 

While an individual, fulltime faculty member at Purdue Global teaches more than 100 seminars each year, it’s rare to get a glimpse into how other faculty teach their seminars. What approaches do they use? How do they get students more engaged? How do they reach across generational differences in the classroom? These questions and others were addressed in a voluntary survey of Department of English and Rhetoric faculty in late 2025. Shared here, the survey findings and faculty comments offer ideas and inspiration for online instructors looking to improve engagement in their own seminars.

Engaging adult learners in synchronous online seminars presents unique challenges. Adult learners have their own expectations, including wanting to learn at their own pace, which means that instructors need to be aware of their audience (Labay-Marquez et al., 2023). Students are also busy with everything from jobs to families, so they want their time put to good use in seminars (Shemberger & Moore, 2018). Some students (and teachers) enjoy banter while others want to cut to the chase. Faculty survey results and comments offer a glimpse of best practices embraced by other teachers, whether that’s using breakout rooms, open-ended questions, or scavenger hunts during a 60-minute seminar. Overall, there were 28 responses to the survey from instructors teaching the same introductory college writing classes. 

It is worth noting some generational trends that appeared in the survey results. For example, survey respondents overwhelmingly perceived millennials as making up the majority of their students, closely followed by equal-sized cohorts of Gen X and Gen Z. It should be noted that nearly a third of survey respondents did not see their students as falling into any particular generational group. As for the instructors themselves, most identified as Gen X, with a handful of millennials and baby boomers. Considering that generations tend to have their own learning styles and expectations, teaching across so many age ranges can pose its own challenges. Online instructors must balance these expectations as part of their seminar approaches.

An overarching theme in survey results was the concern over a lack of student engagement and attendance in synchronous seminars. According to survey participants, this drop in engagement probably reflects the way that students receive credit. In the past, instructors graded students using a participation rubric that encouraged comments during seminars. Currently, students complete a brief quiz post-seminar to check their knowledge of seminar content. Students must complete this quiz whether they attend the synchronous seminar or watch the recorded session. According to the survey, some instructors have found student engagement more challenging as a result. Despite these concerns, responses encouraged retaining the synchronous seminars as a way to encourage a bond among students who do attend.

To begin with, several faculty members noted challenges in their survey comments:

Although this recent survey compiled instructor experiences, it’s equally important to have some understanding of what students want from online seminars. Stephen et. al. (2026) suggest that for adult learners, synchronous seminars promote a sense of community through support and connection. Seminars can also offer a sense of mentorship between instructors and students, as well as open the door to career discussions. Another opportunity offered with online learning, including seminar interactions, is that students welcome the opportunity to learn in a setting that offers diversity of geography, ages, professional experience, and cultural backgrounds (Pham et. al., 2022).

Of course, Purdue Global’s national and even international reach reinforces these opportunities. Finally, instructors should take note of the fact that online learners emphasize the value of colorful PowerPoint slides, videos, and other visual elements to encourage engagement (Groton & Spadola, 2022). Based on the recent survey results and comments, Purdue Global instructors do, in fact, seem to be striving to provide seminar experiences that align with student perspectives and expectations.

While changing assessment models and shifting generational dynamics continue to create challenges to student participation, the survey results ultimately indicate that synchronous online seminars remain vital for building a sense of community and driving academic success among adult learners. The insights from Purdue Global’s faculty highlight that improving engagement in the virtual classroom requires moving past passive lectures and open-ended questions that may—or may not—prompt responses. According to survey respondents, teaching activities such as interactive warm-ups, structured breakout rooms, flipped formats, and dedicated project-workshopping time demonstrate that small shifts can improve engagement. 

For online instructors looking to elevate their teaching, they might consider trying just one strategy from these faculty-tested approaches—whether it’s introducing a five-minute warm-up game, a scavenger hunt to locate information at the Purdue Global Writing Center, a field trip to the Purdue Global Library, or replacing lectures with hands-on learning activities that prepare students for success with writing assignments. It may help to keep in mind that what works with the group dynamics of any particular class may not work as well with another class, and vice versa. The needs and expectations of adult learners are always evolving. By experimenting and being flexible, these survey results lead the way for instructors to make the 60-minute seminar far more valuable for busy adult students while cultivating a connected, equitable, and dynamic learning environment.

Note: An initial draft of the conclusion was generated using Google Gemini (Google, 2026) to create a summary of the survey findings and offer insights, then subsequently revised by the author.

References

Google. (2026). Gemini (3.6 Flash) [Large language model]. https://gemini.google.com

Groton, D. B., & Spadola, C. E. (2022). Variability, visuals, and interaction: Online learning recommendations from social work students. Social Work Education, 41(2), 157–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/02615479.2020.1806997

Labay-Marquez, J., Love, A. S., & Valadez, R. (2023). Understanding adult learners’ needs and integrating technology for effective online education. Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design Book Series. https://services.igi-global.com/resolvedoi/resolve.aspx?doi=10.4018/978-1-6684-9072-3.ch009

Pham, L. D., Matthews, G. F., & Cravens, X. (2022). What students value most: A qualitative examination of learner experiences in a fully online degree program. Teachers College Record, 124(2), 143–169. https://doi.org/10.1177/01614681221086460

Shemberger, M., & Moore, K. (2018). Mass communication andragogy for teaching online adult learners. Murray State’s Digital Commons (Murray State University). https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/faculty/105

Stephen, J. S., Daniels, C., & Whitehead, C. (2026). Inclusive by design: Promoting adult learner persistence in online higher education. Adult Learning, 37(3), 182–189. https://doi.org/10.1177/10451595261464577

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About the Author

David Healey teaches introductory college writing classes in the Department of English and Rhetoric at Purdue Global. He often focuses his research and scholarship on teaching across generations—yet another challenge of meeting the needs of students in synchronous seminars. He is co-chair of the annual Purdue Global Literary Festival.