Increasing Optional Class Session Attendance in an Online Course with a Brief, Low-Effort Choice Intervention

Whiting and team ran an online college class. They wanted more kids to show up to optional Zoom sessions.

Each week they posted a two-question poll. Students picked the next topic anonymously. The poll took under 30 seconds.

They flipped the poll on and off across eight weeks. They counted how many students clicked “Join” each session.

When the poll was live, average attendance rose a large share. That meant about four extra faces on the screen each week.

The bump stayed steady across the semester. No extra credit or prizes were given.

May (2019) also gave students a say, but added praise for on-task work. Choice alone was weak; praise did the heavy lifting. Whiting’s poll had no praise, yet still lifted attendance. The difference is the target: showing up is easier than staying on task.

Ausenhus et al. (2019) and Zhu et al. (2020) show tiny remote tricks can improve staff skills. Whiting proves the same logic works on students. A click-poll is like a micro-dose of telehealth feedback for learners.

Joslyn et al. (2020) found the Good Behavior Game still worked when teachers slacked on rules. Whiting echoes that theme: low effort can still move the needle.

You can copy the poll tomorrow. Drop a Google Form link in your LMS. Ask which case study, video, or demo they want next week. Post the results 24 hours later. Zero prep, no points, yet you may see more cameras on. Use it for review sessions, supervision groups, or parent trainings.