- Featured Example: BUS 550 - Business Statistics
- Course Developer: Dr. Ghazale Haddadian
- Risepoint ID: Bill Simantirakis
Practice opportunities give learners the chance to develop skills in a low-stakes environment before tackling larger course objectives. In accelerated, online courses, these moments are especially valuable because they allow learners to actively test and apply their growing knowledge without the pressure of high-stakes grading. When designed with intention, practice activities help students connect concepts to real-world applications, reinforce workforce-relevant skills, and build confidence as they progress toward mastery.
This example from BUS 550 – Business Statistics illustrates how practice opportunities can transform static course content into interactive, low-stakes activities that promote active learning and workforce-relevant skill development.
Design Challenge
In week 3 of the course, learners in Business Statistics are asked to distinguish between discrete and continuous random variables and explain their role in modeling uncertainty. This is a complex concept that requires more than passive listening to a lecture. To build real understanding, students needed opportunities to test their knowledge in real time, receive feedback, and gradually strengthen their ability to apply these statistical distinctions. Without frequent, hands-on practice, there was a risk that students would struggle to grasp the concept and fall behind in later applications.
Course Vision
Rather than relying on required video overviews or static slides where students could review content, Dr. Haddadian and Bill envisioned a learning experience where students could actively explore probability models and apply them in Excel to support data-driven decisions. This design allowed students to move beyond memorization and directly engage with the tools and methods they will use in real-world contexts.
To reduce pressure and emphasize learning over performance, a H5P practice opportunity was intentionally designed as a non-graded activity. This approach would encourage learners to experiment freely, revisit the material as needed, and focus on building genuine understanding of probability concepts that would serve as a foundation for later course applications.
Executing the Design
The H5P scenario appears in Module 3 as a practice opportunity that engages students with active learning. It replaced a more static example slide that would have been more effective in a face-to-face modality.
Key Design Elements
Immediate feedback loops allow students to self-correct misconceptions and reinforce understanding in real time, supporting self-paced discovery.
Low-stakes engagement encourages experimentation, reducing performance anxiety and promoting deeper learning because the activity is non-graded.
Scaffolded mastery arises as learners work through different problem variations, gradually building confidence in applying concepts before progressing to more complex ideas.
Explore the Scenario
Want to Try?
You don’t need to redesign an entire module to bring practice opportunities into your course. Start small with strategies like these:
- Transform static content into interactions. Talk with your Risepoint ID about transitioning existing slides or lecture notes into H5P activities (e.g., multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, drag-and-drop) so students can test their knowledge with immediate feedback.
- Keep it low-stakes. Make practice activities non-graded to encourage experimentation and reduce anxiety.
- Embed directly in your LMS. Place practice opportunities alongside instructional content so students can seamlessly move from learning to application.
- Use iterative practice. Provide opportunities for students to retry questions or scenarios multiple times to reinforce learning.
- Align with real-world tasks. Whenever possible, connect practice activities to the types of problem-solving students will encounter in their field or workplace.
