Low course completion rates are one of the biggest pain points for online educators. Most static courses on the internet average 5–8% completion. But with Heartbeat, you can routinely hit 85–90% by layering in smart community-driven features.

Below are three powerful strategies to increase course engagement — improving outcomes for your students and increasing revenue per member for your business.

1. Add Social Tie-Ins to Your Course

Heartbeat courses let you embed live community features that make learning more interactive and collaborative.

What to include:

• DM the instructor
  Add a direct line for students to ask questions privately.

• Join a discussion channel
  Let students talk to others taking the same course — ask questions, share takeaways, or celebrate wins.

• Attend weekly office hours
  Host a recurring event where students can join live to get real-time support.

🛠️ How to set it up: Edit your course → scroll to the bottom → use a Community Embed template or create your own.

2. Use Public Assignments to Drive Visibility & Feedback

By default, assignments are private (visible only to instructors). But if you want to increase community engagement, make them public.

Benefits of Public Assignments:

• Submissions appear in a discussion channel for others to view.

• Students can comment, like, and support each other’s work.

• Builds momentum — students see others participating and feel motivated to join in.

🛠️ How to set it up:

Edit the assignment → select Public Assignment → choose the destination channel → add submission instructions.

You can use:

• A private course channel (only other students can see submissions)

• A public community channel (open to the broader community)

3. Add Live Lectures to Your Course Content

Heartbeat supports full virtual event hosting — so you can embed live lectures directly into your course.

What happens:

• The event shows up as part of the course content.

• Enrolled students automatically get calendar invites and reminders.

• Events can be hosted via Zoom or directly inside Heartbeat voice rooms.

Live sessions foster deeper learning, allow real-time Q&A, and create shared experiences that lead to stronger community connection.

🛠️ How to set it up:

Edit the course → Add Content → select Event → choose your event type and setup.

Why this works

• Social context drives accountability. Students are more likely to stay engaged when they know others are learning alongside them.

• Higher completion → higher revenue. Completing one course increases the chance of purchasing your next offer.

• Better outcomes = better retention. Engaged students stay in your community longer and refer others.