No abstract

Universities increasingly implement online delivery to strengthen students' access and flexibility. However, they often do so with limited understanding of the impact of online pedagogy on student engagement. To explore these issues, a research project was conducted investigating the use of course-specific learning analytics to 'nudge' students into engaging more actively in their courses. Drawing on perspectives emanating from communication and critical theories, the research involved a staged intervention strategy conducted across three courses (n=892) focussing on a range of timely, strategic communication interventions. Research findings revealed benefits for students who felt supported by explicit expectation management and the strategic use of early nudging to enhance their prioritisation of key course-specific resources. Academics benefited by making use of nudging templates/principles to increase student engagement in their courses. The course-specific context meant that academics and students explicitly shared ways of working in the one place where learners ultimately succeed -the course.

This chapter examines empirical data to address the rhetoric of the digital native as a competent and digitally literate learner. The chapter also questions the reality of the notion that a digital delivery platform is easy to navigate and facilitates positive learning experiences. Data from surveys of students studying both on-campus and via distance education (or online) at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), a regional Australian university, provides useful insights into the literacies of digital natives and will help to debunk the myth about digital learning being quick and easy. The findings indicate that most distance education students identified concerns about how technology supported their learning and were frustrated by information and communication technology (ICT) issues. For example, while those classified as digital natives did display high levels of digital literacy, this result was not confined to a particular age group. Interestingly, the students in this sample who could be classified as "digital natives" (under 30 years of age) did not prefer the distance or online mode of study; they preferred to study on-campus (60%). In contrast, the "digital immigrants" (those over 30 years of age) preferred the distance/online mode of study (57%). Both groups showed a high degree of experience with, and confidence in, their ability to engage with the various digital technologies. Evidence presented in this chapter will help universities to put in place appropriate and timely interventions to enable students to develop and apply digital literacies to support their learning. Specifically, guidelines for educators on how best to embed digital literacies into an online pedagogy, and recommendations for establishing effective learning management systems to support online education, are provided. IntroductionTwo interrelated myths arise from Australian higher education's responses to an increased emphasis on technological delivery. One myth stems from the view that tertiary education students are digital natives who have universal and uniform digital experiences. This myth presumes that the technological experiences of these students are homogeneous and linked to a sophisticated knowledge and understanding of information and communication technologies (ICTs). The second myth emanates from the idea that the internet is a panacea for the issues of increasing costs of higher education and increasing demand by students for authentic and interactive learning opportunities. The assumption here is that technology underpinning online learning is quick, easy to use, can be accessed by everyone, and is appropriate for all learning activities.

Combining nudge theory with learning analytics, ‘nudge analytics’, is a relatively recent phenomenon in the educational context. Used, for example, to address such issues as concerns with student (dis)engagement, nudging students to take certain action or to change a behaviour towards active learning, can make a difference. However, knowing who to nudge, how to nudge or when to nudge can be a challenge. Providing students with strategic, sensitive nudges that help to move them forward is almost an art form. It requires not only technical skills to use appropriate software and interpret data, but careful consideration of what to say and how to say it. In this article a nudge protocol is presented that can be used in online courses to encourage student engagement with key course resources that are integral to supporting their learning.

Realising the potential for commencing students to succeed at university depends on designing a pedagogy that not only engages students in learning but also encourages their reflection on that learning. This guiding philosophy provided the impetus for a course that also needed to accommodate challenges emanating from a very diverse student cohort, a program decision to switch from an on campus to an online teaching mode, an interdisciplinary and collaborative program emphasis and the complexities stemming from change forces currently impacting on the Australian higher education sector. These forces included changes in pedagogy, curriculum, assessment, academic identity, technology, research-informed learning and student and stakeholder expectations. This paper documents the design, development, delivery and evaluation of a first semester, first year undergraduate nursing course conducted in the Nursing Program at the University of Southern Queensland. The course integrates an engaging learning philosophy while simultaneously embracing new directions in higher education to empower commencing students.