3‑M Model for Uncovering the Impact of Multi‑level Identity Issues on Learners’ Social Interactive Engagement Online

Abstract

A growing trend in higher education institutions (HE) to move course offerings to Blended Learning (BL) modes is challenging many of our traditional views and practices of teaching and learning. Part of the problem is that many of those working within these institutions at the macro, meso and micro levels have stubbornly resisted abandoning the view that knowledge is imparted by the institution and that knowledge is consumed by students. Advances in technology have upturned this positionality as learners and institutions alike realize that roles are evolving in the process of education. Tracking the scholarship on BL, for example, reveals a major issue preventing successful learning outcomes is reticence on the part of learners to be socially interactive and engaged online. Through the lens of socialcultural and identity theories and a conceptualization of engagement being composed of behavioural, emotional and cognitive components, this paper aims to respond to a call for greater insight into this pressing issue. With findings from a recent qualitative longitudinal study of a BL program in a large private‑for‑profit university in Chile we unravel the complex social psychological aspects that contribute to learners’ willingness, or unwillingness, to engage in interacting with others and with content online – an essential determinant of successful learning and quality BL programs. A critical discussion of the findings from multiple qualitative data sources reveals that the general lack of undergraduate students’ incentive to develop agency and adopt empowered learner identities characteristic of active participators online, is strongly influenced by the assumed or imposed identities of teachers, academic leaders and institutional decision makers that create a climate that fails to nurture community building in these contexts. Abundant evidence suggests a model for BL in HE that could lead to decisive, strategic and coordinated action at each level and measurable improvement in student online learning engagement and outcomes.

About change: How institutionally aligning online pedagogy, design and technology impacts higher education teachers

“…Essentially, these theories and goals a) place learners and their agency at the centre of learning processes; b) are predicated on the understanding that learning is a complex social interactive phenomenon; c) involve learners in community collaborating on co-constructing knowledge based on their individual social contexts and experiences; and d) have important implications for learners' competencies and identities in a highly dynamic, technology-driven society (Charbonneau-Gowdy et al, 2019). It is evident that the roles teachers play in ensuring these kinds of scenarios for learners in their classrooms deviate substantially from traditional ones.…”

Large Discussion Groups’ Impact on Engagement and Community

“…As with any educational technology, micro discussions may both positively and negatively impact student engagement and learning (Charbonneau-Gowdy & Chavez, 2019;Massey et al, 2019). While the 2017 increase in Tweet characters from 140 to 280 provided learners more space to share their thoughts (Rohr, Costello & Hawkins, 2018), it is not clear how group size impacts learners' engagement and social presence when interacting through micro discussions.…”

Designing the 'new normal': Key insights from the pandemic for transforming online learning going forward

“…Still others, especially at the macro level of institutions, who believed, prior to 2020, that following the dictates of administrators and policy makers was the sole option for improving their educational structures, are perhaps now recognizing the limitations of that stance. Indeed, many institutional leaders have been forced in these past three years to confront the need for collaborative dialogue across all levels of the institution-macro, meso, and micro (Charbonneau-Gowdy et al, 2019b;West et al, 2020). After months of hand wringing in the early days of 2020 and feeling at a loss of how to proceed, these same leaders have had to face the stark realization that cross-institutional dialogue is a crucial means for gaining the deeper understanding of the contexts of learning and the vital knowledge needed for affecting sustained change in their institutions.…”