An Online Engagement Framework for Higher Education

Abstract

Student engagement is understood to be an important benchmark and indicator of the quality of the student experience for higher education; yet the term engagement continues to be elusive to define and it is interpreted in different ways in the literature. This paper firstly presents a short review of the literature regarding online engagement in the higher education environment, moving beyond discipline-specific engagement. It then presents a conceptual framework which builds upon recurring themes within the literature, including students’ beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours. The framework was developed by adopting a constant comparison method to analyse the literature, and to search for and identify current and emerging themes. The framework identifies indicators for five key elements of online engagement, and the authors propose that the framework provides a guide for researchers and academics when exploring online engagement from a conceptual, practical and research basis. Finally, the paper provides recommendations for practice, outlining how the framework might be used to reflect critically upon the effectiveness of online courses and their ability to engage students.

Engaging the disengaged: Exploring the use of course-specific learning analytics and nudging to enhance online student engagement

“…In this way nudges can reduce feelings of isolation, which Redmond, Heffernan, Abawi, Brown, and Henderson (2018) argue, has positive impacts on retention. Explicit information from academics about key resources and assessment requirements also supports students' familiarity with discipline requirements by more effectively decoding the discipline or discourse of the course.…”

“…It was important as it directed my thinking and allowed for me to be wary of the online resources to use for assessment and for deeper understanding; NUR1102 Qualitative comments in the forums, personal emails and student surveys confirmed that students appreciated academics' efforts to design accessible and achievable assessment. Redmond et al (2018) suggest that designing curriculum needs to be explicit in assisting students to deal with the tacit expectations inherent in assessment tasks and requirements.…”

Seeing through the eyes of a teacher: differences in perceptions of HE teaching in face-to-face and digital contexts

“…They are more than just a trait of the overall atmosphere of a course; they can also influence student engagement and motivation (Frisby and Martin 2010;Handelsman et al 2005). This is also true for online students; social engagement, including student-teacher relationships, is identified as a key element in online students' engagement with their studies (Redmond et al 2018). In the same vain, Margalina, De-Pablos-Heredero, and Montes-Botella (2017) highlight the importance of high-quality studentteacher relationships for student satisfaction in online teaching and argue that both teachers' and students' satisfaction is important for the success of online courses.…”

A Comparison of Faculty and Graduate Students’ Perceptions of Engaging Online Courses: A Mixed-Method Study

“…One of the crucial aspects of effective and quality online instruction is student engagement (Dixson, 2010;Redmond et al, 2018). It is an essential component of the overall quality of students' online educational experiences and outcomes (Robinson & Hullinger, 2008).…”