Engage Online Learners

Abstract

Online learning will continue to be one of the popular modes of instruction offered by higher education institutions to accommodate different learning needs. Student engagement is critical to the success of online learning. Students should be engaged cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally. This chapter discusses design considerations for online courses to promote student-instructor, student-student, and student-content interactions to engage students cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally. The chapter also discusses the application of flow theory, specifically, in the design of instruction to engage students during their interaction with course content.

OLJ March 2023 27(1)

“…Many researchers view student engagement as a meta-construct that includes three subconstructs or types of engagement: cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement (Chan & Bose, 2018;Henrie et al, 2015;Reeve, 2012;Reeve & Tseng, 2011). According to , behavioral engagement includes the observable behaviors necessary for academic success (e.g., attendance, active participation, and task completion) and emotional engagement includes both the feelings learners have about their learning experience (e.g., interest, frustration, or boredom) and their social connection with others.…”

“…Cognitive engagement is the focused effort learners give to understand what is being taught effectively, including such behaviors as self-regulation and metacognition. The three types of engagement are dynamically interrelated , and researchers have agreed that instructors must engage students on all three levels to engage students in their coursework (Chan & Bose, 2018).…”

Student Perceptions of Online Engagement

“…Many researchers view student engagement as a meta-construct that includes three subconstructs or types of engagement: cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, and behavioral engagement (Chan & Bose, 2018;Fredricks, Blumenfeld, et al, 2004;Henrie et al, 2015;Reeve, 2012;Reeve & Tseng, 2011). According to Fredricks, Blumenfeld, et al (2004), behavioral engagement includes the observable behaviors necessary for academic success (e.g., attendance, active participation, and task completion) and emotional engagement includes both the feelings learners have about their learning experience (e.g., interest, frustration, or boredom) and their social connection with others.…”

“…Cognitive engagement is the focused effort learners give to understand what is being taught effectively, including such behaviors as self-regulation and metacognition. The three types of engagement are dynamically interrelated (Fredricks, Blumenfeld, et al, 2004), and researchers have agreed that instructors must engage students on all three levels to engage students in their coursework (Chan & Bose, 2018).…”

“…Researchers (Chan & Bose, 2018;Kennedy, 2020;Lear et al, 2010;Martin & Bolliger, 2018;Robinson & Hullinger, 2008) have also suggested that student engagement in online classes can be boosted through regular student-instructor interaction, frequent peer interaction, and challenging tasks and activities. Based on a framework developed by Moore (1989), the trifecta of student engagement (student-instructor interaction, student-student interaction, and student-content interaction) postulates that students need to regularly and meaningfully interact with their course curriculum content, their peers, and their instructor, to be fully engaged in their learning.…”