Examining effects of instructional strategies on student engagement in blended online courses

Abstract

Background: Blended online courses, which combine synchronous and asynchronous online activities, have expanded rapidly in higher education. How to enhance student engagement in such courses is unclear, although it is recognized that student engagement is malleable through instructional strategies.Objectives: Given the above, this study aims to examine the influence of categories of strategies on student engagement in blended online courses.Methods: A conceptual framework of instructional strategies indicated as fostering student engagement in the relevant literature was first presented, divided in eight categories (structure, pace, relevance, active, choice, relationships, explanations, guide). Then a research framework linking the categories of strategies to student engagement dimensions (emotional-cognitive, social, behavioral) was built and tested in blended online courses. Data collected in various disciplines and university levels at four universities (n = 482) were examined using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results and Conclusions:The structural model examination confirmed the combined effects of categories of instructional strategies on student engagement in such courses in all disciplines. Particularly, this study revealed that 1) establishing trusting relationships, 2) demonstrating the relevance of activities, content, and resources, and 3) maintaining a sustained course pace significantly impacted student engagement in blended online courses in all disciplines.Takeaways: This study draws upon the blended learning literature to bring together key instructional strategies that foster student engagement while highlighting empirical quantitative evidence of their effects on student engagement in blended online courses. Detailed measures of categories of instructional strategies and student engagement dimensions also provide reliable instruments for future research.

Perceptions of teacher competencies in a new higher education blended learning programme: An exploratory study

“…Concerning technical skills, the journals show that we have been trying to apply the use of familiar instructional strategies in conjunction with knowledge of new instructional tools, such as using the 'Talk Time' function, on the digital platform to better manage the new blended learning experience for our students. This supports the findings of Heilporn et al (2022) who show that having effective instructional strategies within a blended learning environment creates clarity and better engagement for students. Although we did not interview students, we hope that as we continue to develop our competent use of the digital platform and seamlessly integrate the online and face-to-face elements of the course, we can help facilitate better student learning (Antonio, 2022).…”

An examination of teachers’ strategies to foster student engagement in blended learning in higher education

“…Indeed, it was designed to draw a descriptive portrait of the strategies used by teachers in blended courses, as the first stage of a doctoral research. In a subsequent stage of the doctoral research, the effects of categories of teachers' strategies on student engagement dimensions were empirically investigated, according to the students' themselves (Heilporn et al, 2021).…”

Investigating relationships among regulated learning, teaching presence and student engagement in blended learning: An experience sampling analysis

“…Teachers’ cognitive support behaviors, such as providing direct instruction to diagnose misconceptions and organizing critical discourses to promote reflection, can facilitate cognitive engagement (Martono & Salam, 2017 ). Teachers’ emotionally supportive behaviors, such as fostering a positive learning environment and providing students with care and encouragement, can increase students’ emotional engagement (Heilporn et al, 2022 ).…”

“…Previous studies have indicated that learning engagement is a key driver of online and blended learning and has a positive effect on academic persistence, completion and performance (Baranova et al, 2022;Phan et al, 2016). Fortunately, engagement is presumed to be malleable by direct intervention with contextual facilitators (Fredricks et al, 2019;Skinner & Pizter, 2012;Bond & Bedenlier, 2019;Heilporn et al, 2022).…”