From Discussion Forums to eMeetings: Integrating High Touch Strategies to Increase Student Engagement, Academic Performance, and Retention in Large Online Courses

Abstract

Student engagement and group work are critical to developing competencies, deeper learning, and attributes that align with 21st-century skills. Group work is particularly important for future employment in an increasingly competitive and dynamic workforce. A new capstone group work assignment using Online Human Touch (OHT) strategies was integrated into an Information Systems course at a regional university in the Caribbean. The course typically enrolls 250-300+ students per semester with one instructor. The assignment simulated a real-world business ‘eMeeting’ to proactively increase student engagement and retention. Quantitative data was collected three years prior to, and three years after the new ‘eMeeting’ format. Qualitative feedback after the integration shows significant increases in student engagement, while results and data show improved academic performance, higher scores on the standardized final exam and decreases in attrition. Integrating group assignments in large courses with real-world requirements, not only provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge, skills, and experience gained throughout the course, but enhance key soft skills sought by employers including problem-solving, ability to work in teams, communication, leadership, and time management.

Graduate school students’ self-efficacy toward online learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Collaborative learning is required for the development of one's cognitive process. If group members are unable to effectively communicate their information, poor learning results may result [43], [44]. Furthermore, some of the reasons for students' moderate level of self-efficacy in interacting with classmates for academic purposes in an online learning environment can be attributed to the slow internet connection.…”

Investigating E-Learning Motivational Strategies of Higher Education Learners against Online Distractors

“…Pointing out to the importance of attention flow in academic achievement, they suggest that educational research need to focus more on exploring e-learning environments and learning behaviors in order to equip learners with necessary skills and strategies to enable them maximize their engagement and success. As one of the inhibitors of learners' attention, distractors in e-learning environments need serious consideration by educators in order to equip learners with specific strategies against these distractors to be committed to their learning goals (Gay & Betts, 2020;Renn, 2003). At this point, investigating the role of self-regulated learning (SRL), which refers to the ability to plan, control, manage, and evaluate learning process (Zimmerman, 2008), could uncover the subtle predictors of learning engagement and success in e-learning contexts.…”

Distractores en clases remotas durante la Covid-19 en Ecuador: un análisis de percepciones

“…Si bien, no encontramos una relación entre los distractores con el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes, existe una alta posibilidad de encontrar muchos distractores en las clases en línea, que se los debería considerar no solamente en situaciones de pandemia, sino, en los estudios a distancia y en línea, donde, los docentes necesitan una serie de consideraciones para equipar a los alumnos con estrategias específicas contra los distractores (Erarslan y Seker, 2021;Gay y Betts, 2020).…”