Online Student Engagement

KF:  Phil Green is a teacher and specialist in blended learning.  This final article concludes an extensive 12 part series on motivation in eLearning.  Take some time to work bacjk trhough the older posts.  I like the premise of this epilogue:

"There is a lesson to be learned – the next time you feel ready to say, “They should have known; the information was there for them to hear, see read, etc”, take heed."

This follows a little tale about how we can easily disengage from obvious information.

While e-mail remains the official method of communication on most campuses, colleges are expanding their presence in the virtual world, trying to reach students where they hang out.

Summary

Most conversations about education reflect the perspective and agenda of the institutions that provide educational services rather than the needs of the students they serve. Yet as higher education undergoes a fundamental transition toward more student-centered, outcomes-based approaches and practices, it’s imperative that we provide stakeholders with timely and relevant insights into the student experience.

To that end, the Business Innovation Factory's Student Experience Lab has launched exploratory work during the past three years to bring the student experience to life in a new way in order to make the student voice more central to our conversation about transforming education. We invite you to join us on September 12 as we explore research related to the student experience, how students can play an active role in education reform, and demonstrate an experience model framework that creates a critical link between all stakeholders in the system.

Enrollment growth in online education now far exceeds overall higher education growth in the United States. As reported by Allen and Seaman (2008), the online enrollment growth rate increased 12% from fall 2006 to fall 2007 while the overall higher education growth rate increased only 1.2%. In fall 2007, there were approximately 3.9 million students enrolled in at least one online course. It is predicted that online enrollments will continue to increase as a result of greater national acceptance of online education by employers, baby boomers returning to college, and a weak economy. Faculty are critical in meeting current and predicted online enrollment increases, particularly since their role extends beyond classroom instruction. Faculty play a vital role in student engagement, retention, and long-term program sustainability. Therefore, the Master of Science in Higher Education Program at Drexel University has developed and implemented the concept of Online Human Touch (OHT) training and support to proactively engage, connect, and retain online faculty. This interactive and personalized approach to working with online faculty has resulted in high retention rates and high levels of satisfaction for faculty and students. This article is the second of a two-part series that focuses on OHT in online education.

In a 2010 presentation, Sidneyeve Matrix, Queen’s National Scholar and Assistant Professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, explored how social and mobile technologies could be applied in post-secondary education to engage students and improve...

What is even more important is how these teachers take what they have learnt and embed it within their teaching environments in ways that will benefit their learners.

Aladdin’s treasure trove of information was opened to me. Through the University portal I could access the online library filled with free journals that I could easily search and use, which really improved the quality of my work. No longer did I have to back up my poorly argued essays with made up and often incorrect evidence but I could research and quote known authors.

By Amy McCutcheon - 13th Sept 2012

Synthesis:
Loneliness is inherent in traditional eLearning. The use of the story-based approach allows learners the opportunity to have a stress-free and comfortable learning environment that promotes independent discovery.

KF:  seems appropriate for RU OK? day!

As a final tip, here again it is important to engage your boss, coworkers, family, and friends in helping with your goal. Make sure they see how your completing your education will benefit them, too, and that they understand how they can help. Why not see if your employer provides any assistance (e.g., tuition reimbursement or professional development time) or if your friends and family can help by taking over the household tasks you normally perform.

Overall, maintaining a positive attitude and succeeding as an online student will have its ups and downs. The key is to take control, redirect, and stay focused. Others have made it, and so will you. Feel free to share additional tips in the comments area below.

Understanding what motivates online learners is important because motivated students are more likely to engage in activities that help them learn and achieve, says Brett Jones, associate professor of educational psychology at Virginia Tech.