802 paper

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Online Learning & Student Engagement
What is student engagement? Why is it important? What can we, as teachers, do
to increase student engagement? So many questions … so many answers …
First of all, I believe this is not a “new” concept - there are lessons, activities,
teachers, classrooms and schools that already provide an environment and an
opportunity for students to engage in learning. Student Engagement is a label for what
may already be happening for some students. Second, I’ve often joked to my
colleagues that I would like just one semester where I didn’t tweak, add or change what
I do in my online class; where I don’t ask myself “What can I change to help more
students be successful?” Does engagement = success?
Online teaching is one of my passions. I have a large assortment of students in
my classes. They range from teen to adult, some with support systems, some without,
gifted and not so gifted, different nationalities and different cultures.
Students all have barriers they must overcome in their learning. These barriers
may be societal, environmental, or educational in nature. For most students, online
learning takes longer and is more difficult than regular face-to-face instruction. I feel it is
my job, as an online teacher, to remove the barriers within my control to allow the
students to become engaged in their learning.
Along with a definition of student engagement, its benefits and framework, this
chapter will outline some basic course design principles that will help to remove the
barriers, and strategies that can be implemented to enhance student engagement.

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Definition of Student Engagement
The concept of student engagement has generated a lot of buzz in the
educational community. A single google search of schools that have the word engage
in their mission statement will return millions of hits. The article Improving Student
Engagement, suggests there isn’t one clear definition of what student engagement is.
Several types of engagement are noted - academic, cognitive, intellectual, institutional,
emotional, behavioral, social, psychological, to name several.
Rather than just writing out a definition, I want to show you what student
engagement looks like. My hope is that after reading this chapter, you will have a better
understanding of what student engagement means to you and your teaching style.
During my research, I came across a quote that resonated with me:
“Student engagement is the excitement and investment a young person feels towards
learning.” (SoundOut)
The Benefits of Student Engagement
Engaged students earn higher grades, perform better on tests, report a greater
sense of belonging, can set and meet personal goals, persist on tasks, expect success,
and value educational outcomes. (Angie J. Pohl, Ph.D.)
Framework of Student Engagement
Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (A Framework for Culturally Responsive Teaching)
state four motivational conditions that the teacher and students continuously create or
enhance. They are: establishing inclusion; developing attitude; enhancing meaning and
engendering competence.

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Taylor and Parsons (Improving Student Engagement) identify the following
common elements: interaction; exploration; relevancy; multimedia & technology; and
challenging & engaging instruction.
Sagor writes in “At-Risk Students: Reaching and Teaching Them” (Sagor, 1993)
that membership, engagement and commitment only occur when, where, and if the
students regularly feel CBUPO: Competent, Belong, Useful, Potent, Optimistic
Is there a common framework?
As I’ve delved into the research, common terms have emerged: Belonging,
Relevance, Interaction, and Competency.
Belonging - Every student has a right to education and has the right to attend
school. When a student has a sense of belonging, he or she wants to be at school,
wants to be a member of a team, and wants to participate.
Relevance - As a teacher, how many times has a student asked you: “When are
we ever going to use this?” Today’s learners want their learning to make sense - to be
relevant to them and their lives. The more meaning their learning has, the more
engaged they will be in the process.
Interaction - Students are constantly exposed to light, noise, and action. They
want their toys to move, their gadgets to entertain them, and they want us to earn their
attention (Engage Me or Enrage Me). Traditional textbooks no longer hold appeal to
our learners. Students are no longer passive receptacles that we pour our knowledge
into - they want and need to be active participants in their learning.

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Competency - No student wants to fail at what they set out to do. They want to
feel a sense of accomplishment. This need to ‘not fail’ can be so debilitating that the
student doesn’t even begin the process.
Student Engagement in Online Courses
Student engagement is important in any class, but it takes on greater significance
in the online learning environment where students are not only isolated from their
instructor and fellow students, but must be disciplined enough to ward off distractions
and other commitments that compete for their time. (Building Student Engagement in
Online Classes)
When I first began teaching online, some of the courses were online versions of
paper-based correspondence courses. Typical lessons were structured as “Read
chapter X” followed by “Answer these questions”. Fast forward to today. Within a
lesson, along with the traditional print materials, you will find media (audio/video),
simulations (applets), various types of communication (discussion board, blog, wikis),
opportunities for self-assessment/self-reflection and the inclusion of authentic tasks and
audiences.
Online Course Design
From my own experience, course design has an impact on student engagement.
Midpoint through a course, I have given students an anonymous survey to complete
asking them to identify what they like and don’t like. Students often commented that
they liked clear expectations, structure, current material, differing types of media,
interactions, activities, being able to contact the teacher, and a quick turn around on
email and assignments. The aspects that they did not like included barriers such as,

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confusing structure, multiple pages with multiple clicks, not knowing what they are
expected to do and not interacting with the teacher and other students.
A teacher, through course design, can remove several barriers to learning.
Focused structure will aid students in becoming familiar with the course more quickly
and clear expectations will minimize confusion and frustration. Chunking material into
manageable sections, visual aids and multimedia allows for depth within the course
without overwhelming the students.
Structure
A few semesters ago, the teachers at the Online Learning Centre implemented a
common menu section to maintain consistency and predictability between courses. The
first four menu items of every course are: Announcements, Teacher Contact, Class
Syllabus, and a Start Here Module. Students have expressed their appreciation that,
regardless of which course they take, they know where to find out information such as
how to contact their teacher. Each course and teacher is different yet this simple
change has brought a sense of familiarity between courses.
A Start Here Module was created to provide students a quick orientation to how
the online environment works. The module was designed to orient students to the
Learning Management System (LMS), how to find and access information, how to
navigate the course smoothly and seamlessly and how to contact their teacher. Within
the module, there is a practice quiz and a practice hand-in assignment. Allowing
students to practice these important skills has decreased the number of questions and
issues students have when it is time to complete a quiz or assignment for marks.

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In my courses, I have added to the module to include how to do math online.
Prior to this module, a common misconception students had was how to type their math
assignments in a word processor, when the preferred method was much simpler - to
write out by hand and scan or take a digital picture. In other subject areas, the teachers
are collaborating and tweaking the Start Here Module to fit their areas.
Students like courses with consistent structure of the lessons. This isn’t to say
that every single lesson is identical - just the layout. They have commented that when
there is a structure that is repeated in the modules, they do not get lost and can focus
on what they are to be learning.
Plan your structure so that it removes confusion, complication and other such
barriers to learning.
Clear Expectations
Students appreciate knowing what is expected of them in an online course. Like
in the traditional classroom, online courses also benefit from an open Course Syllabus.
Students want to know what they will be learning and how they will be graded. An
online teacher can take this concept one step further and identify the learning
outcome(s) associated with each lesson.
Misconceptions and confusion can be avoided with clear expectations. Creating
and communicating expectations removes the barrier of uncertainty, so that students
can focus on the learning and stay engaged.
Chunking
Students like chunks of material and not just one long page of text. As I’ve
transitioned my material into manageable chunks, another pattern or structure arose.

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Prior to starting the Master’s Program, I hadn’t put much thought into wondering why it
worked for the students, all I knew was that it was working. In Psychology of Learning
for Instruction by Marcy P. Driscoll, the process of chunking may increase working
memory capacity.
Visual Aids & Icons
What icons have meaning to you? Would you recognize the icons for Twitter,
Facebook, RSS, etc? Familiar icons help you navigate in the online environment. The
same goes for online classes.
Along with a consistent structure, students found icons and visual aids to be
helpful. One of the visual aids I use in my class is a wordle I created from common
math terms. When I introduce the terms for a new chapter, I include wordle as a visual
clue to the content.
Multimedia
Each individual student has his or her own method of learning: visual, textual,
auditory. Some prefer groups; others prefer individual instruction. There is no single
catch-all method.

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The online environment opens the doors to a variety of methods. Not only can
you provide the learner with text, you can provide video, audio, web applets,
slideshows, just to name a few.
{Video URL: https://youtu.be/8Mi2dCpZjFY }
Does Monotony = Disengagement?
{Video URL: http://youtu.be/nWPI35WGsTc }

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At one point, or another, we have all experienced moments of boredom.
Combine boredom with a lack of interest and you become disengaged. Take golf, for
instance. A relative of mine just loves golf. He can watch the USOpen on TV for hours
upon hours and he still is excited by golf. Personally, I don’t see the attraction to golf,
but give me a chance to watch the Scotties, the Tournament of Hearts and I’m there,
focused and eager to watch.
Pretend, for a moment, that you are a high school Physics teacher. Now imagine
a student in your class. Let us call this student “Bob”. Bob is 15 and just months away
from getting his license. You know that he is just not interested in the Physics at all. In
fact, he would rather be working than attending school, let alone Physics class. Add on
a 55 minute lecture and then send this student home with questions for homework.
What are the chances that Bob will (1) do his homework, (2) be excited about the
lesson, and (3) in the worst scenario, not return to class?
Don’t get me wrong, lectures have their place in lessons - there is an appropriate
time and place for almost any teaching strategy. What I’m trying to say, is we need to
be aware of our students, their likes and dislikes, and to provide an environment where
we remove the excuse “I’m bored”.
Press the rewind button. Rather than a long lecture followed by questions for
homework, how do you think “Bob” would react to the following lesson?
Task One: Find a real-life example of a concept in physics. Post your example
along with a description of the physics concept.
Task Two: Respond to at least two other student examples.

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{Video URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cl-BZFtTMFg }
What are the chances Bob will (1) do his homework (post an example of
physics), (2) be excited about the lesson, and (3) return to class to see what the next
lesson will be?
Strategies
Now to the good stuff! Now that we’ve defined Student Engagement, its benefits
and framework and discussed course design, let us look at strategies that build
academic, intellectual and social engagement.

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Where to Begin?
What can you do on the first days of a course to engage students? Here are a
few introductory activities for you to try.
Introductory Activities (Ice Breakers)
Goal: Create a learning atmosphere in which students and teachers feel
respected by and connected to one another.
Engagement Framework: Belonging, Interaction
Introductory Activity #1:
Instruction: Post a photo and introduce yourself - include your favorite website
(school appropriate).
Tool: Discussion Board, Blog, Wiki
Suggestion: The teacher should make the first post to get the ball rolling.
Introductory Activity #2:
Instruction: Post a recent photo that has meaning to you and explain its
importance
Tool: Discussion Board, Blog, Wiki, VoiceThread
Introductory Activity #3: “What am I?”
Instruction: Each student will think of an animal, place or thing and post 3 clues.
Your job is to try to guess what they are. There is only one rule: You may only
ask yes/no style questions.

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Tool: Discussion Board, Blog, Wiki
That was easy, what is next?
Communication between student and teacher is an essential factor in an online
course. If there is little communication between the student and teacher, students often
feel isolated and discouraged, while teachers often feel frustrated and at a loss of what
do to help. By opening up the lines of communication, the student and teacher can
connect. Once this connection is established, students will begin to feel safe. They will
ask questions of the teacher when they are confused or need help and the teacher will
be there to guide them. Without this connection, it is easy for the student to give up or
ignore the class. In a traditional face-to-face classroom, there is eye contact. The
student comes to class and the teacher is able to ‘read’ the atmosphere within the
classroom. In an online class, it is difficult to ‘read’ the situation unless there has been
communication.
Communication Strategies
In an interview, Dr. Mandernach, a professor at Park University, stated that she
likes make phone calls to her students. She finds that if she is able to make a quick call
to a student to see how things are going, it goes a long way in creating a more
personalized learning environment. “Students need to feel like they know their instructor
and that you’re interested in how they’re doing,”
Besides phone calls and email, there are other tools that online teachers can use
to communicate with their students.

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There are online web-conference tools where teachers and students can meet in
a virtual environment. Depending on the LMS, there are online collaboration tools, such
as Virtual Classrooms or Collaborate. Outside of the LMS, there are free services such
as Google Hangouts and Skype. There are also programs that can be purchased, such
as Adobe Connect and Microsoft Lync.
Another powerful tool to connect with students is through texting. Have you
considered texting your students but do not wish to use your personal number? Well,
there is a tool for that! Remind101 is a free tool that allows the teacher to send out texts
to students (and parents). Students don’t see the teachers’ phone numbers.
The above tools are just a few to help create communication between students
and the teacher. This will help remove a barrier to their learning - the anonymous
feeling within the online environment - making it harder for students to withdraw, or
completely disappear from the course.
How do you make the content engaging?
Try to avoid long pages of text. Incorporate color, images, audio, video, applets,
interactions and simulations. Not sure what or how much to include? Remember the
KISS principle: “keep it simple and straightforward”.
Color
Color can also be used in moderation - you do not want a page full of rainbow
colored text, but carefully selected colors and words will bring emphasis.

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Images
Images can introduce a topic, enrich the topic or even be the topic.
Introduce a topic: To introducing Macbeth, choose four images that portray key
elements in the play. Pose the following questions to the students: What seems to be
going on in each of these images? What is the situation? Where are they? What could
have happened before? What might happen after?
Enrich the topic: Embed images related to the content - pictures of graphs
(Math), landforms (Geography), experiments (Chemistry).
Be the topic: Instead of words, use an image to illustrate a concept or idea.
Diagrams and flowcharts are helpful too.
Audio
{URL: http://boo.fm/b1463920}

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In an online course, there are also opportunities for audio. You can record a
welcome message, create a podcast, read a poem, or provide a summary. There are
free programs such as Audacity or web based applications such as AudioBoo.
Video
YouTube and Khan Academy are popular websites when it comes to videos.
Videos can often demonstrate a concept or idea easier than through text. You can even
create a video podcast using a webcam or a video camera.
Applets, Interactives & Simulations
The internet is an amazing collection of information! If you can dream up an
idea, you can probably find it on the internet. Here are two of my favorite web sites:
GOORU is a free search engine for learning, you can quickly find topic-relevant,
standards-aligned resources and organize them into teachable and sharable
“collections” — all in one place.
MERLOT is a free and open online community of resources designed primarily
for faculty, staff and students of higher education from around the world to share their
learning materials and pedagogy. MERLOT is a leading edge, user-centered,
collection of peer reviewed higher education, online learning materials, catalogued by
registered members and a set of faculty development support services.
Example applets, interactives & simulations:
● English Language Arts
○ English Maven
○ Fun Brain (K-8)
○ The Write Source
● Math
○ Fun Brain (K-8)
○ GeoGebra
○ Illuminations

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● Science
○ Google Sky/Moon/Mars
○ Science for Kids
○ Telus World of Science
○ Virtual Microscope
● Social Science
○ History (About Canada)
○ Canada: A People’s History
Ideas for student work
Creating engaging ways students can show evidence of their learning has been a
struggle for me in my online teaching. The following ideas do not illustrate everything
possible that a teacher can implement, they are just a few samples I’ve used, witnessed
or researched.
Projects
{Video URL: http://voicethread.com/share/3180173/ }
The above project was an evaluation piece used in a high school math unit. The
major outcomes of the unit were scale, scale ratio, diagrams (scale, component,
exploded, etc), 3D models, views and proportions. Rather than have the students write

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a test for this unit, they were to choose an object that could be replicated in a model,
research the object’s dimensions, plan and draw a set of diagrams, and build the model.
They were asked to take pictures of their model and drawings and create a presentation
of their project. Guidelines, rubrics and suggested presentation tools were provided to
the students. Students were also required to evaluate their project by answering
questions such as: In what areas did you excel? Are there areas in which you could
improve? If you had to do the project over again, what would you do differently?
How well did the student do? When I evaluated the student’s project (shown
above), there were missing components and she could of expanded her explanations,
however, she did reflect on what she would of done differently and the benefits of a 3D
model.
Was this project engaging to the student? I believe it was. The student was not
very strong in math and struggled. She didn’t always complete her work and she
usually didn’t spend much time doing homework. At the end of the course, I had an
opportunity to speak with her parent. The parent told me that she was surprised at the
amount of time and effort the student put into the project.
Peer Involvement
Peer involvement can take many different forms:
○ peer evaluation/critique
○ peer editing in subjects that involve writing, such as essays, journals,
blogs and articles
○ structured discussion
○ puzzle/joke of the week

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Example
After explaining the expectations and guidelines of peer evaluation and
constructive feedback, a photography teacher posts, to her blog, a photo she has taken
and has the students evaluate her photo. They must provide a compliment, a
suggestion and a correction. The teacher will deliberately posts ‘poor’ photos that
emphasize a technique she wants the students to identify. By having the students
critique her photos, she has provided students a safe place to learn how to provide
constructive feedback. Once the students have mastered the peer evaluation process,
they will post their own photos for peer evaluation.
Self Evaluation
One semester, in a senior online math class, I added a short five question
multiple choice (computer scored) quiz at the end of every section in a unit. The
instructions stated that these quizzes were not going to be included in their grade and
could be attempted multiple times. At the end of the unit, a ten question multiple choice
quiz was created using the questions from the section quizzes. The instructions stated
that the end of unit quiz was going to be included in their grade and that only one
attempt would be allowed.
What was the student’s reaction? About two-thirds of the class completed the
section quizzes and over half of the students repeated the quiz several times until they
achieved a perfect score despite knowing that the quizzes didn’t count towards their
mark. The other third of the class skipped over the section quizzes and only completed
the unit quiz. Student commented on how they liked having a chance to try questions

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before the real quiz. Students also asked for help on questions they didn’t understand
or couldn’t solve.
One of my colleagues who teaches senior English, uses self-evaluation in a
slightly different approach. Prior to a unit test, he has the students complete a short
three yes/no question quiz. The questions are straightforward and depending on how
they answer, he provides suggestions for them before continuing to the test. For
example, one of the questions is: “Have you read the required articles?” If the student
answers ‘no’, the feedback they receive is a statement encouraging them to read the
articles and a tip or two on what to focus on while reading these articles.
Authentic Tasks
Students have difficulty relating concepts they learn in school to the ‘real world’.
Dr. Mueller is the author of the Authentic Assessment Toolbox. The toolbox is an
invaluable resource of ideas, rubrics, samples and much more.
Summary
This is not the end … rather, the process is just beginning.
Student Engagement is a concept that can on a life of its own. There is not a
clear end to the process. In my opinion, the process is iterative and cyclical.

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Throughout my online teaching experience and the material I’ve researched, I’ve
come to think of student engagement more as a style rather than an object. If I am able
to add strategies to my courses that improve student engagement, I know there will be
more student success. Courses that are interesting, relevant, have meaning and a
sense of belonging will remove the educational barrier some students face. Students
who feel they belong and are successful at school will have more energy to overcome
other barriers in their life. The fewer barriers they face, the more successful they will be
at attaining their goals.

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REFERENCES:
Alexander, K. L., Entwisle, D. R., & Horsey, C. S. (1997). From first grade
forward: Early foundations of high school dropout. Sociology of Education, 70(2), 87-
107.
Bart, M. (2009, April 6). [Web log message]. Retrieved from
http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/distance-learning/building-student-engagement-in-
online-courses/
Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities
and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass, An Imprint of Wiley.
Cull, S., Reed, D., & Kirk, K. (2010). Student motivation and engagement in
online courses. Retrieved from
http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/online/motivation.html
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. (3rd ed.). Pearson
Education, Inc.
Pohl, A. J. (2013, February 6). Reflecting on the importance of student
engagement. Retrieved from
http://attendengageinvest.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/reflecting-on-the-importance-of-
student-engagement/
Prensky, M. (2005, January 1). “engage me or enrage me”: What today’s
learners demand. EDUCAUSE Review, 40(5), 60-65. Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/“engage-me-or-enrage-me”-what-today’s-learners-
demand

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Sagor, R. (1993). At-risk Students: Reaching and teaching them. Swampscott,
MA: Watersun Press.
Sagor, R. (2002). Lessons from skateboarders. Educational Leadership,60(1),
34-38. Retrieved from
http://homepages.wmich.edu/~sayers/6440%20Skateboarders.pdf
SoundOut. (2011). Sound out: Student voice in schools. Retrieved from
http://www.soundout.org/tips.html
Taylor, L. & Parsons, J. (2011). Improving Student Engagement. Current Issues
in Education, 14(1). Retrieved from http://cie.asu.edu/

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