Student Engagement in Fully Online Undergraduate Courses
Maja L. Von Tilius (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Ana M. Leite (University of Massachusetts Lowell), & Mary N. Duell (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Maja L. Von Tilius (University of Massachusetts Lowell), Ana M. Leite (University of Massachusetts Lowell), & Mary N. Duell (University of Massachusetts Lowell)
Good luck today, Maja and Ana! You are doing important work!
Do you think that variables such as gender, race/ ethnicity, and age might be important to consider in a larger study? What differences might you see with respect to these variables and the student engagement measures included in this pilot?
I think it would be definitely beneficial and insightful to consider those variables, especially gender, as there is already existing research in regard to a gender gap between boys and girls when it comes to student engagement (in person learning) with boys being less engaged. It would be interesting to see if similar results would become visible in a student engagement study with college students using the online format. This exploratory study only had one male participant, and further research would benefit from a larger and more varied sample.
It would certainly be interesting to look into results of a larger study through the lenses of gender, race/ ethnicity, and age. These student characteristics can influence the enactment of academic engagement. Older student, for example, often have a multitude of commitments that serve to create barriers to academic success that younger student learners may not have in a traditional college setting. In regard to gender, research tends to indicate that female participants show higher levels of engagement than their male peers. It would certainly be interesting to look at the relationship between student demographics and student engagement.
What an interesting and timely study! Great work!
agreed!
Thank you for sharing your research and presenting at NEPA! Was the course you looked at “synchronous” with set meeting times? We’re designing a survey to look at student and faculty perceptions of synchronous remote classes and engagement is one variable we ask about. Thank you for studying some actual measures of engagement (versus just perception). Such an important topic right now since so many classes have been forced online.
As Ana and myself are enrolled at UMass Lowell through Graduate, Online & Professional Studies, we designed this study with the aim to get a better understanding of the ‘online only’ population in regard to student engagement. This means that the courses are not synchronous but the chat sessions, which represent the professors’ office hour are. It is also worth mentioning, that we have worked on developing this since fall 2019, so pre-COVID. COVID-19 has certainly opened even more doors in connection with studying student engagement in online courses. I am interested in the study you are designing and can’t wait to read more about it!
thank you for sharing your research!
Has this data been compared to students with classes completed in person? It would be interesting to see if the lack of engagement also occurs in the classroom for some individuals and to see at what rate.
This data has not been compared to students with classes completed in person as it was just an exploratory study. I can definitely agree with you though, that it would be interesting to examine possible similarities or differences.