An engaged student is: challenged, driven, motivated, involved, sharing, participative, active, reflective, enthusiastic, responsible, productive, etc. and the list goes on. So the next question that arises is how can we increase student engagement in an online classroom virtual environment? In my opinion we as instructors can enhance academic rigor, make learning relevant to the real world and more meaningful, increase student engagement by making it collaborative and interactive, promote critical thinking skills by including project-based assignments, provide freedom to adult learners in respect to time and space (asynchronous mode), make use of students’ prior work experiences, and build relationship with students since most of the online classes do not have f2f interaction with instructors. We do too many things that we have to do as an instructor. So the next question is what is the role of the student? This question is difficult to answer. Since Student learning in online classes is governed by various factors which include fast and effective trends in changing technology, different student learning styles, changing social and economic trends of society, and the skills that need to be developed by adult learners to meet their expectations and goals.
Despite all the high-tech communication technologies available to online instructors today use discussion boards, email, IM, wikis, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, etc. Just a quick call to a student to see how things are going, even if it’s only a message on his or her answering machine, 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.†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. An online course promotes optimal student cognitive engagement if it: integrates active learning environments with authentic learning tasks; fosters a personal connection with the class (teacher-student as well as student-student); and facilitates the process of learning in an online environment.
One of the first steps in facilitating a successful online learning experience for students is to manage expectations. At the start of each course, ask the students to write down what they expect from her and make sure that the expectations are on target. This sets the tone for the course and prevents misunderstandings, and also increases retention.
