"Student Engagement and Academic Success Rates in Online Courses" By: R.M. Brown II, DBA (ABD), MBA, M.Ed.
Rob Brown, DBA (ABD), MBA, M.Ed.
Experienced Management, Learning & Development, and Higher Education Professional | Curriculum Writer & Instructional Designer | Training Specialist | Skill Building | E-Learning Expertise
?
Abstract
??????????? According to Gray (2013), enrollment in traditional post-secondary educational programs is on the decline, while student enrollment in post-secondary online programs is continually increasing. The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of student engagement on the overall academic success of students enrolled in e-Learning, or online courses at the post-secondary level. Can academic success, defined as successfully completing a course with a grade of “C” or better, be increased when students in online courses are more involved in and passionate about their online learning? The goal of the study is to show that yes, increased student engagement does increase student success rates, and what online college instructors can do to increase the level of their students’ engagement in their courses.?
Introduction
??????????? The aim of this study is to focus on how student success rates in online college courses are affected when levels of student engagement are high.
??????????? Constant increases in technology have made it possible for an ever-increasing number of people to pursue higher education. With the advent of online, or e-Learning, individuals can overcome boundaries of time and geographical location, and still obtain a college or university degree. As such, many institutions have seen a dramatic increase in the number of students who enroll in online degree programs. While this is good for an institution’s bottom line, they still have a duty to their primary stakeholders, their students, to provide them with a rich and meaningful education; technology can be a motivating factor for many students to go beyond what they are presented in a class, thus, offering online courses that are equipped and embedded with relevant tools (i.e. online/digital textbooks, videos, etc.) and links to sources that provide further insight into course topics can spark students’ desires to learn. Rajabalee, Santally, and Rennie (2019, p.1) state that “one of the critical components of quality online education is to ensure learner engagement”, and that measuring the engagement of learners is vital to determining the performances and achievements of students. To achieve this, most Learning Management Systems (LMS) used to deliver online course content are able to measure the engagement of students in online courses by recording data on how often they log into a class, the number of times they visit pages within a course, as well as how often they view discussion forums, discussion posts, and replies to discussion posts; this enables online students to self-monitor their progress in their courses, and can decrease the likelihood of them failing (Hamane, 2014).
Self-Directed Learning Theory as it Pertains to Online Learning
??????????? The prevailing theory seen in the online learning environment is Self-Directed Learning. Merriam, Caffarella, and Baumgartner (2007) state that the goals of Self-Directed Learning are as follows: "(1) to enhance the ability of adult learners to be self-directed in their learning, (2) to foster transformational learning as central to self-directed learning, and (3) to promote emancipatory learning and social action as an integral part of self-directed learning (p. 107)." The first goal means that an educator will help the adult learner plan, carry out, and evaluate their learning, but, as a self-directed learner, one would seek out this help from their instructor on their own. As such, this theory influences one to view the role of the instructor in a course as a guide or mentor. Instructors are there to convey their knowledge to students but will support the students in their endeavors to gain a better understanding of the knowledge that has been communicated to them (Brown, 2020).
??????????? Manning (2007) acknowledges this, and states that "Instruction should emphasize the analysis of experiences and the role of the instructor should be that of a facilitator or engager rather than a transmitter of knowledge." Furthermore, adult learners must incorporate their own experiences in the knowledge that is being transmitted to them by the instructor/facilitator, so that what they are being taught has relevance and meaning to their lives. While coined "self-directed learning", there must be input and engagement from both the educator and the learner, and, as such, the parties involved are not just the teacher/facilitator of learning and learner, but also, they are partners in learning, who must work cooperatively to ensure the objectives of a course of learning are reached (Brown, 2020). By implementing certain technologies in online classes, students have an increased opportunity to learn but it is up to them whether they wish to take advantage of the technologies presented to them. As self-directed learners, they can make the best determination as to what works best for them in their online learning (Brown, 2020).
Literature Review
??????????? Seeking an understanding of the impact student engagement has on various behaviors of students has been under examination for several decades (Humane, 2014). As online learning continues to grow in popularity, and the number of students enrolled in e-learning courses continues to increase, understanding how students stay engaged, or what motivates them to learn in a virtual environment is vital, as educational institutions will need to continue to design, redesign, and update online courses and content to capture and hold students’ attention; the richer the content of online courses, and the more interactive in nature they are, the higher the likelihood students will become or remain engaged, and be academically successful (Czerkawski & Lyman III, 2016).
??????????? Czerkawski and Lyman III (2016) contend that an instructional design framework, known as E-Learning Engagement Design (ELED), which “applies many of the common steps of instructional design models to the question of how to incorporate best practices for student engagement in online learning” (p. 533) is a way to provide online course designers and instructors guidance by taking information in current literature about student engagement in the online classroom, and using it to provide a structure and recommended order for course design tasks, then, “frames the instructional design process in terms of the relationship between variables affecting student engagement and learning performance in online environments” (p. 533). Finally, the ELED is designed to use feedback from course designers, instructors, and students (student feedback here is mostly extrapolated from survey instruments such as the National Survey of Student Engagement, or NSSE) to create, modify, or enhance online learning experiences in the hope of increasing student engagement.
??????????? In other research on course design to positively affect student engagement, and ultimately, student success in online courses, Mara and Jonassen (2001) examined how online courses are limited in the delivery of their content, as well as the range of pedagogies they support. The authors’ work examined the effects of online and distance learning on various pedagogies and how alternative forms of knowledge can be represented to positively affect student engagement and outcomes in the virtual learning classroom. Further, they examined how the perceptions of online students shaped their learning experiences in the virtual learning environment, and how such perceptions shape their views of future online courses. By designing online courses that support a wide range of pedagogies, student perceptions of such courses become more positive, which, in turn, increases student engagement, which has a positive effect on student success in the online classroom.
??????????? The design of courses is not the only way to increase student engagement in the online learning environment. Other researchers also acknowledge that online learning experiences are enhanced when technologies, such as social media platforms, are tools to enhance the virtual learning experience, and Chawinga (2016), as cited in Rajabalee et al. (2019), stated that Twitter can enhance teaching and learning, as it encourages communication among students. Being able to communicate in online courses, according to Jones (2016), e-learners tend to have more feelings of loneliness and isolation in the virtual learning environment, and these feelings can lead to decreased motivation, lower engagement, and an increased chance of them dropping their courses; all of these are barriers to the educational development of students. Learners need to be thoroughly engaged in their courses so they can effectively progress in their educational journeys (2016). Increased communication in online courses is an important component in student engagement, however, other forms of support services are also needed to foster engagement in the virtual learning environment.
??????????? Ludwig-Hardman and Dunlap (2003) state that for colleges and universities to retain students, especially in the online, or e-Learning environment, effective support services are needed. It is acknowledged that the lack of interaction in eCourses, which is something generally not experienced in on-ground courses, is a major factor in decreased student engagement and student attrition in online classes. Institutions of higher education need to provide support services to online learners that are designed to reduce the feelings of loneliness and isolation felt by many online students. The authors argue that the success of one in an online course can depend on how well colleges and universities personalize their e-learning environments, and that learner support services can help to foster a sense of community in the online learning environment, thus increasing student engagement, and decreasing online course attrition (Brown, 2020).
??????????? Continuing with communication and interactions, and how they affect student engagement in online learning, Picciano (2002) states that interaction among students in a virtual learning environment is an essential factor in student engagement and student success. The information in Picciano’s study supports the idea that more social interaction in the e-learning environment increases student retention rates and student success. Although, this may not always be the case, and, as all students are different, levels of interaction among online students will have varying degrees of impact on student success. The main point here is that online courses designed to increase student participation in class will increase communication and student engagement, thus increasing the likelihood of student success in an online class.
??????????? Finally, Richardson and Swan (2003) acknowledge that social interactions among students and social presence affect student outcomes. In their work, the authors found that students’ perceptions of social presence contributed to their levels of perceived learning. When students had more interaction with their peers, as well as with their instructors, especially in the online learning environment, the more positive their learning and cognition were impacted.? These findings can be used as evidence to show that online courses should be modeled in a way that not only presents course concepts and information but also in ways to foster a sense of community, cooperation, and communication among e-Learning students. Online courses should “incorporate the social aspects of learning in both the design and instruction of online courses” (2003, p. 81, as cited in Brown, 2020).
Methodology
??????????? To determine the answer to the given research question of “What effect does student engagement have on the academic success of online college students?”, quantitative methods would be most appropriate. The literature on the topic shows that quantative methods can be effective. Humane (2014) suggests that pertinent data, such as time spent in an online course, the number of visits to pages in online courses, as well as how often students post to various areas within a course, can be extrapolated with tools embedded in many LMSs currently used by many colleges and universities. This data can then be compared with the grades of students in the courses to show that those who spend the most time in their classes, completing required activities, and accessing weekly course readings, generally have higher grades than those students who do not spend as much time logged into their online classes. A sampling of data would be nonrandom in nature, as it involves the collection and examination of all students in a course (or courses) to show the correlation between increased student engagement and student success. Findings from such research can be considered relevant, as the data cannot be manipulated. For example, time spent in a certain area of an online course is timed from the moment a student lands on a particular page, and it ends as soon as they move to a new page; the time is automatically recorded and saved with the tools in the LMS used to deliver the class, and it cannot be changed or altered.
Conclusion
??????????? Research has demonstrated that students who are engaged in their classes are more successful, academically than those who are not. This is true in both on-ground and online classes. As online learning increases in popularity and as more students enroll in online courses, colleges and universities must continually design, monitor, and update or redesign online classes so they provide ways of fostering student engagement. Communication in online courses among students and instructors must be encouraged, and courses should be designed so they are not only eye-catching but also so they provide students with all of the resources they will need to be successful in class. By taking steps to decrease the feelings of loneliness and isolation many online students feel, as well as ensuring students always have someone to reach out to, and an effective way to do it, institutions of higher learning can foster engaging online class environments, which will positively affect students’ feelings and perceptions of an online course, thereby increasing the likelihood they will be successful in their e-Learning endeavors.???
?
References
Brown, R. (2020). Implementing emerging technologies in education.
Unpublished manuscript. Strayer University.?
Brown, R.M. (2020). Professional Resources and Issues in Education. Unpublished
manuscript. Strayer University.
Czerkawski, B.C., & Lyman III, E. W. (2016). An instructional design framework for
fostering student engagement in online learning environments. Techtrends,
60(6), 532-539. doi: 10.1007/s11528-016-0110-z???????
领英推荐
Gray, D. (2013). Barriers to online postsecondary education crumble: Enrollment
in traditional face-to-face courses declines as enrollment in online courses
increases. Contemporary Issues in Education Research (Littleton, Colo.), 6(3),
345-348. doi: 10.19030/cier.v6i3.8537
Hamane, A.C. (2014). Student engagement in an online course and its impact on
student success. Retrieved October 16, 2023, from:
article=1427&context=etd
Jones, P. R. (2016). The structure and pedagogical style of the virtual
developmental education classroom: Benefit or barrier to the developmental
learning process? Retrieved October 15, 2023, from:
Manning, G. (2007). Self-directed learning. A key component of adult learning
theory. Retrieved August 10, 2023, from:
Marra, R,M., & Jonassen, D.H. (2001). Limitations of Online Courses for
Supporting Constructive Learning. Quarterly Review of Distance Education,
2(4), 303-317. Retrieved October 17, 2023, from:
Merriam, S., Caffarella, R., & Baumgartner, L. (2007). Learning in Adulthood:
A Comprehensive Guide (3rd ed). San Francisco, CA: John Wiley and Sons.
Picciano, A.G. (2002). Beyond student perceptions: Issues of interaction,
presence, and performance in an online course. Journal of Asynchronous
Learning, 6(1).
Rajablee, B.Y., Santally, M.I., & Rennie, F. (2019). A study of the relationship
between students’ engagement and their academic performances in an
eLearning environment. E-Learning and Digital Media, 17(1), 1-20.
doi: 10.1177/2042753019882567
?
???????????