Last revised 1/21/2025 by SW
Overview
Student engagement is essential to effective teaching, but it can feel more elusive in online and distance learning (DL) environments. Instructors often wonder how to foster interaction, ensure students engage with course materials and build a vibrant learning community. This article provides practical, actionable strategies for increasing student engagement in online courses.
What is student engagement?
Student engagement in online courses includes participation in course activities, meaningful interactions with content, peers, and instructors, and sustained motivation to learn.
Bond et al. (2020) identified the following qualities of student engagement:
- It is the energy and effort that students employ within their learning community.
- It is observable via any number of behavioral, cognitive, or affective indicators across a continuum.
- It is shaped by a range of structural and internal influences, including the complex interplay of relationships, learning activities, and the learning environment.
- It feeds back to the learning community and continues to fuel further engagement.
The third aspect, how to operationalize engagement, gives us a clear path to further disentangle the concept - the various components students will come in contact with when taking an online/DL course: content, peers, and instructors.
Types of Interaction
Simply put, students need to do things in order to learn, and much of this “doing” involves interaction with the various components in the learning environment: the course itself (content and its hosting platform), other students, and the teaching team (instructors & TAs). Keep some of these questions in mind when thinking about the different types of interactions. (Riggs, 2020)
- The interaction between students and the course requires the instructor (or content developer) to author the content in a way that promotes active learning, providing meaningful learning content and activities to every student.
- Core Questions
- How will my students interact with the course content?
- Beyond reading, and listening to/viewing lectures, what will students actually DO with the course content?
- How can they do so in their homes?
- Actionable Ideas:
- Use short, engaging videos (5–10 minutes) interspersed with comprehension checks or polls.
- Add self-assessments, such as quick quizzes, that provide immediate feedback.
- Assign hands-on activities where students apply concepts (e.g., case studies, simulations, or creative projects).
- Use tools like VoiceThread for annotations and sharing thoughts.
- Core Questions
- The interaction among students normally doesn’t happen spontaneously, but within a framework explicitly defined by the instructor. As the instructor, you are not fully removed from this type of interaction, but instead assume the role of an observer and offer intervention as needed.
- Core Questions
- How will my students interact with other students?
- Beyond completing assignments and assessments independently, how will students work together to ensure that they feel like they are part of a learning community and have the opportunity to collaborate, think critically, be intellectually challenged, and make meaning with others?
- How can students work with others while they are isolated in their homes?
- Actionable Ideas:
- Create icebreaker activities in week one to build connections.
- Use discussion boards with specific, open-ended prompts (e.g., "Share a real-world example related to this topic").
- Assign small group projects or peer reviews to encourage collaboration.
- Introduce synchronous or asynchronous debates using tools like VoiceThread or collaborative documents.
- Core Questions
- The interaction between students and the instructor goes beyond your screen time with students during a recorded lecture; it is best achieved by developing a facilitation plan that details how you plan to communicate with students (e.g. Q&A, office hours, grading, feedback timeline, etc.).
- Core Questions
- How will my students interact with me, their instructor?
- Now that you aren't in the classroom with your students, how will students be able to interact with you?
- How might you guide student learning while also being flexible and trying to accommodate different student needs? What assignment expectations do you need to convey? What information do you need to clarify for students?
- Actionable Ideas:
- Host weekly Q&A sessions or live office hours.
- Send personalized video or audio feedback on key assignments.
- Use announcements to highlight exemplary student work or provide a summary of the week’s activities.
- Post “check-in” questions on discussion boards to gauge student progress and well-being.
- Core Questions
Approaches to Engagement
Engage Through Design
The power of course design is that it elevates teaching from simply developing a list of topics in conjunction with a host of content. Below are a few tips on how to design engagement into your courses.
- Communicate your expectations of the course, modules, activities, and assignments.
- Design your content around the expectations and display this coherence to students.
- Select content that is relevant, current, and interesting.
- Use formative assessments (e.g. comprehension checks, reflection/discussion forums, etc.), especially after readings, longer lecture videos, and primary content.
- Integrate interactive activities during your synchronous sessions (breakout discussions, polls, Google Docs collaboration activities.)
- Diversify your mode of content delivery with a combination of readings, asynchronous lecture videos, synchronous sessions (e.g. lectures, review sessions, office hours), interactive activities, etc.
- Use groups.
- Consider flipped classrooms.
- Consider using learning technologies (e.g. Perusall, VoiceThread, Flipgrid, etc.)
Engage Through Facilitation
It is a common fallacy, especially in the online asynchronous sphere, that the instructor creates a rich learning environment and students are largely self-sufficient. Even in the most extreme cases, instructor presence is still required to maintain student engagement. Below are some general guidelines on how to enhance student engagement. For a detailed list, please refer to the Instructor Presence and Engagement Plan handout.
- Maintain regular and open communication
- Humanize your presence
- Encourage students to collaborate with each other
- Be prompt with grading and giving students feedback
- Invite students to provide feedback
- Be flexible when interacting with students
- Be aware of student needs and have readily available resources
Engage Through Technology
The role that digital technology plays in promoting engagement continues to grow, with the advancement of technology itself as well as changing student demography to a younger and more tech-savvy generation. There are a variety of factors that can influence student engagement through technology, such as the digital literacy of both the instructor and students,
- Allow students to have a voice in what technology to use.
- Explain the rationale behind technology use in relation to the learning objectives.
- Provide thorough and clear explanations of how technology is to be used.
- Provide guidelines on the proper use of technology and discuss etiquette.
- Offer introductory sessions/activities dedicated to familiarizing students with technology.
- Clarify resources for continuous tech support.
- Provide alternatives to technology.
- Avoid complicating assessments with technology.
Practical Engagement Tips
Getting Students to Read Announcements, Emails, and Feedback
Encouraging students to engage with your communications requires intentional design:
- Actionable Tips:
- Use attention-grabbing subject lines (e.g., “5-Minute Tip to Ace This Week’s Quiz” or “Feedback That Could Boost Your Grade”).
- Keep announcements and emails concise, including bullet points or bolded key points.
- Post announcements at consistent times and highlight them during live sessions or in discussion boards.
- Incorporate a "hidden gem" strategy, where important details (like extra credit or tips) are shared in announcements to encourage students to read them.
Facilitating Student Interaction and Collaboration
Build engagement opportunities directly into your course design:
- Add a “Connect with Your Classmates” section to your course platform where students can discuss topics unrelated to graded assignments (e.g., a “Questions and Resources” forum).
- Offer structured group work options but allow flexibility in how students collaborate (e.g., asynchronously using OneDrive or synchronously via Teams).
- Use gamified elements like leaderboards for participation in discussions or completion of interactive assignments.
Providing Feedback That Drives Engagement
Feedback is most effective when it is timely, actionable, and personal:
- Use a feedback template: Start with a strength, provide specific suggestions for improvement, and end with encouragement.
- Offer video or audio feedback for major assignments to humanize your presence.
- Create a “Frequently Missed Concepts” resource based on common feedback themes, so students can review independently.
Leveraging Technology to Simplify Engagement
Technology should enhance, not complicate, your course. Consider:
- Polls and quizzes: Use tools like MS Forms for real-time engagement during live sessions.
- Interactive discussions: VoiceThread allows students to record video responses, which can be less intimidating than written posts.
- Gamified tools: The Achievements tool in Ultra can add a sense of fun and achievement to the course.
- Integration-friendly tools: Choose technologies that integrate with HuskyCT (e.g., embedded quizzes or auto-graded activities).
Assess Student Engagement
Many instructors use an informal mid-semester assessment to gauge student engagement and receive general feedback. Alternatives also include holding focus group discussions with students, inviting an experienced colleague to observe student engagement, or use a more structured survey.
- Online Student Engagement Scale (Dixson, 2015)
Related Posts
- Introducing Quality Matters
- Managing Your Online Course
- Collaborative (Group) Learning, Example Uses and Supporting Technologies
References
Arbaugh, J.B., Cleveland-Innes, M., Diaz, S.R., Garrison, D.R., Ice, P., Richardson, & Swan, K.P. (2008). Developing a community of inquiry instrument: Testing a measure of the Community of Inquiry framework using a multi-institutional sample. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3-4), 133-136.
Bond, M., Buntins, K., Bedenlier, S., Zawacki-Richter, O., & Kerres, M. (2020). Mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: A systematic evidence map. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 2.
Dixson, M. D. (2015). Measuring Student Engagement in the Online Course: The Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE). Online Learning, 19(4).Riggs, S. (2020). Student-centered remote teaching: Lessons learned from online education. EDUCAUSE Review.
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References
Arbaugh, J.B., Cleveland-Innes, M., Diaz, S.R., Garrison, D.R., Ice, P., Richardson, & Swan, K.P. (2008). Developing a community of inquiry instrument: Testing a measure of the Community of Inquiry framework using a multi-institutional sample. The Internet and Higher Education, 11(3-4), 133-136.
Bond, M., Buntins, K., Bedenlier, S., Zawacki-Richter, O., & Kerres, M. (2020). Mapping research in student engagement and educational technology in higher education: A systematic evidence map. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(1), 2.
Dixson, M. D. (2015). Measuring Student Engagement in the Online Course: The Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE). Online Learning, 19(4).Riggs, S. (2020). Student-centered remote teaching: Lessons learned from online education. EDUCAUSE Review.
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