Strategies for Student Engagement and Motivation Factors in Online Learning

Background

Prasad (2016) outline five essential elements of an effective online learning environment, which should guarantee engagement. These elements include: An environment that will satisfy the needs of the learner and appeals to their motivation to undertake the course; An environment that creates the right stimuli for every learner to engage with the course to completion given, that different students may require different approaches; An environment that provides an opportunity for learners to apply what they have learned usually through formative assessment; An environment that provides feedback and reinforcement to leaner’s and an opportunity for both learners and instructors to evaluate the effectiveness of the learning process; and finally, an environment that provides rewards for completion, usually done through a certificate or a badge which is a form of extrinsic motivation.

Dixson (2015) defines, student engagement as “the extent to which students actively engage by thinking, talking, and interacting with the content of a course, the other students in the course, and the instructor” (p.2). On the other hand, Kuh (2003) looks at engagement as the time and energy devoted by students in learning activities. Dixson (2010) argues that to increase the effectiveness of online instruction, there is need for active and collaborative learning strategies, and strong instructor presence. Multiple communication and interaction channels both between the students and instructors may lead to higher student engagement. Maki and Maki (2007) while comparing the traditional face to face learning and online learning find mixed evidence of the effectiveness of online instruction arguing that, online presentation may either enhance or hamper learning depending on the circumstances with students often, required to do more in online courses as compared to traditional courses. Zhao et. al., (2005) in their meta-analysis find that there are different outcomes on the effectiveness of distance education across studies which are associated with several pedagogical and technological factors and suggest the need to have stronger methodology that encourages student-to-student interaction and better interaction and communication with instructors.

Hartnett et al. (2011) argue that motivation is dependent on the personal traits of the learner and the specific characteristics of the online learning environment. Kyewski and Krämer (2018) note that the high attrition rates in online learning as well as the tendency of students to participate less raise concerns about students’ motivation in distance education. Chen and Jang (2010) associate online learning with anxiety and uncertainty which can be reduced by students’ support tailored for their needs which is likely to reduce attrition. Mese and Sevilen (2021) attribute students’ negative perception of online learning to various factors such as lack of interaction with their teachers and classmates and teachers’ feedback. Sanders, Cooke and Gately (2021) argue that, a single form of delivery is unlikely to meet all the needs of individual students and recommends a hybrid approach that offers a blend of face-to-face and online instructions which would be more effective. They further, underscore that, in order, to increase the adoption of online learning, there is need for the right technological resources, training and support.