Engaging Learning in an Online Environment

For many years, educational theorists have emphasized the need for student engagement in order for effective learning to take place.  The teacher-centric classroom has been replaced by a teacher-facilitated, student-centered classroom approach.  This is especially the case within online learning environments.  Online learners must be engaged in content collaboration, as well as, content creation throughout the course duration.  Online courses can thrive when it is treated as a learning community more so than simply a classroom.

In Chapter 1: Engaging Learning in an Online Environment, of our class text, Engaging the Online Learner, we are taken through the phases of online engagement.  Phase 1 begins simple with teacher led introductory activities, and the phases build to Phase 4 where the activities and content are being delivered by the learner/student instead of the instructor.  If this progression is successfully implemented, the students will gain confidence and eventually take ownership of the learning that occurs within the online class context.  This is a necessary piece to the online learning experience, because it can be so easy for a student to sit back and take a passive role throughout the course.  Without the engagement, and the responsibility for learning, students will not get as much from the course as would be expected.  However, if they are provided the opportunity to play such a crucial role in the process, they can walk away from the course interested, passionate, and more knowledgeable.

I have taken several online courses in my undergraduate and graduate programs in a variety of subject matter.  Furthermore, I have had a variety of experience within those courses, from impressed to completely underwhelmed.  The key element to my impression was engagement.  When courses develop a learning community with a safe and enjoyable collaborative aspect, it makes learning fun, social, and effective.  However, when I endured a class of weekly lecture videos and quizzes, I never became interested in the content, and I cannot recall a single modicum of information that was disseminated to me during that course.  Engagement and interaction is crucial in the everyday classroom, and is even more imperative in the online classroom.

For more information on how to improve student engagement in the online classroom, visit the site below from ProProfs.com:

http://www.proprofs.com/c/e-learning/improving-student-engagement-and-participation-in-online-classes/