Student and instructor perceptions of engagement after the rapid online transition of teaching due to COVID‐19

Abstract

Engagement involves students' investment in learning activities, as well as interrelated affective (emotive responses), behavioral (active responses), and cognitive (mental effort) components. This study assessed undergraduate student and instructor perceptions of the interrelated components of engagement during and after the rapid online transition of teaching in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fifteen courses-including laboratory, discussion-based, large lecture, tutorial, and problem-based learning-within a multidisciplinary faculty at a large researchintensive Canadian university were surveyed to: (a) assess student and instructor perceptions of students' levels of engagement during and after the rapid transition to online teaching due to the COVID-19 pandemic; (b) describe which aspects of engagement were enhanced or diminished due to the rapid online transition; and (c) identify which learning activities students would find most engaging in an online setting so as to assist in developing student-centered online pedagogical techniques. Student engagement was lower after the rapid online transition. Students who engaged by connecting with peers and instructors through in-class discussion (affective engagement) had diminished engagement, whereas students who engaged by listening to lectures, reading course materials, and reviewing slides (cognitive engagement) had enhanced engagement. Overall, students found synchronous activities more engaging. Students experienced positive and negative outcomes related to classroom engagement when transitioning rapidly to online learning during a global pandemic.

A narrative approach to university instructors’ stories about promoting student engagement during COVID-19 emergency remote teaching in Saudi Arabia

“…For example, to improve and encourage the behavioral engagement of students who are inactive in the online module, Malan (2020) sent them weekly personal emails with messages to motivate them to engage and participate in the course; as a result, most of her students who received these emails positively responded and were more actively engaged in the course. Motivating students to manage their time wisely in online learning could enhance their behavioral engagement; however, the online learning environment could produce further destruction, such as technical issues that decrease student behavioral engagement, leading them to miss classes (Walker & Koralesky, 2021). Encouraging students to participate in a chat box on the online educational platform can enhance their emotional engagement, reduce students' nervousness while presenting their inquiries in front of their classmates, and reinforce their feeling of belonging in the class community (Walker & Koralesky, 2021).…”

“…Motivating students to manage their time wisely in online learning could enhance their behavioral engagement; however, the online learning environment could produce further destruction, such as technical issues that decrease student behavioral engagement, leading them to miss classes (Walker & Koralesky, 2021). Encouraging students to participate in a chat box on the online educational platform can enhance their emotional engagement, reduce students' nervousness while presenting their inquiries in front of their classmates, and reinforce their feeling of belonging in the class community (Walker & Koralesky, 2021). Instructors' creating learning groups on social network sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp, getting involved in the students' discussions, and both posting comments and commenting on the students' posts can improve student emotional engagement (Malan, 2020).…”

“…To improve the students' cognitive engagement, Malan (2020) designed the module content with requirements to watch videos, read the relevant materials, and then engage in activities. Moreover, Moreover, Walker and Koralesky (2021) indicated that providing students with recorded lectures to revisit the course information and the ability to browse additional course sources and materials can enhance the cognitive engagement of the students.…”

“…Regarding the student engagement, Walker and Koralesky (2021) surveyed students and instructors across fifteen courses at a Canadian university regarding their perceptions of the three dimensions of engagement during and after the ERT in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Walker and Koralesky (2021) highlighted that student engagement in online education generally decreased during the pandemic. They also indicated that emotional engagement, which consists of interacting with others, diminished, while cognitive engagement, which is based on independent work, increased.…”

“…Despite the unlimited general benefits of online education, this move to a complete online learning structure was concerning, as the sudden shift was unprecedented due to the lack of preparation, which differs from the usual, well-organized approach to implementing such changes in academia under normal circumstances (Hodges et al, 2020). Studies have pointed out that online learning is positively related to student engagement and educational achievements (Walker & Koralesky, 2021;Wang & Eccles, 2012). Student engagement is one of the most important factors that raises concern in emergency remote teaching (ERT) due to the lack of physical academic interactions between students themselves and between them and their instructors.…”