Student engagement with a content-based learning design

Abstract

While learning is commonly conceptualised as a social, collaborative process in organisations, online courses often provide limited opportunities for communication between people. How do students engage with content-based courses? How do they find answers to their questions? How do they achieve the learning outcomes? This paper aims to answer these questions by focusing on students’ experiences in an online content-based course delivered in a large Mexican organisation. Sales supervisors (n=47) participated as students. Four main data sources were used to evaluate engagement with and learning from the course: surveys (n=40), think-aloud sessions (n=8), activity logs (n=47) and exams (n=43). Findings suggest that: (1) Students engage with a content-based course by following the guidance available and attempting to make the materials relevant to their own context. (2) Students are resourceful when trying to find support. If the materials do not provide the answers to their questions, they search for alternatives such as colleagues to talk to. (3) Content-based online learning designs may be engaging and effective. However, broadening the range of support options available to students may derive in more meaningful, contextualised and rewarding learning experiences

Student engagement with a content-based learning design

“…While this type of interaction has advantages, focusing only on learnerÁcontent interactions excludes the potential benefits of other types of educational interactions (see Figure 1). For example, exchanges between peers can create meaningful learning experiences (Anderson and Garrison 1998;Conole 2013;Salmon 2011), which can help relate new information to previous knowledge and facilitate problem solving (Mayer 2002). Online course participants tend to value opportunities to work and share ideas with others (Chang and Smith 2008;Su et al 2005).…”

Editorial

“…She argues that schools should be actively encouraging pupils to make use of mobile devices, whilst giving careful consideration to concerns, particularly those relating to e-safety. Rodriguez and Armellini (2013) address the issues of how learning, commonly conceptualised as a social, collaborative process, can so be in a corporate environment where online courses often provide limited or no opportunities for communication between people. This paper considers how learners engage with content-based courses, how they find answers to their questions and how they achieve the expected learning outcomes.…”