Teachers' Role in Enhancing Adult Learners' Sense of Autonomy, Competence, and Involvement in Online Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter draws from the learning from an Australian transnational higher education provider in enhancing adult students' sense of belonging, engagement, and interactions. The literature suggests that student engagement and motivation could be enabled by fulfilling certain needs such as autonomy, competence, and relatedness or involvement. The chapter also explores some strategies that could be adopted by teachers to promote behavioural, cognitive, emotional, and agentic engagement in online adult learners. It is argued that regular customized communication by online teachers using email and learning management systems can promote teaching presence, as well as student engagement and motivation. This approach is in line with the notion of community of enquiry, a social constructivist model of learning process that suggests that educational experience takes place at the intersection of social, cognitive, and teaching presences. Other strategies, namely the effective use of breakout rooms during an online class, the emphasis on reflective learning, and the use of stories in an online classroom, are also discussed.