Engagement

Introduction

Let's discuss the word "engagement" for a bit.  According to LearnersDictionary.com (my favorite digital dictionary since the definitions are easy-to-understand), engagement means all of the following:

1. an agreement to be married: the act of becoming engaged or the state of being engaged to be married

2. a promise to meet or be present at a particular place and time

3. the act or state of being involved with something : involvement

4. a fight between military forces

5. the act of hiring someone to do work or to perform a service

6. the act or result of moving a mechanism or part of a machine so that it fits into another part

What do these definitions all have in common?  They all involve two or more entities actively being involved with each other.

When we talk about engagement with school, we are referring to students being involved with their studies, campus, and those around them.  This section discusses engagement with your studies, or how to be actively involved in the learning process, so you understand concepts quicker and have to study less.  Woo hoo!

Reflection Follow-Up

By comparing your two notetaking experiences, you have some sense of why taking notes is important. Taking good notes (anything from a shopping list to lecture notes) allows you to remember ideas more easily. It keeps you focused. It allows you to connect new material to things you already know. 

There are many different kinds of note taking methods, so you need to experiment and figure out what works for you. Watch the following videos for examples of popular note taking systems. Also, if you have questions about note taking, you can always check in with me or one of our campus tutors. 

Sketch Notetaking

"College courses can be demanding. Here's how to use visual note-taking to rock any and all challenges that come your way."

Cornell Notes

Cornell Notes is a system of notetaking that turns your notes into a study guide and also checks your understanding of the material.

Mind Maps

Mind Maps are a visual way of taking notes where ideas are connected with bubbles and lines in order to show their relationships.

Digital Notetaking

The first step in digital note taking is to find the tools that work for you. Three very popular platforms are OneNote, GoogleKeep, and Evernote. You have access to the full version of OneNote as a student on our campus. A free version of Evernote is also available. 

Reading in Your Online Course

Reading is foundational to your academic career. It is important to recognize college reading is very different from reading for pleasure. But you already know this! In this module you will build on and learn how to expand your reading skills in your online courses. Unlike face-to-face courses, where a lot of information is passed on verbally, in online courses this is accomplished through written communication which requires you to engage in close and active reading. 

Reflection Follow-Up

You may have read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone before, but reading it for a college course requires a different approach. When you are reading online, it is crucial to lay-out a map, so you know where you are going and how you are going to get there. 

Compare your steps you wrote in the reflection above with the following steps:

1. Start with the assignment. Take the assignment and print it out, turn into a Word or Google Doc file, or turn it into a PDF file

2. Annotate the assignment to make sure you understand all the requirements. These annotations can be done by hand or digitally. This is your "map," and it will guide you through the reading.

3. Read, and as you read annotate and take notes by hand or digitally. You could combine the two methods: Take notes by hand and then create a Word or Google Doc file, where you save important examples from your reading to use as quotations to incorporate into assignments. Just remember to save the proper citation as well.

4. As you are reading, you may need to do additional research. When doing research online, make sure to bookmark every page you visit, so you will have all the URL in one place. This can be done on your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, and smartphone. You can learn how to create bookmarks in Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge.

5. Complete the assignment.

This is one way to activate your reading. Watch the following video for more suggestions:

It is not enough just to read. You must actively engage with the material. Use your "map" to guide you. Take notes and annotate the relevant passages from the reading. Active reading is hard work, but it actually saves you time in the long run since you don't have waste time re-reading because you have extensive notes and annotations. Additionally, if you engage in active reading from the beginning of the semester, it provides the foundation for more complicated reading and assignments as you move through the course. 

Written Communication in Your Online Course

One useful way to think about writing is to think of it as a process.  This means that writing is complicated and messy and requires significant work and effort. At the same time, writing is the creation of knowledge and this happens across a variety of genres during your college career. In your online courses, formal writing, like in face-to-face classes, can include writing argumentative essays, lab reports, research papers, creative writing, professional writing, and much more. In your online classes you will also find more opportunities to engage in less formal writing like participating on discussion boards, chat rooms, on social media platforms, and over email. However, it is important to understand that less formal writing also requires careful thought and work.  

Here are some tips for written communication in your online course:

• Participate! The more you participate the more you will get out of your online course

• Treat your classmates and professor with respect. Always remember that behind that username/online profile there is a person with feelings who is sitting and working away at their computer just like you 

• Make it your goal to write clearly and concisely and stay on topic 

• Write in complete sentences

• Make sure to proofread all your written communication 

• Don't use text abbreviations i.e. "u" for you or gr8 for great

• Don't type in capital letters since it is considered shouting

• Don't use slang or offensive language, particularly discriminatory, racist or sexist language

• Exert care with other people's thoughts and ideas

• Think about the "tone" of your communication and avoid sarcasm and dismissive comments

Thinking carefully about how you will engage in written communication in your online course will provide you, your classmates, and professor a rich and positive experience.