Potential Issues with Student Engagement
All teachers aim to create engaging lessons for students. This is also critical in the online learning environment. In order to plan effectively, it is important to understand some of the potential issues that might arise when creating engaging online learning experiences.
Lack of Social Presence
1. Lack of Social Presence
The number one issue related to student engagement online relates to social presence. According to Palloff and Pratt (2007), "presence can be defined as the degree to which a person is perceived as ‘real’ in the online environment" (p. 12). If a student does not feel that a strong social presence has been established between the student, instructor, and other students in the class, it is easy for that student to feel isolated and discouraged. The online environment is very different from the traditional classroom environment in that social presence does not happen naturally. “Instructors and their students become, in effect, disembodied. In a face-to-face situation, we are able to convey in a multitude of ways who we are as people" (Palloff and Pratt, 2007, p. 12). If students do not feel that they are a part of a classroom community, disengagement can become an issue.
Student-to-Instructor Social Presence
It is important for students to establish a social presence with the instructor of their course. A study in student engagement in online courses by Forence Martin and Dorice U. Bollinger (2018) found that establishing a social connection with the professor of the course was considered very important for students. They write, "Instructor presence is very important to online learners. They want to know that someone 'on the other end' is paying attention. Online learners want instructors who support, listen to, and communicate with them" (Martin & Bollinger, 2018, p. 218). If a student feels that they cannot build a social presence with the instructor, it may lead to a lack of engagement in the course.
Student-to-Student Social Presence
Students also want to feel connected to each other while learning online. Students may feel isolated and disconnected if they do not have the opportunity to engage with their peers in the learning environment. "To prevent online students from experiencing potential boredom and isolation in the learning environment, it is essential to build activities that enhance engagement. These activities assist students in feeling connected and can create a dynamic sense of community" (Martin & Bollinger, 2018, p. 208). If effective means of community building between students are not established, this may lead to a lack of engagement in the course.
Irrelevant Content
2. Lessons are not relevant to students
Students want the information being presented to them to be relevant to them personally. If a student feels that information being presented is irrelevant, this may lead to a lack of engagement with the material. A student must feel that the instructor knows them well enough to create lessons that engage them and are relevant to their lives. According to Tasha Keyes (2019), high school students whose teachers have established a sense of community feel more positively about the class and stay engaged in their learning. One way to increase this sense of community is to create relevant lessons. Keyes writes, "when a teacher organizes and structures lessons and activities that are interesting and relevant to students’ lives it helps students to perceive that their teacher knows them and sees them" (2010).
Technology Barrier
3. Students are having difficulty understanding the technology
If students in an online learning environment are not comfortable with or cannot operate the technology used in the course, students cannot be engaged in the course content. An inability to operate the technology will exclude students from the course material. Additionally, a lack of comfort in using a new or complicated technology may lead to frustration and distract a student from the actual learning objectives of the course. According to Palloff and Pratt, "Comfort with the technology (both hardware and software) contributes to a sense of psychological well-being and thus a greater likelihood of participation" (20). They later state, "We have known class participants who, because of the hardware or software being used, felt frustrated and unhappy with the entire online learning experience" (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, p. 55). If students do not feel comfortable with the technologies being used in the course, they will be less likely to fully engage in the course.
Lack of Engagement
4. Information is not presented in a variety of ways
Monotony in the presentation of course material will bore students. It is important for instructors of online courses to keep information presented in the course fresh and interesting. If all information is presented in one medium throughout the course and students do not have the ability to engage with the material in a variety of ways, learning will feel repetitive and less engaging.
Sources:
Keyes, T. S. (2019). A Qualitative Inquiry: Factors That Promote Classroom Belonging and Engagement Among High School Students. School Community Journal, 2019, Vol. 29, No. 1.
Martin, F. & Bolliger, D.U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning 22(1), 205- 222. doi:10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092 , P
Palloff, P. & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. Jossey- Bass.
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