Education Journal

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Online Learning: The Meanings of Student Engagement

Received: 10 May 2020    Accepted: 26 May 2020    Published: 17 June 2020
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Abstract

Advanced communication technology has facilitated an exponential growth in online education for decades. High dropout rates in online learning have also posted a challenge to higher education institutions. Higher education leaders search for ways to improve student retention and graduation rates. As countless research revealed, student engagement is a key ingredient in keeping students connected with the course and their learning progress. Instructors have a significant role in student engagement. Timely, substantive instructor’s feedback facilitates learning, improves student performance, and supports student retention. Feedback given from instructors plays a vital role in student’s learning and satisfaction in the online learning environment. Satisfied students are likely to continue their studies and succeed academically. Overall, student engagement is a critical approach to keep students in the program until graduation. In this paper, a quantitative study investigates student engagement and student satisfaction in an online undergraduate program in health care administration. The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of student engagement from the first-year and senior-year students as well as the correlation between student engagement and student satisfaction. As it is expected, the results derived from this study espouse the discoveries from a myriad of previous research studies. Recommendations, limitations, and future research are also discussed.

DOI 10.11648/j.edu.20200903.13
Published in Education Journal (Volume 9, Issue 3, May 2020)
Page(s) 73-79
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Student Engagement, Student Satisfaction, Student Retention, Online Learning

References
[1] M. C. Bickle, R. D. Rucker, and K. A. Burnsed, “Online learning: Examination of attributes that promote student satisfaction,” Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, vol. XXII, no. 1, Spring 2019.
[2] M. Radovan, “Should I stay, or should I go? Revisiting student retention models in distance education,” Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 29-40, July 2019.
[3] K. A. Meyer, “Student engagement in online learning: What works and why,” ASHE Higher Education Report, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 1-14. November 2014. doi: 10.1002/aehe.20018.
[4] V. Tinto, “Dropouts from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent literature,” A Review of Educational Research, vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 89-125. doi: 10.2307/1170024.
[5] G. D. Kuh, T. M. Cruce, R. Shoup, and J. Kinzie, “Unmasking the effects of student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence,” The Journal of Higher Education, vol. 79, no. 5, pp. 540-563, September/October 2008. Doi: 10.1353/jhe.0.0019.
[6] F. Martin, and D. U. Bolliger, “Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment,” Online Learning, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 205-222, 2018, doi: 10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092.
[7] N. Holmes, “engaging with assessment: Increasing student engagement through continuous assessment,” Active Learning in Higher Education, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 23-34, 2018.
[8] E. Page, and M. Kulick, “Student satisfaction as a predictor of retention in a professional online for-profit higher education institution,” Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, vol. XIX, no. 4, winter 2016.
[9] D. Nandi, M. Hamilton, J. Harland, and S. Mahmood, “Investigation of participation and quality of online interaction, I. J. Modern Education and Computer Science, vol. 8, pp. 25-37, 2015. doi: 10.5815/ijmecs.2015.08.04.
[10] H. He, Q. Zheng, D. Di, and B. Dong, “How learner support services affect student engagement in online learning environments,” IEEE ACCESS, vol. 7, pp. 49961-49973, 2019. 10.1109/ACCESS.2019.2910589.
[11] J. A. Nash, “Future of online education in crisis: A call to action,” The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 80-88, 2015.
[12] S. Travers, “Supporting online student retention in community colleges. What data is most relevant?,” The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 49-61, 2016.
[13] S. S. Christensen, and J. S. Spackman, “Dropout rates, student momentum, and course walls: A new tool for distance education designers”. The Journal of Educators Online, vol. 14, no. 2. July 2017. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1150708.pdf.
[14] National Survey of Student Engagement, “Engagement insights: Survey findings on the quality of undergraduate education- Annual results 2018,” Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research, 2018.
[15] H. Lu, “Implementing comprehensive interventions to support student success in online learning,” International Journal of Teaching and Education, vol. 6, no. 2, 2019. doi: 10.20472/TE.2018.6.2.006.
Author Information
  • Department of Health Sciences, Ashford University, San Diego, USA

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  • @article{10.11648/j.edu.20200903.13,
      author = {Hwangji Lu},
      title = {Online Learning: The Meanings of Student Engagement},
      journal = {Education Journal},
      volume = {9},
      number = {3},
      pages = {73-79},
      doi = {10.11648/j.edu.20200903.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.edu.20200903.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.edu.20200903.13},
      abstract = {Advanced communication technology has facilitated an exponential growth in online education for decades. High dropout rates in online learning have also posted a challenge to higher education institutions. Higher education leaders search for ways to improve student retention and graduation rates. As countless research revealed, student engagement is a key ingredient in keeping students connected with the course and their learning progress. Instructors have a significant role in student engagement. Timely, substantive instructor’s feedback facilitates learning, improves student performance, and supports student retention. Feedback given from instructors plays a vital role in student’s learning and satisfaction in the online learning environment. Satisfied students are likely to continue their studies and succeed academically. Overall, student engagement is a critical approach to keep students in the program until graduation. In this paper, a quantitative study investigates student engagement and student satisfaction in an online undergraduate program in health care administration. The aim of this study is to investigate the levels of student engagement from the first-year and senior-year students as well as the correlation between student engagement and student satisfaction. As it is expected, the results derived from this study espouse the discoveries from a myriad of previous research studies. Recommendations, limitations, and future research are also discussed.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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