- This event has passed.
Online Learners’ Perceptions of Student Engagement (OLIS)
April 2, 2021 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Friday, April 2, 2021, 10-11:30 am
Presenter: Jennifer F. Humber, Ed.D, Adjunct Online Instructor/Director of Student Services for the College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama
To understand how student engagement applies in online education, it is important to gain additional insight as to how online students actually define student engagement on an individual level. In this qualitative case study, online learners were interviewed to gain their perceptions of engagement in an online course required for online education programs at a large public institution. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach, their perceptions were used to determine how this specific group of online students define student engagement in an online learning environment. The study also revealed various types of activities that were perceived to be most engaging to students enrolled in the online course. The results of this study provide administrators and faculty the ability to better understand student perceptions so that they can be considered when developing resources to enhance instructional design and communication with online learners.
Participant Expectations and Outcomes
Attendees of this presentation will gain a better understanding of how student engagement may be viewed differently by those enrolled in online courses. The presenter will share the interview protocol so that the study may be more easily duplicated. Participants will have the opportunity to share their own perceptions and experiences through directed conversation in engaging small groups. As findings and recommendations should be considered for implementation in their own online courses, the presenter will offer additional resources and practices that can be applied in future efforts.
About our presenter: Jennifer Humber currently serves as the Director of Student Services for the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Alabama. For approximately 15 years, she has also served as an adjunct instructor of various online courses. Dr. Humber currently teaches “Self-Managed Mentoring”, a senior level writing core course that is taught in an online learning environment each fall, spring, and summer semester.