6533b7d1fe1ef96bd125c18f

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Factors Affecting Student Engagement in Online Collaborative Learning Courses

Aleksandra Lazareva

subject

Medical education030504 nursingOnline learning05 social sciences050301 educationStudent engagementCollaborative learningContext (language use)Focus group03 medical and health sciencesGroup cohesivenessOnline courseComputingMilieux_COMPUTERSANDEDUCATIONLearning Management0305 other medical sciencePsychology0503 education

description

Student engagement is a crucial precondition for successful learning. However, the discussion of engagement in online learning contexts has been limited. Thus, the main objective of this paper is to contribute to the current understanding of what affects online students’ engagement. The paper reports on a case study conducted in the context of Uganda. A focus group interview was carried out with 14 participants of online collaborative learning courses. I identified four categories of factors affecting online students’ engagement: (1) the online course environment, (2) informal online groups established by students, (3) interactions with co-located peers, and (4) online group dynamics. Thus, one of the main factors contributing to student engagement was scaffolding from an experienced peer and support of co-located classmates. On the contrary, the main challenge was the use of the course learning management system (LMS). Access issues led to the establishment of informal online groups. While students were generally motivated by the collaborative nature of the course, they also experienced challenges in their online groups in terms of cohesiveness.

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-73204-6_39