1. Quality Course Design for Effective Student Engagement
Dr. Roseann Wolak
SCSU Online/Academic Technologies
St. Cloud State University

2. Outline of Presentation
Community of Inquiry Theory
Research on student engagement
Research on effective online instruction
D2L Tools and best practices for quality online course design.
Please ask questions and share ideas, experiences, what has worked for you.

3. Theoretical Framework
Faculty can use the CoI model as they design online courses to maximize social, teaching, and cognitive presence. The Community of Inquiry model discusses three “presences” that are necessary for an effective community of learners: social presence, teaching presence, and cognitive presence. Since its inception, the CoI has been the most frequently cited model for explaining the online learning experience, with extensive research undertaken on each of the individual presences (Arbaugh, 2007; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007)

4. Recent research in the adult learning and student engagement arenas is often categorized in three ways: (1) behaviorally by doing activities; (2) affectively by experiencing feelings; and (3) cognitively through thinking (Hew 2015). 

5. Student Engagement 3 Ways to Engage: Behavioral, Affective, Cognitive
Behavioral: Attendance, time spent online, number, quality, and frequency of online posts, persisting
Affective: student-student interactions, positive comments, curiosity, interest level, task-absorption
Cognitive: reflection, questions, problem solving, deep learning rather than surface-level, critical thinking
Hew (2015) finds that research participants tied student engagement to five course educational learning development themes that, when employed, engaged adult learners on a new level: (1) fostering active learning; (2) monitoring learning; (3) making meaningful connections; (4) promoting interaction; and (5) using helpful course resources. Instructors need to include experiences that emphasize active learning, collaborative learning, and experiential or transformative learning.
Course-related experiences ought to engage students with the content, other students, and outsiders.
course-related experiences ought to help create a sense of community that has an educational purpose.

6. Student Engagement
Employ 5 powerful strategies to engage adult learners: 1. Foster active learning 2. Monitor learning 3. Make meaningful connections 4. Promote interaction 5. Use helpful course resources (D2L tools) (Hew, 2105)
The learning activities must be relevant-adult learners are self-directed and bring previous knowledge/experience to the learning environment. Adults have a problem-centered approach to learning. Content must have practical application to real world. Adult learners want up to date/current information (rely on faculty to provide this)

7. As good as F2F? Research into effective online instruction determined:
Online instruction can be as effective as traditional
instruction; given, the instructor has a strong
teaching presence, and the learning activities are
authentic, collaborative, and promote deep and
meaningful interaction (Dixson, 2010).
The instructor is critical to a student’s success.
Nearly every published online quality framework has emphasized the importance of the instructor-student interaction (Young, 2006).

8. As good as F2F?
Dixson (2010) said that an online course must be as strong as a face to face class. Students expect a well organized, structured course with an engaged instructor.
According to Wagner et al. (2011), when online students are given the proper materials such as online lecture notes, multimedia presentations, clear instructions, reasonable assignments, a quality textbook, and access to an instructor via website or , they are as successful as those students who engage in traditional classroom learning.
Instructors need to be more explicit in their explanations to students of the purposes of online work and their expectations for the activities they will undertake. Time on task, multiple levels at which online courses operate. Time spent reading, writing, learning the technologies (Sharp & Benfield, 2005).

9. Better than F2F?
The research of Maki and Maki (2007) found that “online students can and often do outperform traditional students since they are required to do more in online courses than in traditional courses.”
(Dixson, 2010)
The researchers concluded that, “to be effective, online instruction required strong methodology and opportunities for students to interact with each other and the instructor.” (Dixson, 2010)
Online students report learning more, spending more time on task, being more engaged, and having higher achievement (Robertson et al, 2005; Robinson & Hullinger, 2008)

10. Student Experience What do students say about their online experience?
Need timely instructor feedback
Need clear instructions, clear structure
Struggle w/time management
Clear purpose for activities
Emotional (frustration is frequent)
Accountable (own one’s ideas/comments)
Students are expecting more than just texts and videos in an online course. Early and frequent contact with students is critical. The instructor’s interaction with the student matters (Jaggers & Xu, 2016).
In order to engage effectively in online work, particularly group discussions, students need to logon frequently and this requires a change to their usual study patterns. Students need to manage their time for online discussions, group work, reflective writings.
The Student Experience of E-learning in Higher Education: A Review of the Literature
Volume 1, Issue 3
Rhona Sharpe and Greg Benfield (2005)

11. Multiple ways of connecting
Student engagement = multiple ways of creating meaningful communication
Students reported they wanted more personalized feedback, to hear the instructor’s voice, multiple channels of communication, accessibility of course materials and technology, more hands-on activities and real-world tasks
Students in online courses expect faculty to be more readily and promptly available at non-class times than F2F students expect of faculty in responding to the students’ communications (Hew 2015).
Students want personalized, engaging educational experiences. Connect with social media. Provide real-world, real-time experience. Challenge students to test concepts on their own, collaborate and discuss with others, and apply their own relevant experiences.

12. Multiple ways of connecting
Reisetter & Boris, (2004) noted that the “teacher’s voice in the course design was critical. The more often students had the opportunity to sense teachers’ personalities in the course materials, the more connected they felt to the class” (p. 288). Research found that students generally enjoyed hearing their instructor's voice through audio feedback; audio feedback was supportive, motivating, interactive, and personal. Overall, audio feedback contributed to a better student-instructor relationship.

13. Multiple ways of connecting
Student engagement = multiple ways of creating meaningful communication
According to the students, effective instructors work hard to involve everyone in the learning activities, communicate well, offer flexibility, provide meaningful and practical connections between theory and practice, and are committed to doing what is necessary to make an online course effective (Young, 2006)
Students want personalized, engaging educational experiences. Students expect the instructor will get to know them and their learning preferences/strengths.

14. What do students find engaging?
High Impact Learning Activities (Do, Experience, Reflect, Share)
Case Study, Problem-Solving Activities
Peer Reviews, Focused Discussions
Experiential Learning
Social Media, Current Events
Role Play, Simulations
Shift from Direct Instruction to Collaborative Learning
Interactivity gets students involved in the process of doing and experiencing. Direct experience with the course material increases learning. Students construct knowledge as they problem solve, collaborate, gather data, brainstorm solutions. Frequent student interaction (in discussions) builds relationships. Give students the freedom to talk online in the discussions; give them the space to gain knowledge through collaboration.

15. Effective Instruction
Awaken Curiosity
Give students opportunities to explore a problem, and share their observations
Students learn when they interact with each other and the course content (engage in informal learning, re-mix and re-formulate the content).
The more quality time students spend engaged in content, the more of that content they learn.‖
Allow enough time for students to digest the material and complete the tasks.
Constructivist principles apply to online learning. Students learn as they inquire, discover, and invent. Constructivists advocate the learning by doing model. Knowledge is constructed as the learner engages in an activity. Knowledge is strengthened if it is shared.

16. Effective Instruction
These four elements are found to consistently characterize effective online instruction:
Active, student-centered learning
Social interactions with peers
Interactions with instructors
Prompt feedback
In many cases, the interactivity found in online courses is actually preferred over that found in F2F classrooms (Young, 2006).
The following elements of instruction have been identified as consistent components of effective online instruction: active, student-centered learning (Killian, et al., 2014;) Social interaction with peers (Moreillon, 2015) Consistent positive interaction with instructors (Killian, et al., 2014) and prompt feedback (Carnahan & Mensch, 2014)

17. Effective Instruction
Swan, Shea et. al. 2000: three factors associated with successful online courses:
Consistency in course design,
Contact with course instructors
Active discussion
Students with high levels of interaction with classmates reported higher levels of satisfaction and learning; online students need reassurance that they are doing the right thing.
Students need to talk about what they are learning, write about it, relate it to past experiences, apply it to their daily lives. They must make what they learn part of themselves (Chickering and Gamson 1987).

18. Effective Instruction
Research has identified six common characteristics of effective online instruction:
Inquiry-based instruction
Scaffolding
Methods of Communication
Discussion and Reflection
Visualizations
Simulations and modeling
Hew (2015) finds that research participants tied student engagement to five course educational learning development themes that, when employed, engaged adult learners on a new level: (1) fostering active learning; (2) monitoring learning; (3) making meaningful connections; (4) promoting interaction; and (5) using helpful course resources. Move from a “broadcasting” model to an “adaptive, supportive” model. Consider instructional design principles.

19. Summary Key points from this presentation:
For course design, the CoI model is useful to maximize social, teaching, and cognitive presence.
Include experiences that emphasize active learning, collaborative learning, and experiential or learning.
Create learning activities which engage students with the content, other students, and outside experts.
Create learning activities which foster belonging and a sense of community.
For online instructors and designers:
Think “active”: projects that require students to apply, design, explore, or create.
Think “collaborate”: assignments that ask students to work with others to complete educational projects.
Learn as much about students as possible.
Help students learn how to learn.

20. References
Chickering, A.W., Gamson, Z.F. (1987). The seven principles for good practice in
undergraduate education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin. 39,
Dixon, M. (2010). Creating effective student engagement in online courses: What do students find engaging?ournal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Vol. 10, No. 2, June
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2001). Critical thinking, cognitive presence, and computer conferencing in distance education. American Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 7-23.
Hew, K. F. (2015). Towards a model of engaging online students: Lessons from MOOCs and four policy documents. International Journal of Information and Education Technology 5 (6): 425–431.
Jaggars, S.; Xu, D. (2016). How do online course design features influence student
performance? Computers & Education 95 (2016)
Maki, R.H. and Maki, W.S. (2007). Online Courses. In F.T. Durso (Ed.), Handbook of applied
cognition (2nd ed., pp ). New York: Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

21. References
Robertson, J.S., Grant, M.M. and Jackson, L. (2005). Is online instruction perceived as effective as campus instruction by graduate students in education? Internet and Higher Education, 8,
Robinson, C.C. and Hullinger, H. (2008). New benchmarks in higher education: Student engagement in online learning. [Electronic version]. Journal of Education for Business, 84(2),
Swan, K. (2002). Building learning communities in online courses: The importance of
interaction. Education, Communication & Information, 2,
Young, S. (2006). Student Views of Effective Online Teaching in Higher Education, American Journal of Distance Education, 20:2, 65-77