This blog is part of a series on ‘New Proposals for Digital Pedagogies’ that launches the Sussex Digital Pedagogies Toolkit. 

This toolkit conceptualises new ways to think through digital teaching and learning, gathering data from members of the University of Sussex community who shared their thoughts, fears and hopes about digital pedagogy. This toolkit has been created collaboratively by a staff-student research team and uses material from a series of online workshops with members of the Sussex community, including faculty, professional services and students. Those who took part will be introduced as ‘participants’ to emphasise their active participation in knowledge production for this project. 

This post will explore the challenges and proposals for teaching and learning with technologies in relation to student engagement, as well as some questions for reflective practice and resources to explore these ideas further.

‘How could engagement be recorded differently?’

Workshop participant

Challenges

Despite ‘interactivity’ being a buzzword linked to the digital, a lot of loneliness and disconnection was observed by teachers in online contexts, with the teacher feeling like they had to carry the discussions. How do teachers disrupt the likelihood of passivity in online settings?

Participants shared how they learn best, and discussed how various aspects (setting, content, emotions, etc.) affect their engagement levels (Boler, 2015). One opinion was that content and passion affects learning outcomes, alongside if the learning arose internally (from curiosity) or externally (they were told to do so). Space and engagement have a close relation, and people are more likely to be passive in bigger settings such as large meetings, webinars, or lectures.

While these opinions were based on the individual’s ability to learn, clear expectations set by the teacher were a big factor in enabling confidence. For example, clear expectations of interactivity using a chat function or speaking aloud increases engagement in online lectures.

Participants felt that there was a lack of emphasis on the differentiation of each learner. Some learn well reading alone rather than collaborating in classrooms: ‘Sometimes it’s best when I’m left completely alone to investigate and explore.’ This was a heightened difficulty with digital technology, which demands significant adaptation and attention from both teachers and students (Haleem et al., 2022). Therefore, there is a need to recognise these differences and create an environment which is attentive to each students’ needs.

Managing limitations to one’s attention was particularly challenging with online learning, where individuals are overwhelmed with a variety of notifications and content, and their attention tends to be dispersed. Participants agreed that how we learn is dependent on too many cultural/social factors, and although useful for self-reflection, a set learning style cannot be applied all the time. Adapting content and format for a set learning style in a classroom or online setting increased pressure on staff to figure out what works for the majority.

Connection and flexibility

Throughout the workshops, participants came up with two solutions: ways to promote more connection and flexibility; and a call to change the existing mindset about how passivity and engagement is measured and recorded.

One of the participants shared a successful case from their own experience that disrupted the passive student role. ‘I found a huge shift in engagement from students when I shared tasks that I could see happening and students could collaborate on’. Creating online tasks where the teacher can see work happening in real time, or where students can collaborate together, is usually one of the best ways to promote interactivity in online spaces. Traditional learning formats should be challenged; lectures could be more dynamic and interactive, rather than a passive space where students sit and listen.

Instead of creating a set learning style for each individual, it is best to be flexible and create opportunities and choices for students and teachers to figure out what works for them in different contexts and situations.

Measuring Engagement

Participants identified a difference between passive and active engagement, with teachers noting that when students didn’t seem to engage actively, teachers didn’t feel seen. The notion of active engagement should be problematised for ignoring that of more passive learners.

A more welcoming mode of measuring and recording engagement should be created, assessed in a more human way, with one to ones or small group meetings, rather than focusing on current engagement data as the only appropriate mode of engagement. Three approaches to measuring engagement that could work in tandem:

• Data collection: statistics such as attendance, library data and grades.
• Self reflection: give the space for students to self reflect on their research journey based on the data collected as well as their personal experiences.
• Human intervention: create a space of support to keep students on track. Statistics can have a negative impact on students, and they need a place of contact and adaptable support.

Questions and Resources

• How is your students’ attention and engagement impacted by their use of digital technologies? 
• Can you collaborate with students when setting expectations and intentions of certain spaces and invite them to share experiences of their engagement (anonymously, in one to ones, small groups)?
• How is engagement measured and recorded in your teaching and learning setting? 
• How is your teaching and learning setting supportive to those who might be passive rather than active engagers?

• How to Increase Student Engagement in Online Learning
• 5 Ultimate Ways To Ensure Learner Engagement In Online Learning
• Differentiating in the Online Classroom
• Measuring Student Engagement in Higher Education

Read the full toolkit:

References

Boler, M., (2015) ‘Feminist Politics of Emotions and Critical Digital Pedagogies’ PMLA, Vol. 130, No. 5, Special Topic: Emotions (October 2015), pp. 1489-1496.

Haleem, A., Javaid, M., Qadri, M.A. and Suman, R. (2022). ‘Understanding the role of digital technologies in education: A review.’ Sustainable Operations and Computers, 3(3), pp. 275–285.