Serendipity35

Student engagement has been a buzzworthy phrase for a few years. I'll agree for now with one definition that it occurs when "students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success (grades), but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives." I regularly see articles about how to engage students and many lists of resources, especiallly for K-12 teachers.

Most research shows that "Student learning, persistence, and attainment in college are strongly associated with student engagement. The more actively engaged students are—with college faculty and staff, with other students, with the subject matter they are studying—the more likely they are to persist in their college studies and to achieve at higher levels."

But not everyone is a student and we all don't have the same goals. Employee engagement is a property of the relationship between an organization and its employees. An "engaged employee" is one who is fully absorbed by and enthusiastic about their work and so takes positive action to further the organization's reputation and interests.

Both of these definitions describe someone I would like to have in my classroom or as a colleague at work.

The folks at Canvas posted four descriptions of online learner types based on engagement that are especially appropriate to the participants in a MOOC, online course but also those in a face-to-face course that is supplemented with online materials. Which best describes the students you teach? (Hopefully, these are not the students in your physical classroom.)

An observer =  I just want to check the course out. Count on me to “surf” the content, discussions, and videos but don’t count on me to take any form of assessment.

A drop-in = I am looking to learn more about a specific topic within the course. Once I find it and learn it I will consider myself done with the course.

A passive participant = I plan on completing the course but on my own schedule and without having to engage with other students or assignments.

An active participant = Bring it on. If its in the course, I plan on doing it.