Engagement Series: Student-Content Engagement

This is the second in a series of pieces exploring different types of course engagement. This piece focuses on how course developers and instructors can foster student-content engagement in online courses.

To foster student-content engagement, course developers must carefully consider the materials and resources provided throughout their course. Content and resources may include required and supplementary reading, lecture notes, presentation slides, theoretical models and frameworks, reference materials, and supporting technological tools. Content should be aligned with course assessments to set students up for success in achieving the desired outcomes.

Strategies for fostering student-content engagement are explored below.

Research shows that clear and consistent course structures increase learning (Swan, 2003). There is also a positive relationship between course structure and perceived student learning (Gray & DiLoreto, 2016). An organized course ensures that students can spend less time navigating learning materials and instead spend the majority of their time actively engaging in the learning process.

To achieve this goal, consider the following:

• Organize learning content and activities into modules with a consistent structure. Use a consistent page naming convention so students can quickly determine the contents of each page.
• Include an overview page at the beginning of each module outlining how students can successfully navigate the module content to achieve the intended module learning outcomes. Share with students common challenges they might encounter during their learning journey, and include tips and tricks for how to overcome these challenges.

Storytelling can help drive student learning beyond the confines of the classroom (Baim, 2015). Additionally, storytelling allows students to see the connections between different topics, concepts, and modules throughout the course.

To achieve this goal, consider the following:

• Curate third-party videos that tell stories connected to module topics.
• Include a short story or anecdote from the field in each module to help students connect module topics with real-world applications.
• Include interviews with experts in the course. This can take the form of videos, audio podcasts, or even short text excerpts within course modules.
• Introduce students to a case study with characters at the beginning of the course, and ask students to revisit the case study as they progress through the course. The case study can be woven into lectures or instructional content, practice activities, and/or graded assignments.
• Ask students to be storytellers to achieve learning outcomes. Prompt students to share personal experiences in a discussion forum or create an assignment in which students generate a case study and record a presentation outlining how they would approach the situation.

Whenever possible, give students a choice in how they will achieve learning outcomes. Providing choice in course assignments “is one way of shifting the balance of power in a classroom environment further toward the student” (Pinchot & Paullet, 2021, p. 17). Content engagement opportunities do not need to be restricted to graded assessments or required activities. Students, particularly adult or more advanced learners, benefit from being able to customize their learning path by deciding how to engage with optional, supplemental, and practice resources and activities.

To achieve this goal, consider the following:

• Provide multiple prompts for a written assignment, and ask students to choose one or more prompts when preparing their assignment deliverable.
• Give students a choice in assignment delivery method. The default is often to ask students to create a written deliverable, but consider giving students the option to instead record a video, develop a visual deliverable such as an infographic or portfolio, or create an audio podcast.
• Include supplemental resources at the end of each module to provide students with opportunities to explore module topics in more depth.
• Include no-stakes or low-stakes activities in each module that allow students to practice challenging concepts or skills.
• Ask students to set individualized learning goals at the beginning of the course or the beginning of each module. Provide students with some guidance on goal setting, and consider including a pretest to help students identify growth areas. Then, ask students to reflect at the end of the course or the end of each module to confirm they have achieved their intended goals.

Student-content engagement is a critical component to consider when developing online courses. When designing and building a course, consider the course structure and organization, integration of storytelling to help students achieve the course learning outcomes, and opportunities for choice as students interact with content.

Baim, S. A. (2015). Digital storytelling: Conveying the essence of a face-to-face lecture in an online learning environment. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 15(1), 47–58.

Gray, J. A., & DiLoreto, M. (2016). The effects of student engagement, student satisfaction, and perceived learning in online learning environments. NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 11(1).

Pinchot, J., & Paullet, K. (2021). Using student choice in assignments to create a learner-centered environment for online courses. Information Systems Education Journal, 19(2), 15–24.

Swan, K. (2003). Learning effectiveness: What the research tells us. In J. Bourne & J. C. Moore (Eds.), Elements of quality online education, practice and direction (pp. 13–45). Sloan Center for Online Education.