Walking the Tightrope: Online Student Engagement Experiences
Walking the Tightrope: Online Student Engagement Experiences
Author(s): Orna Farrell, James BruntonSubject(s): Social Sciences, Education, Higher Education
Published by: European Distance and E-Learning Network
Keywords: Social Justice and Inclusivity and Digital Learning; Open Learning and Education;
Summary/Abstract: Studying online is like walking a tightrope for many online students as they try to balance work and caring responsibilities with their learning. This paper reports on a qualitative case study which explored the balancing act of online student engagement experiences. The study followed twenty-four DCU Connected online students over one academic year. The research question for the study was: What themes are central to online student engagement experiences? Data was collected via participant e-portfolio entries and through semi-structured interviews and was then analysed thematically. Four key themes were constructed via the analytic process, which included: the importance of community, support networks, balancing study with life, and approaches to learning. The findings indicate that successful online student engagement was influenced by a number of psychosocial factors such as peer community, an engaging online teacher, and confidence and by structural factors such as life load and course design.
Journal: European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN) Conference Proceedings
- Issue Year: 2020
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 194-200
- Page Count: 7
- Language: English