Enhancing engagement in class: perspectives of third-year engineering.

This work focuses on a third-year engineering module aimed at enhancing student in-class engagement. We are conducting online interviews with students who have recently completed that module. The questions are designed to capture the students' individual learning experiences, avoiding repetition of the existing knowledge, e.g., data gathered from the Staff Student Liaison Committees (SSLC), Module Evaluation Report (MEQs) or general student surveys. Interviewing methods, one of the most used methods in qualitative research, have been chosen for this study to allow students to articulate their views on in-class engagement. 

Universities are under incredible pressure in attracting, retaining and progressing students. For enhanced learning experiences, student engagement has been highlighted as one of the essential factors in higher education. Therefore, academics and universities are proactively considering ways to engage students to improve their learning, attainment and satisfaction (Kulatunga & Rameezdeen, 2014).

Two major highlights from the interviews conducted so far are: firstly, building rapport between the lecturer and the students before class and outside of the classroom has a high impact on students in class engagement. In other words, if a lecturer is already known to them, they feel comfortable and more approachable; therefore, they get more engaged. Secondly, the participants interviewed recommend multiple-choice questions that can test students’ knowledge before and immediately after a topic is covered in class. Polling can be used effectively (Kulatunga & Rameezdeen, 2014). This impacts their engagement and understanding.

This research aims to deepen understanding of the various factors and activities influencing in-class student engagement. As an output of this research project, we anticipate the development of guidelines to increase student engagement.

 

References:

Kulatunga, U., & Rameezdeen, R. (2014). Use of clickers to improve student engagement in learning: Observations from the built environment discipline. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 10(1), 3-18.

Udayangani Kulatunga & Raufdeen Rameezdeen (2014) International Journal of Construction Education and Research, Taylo and Francis Group, ISSN: 1557-8771 (Print) 1550-3984 (Online)