What are those things that motivate students and help them to be engaged in online course? Read Jutta Tavaila's master's thesis on Aalto doc.
Online courses have become a major part of studying. After returning from full online education to face-to-face education, we have now the perfect time to reflect on what has worked and what has not worked regarding online courses. It is also time to weigh which topics need live attendance and which parts work better remotely.
The aim of this study is to find out what could be improved in online lectures and what should be considered when planning an online course. Ten students from ten different Universities were interviewed, to find out what makes them engaged and motivated or vice versa during online courses. The interviews were conducted as semi-structured expert interviews. The thoughts of these students were compared to what was found in literature, to answer the research questions.
The interviews were analyzed with the help of ATLAS.ti. Six main categories of engagement methods in online courses were formed: expectations of the course, clarity, community in class, structure and design of lectures, exercise types, and support. The main findings indicate that regardless of the field, students wish for more clarity in course structures. Two other important notes were that practical exercises and realizing, how the course connects to the real world is motivating. In addition, the lecturer's presence and presentation skills have a big impact on engagement.
Read more news
Significant Academy of Finland funding for for the multidisciplinary consortium project PAWWS – People and Animal Wellbeing at Work and in Society
Astrid Huopalainen, Assistant Professor at Aalto University, Linda Tallberg, Assistant Professor at Hanken School of Economics, and Anna Hielm-Björkman, Docent at University of Helsinki, are principal investigators of the project
Empathy in design and digitalisation – Aalto University researchers hold workshops for students at Arabia Comprehensive School
Aalto University researchers organised workshops for seventh graders, whose creative thinking skills were put to the test in designing future information services
The Creative Europe project ‘Urban Travel Machines’ at Tartu international literary festival in Estonia
Eleven Aalto Arts students and VCD Lecturer Tarja Nieminen participated in the Tartu international literary festival Prima Vista from 9th to 13th May 2023.