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 the thesis on Aaltodoc