Engagement Framework: five distinct yet interrelated, non-hierarchical dimensions of student engagement¶

Theory · All theories
Evidence · 4 claims (4 for) · 1 study (1 design), q2 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The Engagement Framework addresses how students engage, offering "five distinctive, non-hierarchical dimensions of engagement that are fundamental to students’ success at university": personal, academic, intellectual, social, and professional. Environmental principles underpin it, including that staff engagement is essential before students can engage. The dimensions intersect, so different elements may be prominent at different points of study, and the Framework can be used by unit developers for design and by students to take ownership of their learning.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Staff engagement is essential before students can engage; learning and teaching relationships must be supportive and respectful; students must be given, and actively take, responsibility for their own learning

Constraints¶

• The article notes much remains to be done in understanding and measuring the Framework's potential, including how elements apply in other disciplines and larger or newer cohorts

Target Learners¶

• undergraduate Education students in fully-online university courses

Target Learning Objectives¶

• holistic student engagement across personal, academic, intellectual, social and professional dimensions

Claims¶

• The different elements of the Engagement Framework are interrelated in practice, with gains in one dimension reinforcing others [+W]
• The redesigned unit promoted engagement across all five elements of the Engagement Framework, including professional relevance rated 4.86 on SETL [+M]
• A student-led small-group discussion assessment sustained online participation and produced denser peer interaction than a standard teacher-led discussion board [+W]
• Fortnightly web conferences with open-ended discussion supported students' academic and social engagement and community formation [+W]

Related Theories¶

Examples¶

• Design engagement into online units through tasks that are public, social, and student-directed, releasing responsibility and ownership of learning to students

Key Sources¶

• Pittaway, S. M., & Moss, T. (2014). “Initially, We Were Just Names on a Computer Screen”: Designing Engagement in Online Teacher Education. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(7). http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol39/iss7/8. doi:10.14221/ajte.2014v39n7.10