The effect of digital literacy on operational accounting competencies: The mediating role of online learning engagement

BackgroundRecent years have seen the proliferation of online courses that have been initiated either in accordance with the natural rhythms of educational technology growths or in force majeure situations. This adds complexity to understanding the influence of potential factors on online student engagement.ObjectivesThe present study conducted an essential inspection to explore the relationship between student social media literacy and their engagement in online learning settings.MethodologyA sample of 1015 undergraduate students participated in this study and the partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) was chosen for evaluating the research model. In addition, to provide more information on the prioritization of strategic actions, the importance‐performance map analysis (IPMA) was also performed.ResultsIn a two‐factor construct, social media literacy was found to have a significantly positive relationship with aspects of student engagement in the online learning environment. The influence of technical competence is still undeniable, but the effect of cognitive competence on online student engagement is more significant. In addition, appearing in the fourth quadrant (low performance ‐ high importance) in all IPMA presentations, the anticipatory reflection is the construct that should be prioritized for improvement to augment student engagement in online learning.

With a sample of 4,646 undergraduate students from four universities in China, this study examined the psychometric qualities of a newly-adapted measurement, namely, the Online Motivation and Engagement Scale for university and college students, and investigated the characteristics of and differences in Chinese students’ motivation and engagement in emergent online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results supported the reliability and construct validity of the measurement, and identified four types of learners with distinctive features of student engagement. The research revealed a complex picture with promising and worrying messages about student engagement in emergency online learning during the pandemic. These findings contribute to the conceptualisation and measurement of student engagement in online learning, and provide insights for improving online learning and teaching during and beyond the pandemic.

This paper aims to identify challenges to students’ engagement in online learning at the Qatar branch campus of America’s Georgetown University, and to propose solutions. Specifically, it: 1) identifies challenges and solutions from students’ perspectives; 2) provides recommendations for developing instructional policies to maximise student engagement in synchronous learning contexts; and 3) aims to contribute to the literature on the engagement of Arabic as a Foreign Language (AFL) learners and Arabic Heritage Learners (AHLs) in online learning in higher education (HE) in the Middle East. It did so by collecting qualitative data, using an open-ended questionnaire from 13 Arabic as a Foreign Language and Arab Heritage learners. We investigate these learners’ perceptions and experiences of student engagement in online learning within the social presence dimension of the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. In addition to presenting a set of challenges that our students experienced in their online learning, especially under the unprecedented health, social and mental constraints created by Covid-19, we highlight their solutions to these challenges. We conclude by offering a set of recommendations that we hope AFL and Arabic Heritage (AH) programmes and institutions will find useful.Keywords: student engagement; online learning; community of inquiry; social presence; Arabic as a foreign language; Arabic heritage learnersPart of the Special Issue Technology enhanced learning in the MENA region <https://doi.org/10.21428/8c225f6e.1fd869f8>

Adopting a mixed methods approach, this study examined the relationships between undergraduate students’ motivation, engagement and learning outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey was administered to collect quantitative and qualitative data. A sample of 10,060 undergraduates from 23 universities in China participated in the survey. The results of quantitative analyses largely confirmed the hypothesised relationships between students’ motivation, engagement and the two learning outcome indicators (i.e. mastery of generic skills and overall satisfaction). The qualitative analyses not only supported the quantitative findings, but also identified four types of learning outcomes of online learning emerging from the data. The results indicated that emergent online learning had a favourable influence on students’ learning strategies, but had mixed or negative effects on their learning effectiveness, attitudes and emotions. The qualitative results revealed eight major factors that facilitated or hindered students’ engagement in online learning during the pandemic. These findings contribute to the conceptualisation and measurement of student engagement in online learning, and emphasise the need to conduct mixed methods research in different learning contexts. The implications for improving online learning and teaching in higher education are discussed.

The exploratory case study explored how the lecturers motivate the students to engage in team-based online learning and how technologies in e-learning and remote classrooms motivate student engagement. Engagement is a multidimensional construct that includes behaviour, emotions, and cognition, essential in learning outcomes. Involving 101 undergraduate students, questionnaires and virtual interviews were conducted with the participants to elicit their perceptions and experiences concerning student engagement. Following the Self-Determination Theory framework of Deci and Ryan (1985), this study proved that students’ engagement in the team-based online learning model is based on three perspectives: competence, sense of belonging, and autonomy. The theory highlights the importance of motivation and fulfilment of three basic human needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Data was collected through interviews and questionnaires focusing on the perceptions and experiences of undergraduate students who had participated in fully online learning for four semesters. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data divided into categories based on the Self-Determination Theory framework. The findings reveal that students’ engagement in team-based online learning is influenced by their need for competence, belonging, and autonomy. Overall, this research highlights the importance of addressing student engagement in online learning and provides insight into how lecturers and technology can motivate and enhance student engagement in team-based online learning. Lecturers must continually adapt their instructional strategies and leverage technology to maintain and increase student engagement during the online learning experience

Factors that affect student engagement in online learning in health professions education

Learning during the COVID-19 pandemic must change towards online learning. Teachers need appropriate learning media to be used in online learning. Passive learning media, such as learning videos, reduce student activity in learning. To create active learning, teachers need interactive learning media. Nearpod is a digital learning application that can increase student engagement in learning. This study aims to determine the use of this Nearpod application in learning and determine student responses to the use of this Nearpod application in learning, mainly on student Engagement in learning. This research method uses quantitative description research methods. Instruments to collect data in this study were using questionnaires given to 74 students. The results of this study explain that the use of Nearpod in learning can improve student engagement in online learning.

The adoption of online learning modality among Higher Education Institutions increased exponentially amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As the universities shifted from onsite learning to online learning, course satisfaction and student engagement became the emerging concern among teachers. This study was designed to determine the significant relationship between course satisfaction and student engagement in online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in the University of Mindanao – Bansalan College, Philippines. A total of 529 university students responded to the online survey. Results showed students’ high level of course satisfaction and engagement with online learning delivery. Students have the same level of satisfaction on online learning delivery quality but have different online learning engagement levels as to year level. Also, this study revealed that online course satisfaction was significantly correlated with online student engagement. Through structural equation modeling, it was further specified that online course satisfaction is significantly related to students’ skills engagement, emotion engagement, participation engagement, and performance engagement as constructs of student engagement in online learning. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) need to improve online learning delivery quality in the new normal setting amid the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure to fill the gap between those students from advantaged and underprivileged backgrounds.

The rapid advancement of technology has revolutionized education, leading to the widespread adoption of online learning platforms. Understanding the motivations and challenges faced by students engaged in online learning is essential in this evolving landscape. This research delves into the current phenomena of motivation and challenges in online learning, focusing specifically on the English department at One Islamic University in Indonesia. Through interviews with fourth-semester English students, valuable insights are gained regarding the factors that influence student motivation and the various challenges encountered in the online learning environment. The findings highlight a prevailing sense of boredom and disinterest among some students, stemming from monotonous material, difficulties in understanding lectures, and the lack of direct interaction with instructors. Furthermore, limitations inherent in online learning, such as poor internet connectivity and reliance on digital devices, impede engagement. Qualitative methods shed light on the importance of creating a supportive learning environment, addressing interaction and comprehension challenges, and leveraging external motivators to enhance student engagement and motivation in online learning. The research outcomes provide valuable guidance for educators and institutions seeking to optimize the online learning experience and foster academic success within the English department at One Islamic University in Indonesia.

Online learning has rapidly grown internationally in Higher Education due to advanced digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, it offers flexibility and convenience for students. According to Meyer (2014), student engagement has a positive relationship with student satisfaction, persistence and academic performance, particularly in online learning environments. This pilot study aims to investigate how learning designers perceive students' cognitive engagement in online learning to inform the design and creation of online tasks and activities that foster these behaviours. Eight learning designers from two Australian universities participated in semi-structured interviews. They were asked three sets of questions in relation to students’ cognitive engagement during three types of interactions (Moore, 1989) – learner-to-teacher, learner-to-learner and learner-to-content interactions in online learning. Research indicates that these interactions foster student engagement in online learning environments (Bolliger &amp; Martin, 2018; Kennedy, 2020; Martin &amp; Bolliger, 2018). Thematic analysis (Braun &amp; Clarke, 2012) was used to analyse the semi-structured interview transcripts. The data revealed three principal themes: (1) learning design considerations at the unit design and activity levels, (2) student learning footprints in an LMS and their artefacts, and (3) teachers’ and students’ preparedness prior to and during the units and virtual classes. First, eight design considerations were suggested by learning designers to create effective and engaging online learning environments. These design considerations were broad-ranging and encompassed the type of pedagogical strategies, the learning environment, content structure and concept checks to improve cognitive engagement. Furthermore, most of them tended to believe that interactive and collaborative activities could foster cognitive engagement in online learning. Second, the students’ learning footprint and their artefacts relate to their qualitative or quantitative contribution during the learning process. In this study, the student learning footprint includes the relevance of responses and individual student’s analytics in LMS (e.g., the number of clicks in LMS, the time spent watching videos, etc). It was not decisive which, if any of these, would provide better engagement, but both were suggested by learning designers as indicative of cognitive engagement. Finally, an unexpected descriptor for cognitive engagement, but a reasonably common suggestion from learning designers was that the preparedness of students and teachers was a factor that could impact the cognitive engagement of students. This included whether students had sufficient underpinning knowledge, prior experience of the subject or so much prior knowledge that they disengaged from “too simple” content and concepts. The preparedness of teachers extended to the clarity of instruction, whether they knew the intention of what they were teaching, and whether students were aware of where this was taking them. In future studies, we intend to explore how university teachers and students perceive cognitive engagement while preparing and during online teaching and learning and the correlations between the perceptions of learning designers, teachers and students. We hope the final findings can shape the teaching and learning process in Australian universities to provide an effective and engaging learning experience for students.

Enhancing student engagement plays a critical role in reducing student drop‐out rate in online learning as students usually feel isolated and disconnected in this learning environment. This requires a clear conceptualization of the student engagement construct and its underlying structure. However, the conceptual understanding of the student engagement construct has long been impeded by the inconsistency in its multidimensional structure and the conceptual ambiguity among its components. This study aims to examine the underlying structure of student engagement in online learning based on the bi‐factor exploratory structure equation modelling framework (B‐ESEM). Four competing models representing the underlying structure of student engagement in online learning were compared based on their degree of fit to survey data from 363 students in an online undergraduate program. Students' responses to the online learning engagement questionnaire were best represented by a B‐ESEM model that provided simultaneous assessment of a global engagement factor and specific factors of behavioural, cognitive, affective and social engagement while controlling for item cross‐loadings. However, behavioural engagement only retained limited specificity once the global engagement factor was taken into account. The study findings offer a solution to reconcile the inconsistency in the multidimensional structure of student engagement and reduce the conceptual ambiguity among its components, thus contribute to better measuring student engagement in online learning.

This survey study aimed to capture the actual student engagement in online learning, including the intensity of engagement, the barriers that prevent the students from engaging, and the efforts to stay engaged during online learning. It determined the students’ and English teachers’ perspectives to identify the differences in engagement variables among them. There were 424 participants consisting of students and English teachers from 2 Senior High Schools, 1 Vocational High School, and 2 Junior High Schools in South Sumatera, Indonesia. The online questionnaire was distributed through Google Forms and divided into three parts. The questionnaire items were adopted from Online Student Engagement Scale (OSE) to measure the intensity of engagement and Microsystem Factors Influence Student Engagement Scale to investigate the students’ barriers and efforts in engaging in online learning. Further, all the garnered data were computed through SPSS 25.0, facilitating an easier data presentation. The results of this study unveil the moderate intensity of student engagement in online learning, low barriers, and high efforts to stay engaged during online learning from both students and English teachers' perspectives. Addition-ally, these results are expected to be used as the basis of reflection and evaluation of the online learning program in Indonesia

Coaching and mentoring has been regarded as one of the key learning techniques in the modern learning environment in the recent past. With the swift shift in the higher education sector to a more digitally driven learning environment, limited research has evaluated the impact of coaching and mentoring on student engagement in online learning. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of coaching and mentoring on enhancing student engagement in the higher education sector. The study applied a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection, where the primary data were collected from 120 respondents via a questionnaire and 20 in-depth interviews, covering undergraduates through a simple random sampling technique. The data analysis showed that the mentor’s ability to facilitate learning and encourage mentees to be focused on their goals were the most significant factors that affected student engagement in online learning. In total, 43% of the respondents extremely agreed that they are willing to recommend their colleagues to receive the service of a mentor to help them reach their optimum potential in an online learning environment. The findings of the study recommend that the higher educational institutes should administer a sound mentoring process that meets the ethical backgrounds to consistently support the continuous improvement of the students in an online learning environment to enhance their engagement in learning activities.

Effective online learning practices should incorporate an active social presence that provides space and technological support for students and instructors to engage in social activities, which are an integral part of the learning process. The focus of this chapter is the description of social presence, the forms in which it occurs, and how social presence enhances student engagement in the learning process, whether online or face-to-face. Based on various studies related to this topic, the authors argue that social presence has a significant impact on student engagement, especially in online classes. Finally, this chapter examines how social presence affects student engagement and offers various strategies for instructors to enhance social presence and student engagement in online learning.

Effective online learning practices should incorporate an active social presence that provides space and technological support for students and instructors to engage in social activities, which are an integral part of the learning process. The focus of this chapter is the description of social presence, the forms in which it occurs, and how social presence enhances student engagement in the learning process, whether online or face-to-face. Based on various studies related to this topic, the authors argue that social presence has a significant impact on student engagement, especially in online classes. Finally, this chapter examines how social presence affects student engagement and offers various strategies for instructors to enhance social presence and student engagement in online learning.