Better engagement of off-campus students through the use of virtual classroom

Abstract

BACKGROUND More students are opting to enrol in distance-learning programs. This arrangement works well for the self-motivated students. However, the absence of physical stimulation, lack of moral support from peers and limited contact with the lecturer poses substantial challenge to others. As a result, some students may feel disengaged and consequently fail to achieve all or some of the intended outcomes or even withdraw from the course. PURPOSE This paper describes how virtual classroom and online technology were used to create a sense of belonging and engage students in activities to achieve the intended learning outcomes. APPROACH Three online virtual classroom sessions were conducted during the second, fifth and tenth teaching weeks. During the first meeting, students were encouraged to form groups to work on the major project. Students were then assigned to 3 levels of communities; class community, off-campus community and group community. To facilitate collaboration and create a sense of community belonging, discussion forums as well as other communication channels were provided at different levels of group associations. RESULTS Comparing the results obtained from the course offering before and after the introduction of the changes revealed that students were more engaged in learning. This was manifested in higher retention; improved students' satisfaction in the course; and achievement of the course objective of 'Working effectively in groups'. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY Creating a sense of belonging and engagement may improve the overall outcome of the course offering. Virtual classroom environment and customised communication channels at different levels can be used to help off-campus students create a sense of community belonging.