This post is provided by guest blogger, Kurt Krauss, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MS in Talent Development program.

Recently, I came across an article from Northern Illinois University on “Recommendations to Increase Student Engagement in Online Courses” that offered a number of fact-backed suggestions for student success in E-learning. The article offered five categories including: Setting Expectations and Model Engagement, Building Engagement and Motivation with Course Content and Activities, Initiating Interaction and Create Faculty Presence, Fostering Interaction between Students and Create a Learning Community, and Creating an Inclusive Environment. In 30 talking-point specific subcategories, they reiterated that how the professor regularly engages with the student and creation of a virtual classroom will ultimately be determining factors in the student’s learning experience.

In researching credible sources in higher education, I often look to articles published by other accredited universities and colleges; obviously Northern Illinois University is one of them. Backing their findings, they cited studies from several educational journals and additional publications. Online learning is an evolving field, however the constant will remain student engagement in learning.

Reference: Northern Illinois University Center for Innovative Teaching and learning. (n.d.). Recommendations to increase student engagement in online courses. https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/increase-student-engagement-in-online-courses.shtml