http://teacherstraining.com.au/why-are-our-studnets-disengaged/

What is student engagement & why does it matter?

• Although student engagement has many interpretations it is generally understood as how involved students are in learning and how connected they are to their classes, their classmates, and their institutions (Axelson & Flick, 2011)
• Research indicates that success in higher education is tied to student engagement (Gibson & Slate, 2010).
• The level of student engagement is considered a valid indicator of institutional excellence, most often measure by surveys such as the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) or the College Student Experiences Questionnaire (CSEQ) (Axelson & Flick, 2011).
• Studies also indicate that student engagement is multifactorial and is influenced by many student attributes including age, ethnicity, employment status, and major (Gilardi & Guglielmetti, 2011; Popkess & McDaniel, 2011).

Additiontal resources: 

 http://nur655sect2jan12teama.pbworks.com/w/file/50933853/defining%20student%20engagement.pdf

http://nsse.iub.edu/

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/nsse.htm 

What do faculty need to know to fully engage their students in the traditional classroom and why is this important?

• Faculty must understand how various learning styles, generational and cultural influences effect learning. 
• They must know how to incorporate effective methods, techniques, tools and technology into the classroom to engage students and to enhance the learning experience. 
• Some best practices for engagement in undergraduate education are active learning, student-faculty contact, student collaboration, effective feedback, high expectations and responsiveness to diverse ways of knowing (Popkess & McDaniel, 2011). 
• Speicifc learning-teaching techniques including debate, structured controversy or dilemma, problem based learning activities, case study, and classroom assessment techniques promote active learning and ciritical thinking in the traditional classroom.  
• Emerging technologies including iclickers, smart boards, podcasts, lecture capture, video-intereactive games, high fidelity simulations and multimedia presentations also have the potential to enhance classroom engagement. 
• The ability of faculty to engage students in the traditional classroom has the potential to improve learning, decrease attrition, and improve both student and faculty satisfaction. 
• Faculty capabilities and practices that promote active student involvement in learning lead to successful educational outcomes (Popkess & McDaniel, 2011). 

Additiontal resources: 

cognitive learnign activities.pdf

The Power of Course Design to Increase.pdf  

What Strenghts do Faculty Students Bring to the Learning Environment?

• Faculty bring insights related to the traditional classroom.
• Faculty are ideally situated to use experiential learning as they developskilla and learn new techniques to engage students.
• Faculty have a tradition of scholarship and commitment to life-long learning.
• Faculty have a vested intereest in educational improvement.

What are the challenges and Potential Barriers for Faculty?

• Today’s classroom is vastly different from the traditional classroom that most teachers experienced in their own education.
• Faculty may experience knowledge gaps and discomfort with emerging technologies.
• Diversity of student needs may require multiple appraoches for effective engagement.  
• The rate of information expansion and technology advances is difficult to manage an assimilate.

How Can a Two Day Workshop make a difference?

• The two day workshop can introduce faculty to new methods and media opportunites to engage their students.
• Although limited in scope and time faculty will  have the opportunity to expereince an interactive classroom, to contrast teaching styles and to have hands on application of new technology tools. 
• The seminar is also an opportunity for netwroking and collaboration.

References

Axelson, R. & Flick, A. (2011). Defining student engagement. Change, 43(1), 38-43. DOI: 10.1080/00091383.2011.533096

Gibson, A. M., & Slate, J. R. (2010). Student engagement at two-year Institutions: Age and generational status differences. Community College Journal of Research & Practice, 34(5), 371-385. DOI:10.1080/10668920802466384

Gilardi, S., & Guglielmetti, C. (2011). University life of non-traditional students: Engagement styles and impact on attrition. Journal of Higher Education, 82(1), 33-53.

Popkess, A. M., & McDaniel, D. (2011). Are nursing students engaged in learning? A Secondary analysis of data from the national survey of student engagement. Nursing Education Perspectives, 32(2), 89-94. DOI:10.5480/1536-5026-32.2.89

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