AUTHOR=Hari Rajan Manisha , Herbert Cristan , Polly Patsie 

TITLE=Disrupted student engagement and motivation: observations from online and face-to-face university learning environments

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Education

VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2023

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/education/articles/10.3389/feduc.2023.1320822

DOI=10.3389/feduc.2023.1320822

ISSN=2504-284X

ABSTRACT=Student engagement is a crucial factor that can influence both the student learning experience and student success. The return to campus learning and teaching post-pandemic highlighted that many university students are s�ll adap�ng to the shi� to full-�me online learning from hybrid or full-�me on-campus learning and are s�ll experiencing feelings of isola�on, anxiety, and uncertainty. As higher educa�on ins�tu�ons adopt/embed digital methods of teaching and learning with simultaneously moving back to face-to-face learning environments, student feelings of isola�on and disengagement are apparent to educators. This 'transi�on' in our opinion, has impacted how learners engage in digital as well as face-to-face environments. Previous studies have highlighted the importance of engagement within an online se�ng as it brings about new factors for student learning and teaching that were not fully considered before. To address this issue, universi�es have sharpened the focus on improving student mo�va�on, self-efficacy, and their sense of belonging within their learning community. As educators, it is important for us to understand this period of student disengagement and develop strategies to overcome and support students. We can acknowledge that such challenges are likely to resurface in the future, therefore it is essen�al that we are able to provide frameworks to enhance student engagement within higher educa�on. We believe that in crea�ng an effec�ve learning environment, whether it be online or on-campus, educators need to develop intrinsic mo�va�on techniques and collabora�ve spaces to increase the sense of belonging for students and improve their overall engagement with their learning course content.