Categories: Technology, Communication Design
Summary:
Seaton & Schwier noticed a gap in research pertaining to instructor engagement in online courses. Their article presented the results of a study looking for factors that positively and negatively affect faculty engagement. They aimed to measure the Community of Inquiry theory's social presence in online classrooms. Their study included twelve participants. They found that technological confidence did not predict higher engagement. They found that "those who were hired to teach and research were significanly less engaged than those who were hired only to teach" (Seaton & Schwier, 2014, p. 8). Due to the survey size, it was not possible to determine statistical significance for many of the research questions. Seaton & Schwier suggested that additional research should explore the correlary impact of technological confidence, research loads, feelings of isolation, lack of student social presence, and student engagement with instructor engagement.
Citation-worthy:
"The concept of engagement is based on the definition used by Schaufeli and his colleagues. Their definition incorporates behavioural, emotional, and cognitive aspects and focuses on vigor (investing high levels of energy in tasks), dedication (characterized by pride and a feeling that work is significant), and absorption (becoming engrossed in tasks). By this definition, engagement contrasts sharply with burnout which is characterized by exhaustion and cynicism (Schaufeli, Salanova, Gonzalez-Roma, & Bakker, 2002)" (Seaton & Schwier, 2014, p. 2).
