Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic not only pushed higher education institutions across the world to completely shift to online emergency teaching mode, but it also led to increased rhetoric on how online would be the dominant way and how the technological trends including AI would eventually reduce the role of teachers, if not totally replace them. Initial studies about online learning during the pandemic period revealed that this transition led to a drop in student engagement and satisfaction. But it also made students aware of the flexibilities available for learning.

There is enough literature on how various factors influence student engagement in an online class environment. This includes interactivity, nature of the course and its design, student preferences, digital competencies and comfort level in using technology, intrinsic motivation, institutional support mechanisms etc. The structured Student Interaction Model (student-teacher-student) identifies the specific opportunities for students to interact with teachers and other students in an online classroom. This model was applied in designing and delivering an engineering course. This paper is based on an evaluation of the implications of two key constructs in the student-teacher interaction dimension: Teacher and Visualisation. The research was based at Middle East College, Oman, which has the necessary technological, pedagogical, and institutional capacities to undertake online education.

Apart from the well-documented constraints of online learning, the cultural context of Oman added an additional dimension. Since students prefer turning their cameras off during online classrooms, the important non-verbal cues, body language, etc. were missing, making it difficult for the teacher to ascertain the level of student understanding and student engagement. It was hence important to adopt an approach to ensure interactivity and engagement specific to students in such a situation.

The ‘Visualisation’ approach is a graphical representation of information that facilitates the connection between existing knowledge and new knowledge, thereby improving student comprehension and engagement. Various forms and combinations of static and dynamic visualisation techniques like videos, simulations, graphs, images, collaborative online drawing spaces using graphic tablets, etc. were used in conveying complex concepts of the communication engineering course. For ensuring the effectiveness of engagement and learning, the teacher had to dynamically adjust to the learner's needs and learner contexts and use an appropriate combination of visualisation techniques. The ‘Teacher’ thus became an architect who brings together the course design, appropriate technology, and delivery mode to create an optimum online learning environment.

The paper is based on an evaluation of the effectiveness of the teacher role and visualization approach adopted; in the engineering course, over three semesters since October 2020. The student responses measured using surveys and structured in-class discussions when analysed showed increased student engagement, improved attendance percentage, and higher student satisfaction with the course. The study also revealed the significance of the teacher in facilitating meaningful learning. The key finding of the study will help teachers to design effective course delivery to enhance student engagement and learning in the online mode.

Keywords:

Structured Student Interaction Model, Student Engagement, Online learning, Visualisation.