Abstract:

Current study aims to investigate developments in online learner-content interaction style of undergraduate students. This work compares student engagement with web-based learning aids during the time of Covid-19 lockdown and in the post-Covid classroom. The data was collected during two semesters: Spring semester 2021 affected by COVID-19 quarantine and Fall semester 2022, the 1st back-to-normal semester. The sample under study included 68 male undergraduate students. It was researched from several viewpoints: the amount of time spent by the sample on the learning materials provided on Blackboard, time spent by each of the students interacting with the content, number of times the students accessed available teaching materials, and time spent by each student on a content item. The information on students’ behavior was retrieved through Blackboard course reports. Quantitative analysis of the above data from two semesters was performed. The results of the analysis enabled discovery of undergraduate students’ behavior patterns in an online learning environment and their content type preferences under both circumstances. The relationship between online learning engagement of the students and their academic success in the course was determined. The investigation helped identify students struggling with learning, take decisions on adaptive content amendment, improve learning experience of students, and see the correlation between the level of their online activity and final course grades.

Keywords:

Online learning, students’ behavior, Blackboard, course analytics.