Abstract:

Research tells us that increased student engagement increases classroom relationships as well as student success and retention. Yet the standard "sit and get" lecture remains the norm at many universities. There's something to be said for getting multitasking, hyper-connected students to sustain attention on a full-length lecture (Mangan, 2017).

When the classroom is the only location where students are not consuming messages that they themselves have chosen, it's more difficult than ever to get student attention, much less engagement. This is a challenge for instructors since "Cognitive psychology literature indicates that people tend to remember what they pay attention to" (Cook and Klipfel, 2015).

This paper will attempt to prove that student-centered, high-engagement activities in the classroom are necessary for the success of the 21st Century student. Engagement strategies can also improve classroom relationships (Stormon-Flynn, 2011), improve course evaluations (Wieman, 2015) and student retention (Severiens, et al 2015).

Engagement strategies can be technology tools or simply certain classroom activities and attitudes. Some of the non-tech strategies that will be analyzed are authenticity, enthusiasm and an innovation mindset.

The tech tools, however, are a bit more flashy. They include screencasting tools like ScreenCastOMatic or ScreenToaster. Online poster creators like ThingLInk, Padlet or Canva. Mind mapping sites like MindDomo, ChartGizmo or MindVectorWeb.

Do you fight cell phones in your classroom? Think of them as teaching partners instead with sites like PollEverywhere, MentiMeter or CrowdSignal. Are you bored with PowerPoint or Google Slides? Try Emaze, HaikuDeck or SlideBean.

You can use these tools for formative assessment: Kahoot, QuizIzz or EdPuzzle. If students are shy in class, have them try FlipGrid or PodBean.

We need to meet our students where they are. After all, Jankowski says "Students who are actively engaged are more satisfied, more likely to complete and more likely to learn (Jankowski, 2016).

References:
[1] Cook, Dani Brecher, and Kevin Michael Klipfel. "How Do Our Students Learn? An Outline of a Cognitive Psychological Model for Information Literacy Instruction." Reference & User Service Quarterly 55.1 (2015): 34. Print.
[2] Jankowski, Natasha. United States. American Council on Education Leadership and Advocacy. Unpacking Relationships. 2016.
[3] Mangan, Katherine. "The Personal Lecture." Chronicle of Higher Education 09 Dec 2016. A8+. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.
[4] Severiens, Sabine, Marieke Meeuwisse, and Marise Born. "Student Experience and Academic Success: Comparing a Student-Centered and a Lecture-Based Course Programme." Higher Education. 70.1 (2015): 1-17. Academic Search Complete. Web. 28 Jan. 2017.
[5] Storman-Flynn, Mary. "Getting and Keeping Students' Brains Energized and Eager." Thesis. Gordon College, 2011. Print.
[6] Wieman, Carl. "A Better Way to Evaluate Undergraduate Teaching." Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 47.1 (2015): 6-15. Print.

Keywords:

Engagement, technology, retention, Web 2.0.