THIS IS A MOCK WEB ARTICLE FOR MY TECHNICAL WRITING COURSE ENC 3249
The coronavirus pandemic has created many new challenges for the Code/Art organization. One of such challenges includes keeping students engaged in the program and wanting to continue coding! There are many methods to use to keep students engaged in educational programs, but here is a top 5 list on keeping students at Code/Art engaged!
1. Keeping projects relevant with topics of interest
Interest Matters: The Importance of Promoting Interest in Education
a. When students are interested in an academic topic, they are more likely to go to class, pay
attention, become engaged, take more courses, as well as process information effectively
and ultimately perform well (Hidi & Harackiewicz, 2000).
b. Interest is a powerful motivational process that energizes learning and guides academic and career trajectories (Renninger & Hidi, 2016).
c. By including relevant trends and popular influences we can ensure that more students
stay interested and engaged in the topic.
2. Using Rewards and Prizes
The Effect of Rewards and Motivation on Student Achievement
a. Intristic motivation occurs when a person completes an activity because it leads to the
receipt of an external reward.
b. Students who are intrinsically motivated display a number of behaviors that allow them
to perform accordingly with their academic abilities (Spaulding, 1992).
Young students may not see the power of knowledge and learning right away. At times, it
is appropriate to give rewards or prizes to students who participate. It was communicated
in the meetings that this could be as simple as recognition for correct answers or a
certificate of participation at the end of the semester, to a gift card to shop at their favorite
store.
3. Taking advantage of Competitions
Research: Competitive Games Can Drive Student Engagement
a. Competition is a powerful and often overlooked tool for student engagement. A research
conducted by Dr. Jan L. Plass, a professor of New York University found that having
healthy competition can increase student interest in even difficult subjects and making
those games ones where students compete can boost their performance.
b. The research found that students who participated in more competitions tended to answer more math problems and score higher than those who worked together or played by themselves. Incorporating more competitions in the Code/Art organization is a great way to further increase student engagement.
4. Encouraging actions which promote participation
International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education
a. Having a strong sense of belonging to a community of learners has a significant impact
on the learning experiences of online students (Buck, 2016; O’ Shea et al., 2015).
Developing social presence in the course gives students a greater sense of connection to
each other, the teacher and the course (Veletsianos & Navarrete, 2012).
b. Fostering a strong sense of community among students in online courses and establishing
social presence can decrease students’ feelings of isolation and disconnection and thus
increase engagement. (Buck, 2016).
c. Interaction and social presence can be promoted through course design which promotes
active communication between students and instructors using active discussion forums
and synchronous online classes. By incorporating these principles within the organization
we can further enhance the experience of the students.
5. Keeping Parents Up to Date
Keeping parents informed of the in-club activities would also be a good way to increase
engagement. Parent interest in the student activities could lead to motivation to work on
independent projects, words of encouragement on a student’s hard work, and reminders
of any deadlines or projects that they should be completing.
I hope you enjoyed this top 5 list on how to keep Code/Art students engaged! Remember that this list can be applicable to many online educational programs, not just Code/Art! To learn more about this amazing educational program, head to https://code-art.com/
THIS IS A MOCK WEB ARTICLE FOR MY TECHNICAL WRITING COURSE ENC 3249
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