11071

11071

General Session - Conference Presentation Only (no formal paper)

Integrating Web 2.0 to Foster Learning and Engagement in the Online Classroom
B. Jean Mandernach, Grand Canyon University, Phoenix, AZ, USA, jean.mandernach@gcu.edu

Student engagement, rooted in a combination of personality, affective, motivational and persistence factors, goes beyond simple emphasis on cognitive outcomes to highlight students’ active role in the educational processes. While student engagement is important in all learning environments, it is essential in the online classroom where students are navigating the typical challenges of the academic content in a physically isolated environment that is void of the entertainment/social aspects of the traditional classroom. The integration of Web 2.0 applications into the online course mix provides an opportunity uniquely suited to the virtual classroom to foster students’ cognitive engagement with course material. Educational Web 2.0 applications will be discussed with an emphasis on their educational value for online learners.

Generally speaking, Web 2.0 applications are online tools designed to facilitate interaction, collaboration and ease of information-sharing. In contrast to traditional online resources that required downloading of necessary files or software, Web 2.0 applications often run directly through the browser with no requirements to download tools to your local computer. The interactive nature of Web 2.0 tools coupled with their ease of use has lead to a proliferation of economical (often free) applications available at the touch of a button.

This presentation will highlight a range of specific Web 2.0 applications that are particularly suited to facilitate cognitive engagement and learning in the online classroom. Application examples for integrating Web 2.0 applications into the online classroom will be presented. Qualitative and quantitative data is provided to support the educational value of the applications in the postsecondary online classroom.

Intermediate online web2.0 studentengagement