Enhancing Student Engagement through an Institutional Blended Learning Initiative: a Case Study

Abstract

Tertiary education institutions grapple with how to better engage students in their learning in high-enrolment, introductory courses. This paper presents a case study that examines a large-scale, faculty-level course redesign project in which this challenge was addressed through the use of blended learning models. The main research question was: Are students in blended formats engaged in their learning differently than those in the traditional formats? The first part of this paper describes the institutional policies, processes, and practices that were established to implement the course redesign project. The second part of the paper focuses on the effectiveness of the project, presenting the results of a longitudinal research study that examined changes in student engagement using the Classroom Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE). The implications of the longitudinal evaluation and institutional strategy, structure, and support components are examined critically, as well as the project’s impact on students and on the larger university.