Getting the attention of online learners

Abstract

Due to the increase in online learning over the years, it is particularly important to understand how students can learn effectively in the digital space (Morrealeet al., 2021). The need for more online pedagogy research was made especially clear by the urgent shift to online learning during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in early 2020, which left teachers at all levels of education grappling with how to move their classrooms online while continuing to encourage learning (Lang, 2021). Lowes and Lin (2015) discovered that students often desire better self-regulation skills in online learning environments and perceive that such skills may be instrumental in their success. Self-regulation in an online course includes the ability to be interested, organized, responsible, engaged, and punctual (Roblyer & Marshall, 2002). It is evident that self-regulation is important in online environments due to the distance between the instructor and the other students in the class, so instructors must help students recognize their "locus of control" (LOC) and how it affects their learning behaviors (Lowes & Lin, 2015). This article evaluates how the online learning environment may present unique challenges to other elements of self-regulation such as organization (e.g., the first encounter with a paperless course), or advantages for those that struggle with punctuality in a face-to-face scenario (e.g., no commute) (Arias et al., 2018, Roblyer & Marshall, 2002). These discrepancies must be explored further to discern ways in which instructional communicators can help students adjust to online courses.