1. Montgomery Ross Fisher Building (MRF) 307
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS Strategies for Engaging Students in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)
Devon Brooks
Associate Professor
Montgomery Ross Fisher Building (MRF) 307
Inspiration for the title
Teaching with Technology (TwT) Conference │ Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET)
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 │ 10:10 – 11:00 am PST│Grace Ford Salvatori Hall (GFS) 106

2. My aims for today… Provide a conceptualization of “engagement.”
Establish the importance of engaging students, particularly in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs).
Describe some of the challenges engaging students in VLEs.
Offer strategies for engaging students in VLEs (particularly Adobe Connect).
This presentation is for those new to teaching in VLEs.
Strategies will focus on the very basics.
NOTE: This presentation is designed for those who are new to teaching online. It covers the very basics of classroom planning.

3. What do we mean by engagement?
Compendium of behaviors, processes or feelings related to students’ involvement in learning. For example:
attendance and participation,
interest and motivation,
active and collaborative learning,
amount and quality of effort,
communication among teachers and students, and
feelings of legitimacy, worth and support.

4. Importance of Engaging Students in VLEs
Greater engagement is associated with:
Lower levels of attrition
Greater student motivation,
Greater satisfaction,
Academic achievement (grades), and
Institutional success (graduation).
Chen, P.-S. D., Gonyea, R., & Kuh, G. (2008). Learning at a distance. Journal of online education, 4(3).
Parrish, P. (2008). A design and research framework for learning experience. In M. Simonson (Ed.), 31st Annual conference proceedings, selected research and development papers presented at the Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Retrieved from
Parrish, & Botturi, L. (2009). Assessing engagement and aesthetic qualities in learning experiences (Unpublished manuscript). Retrieved from
Veletsianos, G., & Doering, A. (2010). Long-term student experiences in a hybrid, open-ended and problem based adventure learning program. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 26(2),

5. Challenges Engaging Students In VLEs

6. Challenges Engaging Students In VLEs
Not all cultures are comfortable with the online/distance medium.
Age, ethnicity, nationality, and level of acculturation are among the factors associated with students’ comfort with distance education, and potentially with their experience of the learning environment and subsequent academic outcomes.8-11
Indeed, Subramony (2004) points to “a severe lack of attention among instructional designers as a whole towards important issues of cultural diversity resulting in the alienation of many learner groups” (p. 21, as cited in Carbonnell, 2012).
Bonk, C. J., & Zang, K. (2006). Introducing the R2D2 Model: online learning for the diverse learners of this world. Distance Education, 27(2),
Carbonnell, P. A. (2012). International mindfulness instructional design. Academic Research International, 3(1),
Dutton, J., Durron, M., & Perry, J. (2002). How do online students differ from lecture students? Journal for Asynchronous Learning Networks, 6(1), 20.
Elias, T. (2011). Universal instructional design principles for mobile learners. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(2),

7. Cultural Diversity & Geographic Dispersion

8. The “little things”
Strategies for Engaging Students in VLEs

9. The “little things” Direct internet connection, NO WIFI! Monitor size
Touchscreen or touchpad and sharp stylus
2nd laptop, mouse, and slide clicker
Video, audio, lighting, and background
Backup phone

10. The “little things” PLAN PLAN PLAN PLAN PLAN!!!
Store documents and pods in the “presenter only” area.
Use different layouts and pods for different activities.
For example: Welcome Layout
To chat or not to chat?
Breakout groups and polls
Place the video pod towards the top of your monitor.
Increase the size of the pod you want to emphasize and the size of the font.

11. The “little things” Try to be the same size as your students.
Ask students to mute themselves to minimize distractions from background noise.
Make eye contact with your students!
Check-ins are needed to ensure that you are engaging students and that you are fac

12. Welcome Layout
“Live Sessions”

13. Notice that there is no chat pod in this layout.

14. “Live Sessions”

15. The “little things” Consider the format of course materials. Varied
Interactive
Make students presenters so that they can:
“Write on the board”
Control content
Check in A LOT to ensure that you are engaging students
Slides
Stickies

16. Montgomery Ross Fisher Building (MRF) 307
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS Strategies for Engaging Students in Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs)
Devon Brooks
Associate Professor
Montgomery Ross Fisher Building (MRF) 307
Inspiration for the title
Teaching with Technology (TwT) Conference │ Center for Excellence in Teaching (CET)
Tuesday, May 1, 2018 │ 10:10 – 11:00 am PST│Grace Ford Salvatori Hall (GFS) 106