Engagement in Digital Contexts

of Language Learning

Luciana Nunes Viter (FAETEC, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)

 The research
This is an excerpt from my masters dissertation
research, where I investigated the implementation of
digital activities in an English for Academic Purposes
(EAP) course and the students engagement in these
activities.

I discuss the factors that contributed positively or

negatively to the success of the digital content
implementation in the course from the participants
point of view.
 Participants

The students;

The teacher and the monitor;

The author-researcher
(also a technical adviser).
 A Blended Learning Course

Blended teaching presence in the country

was stimulated by the current legislation
that allows 20% of higher education face
to face courses to be distance offered.
Digital Environment
 Methodological Approach

Qualitative paradigm;

Etnographick perspective
(from the participants view).
 Research Question I
Do the participants (students, teacher and
monitor) consider that the different kinds of
interaction (student-student, student-teacher
and student-content) provided by the virtual
learning environment investigated were
sufficient and adequate to the course? Why?
 Research Question II

From the participants perspectives, which

factors and aspects hampered and which
favored the students engagement in the
interactions proposed in the virtual learning
environment of the blended learning course?
 Instruments
Forums Discussions;

Online Focus Group;

Interviews (teacher and monitor);

Questionnaires to students.
 Favorable Factors
Students Engagement
 Digital Mediation
The availability of classes in PowerPoint in the
online environment were profitable, as well as
discussions in the forums, for providing a greater
number of views and information.

The online component was a little tough, but it was

important.
 Diversity of Formats
The videos were very useful because they used
various linguistic resources, not just text. I also
found the auto response activities very dynamic

Most useful contents: texts (deeper issues),

PowerPoint (more direct information), auto
response (easy to study) and forums (great
interactivity and varied opinions).
Interactions with Teacher and Monitor

The Moodle platform was very helpful, allowing

students interaction and also the teachers and
monitors interactions, which have always been very
solicitous and thoughtful with our doubts.
 Students Interactions

As another plus point, I quote the forums, and I

believe they could still be further explored. The
conflict of ideas provided by this tool adds a lot to
the students.
 Continuous Assessment

We were able to enlist the help of the teacher and the

monitor all the time. We could solve any doubt in
short time through Moodle and e-mail, which was
extremely important for the activities.
 Unfavorable Factors
Students Engagement
 Digital Limitations
The forum was the least profitable space since the
discussions usually were out of the subject.

Discussions at the forum were the worst part. I

dont like online discussions, Theres no way to
know when someone is being offensive or not and
so it is impossible to maintain a healthy
discussion.
 Face to Face x Online
I thought the Moodle proposal was good, but I
thought there were too many lessons on this
platform, which tired me a little. I wished we had
more regular classes.

Less mandatory activities in Moodle would

decrease the total student absenteeism, since it is
easier to remember to come to the school than
remember to enter the site (Student who preferred
to remain anonymous).
Interactions without Teacher

The student-content interaction was somewhat

less effective than I expected. I always found better
to have classes with a teacher than to have slides
lessons
Complexity and Volume of Activities

I'm aware that the virtual classes addressed

important topics, but some of them were very
extensive.

The forums were good activities. But so many

mandatory online activities were a little heavy
 Time Management
Many tasks were supposed to be done at home
demanding a lot of time commitment and beyond
these tasks there were still the posts here in
Moodle.

One downside, for me at least, was the lessons

delivery. Im used to study overnight, so the time
11:59 p.m. did not favor me ...
 Final Results
Factors that favored the Unfavorable Factors to
engagement engagement
Features offered by digital Limitations arising from digital
mediation mediation
Diversity of activities formatsImbalance between online and face to
face activities
Interactions between students Interactions without teacher mediation
and teachers
Interactions between students Volume and complexity of online
activities
Continuous assessment of Time management difficulty
activities
Contradictions: Less is More I
Personal
Development

Learning
Results

Time and Efforts

Commitment
Contradictions: Less is More II

Behavioral
Engament
Emotional
Cognitive Engagement
Engagement
Contradictions: Less is More III

Time Flexibility Digital Limitations

Ease of Use Online x Face to Face

Interactions
Quick Communication
 Reference
Viter, L. N. (2013). Interao e engajamento em ambiente virtual de
aprendizagem: um estudo de caso,
Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro.
 Thanks!

Available at:
https://www.slideshare.net/lucianaviter