The landscape of higher education is continually evolving, posing significant challenges in maintaining student engagement and participation. Community colleges face a unique set of challenges given their diverse student populations and often limited resources. This article explores the issue of student engagement within community colleges and proposes the adoption of digital tools like StudentLingo® as a solution to these challenges.

Challenge: Shifting Landscape and Diverse Student Needs

Community colleges cater to a broad student population, many of whom require flexibility due to work commitments, family responsibilities, and varied academic backgrounds. In the modern educational milieu, these students increasingly seek digital integration and personalized learning experiences. However, faculty members often find it challenging to maintain high levels of student involvement, especially with the shift toward online engagement and the constraints of time, resources, and technological expertise. The importance of active engagement in learning, as highlighted by Freeman et al. (2014), lies in its correlation with improved retention, higher achievement, and increased motivation.

Studies by Farrell and Brunton (2020) further underline the importance of dispositional factors like motivation, emotion, and self-regulation in understanding student engagement. These factors, crucial for both engagement and academic performance, are linked to student well-being, with a positive state of well-being associated with enhanced academic outcomes and course completion. The concept of student-ready institutions, emphasizing the need for institutions to adapt to student needs in terms of flexibility, support, and accessibility, becomes critical in this context (McNair et al.). Post-pandemic, there is an opportunity for constructive transformations in community colleges to offer flexible engagement opportunities through digital tools.

Solution: Online Workshops

StudentLingo presents a suite of interactive online workshops designed for the modern learner. These workshops emphasize active learning and metacognition, which are crucial for profound learning and engagement (Rivas et al., 2022). By fostering active participation and reflection, StudentLingo aligns with contemporary educational demands for interactive and meaningful learning experiences. A key feature of StudentLingo is its 24/7 availability, catering to the diverse schedules of community college students. The workshops are designed to foster a sense of belonging and community among online learners, incorporating active learning techniques, collaborative problem-solving, and personalized content—all essential for enhancing student engagement.

Key Features

Three essential features of StudentLingo are that:

• Active learning techniques promote active participation, increasing student engagement and understanding.
• Customized learning experiences/workshops cater to different learning preferences, aligning with findings that personalized learning environments boost engagement and performance.
• Collaborative learning opportunities facilitate interaction and reflection, supporting research on the importance of collaborative learning in enhancing achievement and engagement.

Evaluating Your Institution’s Need

Institutions should assess student engagement through participation levels, student feedback, and interaction during lectures or group activities. Understanding the life-load of students, encompassing all pressures they face, is crucial in supporting student engagement effectively.

Conclusion

StudentLingo emerges as a key tool in enhancing student engagement in community colleges. Its focus on active learning, metacognition, and accessibility meets the current needs of students, positioning it as an essential resource for institutions aiming to create a student-centric learning environment. The innovative approach, incorporating proven engagement strategies, presents an effective solution to the prevalent challenge of student engagement in higher education, leading to improved academic results and increased student satisfaction. StudentLingo's adaptability to the individual needs of each student exemplifies the student-ready approach, meeting students in their unique circumstances and supporting their academic journey.

Want to learn more about StudentLingo? Check out our free trial or schedule a demo.

References

Farrell, O., & Brunton, J. (2020). A balancing act: a window into online student engagement experiences. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 17(25).

Freeman, S., Eddy, S. L., McDonough, M., Smith, M. K., Okoroafor, N., Jordt, H., & Wenderoth, M. P. (2014, May 12). Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(23), 8410-8415. https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1319030111

McNair, T. B., Albertine, S., Cooper, M. A., McDonald, N., & Major Jr., T. (2016). Becoming a student-ready college: A new culture of leadership for student success (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.

Rivas, S. F., Saiz, C., & Ossa, C. (2022). Metacognitive strategies and development of critical thinking in higher education. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.913219

Innovative Educators is a League partner and Innovations 2024 Leader Sponsor.