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A PLAN TO PREVENT DISENGAGEMENT

What educators can do to overcome three common causes of student disengagement
with learning

Teaching and learning
Student engagement
Course design and delivery
Latin America
Feature article

ADEOLA MATTHEW

The University of the West Indies
5 Oct 2023
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We have all been guilty of “daydreaming” during a conversation, Zoom meeting or
lecture. There are times when our mind seems to have a mind of its own. This is
also true for students in university classes. They get distracted and their
minds wonder from the demonstration, discussion or PowerPoint presentation. But
sometimes students fall into a state that is more serious than mere distraction,
they become disengaged.

Disengagement is defined as a conscious or unconscious posture in which the
learner is no longer trying to apply the focus needed to make sense of the
material being taught. Disengagement is not to be confused with distraction.
Although it may lead to disengagement, distraction is a short-term loss of focus
that results in the learner missing parts of a lecture and having difficulty
making sense of what is presented consequently. Brief moments of distraction may
have internal causes, such as one’s emotional state or physical health, or
external causes, such as the room being too hot, too cold, too crowded,
excessive movement, sudden and unnecessary sounds, or the weapon of mass
distraction – the cell phone – ringing and pinging.

Although distraction and disengagement both result in a loss of attention to
what is being presented, disengagement tends to be continuous and gets
progressively worse. A disengaged students may start out simply feeling and
looking bored and disinterested. This may escalate to reduced class
participation, increased absenteeism and, finally, failure or withdrawal from
the programme altogether. Disengagement is a progression in behaviour on a
continuum towards giving up. We will look at three instruction-based causes of
disengagement in university classrooms, and remedies for them.

 * Resource collection: how to reconnect in a changed world
 * What’s in a name? The importance of getting students’ names right
 * Relationship-building: the key to effective teaching


MAKE CONNECTIONS

The educational theorist Jean Piaget, in his equilibration theory, advanced the
notion that when presented with new information, students first attempt to make
sense of the information by aligning it with their pre-existing thoughts and
knowledge banks in a process that is called assimilation. But when students are
unable to assimilate new information, they experience disequilibrium. During
disequilibrium, which is characterised by frustration and confusion, students
feel unable to make meaning from what was presented. Repeated episodes of
disequilibrium often lead to disengagement.

Lecturers can reduce the incidences of disequilibrium among students by applying
one of the steps in Gagne’s nine events of instruction – make connections.
Lecturers should be deliberate in helping students to tap into their existing
knowledge and experience about related topics, then connect it to new concepts
being presented. By presenting contextually relevant real-world examples,
lecturers can help students recognise the link between beliefs, practices and
generalisations with which they are already familiar, and the new concepts being
presented.


SET APPROPRIATE LEARNING LEVELS

In reading development, there are three main levels of reading:

 * the independent level – the reader can successfully navigate the text
   unassisted
 * the instructional level – the text is suitably challenging for the reader and
   provides opportunities for the teacher to introduce new elements for growth
   in skills
 * the frustration level – the text is too challenging relative to the ability
   of the reader.

If university course content is classified using these levels – independent,
instructional and frustrating – ideally, lecturers should strive to ensure that
course materials and lectures are always set and delivered at the instructional
level. That is, the material presented is sufficiently challenging to students
based on the foundational knowledge that they possess, and there is scope for
the lecturer to introduce new and related concepts that build on what is already
understood.

Universities can address this curricular issue at the departmental level and the
lecturer level. Academic departments should conduct periodic reviews of course
sequences used for degree programmes to ensure that the order of the courses
adequately equip students with the prerequisite knowledge and skills needed to
successfully navigate successive modules and courses. In the delivery of
content, lecturers should ensure that their technical language, explanations and
topics remain at the appropriate instructional level for students.


SET A CLEAR ROAD MAP

Some students report that although they understand individual lessons in a
course, they are lost in relation to the big picture learning expectations. Not
knowing the overarching “what” and “why” of learning in a course can lead to
disengagement.

Gagne’s nine events of instruction recommends that lecturers provide a road map
of every lesson by explicitly sharing the main objectives with students. This
allows students to match the content being presented with the targeted learning,
so they understand “what” they should know. Lecturers can help students see the
bigger picture by leading discussions about why each aspect of the course is
significant to the overall learning process and desired outcomes.

Competing with the internal and external distractions that students face can be
a challenge for any educator. And while the choice to disengage during a course
ultimately rests with students, as educators we must reflectively assess whether
our classroom practices minimise or contribute to disengagement. Regardless of
the quality of content and creativity in its delivery, if students become
disengaged our teaching will be ineffective.

Adeola Matthew is recruitment officer at the University of the West Indies Five
Islands Campus.

If you would like advice and insight from academics and university staff
delivered direct to your inbox each week, sign up for the Campus newsletter.





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What does ‘student engagement’ mean to…
Transform engagement: Interaction and online…
Say goodbye to classroom boredom
Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play …
Tips for making videos for online classes
A DIY guide to starting your own journal
Contextual learning: linking learning to the real world
It’s time to support promotions on the education pathway
What does ‘student engagement’ mean to you? And you? And you?
Transform engagement: Interaction and online course design
Say goodbye to classroom boredom
The move online compounded matters, but even before that, nobody could agree on
what student engagement was – and that needs to change, says Chris Headleand
Advice on designing online courses with lots of interactive elements to boost
engagement from Michele Hampton, professor at Cuyahoga Community College
Boredom is the enemy of learning. Educators can minimise it, increase student
engagement and allow deep learning to take place with these practical tips
Help us improve by sharing your feedback