Online Learner Engagement: Insights from a University Language Centre

After the COVID-19 pandemic, the appeal for online or hybrid modes of teaching has steadily increased. In particular, this study examines the relatively novel notion of psychological engagement for the language learner in online contexts. The study is set in a university language centre with a team of five academic English teachers sharing direct insights through observations and interviews. In particular, this paper highlights several implications for teacher education and professional development in relation to online learner engagement. There is a need for students to be ‘alert’ and involved in an active ‘quest’ for knowledge. However, teachers need to distinguish between actual engagement and ‘shallow engagement’. Diversity and variety in task design as well as the use of multiple digital tools may captivate students’ attention. Also, teachers may need to infuse task design with emotions that will support learning. This goes hand in hand with fostering a sense of curiosity, which is particularly important in an online context where there may be a degree of human distance. Finally, teachers need to strike a balanced sense of challenge and perhaps revisit this in light of students’ added difficulties posed by online technologies. Overall, this study suggests that online teaching, despite its barriers, presents unique opportunities for enhancing learner engagement that are not present in traditional face-to-face classroom settings.