Cognitive Engagement in Online Intercultural Interactions: Beyond Analytics

Abstract

—The high drop out or attrition rate in many online classes as well as concerns on their quality have attracted research in online student engagement. Of particular importance among the dimensions of engagement is cognitive engagement because of its close affinity with learning. However, the distance factor between teachers and online students and the mental nature of cognitive processes make cognitive engagement difficult to observe. Academic analytics provide a picture of student engagement but learning is far from quantifiable. This paper attempts to explore the conditions that support cognitive engagement in online classes through discourse analysis of the discussion forum. Results showed five conditions that could have defined student engagement: nature of discussion questions, the mitigating factors for the level of student response, learning community, student characteristics, and teacher facilitation. Of these five, the nature of discussion questions, quality of student response, and learning community appeared to be the best to promote cognitive engagement.