Effective student engagement with blended learning: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Educational Psychology
• Higher Education Pedagogy
• Instructional Design

Background:

• Student engagement is crucial for learning outcomes in higher education.
• The specific elements of blended learning that foster student engagement remain unclear.
• Effective strategies for engaging students in blended learning environments require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on blended learning designs that effectively engage students across academic, behavioral, cognitive, and affective dimensions.
• To clarify the impact of blended learning on student engagement and subsequent learning outcomes.
• To provide insights for higher education professionals and policymakers on implementing blended learning.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 15 studies involving 1,428 participants.
• Analysis of blended learning interventions focusing on student engagement and learning outcomes.
• Categorization of student engagement into academic, behavioral, cognitive, and affective dimensions.

Main Results:

• Blended learning interventions demonstrated a moderate to high positive impact on student engagement.
• Blended learning also showed a moderate to high impact on learning outcomes.
• The reviewed studies suggest blended learning is effective in engaging students academically, personally, and socially.

Conclusions:

• Blended learning is an effective pedagogical approach for enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes in higher education.
• Understanding the multi-dimensional nature of student engagement is key to optimizing blended learning designs.
• Further research is necessary to fully elucidate the complex relationship between blended learning, student engagement, and learning outcomes.