Business Commons^™

Student Engagement: An Empirical Analysis Of The Effects Of Implementing Mandatory Web-Based Learning Systems, Gerald F. Burch, Jana J. Burch, John Womble

Organization Management Journal

Student engagement has, and will continue to be, a key desire for educators. However, some policies that are aimed at increasing engagement may actually have the opposite effect. This study of 98 students investigates one mandatory policy to use a web-based learning system and presents the level of student engagement compared to other classes where the learning system was not used. Results show that students that were required to use the web-based material had lower engagement, thus providing evidence that participation is not synonymous with engagement. Implications for practice and research are proposed.