The Student Engagement Guide

Your Guide to
Student Engagement
The 4 Ways to Get Todays Students Involved
Introduction
Student engagement is a complex concept, especially in an
ever-changing higher education landscape.
When examining the dynamics between students and their
institution, research suggests considering engagement as a
multi-faceted construct. The aspects of engagement consist of:
The effort and time a student invests in their academic tasks
The effort a student extends to being engaged in their first
year of school1
The level of involvement in extracurricular activities, and
The level of interaction with their peers2.
Engagement is critical for all students, and it is particularly
important when considering dropout rates in higher education.
Todays higher education institutions need effective tools that
can support these different types of engagement to keep
todays students involved. With 82% of incoming students
owning smartphones3, mobile apps are a great resource for
engaging students, as themobile apps are a great resource for
engaging students, as they seamlessly integrate many facets of
engagement in one place.
Heres what mobile can do for these four types of student
engagement.
Transition
Engagement
In the U.S., 68.7 % of college freshmen in 2012
continued their higher education, while only
58.2% of those students returned to the same
institution as their first year4.
Transition engagement considers how engaged a student is
with their university as a first year or transfer student. During
the transition from high school to university, the effectiveness
of the institutions orientation process is extremely important
for connecting students to one another and to the available
programs and services at school.
How a mobile app can help:

Provides the opportunity to connect students with their
peers, orientation leaders and faculty before the start of the
school year through social interactions.
Makes important resources available for first-year students
facilitating adaptation to their school environment, (campus
map, student services, academic advising, etc.).
Academic
Engagement
First year students who are able to complete
30 credit hours are 40-46% more likely to
graduate5.
Academic engagement encompasses a students time and
effort toward academic tasks, including applying strategies
toward their learning. A student who is academically engaged
completes their assignments and their credit hours, and is
able to apply their learning to their life outside of school.
How a mobile app can help:

Provides time management tools that help with task
management, including reminders for upcoming due
dates.
Provides organizational tools, such as schedule planners
and task checklists.
Peer Engagement
Students involved in a learning community show a
5-10% increase in retention rates5.
Students who interact with their peers in educationally meaningful ways
are more likely to be engaged with their learning overall, (Krause & Coates,
2008). Students who are engaged with their peers get together outside
of class to study, go to campus events, or work on assignments. This is a
collaborative learning environment, (frequently called learning communities),
in which a student builds their knowledge through peer interactions.
How launching a mobile app can help:

Option to direct message classmates to foster collaboration between
students.
Opportunities for students to easily connect virtually and be able meet
up in person.
Beyond-Class
Engagement
Students involved in co-curricular programs
showed 5-20% higher persistence to
graduate than students not involved in those
programs5.
A students engagement with their institution is highly
impacted by their activity outside of the classroom.
Extracurricular activities that can impact engagement can
occur on or off campus and involves peers with similar
interests or goals. Such activities, like cultural groups
or sports events, help students form bonds with other
students and create a connection to the institution, which
forms a stronger sense of belonging.
How launching a mobile app can help:

Provide easy access to
campaigns and initiatives.
campus-related
events,
Access to contact and location details for student clubs

and organizations.
Conclusion
With the right technology, a campus-based mobile app can efficiently
engage your students by addressing these four aspects of student
engagement.
If youre wondering how to use technology to suit your institutional
needs, consider how you might enhance your existing institutional
engagement techniques with the launch of a mobile app.
We hope this guide serves as a resource for anyone looking to boost
student engagement or looking to leverage mobile technology on your
campus.
About the OOHLALA Mobile Platform
OOHLALA is a mobile platform for institutions and students in high school and higher education. We are dedicated to exploring
and furthering educational technology in meaningful ways through research studies and intentional design. We followed student
engagement theory to design our app with the goal of engaging students academically, through first year transitions, fostering
peer relationships, and by promoting beyond-class involvement.
?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/OOHLALAapp
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oohlalamobileapp
Questions? Contact us at: [email protected]
References
1. Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving college. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
2. Astin, A. W. (1984). Student involvement: A developmental theory for higher
education. Journal of college student personnel, 25(4), 297-308.
3. USCA Media. (2014). Does student marketing now mean mobile marketing?
UCAS Media. Retrieved from http://www.ucasmedia.com/2014/eight-out-tenfreshers-have-smartphones
4. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (July 9, 2014). First-year
persistence and retention rates by starting enrollment intensity: 2009-2012.
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Retrieved from http://
nscresearchcenter.org/snapshotreport-persistenceretention14/
5. Tannous, J., & Moore, S. (January, 2013). Improving upper-class engagement
and retention: academic and co-curricular strategies. Education Advisory
Board. Retrieved from http://www20.csueastbay.edu/oaa/files/student_
success/UpperClassEngemnt.pdf

The Student Engagement Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Student Engagement Guide

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Student Engagement Guide

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Your Guide to

How a mobile app can help:

How a mobile app can help:

How launching a mobile app can help:

How launching a mobile app can help:

Access to contact and location details for student clubs

About the OOHLALA Mobile Platform

You might also like