case study

1

Cycle of Inquiry Plan for [Improving Student Engagement in Remote Learning Environments]

in

Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for

EDD-FPX8520 – Educational Leadership by Design

Prepared by

Raia Ensour

Capella University

2

Introduction

The main purpose of this inquiry plan is to investigate and address the issues that arise in

student engagement when it comes to remote learning environments in our organization. In the

world that we live in today, there is an increasing shift toward remote learning enabled by digital

learning platforms. This, even though it is a progressive move in the education sector, poses

challenges in student engagement given that they are not in a place where the instructor is in

control. The inquiry will pay attention to the current engagement strategies, look into the barriers

to engagement, as well as come up with innovative and effective approaches so that the

participation of students can be enhanced. Through this, it will be possible to improve the learning

outcomes in the remote learning setting.

Initial Reconnaissance – Look

Issue Definition

In remote earning, student engagement is the attention level, interest, or the curiosity that

students show during the online classes in their respective institutions. When there is low

engagement, their academic performance of the students is affected. Apart from this, there is a risk

for higher dropout rates and their motivation for learning generally drops. Another factor comes in

when the students are not ready for the shift to remote learning and considering that it is something

that they were not used to allows one to critically look at the issue. Additionally, the lack of social

interaction aspect that remote learning has poses a challenge for engagement because f the isolation

that the learners might feel.

Reason for Inquiry

It is important that this inquiry is done because academic success depends on student

engagement and this is particularly key in remote learning environments. In such environments,

the students, as mentioned before, might feel isolated and also disconnected from the community

3

that they are used to in the classroom. Therefore, comprehending and also looking to improve the

engagement strategies can be crucial in enhancing the general learning outcomes. All in all, this

would elevate the satisfaction levels of the students, leading to a more positive learning

environment.

Guiding Questions

i. What factors influence student engagement in our institution in remote learning

environments?

ii. On the current student engagement strategies, how effective are they in the promotion of

students’ active participation?

iii. Are there innovative approaches that can be applied in the enhancement of student

engagement when it comes to online learning/classes?

Collaborators

Considering the impact that enhanced engagement would be for our students, I believe that

the best collaborators would be instructional designers, educators, students, and IT support staff for

any cases of tech in enhancing online classes. The collaborators have a direct involvement on the

delivery, design, and also the remote learning experience. They have the power and ability to

improve insights into the challenges experiences, as well as the current practices. Therefore, they

would be a valuable addition to the team that would make the remote learning student experience

better by enhancing their engagement.

What is Known?

There is current information that shows students are able to thrive in remote learning

environments however, they experience challenges with engagement sometimes because of issues

with isolation, technological challenges, and also being distracted at home (Chinaza, 2020). Not all

students have access to the technology that is required to access online classes. Therefore, it would

be hard for them to be engaged because there is no efficient way to learn online. This is something

4

that must be address so that students are not left behind in learning. Additionally, distractions at

home as an online student can seem to be unavoidable because in this case, that is the classroom.

Apart from the physical family distractions, texts and social media often distract the student

and this reduces their engagement in the online class that they are attending. In the case of social

media and texts distraction, it can be tempting for the student to answer them and this pulls them

away from the class. Lastly, isolation is one of the main challenges that has been identified in

remote learning as a top challenge (Salta et al., 2022). In the normal classroom environment,

students are used to being with others in discussions and other social activities. In the case of

remote learning, this aspect is lacking, making the feel isolated and this is something that is

important to overcome. All these issues have been identified as part of the student engagement

challenge in remote learning environments. More research is being conducted ion how these and

other challenges can be overcome in this age of technology.

Organizational Data

The organization that I am at collects data routinely and this include participation rates,

attendance, and also the academic performance of students in the remote learning environment.

The login frequency and submission rates for assignments, as well as student feedback data is also

collected. Through these activities, the data can be used by educators to improve their strategies

and it is accessible, involving both qualitative and quantitative data. The

Additional Data to be Gathered

There is additional data that could be gathered and this includes surveys on student

engagement, the feedback by teachers on student participation, and also the effectiveness of the

learning tools used for digital learning. The commonly used tool for online classes is Zoom but

there are others provided by the institution and checking out how effective they are is key to

enhancing engagement.

5

Additional Information

Literature that is relevant to remote learning engagement should be considered, as well as

the best practices that have excelled at other institutions. Also, studies focusing on digital

pedagogy would be important to review for this inquiry. During the research period, keywords

like remote learning, student engagement, digital pedagogy, and online education will be

utilized.

Strategies

Focus groups, collaborative meetings, and pilot programs in the course of this inquiry will

be utilized so as to test and also polish the strategies for engagement. In the case of data

analysis, there will be tools employed for examining correlations and trends in the online

learning world.

Timeline

Activities (e.g., Meetings, Data Gathering, Study) Duration/Dates

Team meetings in the initial phases to define the problem matter 09/13/24 – 09/16/24

Surveys & focus groups for data collection 10/10/24 – 10/20/24

Literature review 10/23/24 – 11/05/24

Organizational data analysis 11/15/24 – 11/25/24

Think

In the cycle of inquiry, this phase is about conceptualization or rather the reflection, as well

as the analysis of the data that was taken in the reconnaissance phase. The ‘think’ step is one of the

most important steps because it assists in comprehending what could be the matter behind the

student engagement issue in remote learning. Apart from reflecting and analyzing, discussions are

6

held to interpret the data and also take a look at the trends that might be identified from the data.

All in all, the main thing is to go deeper into observing and uncovering the root causes of the

described issue.

In the table shown below, there are planned activities that will take place in this phase.

They include meetings for reflective analysis, synthesis of data, as well as interpretations, and e

refinement of the problem definition. Throughout each activity, there is sufficient time allocated

and this will help in ensuring that all the involved shareholders are able to comprehend the

matter and guarantee that the problem definition is accurate and can be worked on. These

activities will be a collaborative experience and by the time the team is finished with this phase,

they will have come to common ground on most of the concerning issues.

Timeline for Reflection and Analysis

Activities (e.g., Meetings, Data Gathering, Study) Duration/Dates

Team meeting for reflective analysis 12/01/24 – 12/16/24

Synthesis of data and interpretation 1/10/25 – 1/30/25

Refinement of problem definition 2/01/25 – 2/27/25

Act

This phase involves the transition of the inquiry process to action. As mentioned before, the

plan needs to be actionable, precisely for this phase. The team comes up with and implements an

action plan that sufficiently addresses the problem that was made clear in the think phase. The

main things in the plan will be specified strategies, clearly defined roles for the team members,

and timelines. In this phase, a structured approach is created so that the student engagement levels

in remote learning are improved, with clearly defined success metrics to make it a reasonable

plan.

In the table shown below, there will be team meetings for the development of the action

7

plan, the drafting of the action plan, and finally feedback and review sessions with collaborators.

By following the outlined steps in the table, the plan will be feasible and it will also align with the

specific needs of instructors and students, which will also be supported by the institution.

Therefore, the problem will be solved because the action plan will have sufficient time to be

discussed and drafted, making it actionable within reasonable grounds.

Timeline for Developing an Action Plan

Activities (e.g., Meetings, Data Gathering, Study) Duration/Dates

Team meeting for action plan development 3/01/25 – 3/08/25

Action plan drafting 3/13/25 – 4/02/25

Feedback and review with collaborators 4/15/25 – 5/05/25

Conclusion

The action research cycle and the design thinking cycle are very important in the aspect of

addressing challenging issues like student engagement in the remote learning environment. For

instance, the design thinking cycle puts an emphasis on rapid prototyping and feedback sessions.

This makes it a perfect fit for stakeholder engagement and iterative improvement. On the other

hand, the action research cycle mainly pays attention to a data-driven and structured approach so

that the problem at hand can be understood and solved.

Bringing these two models together in a way that design thinking into action research can

help elevate the process because it would make it more responsive to the needs of the

stakeholders. Additionally, applying the systematic and reflective approach to design thinking

can help in guaranteeing that the devised solutions are vetted and evidence-based before they are

rolled out. Since the student engagement issue requires a multifaceted approach, it would be best

to combine the two frameworks for the best results.

8

References

Chinaza, S. I. (2020). Strategies for student engagement in remote online learning. A case study

of Northern Cyprus. RUNAS. Journal of Education & Culture, 1(2), 2.

Salta, K., Paschalidou, K., Tsetseri, M., & Koulougliotis, D. (2022). Shift from a traditional to a

distance learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic: University students’

engagement and interactions. Science & Education, 31(1), 93-122.