Lack of student engagement is one of the biggest challenges OM educators face. And whether you’re teaching in person or online seems to make little difference. As educators, it’s difficult to be sure why students are disengaged unless you ask them directly. To help, Harvard Business Publishing (Aug., 2022) reached out to four students to learn: What is something a professor does that makes you disengage, and what can they do to improve your engagement?
First student (from London): “I disengage in classes where the professors just lecture with no energy or passion for the topic. I would feel more engaged if professors relied less on lectures and leaned into more opportunities that allow students to actually apply the learning to projects or case studies.”
Second student (from India): “Some professors read the content directly from the presentation slides without explaining it further. This can make for a boring lecture. My three ideas are: (1) Make room for breaks during longer lectures so students can refuel.; (2) Crack some jokes to grab students’ attention; (3) Use real-world activities that allow students to apply their knowledge and solve problems.
Third student (from UNC): “Rather than extensive reading assignments and large cumulative tests, professors should consider integrating timely current events or discussions into their material. Courses can also be taught more effectively through project-based application. Also, provide help sheets, links, online videos, and recommendations for external resources so there are various methods for learning the material. This shows that professors are intentional about wanting students to have opportunities to succeed in their courses.”
Fourth student (from Portland State U.): “I disengage when a professor hasn’t introduced or taught concepts during lectures that are included in homework. I’m more engaged with professors who seem like real people and who have global awareness. The best professors speak to their lives outside of the classroom.”
Based on these responses, it appears that for students to care about what we are covering in our OM class, there needs to be less focus on the grades and more on the learning, as well as ample opportunities for course concepts to be applied to the real world–such as the simulations in MyLab. We will want to stay up to speed on new teaching methodologies and be realistic about what our students value.