Engaging project management postgraduate students in online environments - a qualitative study

Abstract

Participation in teaching and learning plays a critical role for students’ better understanding of course principles and contents. A number of studies have been undertaken to investigate ways to better engage students through conventional course delivery modes in the classroom. Purely online course delivery is an emerging approach in contemporary education. This research adopted a qualitative approach to explore student engagement issues in an online project management postgraduate course. Students enrolled in the course were asked to comment on their perceptions of student engagement in online environments. The results showed that there are substantial differences between student engagement in classrooms and that in online environments. Implications are discussed.