Increasing Modern Students’ Engagement in the Learning Process

Abstract

In this article, engagement is defined as the level of personal interest of each participant in achieving the goals of the organization or process. Factors contributing to student engagement in the learning process include: clear expectations from instructors and the dean's office regarding their results; availability of necessary materials and equipment for familiarizing with new material and applying it in practice; the opportunity to daily engage in what they do best; gratitude or approval for well-completed assignments; care from instructors and the dean's office for students as individuals, encouragement of their growth, consideration of their opinions; the institution's tasks, goals, and mission, allowing them to feel the importance and value of learning; commitment of classmates/groupmates to quality assignment completion; friendly relationships within the group, on the course; interest from others in students' growth and development; opportunities to learn and grow. Aspects that attract the attention of Generation Z, who form the basis of modern undergraduate students, to the educational process are also identified. These include encouragement, the opportunity to acquire skills and competencies necessary for professional qualification, the chance to solve interesting problems, schedule flexibility, access to additional services (medical, social), comfort of the learning space, territorial accessibility, and clarity and transparency in reflecting their achievements. Furthermore, aspects that demotivate modern students in their studies are highlighted: unfriendly attitudes from instructors, the dean's office, or classmates/groupmates; lack of opportunity to track and see their achievements; vagueness and lack of clarity in tasks and responsibilities, criticism, and routine. The author proposes ways to increase modern students' engagement in learning, including: familiarizing them with various class formats; students independently working through the expected outcome of a discipline at the beginning of the course; creative assignments based on course materials; and the application of facilitation as a technology for organizing interaction among and with learners.