Student engagement in an online Calculus I course: behavioral, cognitive, and social dimensions

Abstract

At the university level and in STEM fields students drop out in part due to not being able to pass mathematics courses, particularly, Calculus I. According to the Mathematical Association of America (MAA), Calculus I occupies a unique position as a gateway course to STEM degrees. Almost all STEM majors need to take at least the first course in Calculus. Hence, there is the need to understand how to create successful Calculus courses, particularly in online settings. This study answers the call by studying the ways students engage with the mathematical content, each other and the course while learning about the concept of derivative. More precisely, the purpose of this research was to investigate the nature of students' engagement experiences--behavioral, cognitive, and social dimensions--in an asynchronous online Calculus I course. To examine the nature of students' engagement experiences, I conducted a phenomenological qualitative study combining data from students' discussion posts, demographic survey responses, and interviews. I analyzed the data using three analytical lenses: Toulmin's (1958/2003) argumentation model, Swan's (2002) coding schema and social network analysis. Findings indicate that the cognitive demand of weekly tasks influences the patterns of cognitive engagement demonstrated through discussion posts. Additionally, two situations promoted more social engagement among students: grouping students for discussion posts and initial posts with evidence of social presence