Promoting Learners' Engagement and Motivation in a Technology-Mediated Learning Environment During COVID-19 and Beyond

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the drastic shift from traditional face-to-face teaching to an upsurge of online learning at all levels of education worldwide. The adoption of digital technologies continues to rise and impacts learning in higher education. This urgent transition has posed various challenges from the instructor-learner perspective relating to technology availability and accessibility, ineffective real-time communication, technology incompetence, lack of understanding of learners' attitude and characteristics, and a low rate of interactivity, engagement, and motivation. This chapter proposes strategies that promote learners' engagement and motivation in a technology-mediated online learning environment for meaningful and effective learning experiences. It also presents the current state of digital education, the existing motivational theories, the plethora of digital tools embraced for online teaching and learning, and a novel research model by considering key variables pertaining to online teaching and e-learners' engagement and perceived motivation.