There's an acknowledgement that there's a connection between higher levels in attendance and better marks in assessments, while low attendance is regarded as a lack of motivation to study. However, skipping class doesn't necessarily mean a lower performance, there will always be exceptions. There are students who do well without attending every class, and there are some students who fail despite never missing a class. Still, research shows that students who got good attendance have a greater chance of academic success (Muir, 2009). The attendance is not only for academic attainment, but also a method to encourage development of other positive behaviors, such as building social skills, developing a good attitude towards learning, people, and the surrounding community. And while nothing can compensate for the insight gained during class discussion or group activity, students shouldn't be immediately demoralized by poor attendance.
There are several video conferencing tools available out there in the market – from simply pre-recorded lessons or live-streamed videoconferencing to interactive video software. It helps boost up the communication and interaction between teachers and students when the remote learning is conducted. Besides, teachers can emphasize the use of video conferencing to encourage student participation, enrich learning experiences, and provide flexibility in terms of assessments, learning pace and accessibility.
Several strategies have been proposed to increase students' engagement behaviorally and cognitively, with the purpose of positively simulating their learning and achievement. Some common techniques include hands-on activities, discussion, autonomy support, use of mixed media, friendly competition, and gamify learning.
In the 21st century, teamwork is seen as an integral part of the learning curve both in physical and virtual classrooms. Teachers tend to bring students together to enrich learning and create more meaningful experiences. Two terms are gradually present in the educational world; cooperative and collaborative learning. They are not working against but rather complement each other. In cooperative learning, students remain autonomous, while exchanging relevant information, ideas, and resources in support of each other's goals. Lecturer directs the learning process and resources, and appoints each individual with a specific task to complete the activity. Though the students are heterogeneously set up, each individual has to master their part and share this information with others for collective understanding. Cooperative learning is basically combining members' share of the work to solve a larger problem through teacher-structured activities.
Conversely, collaborative learning is speaking to a group-structured mode of learning where students organize and allocate responsibilities among themselves. They are working individually while respecting the abilities and contribution of other group members, and progressing as a team. For the project to be successful, each part needs to come together to make a whole through sharing knowledge, making use of each other's resources, and guiding each other to achieve a common goal. Teacher's responsibility is limited to the role of facilitator whose assistance may be needed only when students ask. The learning outcomes, group performance, and final product are evaluated by its members.
Examples of cooperative and collaborative learning techniques:
Some following learning techniques can be used interchangeably across two groups, with some significant differences depending on the lecturers' practices.
