Online Learning Engagement and Satisfaction of First Year Undergraduate Students in a Blended Course Esther Gyimah Department of ICT Education University of Education, Winneba Winneba, Ghana egyimah@uew.edu.gh Abstract— The adoption of blended learning as an innovative approach to teaching and learning in higher education has increased in today’s 21 st century classroom. And with the diversity of learners and their different learning styles, instructors are constantly looking at ways to engage learners in and outside of the classroom. The online aspect of blended learning provides learners with the flexibility and ease of learning anytime and anywhere as against face-to-face learning, thus leading to learner satisfaction. This paper assessed how online learning has enhanced students’ learning engagement and learner satisfaction in a blended course. The results showed that blended learning enhanced student engagement and that the students were satisfied with the blended course. Although a few students commented that unstable internet access was a challenge, overall, the blended learning experience was positive. Keywords - blended learning, higher education, online learning, learning satisfaction, learning engagement I. INTRODUCTION Digital technologies have revolutionised higher education in recent years so much so that teaching and learning has gone beyond the traditional classroom to include online learning environments. [5] stated that this presents educators and learners with new teaching and learning methods that combine face-to-face interactions with online interactions that allow effective learner engagement, more collaborative learning and communication. [1] and [2] argued that rather than allowing technology to be a distraction, educators now are forced to adapt new teaching and learning strategies that incorporate technologies such as computers, smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices students already use. One such learning method that is transforming higher education is blended learning which enables teaching and learning beyond face-to-face environments that are time and place bound to include online learning environments that allow students to learn anytime and anywhere in a collaborative way [3]. [4] stated that the blended learning method could provide a variety of ways to efficiently engage students using technology for many activities in and outside of the classroom. This paper seeks to assess how online learning has enhanced students’ learning engagement and learner satisfaction in a blended course. II. LITERATURE REVIEW A. Blended Learning Blended learning in higher education has increased in recent years as educators are now exploring new ways of enhancing the teaching and learning experience of students. In a research by [7], they focused on examining how first year Geography students in the University of Auckland perceived e-learning versus traditional learning, and how e- learning affected their learning behaviour. The findings of the research showed that students’ perceptions were determined by their personal learning styles and their individual university experiences. The paper also concluded that although blended learning provided a lot of benefits, traditional learning was still valued. [6] evaluated first year tertiary students’ experiences with blended learning for the first and second semesters using a survey. The results indicated that the students had a positive experience with blended learning. From their 2019 International Conference on Mechatronics, Remote Sensing, Information Systems and Industrial Information Technologies (ICMRSISIIT) | 978-1-7281-0486-7/20/$31.00 ©2019 IEEE | DOI: 10.1109/ICMRSISIIT46373.2020.9405837 Authorized licensed use limited to: University of Education Winneba. Downloaded on April 27,2021 at 21:07:29 UTC from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.