Fostering Engagement and Participation in Virtual Classroom Through Emotional Awareness
Maria Vargas, Kingsborough Community College
Bio
My name is Maria Vargas and I work at KBCC as a Transfer of Credits Evaluator. I hold both a BS and MS in Business Administration, Management and Leadership. I enjoy teaching Student Development courses because they offer students more than preparation for college–they support lifelong learning. I value helping students build confidence, strengthen essential skills, and prepare for future academic and personal success.
Course Setting
I teach College Now Student Development courses at Kingsborough Community College for students in the DYCD/WLD (Work, Learn & Grow) program. My students are primarily high school juniors and seniors from diverse backgrounds who appreciate the opportunity to earn college credits while gaining work experience. I teach SD 10: Introduction to College Planning and SD 11: Introduction to Career and Life Planning with a focus on supporting students’ academic, personal, and career development.
Problem of Practice
I decided to focus on the social-emotional factors that may interfere with student participation in online classes and how these challenges can be addressed through intentional classroom practices. In virtual learning environments, many students feel disconnected, anxious, unmotivated, or emotionally disengaged, which can reduce participation, discussion, and willingness to ask questions. Emotional stress and lack of peer connection may further affect students’ engagement and academic performance.Strategy
To address the challenge of insufficient student engagement and participation, I implemented Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) check-in strategies. Specifically, I used an emotions check-in chart and asked students to complete a brief entrance ticket questionnaire before class began.
For example: How is your mood today? How do you think your current mood may affect the outcome of today’s class?
I then incorporated a short ice-breaker activity, such as a brief relaxation video (e.g., wave sounds) for 1–2 minutes or a short Laughter Yoga exercise to help students transition into a focused learning mindset. At the end of class, students completed an exit ticket reflecting on how the relaxation activity influenced their focus, engagement, and participation during the lesson.
Research shows that students’ emotional state can positively or negatively influence attention, motivation, and participation in learning activities. By helping students identify and reflect on their emotions before class, these activities encourage self-awareness and help students develop strategies for stress reduction, emotional regulation, and active engagement during instruction.
Documentation
Feelings Check-In Chart
This document consists of a visual emotions chart using emoji-based feelings to help students identify and communicate their emotional state before class participation.
Check-in and Check-out Tickets
At the start of class students are presented with two multiple choice questions designed to assess students’ mood at the start of class.
At the end of the class, I asked students to fill out an Exit-ticket with one or two questions answering how the technique previously used helped improve their mood, focus and participation.
Measuring Impact
Check-in Ticket Responses
This graph shows student check in responses for one day of class.
Check-out Ticket Responses
Here is an example of student responses to a check out question.
Analysis
I believe the implemented strategy was highly successful in increasing participation among my online students. By promoting emotional self-awareness, students were able to recognize and address emotions that may have interfered with their engagement and participation during class. The use of visual and audio artifacts helped students become more aware of their emotional state, while the in-class activity, Laughter Yoga, provided an immediate and effective release of stress. As a result, I observed a noticeable improvement in student’s attitudes, willingness to participate, and involvement in class discussions.
In addition, the use of Classroom Assessment Techniques, such as check-in/check-out tickets and surveys, allowed me to seamlessly integrate the strategy into the course while providing immediate feedback regarding students’ experiences and responses. These assessment tools made it easier to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy and monitor student engagement throughout the process.
Although not every student participated in all activities, I am very encouraged by the overall results. To further improve participation and outcomes, I plan to include the rationale and benefits of this strategy in the course syllabus and introduce it on the first day of class so students can better understand its purpose and importance. I may also consider offering extra points to encourage greater participation and commitment
Recommendation
My fellow CN or EC colleagues can effectively use this strategy when they notice low participation, limited interaction, or decreased motivation among online students. Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) practices can help create a more supportive, engaging, and student-centered classroom environment.
I recommend clearly explaining the purpose and benefits of SEL activities in the course syllabus and during the first day of class so students understand the connection between emotional well-being and academic success. Beginning each class with a brief emotional check-in, such as a survey, mood chart, or entrance ticket, can help students reflect on their emotional state and feel more connected to the learning environment. Instructors can also incorporate mindfulness, collaborative discussions, guided breathing, or light community-building activities to reduce stress and increase focus before instruction begins.
Finally, regularly gathering student feedback and remaining flexible can help instructors better respond to students’ emotional and academic needs.
Resources
- Laughter Yoga techniques: Short relaxation and laughter exercise used at the beginning of class to reduce stress and support student focus and engagement 3 Laughter Yoga Easy Exercises to Feel Better