Non-Traditional Learning Activities to Improve Student Engagement

Unprecedented hardships were experienced globally during and immediately after the Covid pandemic. Different methods were required to address the basic needs of students for general well-being and successful learning during this challenging period. This paper focuses on non-traditional learning activities developed by the International Teaching Team of the Mechanical Engineering program at Fontys University of Applied Sciences, from 2021-2022. The Teaching Team recognised that, apart from the usual challenges faced by their international students when arriving in the host country, the imposed isolation prevented students from building new support systems and/or resorting to existing ones. The non-traditional learning activities (online, in-person, and hybrid) aimed to enhance student’s social engagement, as well as strengthen the connections within the learning community. The goal was to increase the sense of belonging among the students and positively impact their learning and overall development. This paper showcases non-traditional learning activities developed by the International Teaching Team, during the period of 2021-2022, which were implemented amongst a group of around 100 students following the English Mechanical Engineering bachelors program. The main research question is: How can non-traditional learning activities enhance engineering students’ social engagement, and strengthen their connections within the learning communityƒ The answer is provided with a thorough analysis of the experience, supported by data on advancement and dropout rates of year cohorts for students who were involved in those activities, in relation to year cohorts post and prior to the introduction of non-traditional learning activities.