Stephen Downes

This is a report from a reserach projected aimed at increasing engagement and reducing dropouts. According to its author, "to increase student engagement, you must first give the students a feeling of social and academic safety. This is in line with Tinto's model. Together with the research organisation Sintef, we have documented that the student's feeling of safety needs to be created considerably earlier than first assumed." Recommendations include providing an online buddy before admission, providing an online learning assistant at the start of studies, giving all students help finding someone to work with, and identification and follow-up of risk students.