How tertiary learning advisors can support students engaged in online collaborative group work in large STEM courses

The article introduces Tertiary Learning Advisors (TLAs) in Aotearoa to several supportive strategies designed to engage students conducting collaborative group work online in large Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses. The catalyst for this initiative was a learning design response to a largely amotivated and demotivated stage two STEM course cohort at the University of Auckland. Amotivation is a learner’s realisation that either their current learning trajectory is too difficult or pointless, and demotivation is a specific trigger leading to amotivation (Dörnyei & Ushioda, 2011). The resulting intervention provided teaching staff with a robust methodology designed to re-engage students in this course. Understanding the challenges these students then experienced can enable TLAs in Aotearoa to more empathetically support students who are challenged by working collaboratively in large online STEM courses.