Mind the Gap: The Realities of Students’ Engagement With Online Learning Resources

Blended learning has gained popularity in higher education, especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite the benefits and availability of online resources, there is a noticeable lack of student engagement with online materials. Using rich data on engagement with the e-learning platform Moodle for undergraduate business students, we uncover a blended learning intention-behavior gap. While students find online learning content useful and efficient, and report an intention to use it in their studies, Moodle logs show that students tend to ignore online content during the semester. Our survey results suggest that disengagement with online materials may be explained by ‘strategic’ learning behavior, which prioritizes assessed elements of the course over additional learning content. Using regression analysis, we demonstrate that the ‘strategic’ learning approach can be detrimental to learning outcomes, as completion of online activities in the course has a significant positive effect on performance—a benefit students often disregard when weighing the optional online exercises against assessed assignments. Thus, the study provides evidence that a more holistic learning-to-learn strategy, which includes regular engagement with online materials, is more effective for enhancing students’ academic success.