Hot for teacher: Using digital music to enhance student’s experience in online courses

Citation
Dunlap, J. C., & Lowenthal, P. R. (2010). Hot for teacher: Using digital music to enhance student’s experience in online courses. TechTrends, 54(4), 58-73. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-010-0421-4

Abstract

This article provides a review of the instructional potential of digital music to enhance postsecondary students’ experience in online courses by involving them in music-driven instructional activities. The authors describe how music-driven instructional activities, when used appropriately, can (a) humanize, personalize, and energize online courses by enhancing social presence through student-to-student interaction; (b) tap into students’ interests, and elicit positive feelings and associations; and (c) involve students in relevant and meaningful student-to-content interaction by engaging them in active knowledge construction. This article includes descriptions of several music-driven instructional activities that rely on digital music resources to engage students in generative, multisensory student-content interactions that leverage their interest in music, as well as a set of guidelines to support the design and use of music-driven instructional activities in online courses.

Keywords: digital music, eLearning, engagement, interaction, interest, music, online, social presence