Online learning is becoming a popular form of teaching and learning in the higher education sector where students access learning materials, communicate with teachers, interact with other learners, and control their efforts in a different way compared to classroom learning. This research explores the effects of online learning on motivation, interaction and engagement of Iraqi students in universities, contrasting it to the classroom form of learning. The design of the research is descriptive comparative using 100 undergraduate students from Basra University of Oil and Gas together with semi-structured interviews involving three instructors with experience of online learning. The research revealed that the majority of the students were positive about online learning since 76% of them found it appealing and useful. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were nearly equal in terms of distribution with 52% being motivated intrinsically and 48% being extrinsically motivated while 68% of the students opted for blended model of learning. Online learning was liked by the students due to flexibility, autonomy, repeatable access to learning materials and self-paced learning. The limitation of peer interaction, technical issues, assessment problems and added load on instructors hindered the efficiency of online learning. From the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, interaction theory and multidimensional models of engagement, the research reveals that online learning can increase autonomy and cognitive engagement if well-organized but does not substitute the social and emotional interaction of the traditional form of learning.
Online learning is becoming a popular form of teaching and learning in the higher education sector where students access learning materials, communicate with teachers, interact with other learners, and control their efforts in a different way compared to classroom learning. This research explores the effects of online learning on motivation, interaction and engagement of Iraqi students in universities, contrasting it to the classroom form of learning. The design of the research is descriptive comparative using 100 undergraduate students from Basra University of Oil and Gas together with semi-structured interviews involving three instructors with experience of online learning. The research revealed that the majority of the students were positive about online learning since 76% of them found it appealing and useful. Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation were nearly equal in terms of distribution with 52% being motivated intrinsically and 48% being extrinsically motivated while 68% of the students opted for blended model of learning. Online learning was liked by the students due to flexibility, autonomy, repeatable access to learning materials and self-paced learning. The limitation of peer interaction, technical issues, assessment problems and added load on instructors hindered the efficiency of online learning. From the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, interaction theory and multidimensional models of engagement, the research reveals that online learning can increase autonomy and cognitive engagement if well-organized but does not substitute the social and emotional interaction of the traditional form of learning.
