Presented By: Lydia Ugwu, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria
Co-Authors: Jessica Hanks, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria

Purpose 
Given the paradigm shift from teacher-centered to learner-centered instruction, it is pertinent for faculty to master techniques that maximize student involvement and engagement in the learning process. Furthermore, research indicates student engagement is strongly associated with academic achievement, which further highlights the need for a mastery of engagement strategies. Consequently, this poster aims to illustrate the three major dimensions of engagement identified in the literature and ways these dimensions can be operationalized in the classroom. 

Methods 
Extant literature on frameworks for student engagement in higher education were reviewed. Articles selected for review included empirical studies and systematic literature reviews. 

Results 
The literature underscores three major dimensions of student engagement, namely Emotional, Cognitive and Behavioral engagement. The emotional dimension deals with the affective domain of learning, the cognitive dimension refers to students' psychological investment in mastering the skills intended by the curriculum, while behavioral engagement refers to observable student behavior that demonstrates involvement in learning. Studies indicate there is a correlation between student achievement and the individual and combined constructs of engagement i.e., Emotional, Cognitive and Behavioral. 

Conclusion 
Exploring engagement as a multidimensional construct enables faculty to leverage the way students feel, think and behave to create educational experiences that are learner-centered and potentially improve student achievement. Demonstrating how the three constructs can be operationalized will help faculty translate theory to practice.