Nurturing a Socio-Emotionally Engaged Learner in Higher Education Online Setting: Rapid Literature Review

Abstract

Given the growth of online learning courses in higher education, there is a need to understand the role of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in online learning spaces to ensure holistic development. This rapid literature review aims to identify factors influencing SEL among higher education students in online space. PRISMA method of screening was adopted to conduct this review. Four databases were systematically searched and, 23 studies were selected. The findings highlighted the importance of five factors contributing to nurturing a socio-emotionally engaged learner in an online higher education setting: student-centric pedagogy, online instructional tools, online instructors' proficiency, ensuring a safe learning environment, and online SEL workshops. Research on online SEL is developing and needs a clearer structure. Integration of scholarship of teaching-learning with online SEL can provide directions for further exploration into content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge and building a mutually engaged online learning space focusing on students' social-emotional well-being.