Student's perception of engagement in online project management education and its impact on performance : the mediating role of self-motivation

Student engagement is considered an essential element of student's learning experience and performance. While many studies are conducted to evaluate student engagement in the face-to-face environment, less is known about its impact on student performance in online learning, especially in project management education. COVID-19 forced all education institutions around the world to rapidly change to the delivery of courses online, often with little or no expertise in this form of delivery. This article provides insight into student engagement in undergraduate and postgraduate project management programs delivered online during 2020-2021. Specific objectives are: (i) to identify the factors that impact student engagement; (ii) to examine the impact of engagement on performance and (iii) to investigate the role of self-motivation on engagement and performance. Data were collected from 285 students enrolled in eight randomly selected courses of the project management program at a university in Australia during the second half of 2020 via an online questionnaire. The results found that self-motivated students are likely to engage better with their peers. Through structural equation modeling, it was further identified that student engagement is significantly related to students' performance in online learning. The study provides numerous insights for teachers to increase student engagement, such as creating a learner-centered environment with clear expectations.