Using the Arts to Foster Students’ Interest, Engagement, and Learning in a Distance-Learning Environment

Abstract

In this article, we discuss the lessons learned in a system thinking course developed in a multicampus, distance-learning environment. Forty-six undergraduate students were involved; the students were from four campuses of the Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. We explain the course design, curriculum and online components. We analyze the effectiveness of the use of art (visual art, literature, performing arts and media arts) in fostering the students’ interest, engagement and learning. In order to gather data, we used a convergent parallel mixed method approach. We made systemic analysis of the data collected. We found that the use of music, poetry, stories and films helped students to make connections between theory and practice, thereby improving their learning. Students’ use of these materials also increased their enthusiasm for the course. We also found that the visual arts, in particular, fostered the students’ curiosity, increasing their engagement in the proposed activities.