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Perla Ramirez Calixto

Dr. Bill Reader

ENG.111

2 April 2024

Compare and Contrast of Strategies Used in Articles, “Student Engagement in the Online
Classroom: Comparing Preclinical Medical Student Question‐Asking Behaviors in a
Videoconference Versus In‐Person Learning Environment” and “Technology / Classroom
Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of Digital Tools From Laptops to iPads to Help Students
Learn”
Throughout my last two years of high school, I chose to take on the challenge of dual

enrollment. The dual enrollment had to be taken online so the learning experience has been

something that I have had to take on by myself. What I have come to realize is that when it

comes to assignments that are required to be done online I tend to ask fewer questions which

leaves me in a greater amount of confusion. This results in responding to an assignment or

prompt in a different manner than expected. However, I know that I am not alone because people

interpret things differently from each other so we are bound to understand a different meaning

than others. Two articles that focus on the importance of student engagement during online

courses “Student Engagement in the Online Classroom: Comparing Preclinical Medical Student

Question‐Asking Behaviors in a Videoconference Versus In‐Person Learning Environment” and

“Technology / Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of Digital Tools From Laptops

to iPads to Help Students Learn”. “Student Engagement in the Online Classroom: Comparing

Preclinical Medical Student Question‐Asking Behaviors in a Videoconference Versus In‐Person

Learning Environment” is written by Julia B. Caton et al from the Stanford School of Medicine,

who experiments to see whether there is greater student engagement in online courses compared

to in-person classes. “Technology / Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of Digital

Tools From Laptops to iPads to Help Students Learn” was written by a newspaper organization
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called The Commercial Appeal. The article emphasizes the importance of students and teachers

incorporating technology into learning because as technology advances, the amount being used

in schools increases along with it. Both articles use pathos to convey their message to their

intended audience efficiently. However, they vary in the amount of logos and ethos used.

The Commercial Appeal and Caton et al use strong amounts of pathos to reach out to the

readers by creating an emotional connection with the reader by using an experience that a large

part of the population has endured. Caton et al use recent events alongside the increased

dependence on technological learning. She claims, “The COVID‐19 pandemic forced medical

schools to rapidly transform their curricula using online learning approaches. At our institution,

the preclinical Practice of Medicine (POM) course was transitioned to large‐group, synchronous,

video‐conference sessions”. (1) This draws an emotional connection from the reader because the

pandemic has changed the lives of many generations. Caton et al bring up a time of fast-paced

changes in learning environments that is relatable. Additionally, The Commercial Appeal

discusses the fast-paced changes in technology. The organization claims, “In an increasingly

digital age where televisions, computer screens, and electronics are ubiquitous, one might expect

that keeping the attention of dozens of fifth-graders while discussing animal and plant cells

would be nearly impossible”.(1) This draws the emotional distress that teachers and parents are

experiencing in an attempt to find a way to teach children lessons without becoming fully

dependent on technology. Both authors have successfully tugged away at the feelings of hope

and distress to receive education alongside keeping up with so many rapid changes to some of

the biggest factors that society faces. The proper use of pathos that Caton et al and The

Commercial Appeal apply to their articles draws a connection from the audiences to ensure that

they feel understood with the extreme changes that can only be described as inevitable
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adaptations. The author's decision to use pathos shows to have worked out in the best interest of

their article, by bringing up how deeply we as individuals or as a whole feel about the

importance of education will persuade the intended audience to spread the word about the matter

at hand. As generations continue to advance and grow, we find ways to advance and change

education systems that are best suited so the greater that people feel, the greater of a change is

made.

Although both articles can grab at the reader's emotions using pathos, the articles written

by Caton et al and The Commercial can differ in the amount of logos that are used. In “Student

Engagement in the Online Classroom: Comparing Preclinical Medical Student Question‐Asking

Behaviors in a Videoconference Versus In‐Person Learning Environment” Caton et al claims,

“In terms of …transformation questions per session in the online course compared with a mean

of 0.5 (SD 1.0) transformation questions per session in the in‐person course (Table 1; Figure

1)”.(4) This is a method that she successfully uses to create a greater understanding between the

article and the readers because she doesn't generalize student engagement, she creates seven

types of engagements that the students could partake in. With the use of logos, the intended

audience being researchers and education administrators, there is a greater amount of credibility

built. This is constructed on the evidence we have of an experiment that uses a variety of

responsive engagement types. The larger that the range is expanded signifies that the information

is more credible. However, “Technology / Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of

Digital Tools From Laptops to iPads to Help Students Learn” by The Commercial Appeal doesn't

use any data results because there were no statistics to ensure its credibility. Instead, the

approach is taken by other sources. For example, “Children at Grace-St. Lukes Episcopal School

learns using iMovie and GarageBand. At Lamplighter Montessori Middle School, they create
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and navigate spreadsheets and databases, and Hutchison provides all its middle and upper school

girls Lenovo tablets”. (1) The use of logos is weaker in this article as there is no statistic to help

further the argument. When reaching a message out to academic institutions, the use of logic or

statistics will not be enough to convince a change. Even if The Commercial Appeal had

incorporated the use of logos, it would not have provided the right sense of security that

institutions seek to implement a new teaching style. Thus, the amount of logos that are used

between these articles can be visibly noticed. Caton et al’s article uses statistical logos to prove

that there is greater engagement in different environments. On the other hand, in the Commercial

Appeals article logos such as logical reasoning from different educational institutions proves that

technology in a learning environment is beneficial.

Additionally to the difference in the use of logos, Caton et al and The Commercial

Appeal differ in whether they include the use of ethos in their articles. The article “Technology /

Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of Digital Tools From Laptops to iPads to

Help Students Learn” by The Commercial Appeal makes many references to outside forces that

could potentially serve as a sense of greater security to many readers For example, “...said Lisa

Higgins, the 48-year-old director of instructional technology for Shelby County Schools.” (1)

and “... said Rich Maupin, Chief Operating Officer for MASE”. (1) The Commercial Appeal uses

outside claims from these sources to support the idea that the inclusion of technology in

educational learning is necessary as it grows in society. Due to the variety of ways that

educational facilities choose to build their foundation, it is hard to find a learning style that

works best for a large number of classrooms. The Commercial Appeal using ethos is the sense of

security that most facilities seek, with the encouragement from several similar outside sources

the chance of a change could significantly increase. However, in “Student Engagement in the
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Online Classroom: Comparing Preclinical Medical Student Question‐Asking Behaviors in a

Videoconference Versus In‐Person Learning Environment'' by Caton et al, there are no other

outside resources that are provided other than the information that refers to logos and pathos.

Caton et al using a reference for ethos would seem insignificant when the experiment is a reliable

source of credibility that would be more critical to the intended audience. Yet, it could be argued

that because Julia Caton is from the Stanford School of Medicine this is an example of ethos. Her

credentials can be a source of credibility for the intended audience but because the article has

several authors, ethos may not be the strongest fit for their article. Ethos could only be

potentially seen in The Commercial Appeals article because of the credibility that the individuals

and organizations ensure to their readers that would influence a new way of teaching.

Fortunately, for the study conducted in Caton et al's article, the use of ethos is not necessary to

get the point of the article across because it is trying to prove how people respond, not seeking a

change of any sort.

Overall, both articles use two rhetorical strategies to their best abilities even if they may

not be the same. Caton et al’s intended audience is medical researchers but it could be argued

that it is also for educators. Thus, “Student Engagement in the Online Classroom: Comparing

Preclinical Medical Student Question‐Asking Behaviors in a Videoconference Versus In‐Person

Learning Environment” benefits from the use of logos serving the best interest of its readers. On

the other hand, The Commercial Appeal reaches out to mostly educators such as teachers and

administrators. “Technology / Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of Digital Tools

From Laptops to iPads to Help Students Learn” uses the most efficient technique because

educators and administrators will be best moved if they know that bigger institutions are
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benefiting. Fortunately, education is critical for us as individuals and the use of pathos furthers

the range of readers

The rhetorical techniques used in either article are ethos, logos, and pathos. It can be clear

to the reader that although these articles discuss the same topic, their audiences are different from

one another. “Student Engagement in the Online Classroom: Comparing Preclinical Medical

Student Question‐Asking Behaviors in a Videoconference Versus In‐Person Learning

Environment” and “Technology / Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of Digital

Tools From Laptops to iPads to Help Students Learn” use either ethos or logos to their best

abilities to create a connection to their intended audience. Yet, together they use pathos to

connect to a general audience with an interest in the environment and education. The author had

considered what would be most beneficial. If the Commercial Appeal had used logos then the

skepticism would still exist because educators need more than just statistical proof and if Caton

et al had used ethos then the experiments would not have been necessary.
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Works Cited

Caton, Julia B., et al. “Student Engagement in the Online Classroom: Comparing Preclinical

Medical Student Question‐Asking Behaviors in a Videoconference Versus In‐Person

Learning Environment.” ProQuest, Feb 2021,

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2488108890/D77F9D2C8AB5482CPQ/4?accountid=

35715&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals. Accessed 22 March 2024.

The Commercial Appeal. “Technology / Classroom Engagement: Schools Take Advantage of

Digital Tools From Laptops to iPads to Help Students Learn.” ProQuest, 06 Oct 2013,

https://www.proquest.com/docview/2596170996/989832BEBBD440C0PQ/7?accountid=

35715&sourcetype=Newspapers. Accessed 26 March 2024.