Student engagement

Academics and university staff address what student engagement means to them and offer advice on boosting attendance, class participation and building a campus community.

Tap the mine of library data to help enhance your courses

University libraries offer a rich well of data for course enhancement teams, on everything from student engagement to which resources they’re using most. Here’s how to make the most of it

Steve Briggs, Carly Ramirez-Herelle , Jo Myhill

University of Bedfordshire

What can module leaders learn from Toyota?

How to use the plan-do-check-act cycle to improve student success, satisfaction and grades

Sercan Demiralay

Nottingham Trent University

Hands tearing off the letter "t" from the word "can't "

Fostering an ‘I can’ attitude in students

Challenging assumptions about competency and student independence and promoting self-reflection can foster agency, writes Megan Jones

Megan Jones

The University of East Anglia

‘Generative AI is making our students more creative than ever’

The real opportunity of AI isn’t automation, it’s the potential to democratise innovation, writes Ramona Pistol. And teaching practices need to catch up to this reality

Ramona Pistol

University of Hertfordshire

The power of effective feedback for early-career educators

How can assessors improve educators’ ability to give feedback that influences students’ motivation, engagement and achievement?

Jennie Fox

The University of Exeter

An insider’s guide to how students use GenAI tools

There’s no doubt students are using GenAI in their assignments – but how? Miriam Wun and Nah Yong En talked to students to find out

Miriam Wun, Nah Yong En

Singapore Institute of Technology

Tackling declining attendance with the ‘show up’ mindset

A model that instils in students a commitment to ‘showing up’ from day one includes practical strategies for improving attendance and fostering long-term engagement

Maya Cara, Nina Seppala

UCL

Female students sitting along in lecture hall

Empty classrooms and disconnected students in the age of AI

Universities face an urgent need to accelerate change in how they teach – and think about teaching – to reconnect students’ digital lifestyles with the way they learn, write Nic Fair and Larisa Yarovaya

Nicholas Fair , Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

Teaching with empathy: a practical guide for university educators

By making consistent efforts to understand and support students, university teachers create a learning environment where they feel capable and appreciated, writes Dianne Stratton-Maher

Dianne Stratton-Maher

The University of Southern Queensland

Tips for creating and delivering effective educational webinars

Strategies that incorporate interactive elements and rules setting to help teachers design engaging webinars

Lauren Flannery

The University of East Anglia

Changing the climate of teaching: embedding sustainability into film and media studies

Research-led teaching can bring educators’ work and passions into the classroom, making topics such as climate change less overwhelming for students and linking learning to future skills. Here are five key takeaways

Malcolm Cook

University of Southampton

A team work on a research project round a table

The power of participatory podcasts as a research method

Instead of seeing podcasting as an alternative output, producing a series with a group of youth curators helped Abigail Harrison Moore and Lauren Theweneti understand how significant it can be for participatory research

Abigail Harrison Moore, Lauren Theweneti

University of Leeds, Sheffield Hallam University

Enhancing the thesis experience: insights from master’s students

Early preparation is essential for students’ successful thesis journey – so postgraduate course coordinators and programme leaders should put supports in place from the beginning

Shino Takayama, Ransi Jayawardena

The University of Queensland

A man takes notes as he watches an online lecture on his laptop

Tips for fostering student engagement in blended learning

Students can often feel disengaged in a blended learning environment. Here’s how to spark their curiosity and give them ownership of their learning journey

Ching Yee Pua, Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng , Oran Devilly, Shermain Puah

Singapore Institute of Technology

Teaching region-specific political science courses: Hong Kong as a case study

Strategies implemented in two Hong Kong-specific courses aim to ensure students unfamiliar with the region remain as engaged in the learning process as local students

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Class exercises that use ChatGPT to strengthen students’ learning

To foster engagement, comprehension and knowledge retention in the classroom, educators should find a balance between leveraging AI tools such as GenAI to strengthen learning while also preserving their own guiding role

Nikolas Dietis

University of Cyprus

Tax Taylor Swift

Is sustainability a ‘blank space’ in professional music education? Not exactly. Music students want to make an impact and some music academics are embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the curriculum

Thomas Irvine

University of Southampton

‘Students need to take responsibility for class participation’

Questions to encourage undergraduates to contribute to class content or in discussion help them develop skills for academia and the workplace. Mariano Carrera shares his experience from teaching in Thailand

Mariano Carrera

King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok

A student giving a presentation in class

Engaging students through poster presentations: a case study

Read about how a poster presentation task can promote students’ engagement with course content and each other

Qingyang Sun

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

As students become more ‘distant’, can feedback still hit the mark?

Whether they are behind a computer screen or behind bars, all students need support with making effective use of feedback – whether or not the process is a two-way street

Robert Nash, Kieran Balloo

National Institute of Teaching, The University of Southern Queensland

A pair of legs following an arrow on asphalt

Using directional reflection to stimulate students’ evaluative thinking

Many students struggle to understand and engage with the concepts and practices associated with reflection. This is where directional reflection comes in

Simon Brownhill

The University of Bristol

A plastic bottle is placed in a recycling bin

How to encourage reuse and recycling on campus

Universities generate a significant amount of waste. Here’s how to encourage students and staff to reuse and recycle

Verónica Torres

Universidad Austral

Can non-assessed creative play help students develop confidence and critical thinking?

Supporting and enhancing students’ drawing skills improves not only their visual communication but also their mental health and well-being. Chris Wright and Zoë Allman offer low-stakes ways to use creativity to build community

Chris Wright, Zoë Allman

De Montfort University

Escape the class! Tips for creating virtual educational escape rooms

With games, tasks and a story, a virtual escape room can make ‘dry’ subjects more engaging for students working outside their majors, writes Cecilia Teng. Here, she gives educators steps for creating their own

Cecilia Teng

National University of Singapore

Five ways coaching can improve the university experience of Black students

The ethnicity awarding gap continues to be an issue in UK universities, especially for Black students. Could coaching be the answer?

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

We should be using social media more to understand students

How to use netnography to improve communication with prospective and current students

Alex Fenton

University of Chester

Four ways to use gamification to engage your students in learning

What if learning was as addictive as gaming? Motivate your students and engage them to learn with these four teaching innovations

Lim Keong Teoh

University of Winchester

Middle Eastern male millennial online student

How to demonstrate the value of online education to paying students

Scalability and flexibility are just two benefits that online learning offers students in the MENA region. Here’s how to let potential students know why they should enrol

Mohamed Abuelseoud Abdelzaher

Al-Mustaqbal University

‘Creativity is a practice, not an astonishing stroke of good luck’

Screenwriter and playwright Stephen Sewell shares practical insights into fostering students’ mental flexibility and resilience from research into unlocking creativity

Stephen Sewell

Australian National University

How can Jenga build course co-creation?

Questions about accessibility led to events management students and educators using block towers to foster discussion of lived experiences and a sense of belonging. Here, Katy Proctor and Nick Davies offer their insights into co-creating module content

Katy Proctor, Nick Davies

Glasgow Caledonian University

Ways to make your educational videos engaging

The power of video content to engage an audience is widely known, but not guaranteed. Here are 15 principles to bear in mind

FA Triatmoko HS

The University of Indonesia

‘What artists do is say the quiet bits out loud’

As teachers, we know our students will face the harsh demands of creativity and problem-solving in their daily professional lives – and we need to help them tap into deeper places that lead to novel solutions to intractable problems

Stephen Sewell

Australian National University

A woman working at a desk, viewed from above

Portfolio assessment may be the key to deeper learning

Portfolio assessment has proved to be an innovative way to track students' progress in economics classes, making learning deeper and more meaningful. Here’s how to do it

Belén Pagone, Cecilia Primogerio

Universidad Austral

Two science students use a microscope together

For truly practical learning, embrace an interdisciplinary approach

Bringing different fields of study together into one practical assignment, focused on a real-world problem, proved to be a game-changer in a sector shifting towards interdisciplinarity. Here's how it worked

Zulkifli Merican Aljunid Merican , Lim Jun Wei

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Close-up portrait of Tui - Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a famous New Zealand endemic honeyeater with yellow pollen on the forehead, in a blurred green background, in New Zealand

Dreaming of tuī returning to campus

Collaboration between community groups, local government and university students has improved bird nest survival rates exponentially as part of a broader biodiversity plan. Here is how one university is bringing native fauna back to campus

Seamus Moran

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Struggle, strength and growth: a holistic approach to embracing change

In preparing for their careers, students need skills to manage the demands that a changing world will place on their internal and external lives. These five stages aim to help them develop adaptability, resilience and psychological growth

Kathleen Chim, Lai Tsz Chui, Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

A teacher shaking hands with a student in class

Let me introduce you to the art of saying hello

A creative introduction sparks engagement, builds rapport and creates an atmosphere conducive to learning. Here are ways to make a good first impression

Vik Perez

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

African American student studying online

Creating flexible learning pathways for business students

Digital transformation isn’t about technology – it’s about people, writes Steve Hill. Learning experiences must fit into students’ lives rather than forcing them to fit their lives around institutions

Steve Hill

Walbrook Institute London

Hands holding books, illustration, diversify reading lists concept

Students as partners in diversifying reading lists

Bringing the student voice into the creation of a toolkit to decolonise and diversify university reading lists was a key purpose of a library project. Here's what the team learnt about working in partnership with students

Charlotte Gleeson, Debbie Spencer, Jenny Warren

University of Chester

A man in a green t-shirt collects plastic bottles

Four strategies to turn climate anxiety into student-led action

With climate anxiety on the rise among young people, universities can adopt several strategies to help harness those concerns, empower students and effect real change

Will Ellis

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Campus webinar: The art of bringing creativity and fun into the classroom

Learn how to get creative with your teaching and inject a sense of fun into the classroom for better student outcomes, from experienced educators at Campus+ partner universities in the UK

Simon Brownhill, Gary Burnett, Kelly Edmunds

The University of Bristol, Loughborough University, The University of East Anglia

Technical staff who support student learning deserve more professional recognition

Technical staff who deliver student-focused learning deserve more professional opportunities. Jodie Chatfield and Lindsay Davies explain how to provide tailored activities to increase awareness of and engagement with technical roles

Jodie Chatfield , Lindsay Davies

University of Nottingham, UK Institute for Technical Skills and Strategy

Let’s seriously game higher education to tackle the challenges ahead

The ‘tomorrow problems’ can be difficult for students for grasp. Vikki McCall advises harnessing the power of serious gaming to help them join the dots

Vikki McCall

University of Stirling

Building a university library service where everyone feels welcome

Practical actions and meaningful community engagement can support libraries’ work to be more equitable, inclusive and sustainable. Here are ways to get started

Tracey Stanley, Sara Huws, Susan Cousins

Cardiff University

Students laugh together while working on a whiteboard

Set your PhD students up with opportunities to debate and share

Creating alternative publishing opportunities and space for peer-led conversation are a vital part of the PhD research student journey. Teal Triggs launched two initiatives to do so

Teal Triggs

Royal College of Art

An illustration of tiny figures in white coats examining a cartoon brain

Three tips when creating a one-of-a-kind undergraduate degree

Building an integrated undergraduate degree in clinical neurology offered Tim Young a blank slate to work with. Here is how he made it unique

Tim Young

UCL

Bringing the human touch into the virtual classroom

Personalising learning experiences and building trust are just two of several strategies outlined in this resource aimed at helping teachers build supportive online learning environments

Lauren Flannery

The University of East Anglia

A teacher reads a story to her primary school class

An on-campus primary school helped to enrich the community and embed social responsibility

Establishing a university primary school made a difference in the local area and sparked a sense of social responsibility in students. Andrew Lenehan explains how he did it

Andrew Lenehan

Manchester Metropolitan University

How to cultivate a green campus: the journey to carbon neutrality

Achieving carbon neutrality is not an easy task but it is a necessary one. Here are four strategies to achieve it

Kay Choy, Jimmy Lam, Kenny Chan

Hong Kong Baptist University

Students sitting at their desks in class while a teacher speaks

Teach research methodology using these low-prep exercises

Use these engaging exercises to gently introduce your undergraduate students to research methods

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

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