Student engagement

Teaching academics and university staff address what student engagement means to them and offer advice on capturing students’ attention in an age of digital distraction and keeping them motivated to learn. Find insights on teaching strategies that give students agency over their learning, boost class attendance and participation and help to build a campus community.

Female student examining a computer chip with a magnifying glass

What is authentic about ‘authentic learning’?

The catch-all term ‘authentic’ can distinguish certain teaching, practical and assessment tasks as being more valuable than others, but educators need to ask what assumptions underpin the label, writes J. Patrick Williams

J. Patrick Williams

Nanyang Technological University

An illustration of a figure balancing on a tightrope

The balancing act involved in teaching a class of mixed-ability students

Have you faced a situation where half of your class are subject-matter experts, and the other half are absolute beginners? Find practical strategies for bringing novices up to speed while keeping experts motivated

Lolita Edralin

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A student on a zoom call in her home office

Make tech work in large online courses

Students on large online courses can sometimes feel like a face among the crowd. Keep them engaged with interactive activities such as digital escape rooms or business simulators

Nelly Ramirez Vásquez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

University staff clasp hands in a show of solidarity

Three lessons that outreach can teach us about enriching our own work

University staff can benefit from outreach as much as its participants. Oliver Rossetti explores three principles that can drive positive change within institutions, as well as beyond

Oliver Rossetti

Arden University

Bring open science into the classroom

To truly change science, the next generation of researchers must understand not only open science practices but also the values behind them. Find three ways to introduce them to students

Madeleine Pownall

University of Leeds

Architecture students inspecting plans on a board

Memorable teaching doesn’t just transfer knowledge – it transforms perspective

Educators may often ask themselves how to make teaching more engaging. A better question is how to create learning experiences that fundamentally change the way students think

Andrew Gipe-Lazarou

Virginia Tech

Want industry speakers? Get them in early

Guest speakers offer an informed, personal perspective on their discipline and a chance for learners to make an in-person connection that a recording cannot replicate. Here’s how to maximise the benefits and get students to turn up

Treasa Kearney, Anna Egan

University of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan University

Design learning experiences students cannot outsource to AI

A good class creates a sequence of mental events that cannot be outsourced: prediction, surprise, judgement, revision and retrieval, writes Emilia Samit

Emilia Samit

Nebrija University

Young male student looking at phone while putting off study

To stop students procrastinating, collaborate with them

To help students start academic work on time, educators can use an approach that both guides them and pushes them to manage their own journeys

Itamar Shatz

University of Cambridge

A professor explaining course structure to a class full of students, some of whom have their hands raised

You only get one first class of term – make it count

How to create a positive first impression and transform the first class from a passive briefing to an interactive launchpad for learning

Svetoslav G. Georgiev

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Male student working at laptop surrounded by images of documents

How document-grounded AI can support inclusive learning

When educators restrict an AI model to a defined collection of trusted inputs, they can introduce students to academic materials in a flexible and interactive way. Here, Imran Khan shares five practical insights

Imran Khan

Birmingham City University

A student consults an AI bot for study help

Make AI literacy a foundational element of your course design

With AI becoming commonplace in nearly every industry, educators need to intentionally integrate AI into the learning process. Here’s how to do it, ethically and transparently

Andrea Ramirez-Salgado, Darius Brown, Soohyoun Ahn, Tom Zhang

University of Florida

We must stop treating internationalisation as something dependent on an aeroplane

Studying abroad can open students’ minds to the world – but the barriers to physical mobility are mounting. It’s time for a rethink

Anthony Manning

Arden University

‘You can’t just lecture students any more’

GenAI does not make lecturers redundant, but it does weaken one-way content delivery as a reason to bring students together, writes Debra Page. She shares four practical shifts to teaching in the age of AI

Debra Page

University of Reading

A student on a Zoom call with other online students

How a studio-based format transforms online teaching

Online teaching works best when teaching, facilitation and technical delivery are treated as complementary professional roles. Read guidance on studio-based delivery

Multiple authors

Cranfield University

Move beyond technical skills and embed AI literacy that teaches students to question

Learning to use artificial intelligence effectively and responsibly is essential, but it is not enough. Educators should also prepare students to question, influence and shape the future of AI. Find out how

Katie Ledingham, Sarah Hartley

The University of Exeter

The understanding gap – and how AI can help university educators close it

Students often fall behind long before assessments reveal it. Identifying gaps in understanding during teaching – and using AI for just-in-time support – could transform learning, writes Zabin Visram

Zabin Visram

Glion Institute of Higher Education

Students concentrate on writing in class

A four-step writing protocol to teach students how to practise attention

Harness writing and composition teaching to help students develop their capacity for sustained attention. A simple classroom activity can get you started

Leonard Nalencz

University of Mount Saint Vincent

Daniel Guberman is this week's podcast guest

Campus Talks: Backwards course design – from learning outcomes to assessment to activities

An expert in student-centred instructional design talks through the process of creating effective university courses, including the potential of artificial intelligence to support feedback and revision

Daniel Guberman, Eliza Compton

Purdue University

University students sitting outside looking at a funny video on one of their phones

Help students practise digital mindfulness

By reducing screen time, students can recharge and reconnect with their physical surroundings. Learn how to guide them towards more mindful digital use

Chaonan Xu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Rethinking course design to enliven student engagement

To foster students’ meaningful learning, educators should be using class time to maximise the benefits of the in-person experience, as Nasreen Sultana explains

Nasreen Sultana

The University of Queensland

How to set your students up to write compelling op-eds

Help students develop their writing and refine their arguments by publishing opinion pieces. Find advice for supporting student writers here

Arafat Reza, Shahariar Sadat

BRAC University’s Centre for Peace and Justice

A student discusses options with a careers support advisor

Embed career readiness throughout a student’s journey

Instead of a stand-alone service, career support should be part of a larger academic ecosystem that begins at orientation. Here’s how to implement it

Angel Iverson, Julia Vollrath, Alison Noonan

University of Florida

Black female student taking notes at laptop

Leveraging student agency in course design

Giving students choice is not about reducing expectations or allowing students to take shortcuts in their study, writes Courtney Kimmel. Here, she explains how course structure can create pathways to deeper learning

Courtney Kimmel

Virginia Tech

Show students why your classes matter

When we demonstrate clear benefits, offer incentives that support learning and intervene when students fall behind, we can make attending a more attractive choice. Read strategies based on student insights

Andrew Snyder, Bingqing Wang, Jiayu Zhou

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

STEM students watch and interact with a classroom presentation

Harness the power of ‘what if?’ in STEM teaching

Interactive, computable lecture presentations offer students autonomy and the chance to flex their creativity. Find out how

Dmitry Sizov

Nazarbayev University

Gamification can support sustained engagement with course content

Game mechanics use feedback, rankings, discussion and participation over time to maintain students’ attention throughout the semester

Fabrizio Marozzo

University of Calabria

Bring playfulness into teaching for collaboration and creativity

In learning, playfulness is often overlooked. Yet it could be key to embedding the soft, ‘human’ skills students will need for the future. Isabel Taurel shows how

Isabel Taurel

Al Akhawayn University

Students sitting in a circle with no desks

Tech-free teaching: how to get it right

Carefully designed device-free lessons can help students learn to articulate their thoughts, engage with peers and brainstorm ideas. Learn how

Arpita Ghosh

The University of Exeter

Retro style poster for space tours to Mars

Does student attention have a half-life?

Can a theatrical approach to teaching a dry subject free up brain space? Chris Jones uses cognitive load theory to manage when students’ attention drifts

Chris Jones

Regent’s University London

Students hold brightly coloured speech bubbles up to their faces

How to turn student feedback into HR decisions that actually change their experience

Despite the amount of student feedback collected, it is not impacting on students’ day-to-day lives. How can we change that?

Igor Kim

Nazarbayev University

Back view of student raising his hand to answer teacher's question

When the university lesson becomes a ritual

By turning your classes into ‘interaction rituals’, you could re-energise even the most apathetic of students – and yourself – and spark excitement for learning. Allan McCoy explains how

Allan McCoy

University of Nottingham

Students play a game designed to improve their clinical communication

Why serious skills need serious play

Are your students struggling with role play? Game-based learning can offer structure, safety and feedback, especially when combined with AI support. Here’s how

Mark Anthony Chan Wen Kein

Singapore Institute of Technology

Five ways to turn students from spectators into collaborators

Practical tips for transforming traditional assignments, research projects and graduate theses into opportunities to connect students with real-world stakeholders

Rafael Núñez

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

A student works at a laptop with headphones on

What future-proofing a course really means

Instead of attempting to predict the future, future-proofing online courses is about making them easier to update, more inclusive and more useful to students, even as context changes

Gennadii Miroshnikov

King’s College London

Spotlight guide: How to best serve the covid generation now at university

The post-pandemic university: how to best serve the Covid generation

A guide to how institutions can adapt and shape higher education in order to meet the needs of students whose vital school years were interrupted by pandemic lockdowns

Campus contributors

Campus

An illustration of a robot in a mortarboard

How universities can learn to live with AI

University policy and students’ practical use of AI are running in different directions. Higher education needs a collaborative approach, focused on human capability, write Doug Specht and Gunter Saunders

Doug Specht, Gunter Saunders

University of Westminster

Use short-form videos to build community in large courses

TikTok-style videos can give a face to a department and encourage students to take an active role in academic life. Learn how to work with students to create them

Ramin Nassehi

UCL

Jose Eos Trinidad teaching at the University of California, Berkeley

How I used chalk and paper to win back students’ attention

It’s not just about kicking AI and other technology out of the university classroom. A return to analogue teaching methods requires preparation in order to reap the benefits of deeper learning and engagement, writes Jose Eos Trinidad

Jose Eos Trinidad

University of California, Berkeley

How to be present in teaching, even when you’re not physically there

Asynchronous course design has to work for the student logging in alone at 11pm, or it doesn’t work at all. Here’s how to design to make your presence felt, even in absence

Lucy S. Méndez Santiago

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

Students gather around a table to work together

Creating empathetic graduates requires us to go beyond exams

Drawing on self-determination theory and using immersion technology can help educators shape civic-minded, people-focused students. Find out how

Angel Lai

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

University students working individually at their desks

Five pillars of collaborative online learning

How to promote interaction, a sense of collective responsibility and reflective practices to prevent students from ‘dividing and conquering’ in group projects

Mariana Elizondo, Elizabeth Marcial Morales

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A student opens an AI chatbot in a lecture hall

Your students use GenAI. Let’s redesign learning so thinking still happens

We can’t put AI back in the box. Instead, higher education needs to find a way to make students think despite it

Soukaina Aijou

Al Akhawayn University

The answer to personalising education isn’t technological, it’s organisational

Is higher education too focused on tools and algorithms when it comes to personalised education? Perhaps there’s a simpler answer

Fabián Olmos

Universidad Austral

An illustration of students speaking different languages

How language surveys can shape a multilingual university

A biennial language survey changed how one university thought about linguistic diversity – and helped give students a voice. Here’s how

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Should I raise my hand? Navigating cultural norms in the classroom

To tap into cultural diversity and enrich teaching environments, Sarah Kegley suggests three strategies: consult class members, be clear about engagement guidelines and make good use of resources

Sarah Kegley

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

What are students really paying attention to?

If we want to engage students, we must reuse and regenerate their attention rather than take, make and waste it, writes Christine Rivers, who shares advice on how to do this

Christine Rivers

University of Surrey

A hand holds a phone, on which an influencer is live streaming

Click like: how to use influencers in authentic assessment

Bridge the gap between students’ education and their online lives by deploying social media content creators in assessment. Here’s how

Melissa Y. L. Yeung , Ryan S. W. Lo, Hansel H. Y. Chan , Derek C. T. Au

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Student raising their hand to speak in a lecture

The Democracy Lab: how 20 minutes of debate can revive the lecture

By introducing short debate about a current issue or trend tied to that day’s lecture, Theo Koutmeridis discovered a simple way to boost student interest and engagement for the whole two-hour class

Theodore Koutmeridis

University of Glasgow

Students using card and paper to create models in class

Software engineers with people skills grow from cardboard cities

Sometimes the best way to teach software engineering is to step away from the computer. Learn how to deliver a cardboard building activity that replicates a software development lifecycle

Nanlin Jin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

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