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

Young African women wearing headphones in a university cafe - reconnecting after the pandemic

Reopening and reconnecting: how to establish connection with first-years studying in the new normal

Agnes Chikonzo offers three key ways that university services can engage students and give them a sense of belonging back on campus

Agnes Chikonzo

The University of Zimbabwe

Profound learning can be a revolution for your university

Classes need less focus on employability and more on profound learning

Classes are sometimes the least transformative elements of what students experience at university. We need to change that, say Davin Carr-Chellman, Ali Carr-Chellman and Michael Kroth

Davin Carr-Chellman , Ali Carr-Chellman, Michael Kroth

University of Dayton, University of Idaho

How to be comfortable with uncomfortable conversations

Ruth Woodfield outlines steps that academics, students and university staff can take to support and work through the discomfort of difficult discussions

Ruth Woodfield

University of St Andrews

Advice on creating equitable pathways to better engage all students regardless of background or prior knowledge

Co-creation and empowerment: pathways to better student engagement

Effective approaches universities can take to promote equity and improve student learning outcomes and employability, shared by a team from the University of Salford

Sara Namvar, David Greensmith, Niroshini Nirmalan

University of Salford

Watch parties are a variation on the flipped learning model used in universities

In praise of the ‘watch party’ – an update to the flipped learning model

Many new students struggle with the amount of self-directed learning at university. Perhaps it’s time to introduce watch parties, say Emily Nordmann and Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel

Emily Nordmann, Carolina Kuepper-Tetzel

University of Glasgow

Universities are creating pre-prepared, fully complete courses called shells

How I stopped worrying and learned to embrace pre-prepared courses

I was shocked when first told I had to teach a ‘shell’ prepared by a colleague a few years ago, but I’m actually growing from the experience, says George Justice

George Justice

Arizona State University

Advice on why and how to build a sense of identity and belonging among students for better learning outcomes

Building identity and belonging among students

Proactively building students’ sense of identity and belonging is vital for positive learning outcomes, explains Blake McKimmie. In this video, he gives advice on how it can be achieved

Blake McKimmie

The University of Queensland

Research backed advice on managing different national cultures to encourage engagement with learning technology

How does national culture affect the adoption of learning technology?

Na Li, Xiaojun Zhang and Maria Limniou offer tips to counter the hidden cultural and social factors that reduce acceptance of virtual learning environments, based on their research

Na Li, Xiaojun Zhang, Maria Limniou

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

How to ensure online teaching benefits the education of sustainability issues

Engaging students in applied research to tackle Sustainable Development Goals

Jen O’Brien describes a pedagogical project that engages students in applied research carried out in partnership with external organisations, related to the Sustainable Development Goals

Jen O'Brien

The University of Manchester

In the new normal we might forget the technology and focus on motivating human beings again

Forget the tech – in the new normal, let’s focus on human beings

The key to making learning effective, now and in the post-pandemic world, is focusing on motivation, says Grace McCarthy

Grace McCarthy

University of Wollongong

Webinar discussion how to reduce student drop out rates in the context of the pandemic and online learning

Capturing students’ attention in the classroom: does listening equal learning?

Four teaching academics discuss effective approaches to keeping students focused and engaged inside and outside the classroom

Flower Darby, Steven Mintz, Kara Monroe, Constanza Pacher

Northern Arizona University, University of Texas at Austin, Ivy Tech Community College, MacEwan University

Advice on why and how to use podcasts to supplement your online teaching

Listen to this! Using podcasts for online learning

Emily O’Reilly explains why and how to use educational podcasts to supplement your online teaching

Emily O'Reilly

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on using popular social media platforms to support your university teaching and academic research

Fake news, educated views and how-tos: social media for teaching and research

Terese Bird shares her ideas on how to use some of the most popular social media platforms to support your teaching and research

Terese Bird

University of Leicester

Advice on explaining to students why they should keep their cameras on during online classes

Stay in the frame: how to persuade students to keep cameras on in lessons

Paul Moss shares advice on how to convince students that making themselves visible during online classes is in their own interest and will aid learning outcomes

Paul Moss

The University of Adelaide

A lecturer speaks to university students, but what is the role of the lecture in modern HE?

What is the purpose of a university lecture?

We must continue to question the true role of the lecture and how lecture recordings fit in to the effective delivery of higher education, says Jill MacKay

Jill MacKay

The University of Edinburgh

Students need effective information, advice and guidance to make informed post-18 decisions

Targeted advice and guidance is crucial for widening participation

Especially post-Covid, pupils need a strong foundation that prepares them for future post-18 decisions

Billy Huband-Thompson

Centre for Education and Youth

Advice on providing comprehensive support for remote students through academic advising

Building a community of support for remote students through academic advising

Janet Morrison details academic advising strategies that keep students feeling connected and supported throughout their educational journeys when learning online

Janet Morrison

Champlain College Online

The word ‘play’ and a downward arrow in neon

Ready, player one? How video games can help engage students

Engaging, rewarding and a great way to encourage active participation, games are a brilliant addition to a teaching and learning environment, says Chris Headleand

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

A laptop, coffee and apple depict an unrealistic working from home set-up

Let’s embrace flexible learning as much as we have flexible working

Much like working from home, remote teaching and learning come with a range of benefits to learners if we just make room for them

Matt Jenner

FutureLearn

Three tips for making instructional videos that support better student engagement

Three video techniques for increasing student engagement

Joe Arton shares three evidence-based techniques for creating teaching and learning videos that will improve student engagement and learning outcomes

Joe Arton

The University of Edinburgh

Construction workers huddled over plans represent universities laying foundational steps for online learning

The foundational steps needed to advance online higher education post-Covid

The will to evolve is essential, followed by a technology-led approach to pedagogy, student engagement and interactivity, says Steve Davies

Steve Davies

University of South Wales, Learna

Advice gleaned from a survey of students about what is needed for effective online teaching

What can we learn from students about online education?

Yidan Qin shares some key lessons from a survey of students regarding what is needed to make online teaching effective

Yidan Qin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A student asleep on his laptop. Just because someone has logged into a class does not mean they have engaged with that class.

We shouldn’t confuse online engagement with logging in

When assessing the all-important ‘engagement’ metric, the sector often defaults to the crude measurement of attendance − which is clearly flawed, says Chris Headleand

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

Tips on how to engage students when your class is split between those studying in-person and those learning via zoom

How to engage students when some are in the room and some are on Zoom

Flower Darby offers practical tips for keeping all students engaged when teaching a class in which some students are with you in person and others are learning remotely via a teleconferencing platform

Flower Darby

Northern Arizona University

Advice on recognising the pros and cons of online teaching and what to bring forward after covid

Pandemic teaching: storm clouds and silver linings

Glenn Geher talks through the highs and lows of teaching during a pandemic and the lessons we can learn from them

Glenn Geher

State University of New York at New Paltz

A woman communicates with classmates in a synchronous remote classroom

Funny memes and other ways to encourage students to keep their cameras on

Frank R. Castelli offers advice from his evidenced-based strategy to get students to use their cameras without requiring it

Frank R. Castelli

Cornell University

Advice on using the VLE tools to monitor student engagement online and focus support efforts

Monitoring student engagement via online teaching tools

Maurice Kinsella and colleagues offer practical advice on using the virtual learning environment (VLE) tools to monitor student engagement and focus support efforts where they are needed

Maurice Kinsella, Niamh Nestor, John Wyatt

University College Dublin

Whitehall sign. The government needs to step up in the battle for student retention

Government needs to step up in the student retention battle

The higher education sector needs the resources to get better at spotting students at risk of falling behind or dropping out altogether, says John Couperthwaite

John Couperthwaite

Echo360

This is our chance to create the classroom of the future

This is our chance to create the classroom of the future

We know what works best for learning, and most of it is easier to implement in the online world, says Daphne Koller

Daphne Koller

Stanford University

Passing a note in class. The modern version might be sending an emoji to a friend, but these back channels of communication are crucial

We must encourage the art of passing (virtual) secret notes in class

Far from being unwanted classroom distractions, informal communications such as gifs, emojis and online chat can fulfil basic human needs, say Claire Kinsella and Linda Kaye

Claire Kinsella, Linda Kaye

University of Staffordshire, Edge Hill University

The role of the community college should not be underestimated in terms of providing civil discourse and education opportunities

Don’t downplay the role of community colleges in healing a nation

At a time of rampant disinformation, these two-year institutions can be the engines of enquiry and purpose that enable the next generation to rebuild our democracy, says Eduardo Padron

Eduardo Padron

Miami Dade College

Designing teaching activities which trigger an emotional response making key lessons easier to remember

How to design unforgettable class activities that help students learn better

These teaching techniques are designed to pique students’ emotions and lodge key lessons more firmly in their memories

Jonathan Sim

National University of Singapore

We must stop confusing the emergency use online learning we've been relying on during the pandemic with real, well-designed online learning

Let’s stop confusing what just happened with true online learning

During the pandemic, decades of research and practice were tossed aside in a matter of days, says Ali Carr-Chellman

Ali Carr-Chellman

University of Dayton

Proactive steps educators should take to better engage students in online learning

It’s not you, it’s me: taking responsibility for student engagement and interaction

Maia Forrester and Ian Lee share lessons in boosting student engagement and interaction when teaching online, based on their experience training medical educators

Maia Forrester, Ian Lee

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on using existing online resources to support your teaching

Making the most of online educational resources: a case study

Pascal Grange explains how online educational resources can be used to complement teaching and enhance students’ opportunities for learning

Pascal Grange

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Learn how instructor featured videos can give your remote learning students a much needed sense of connection

More screen time: using instructor-featured video to create connection online

Aaron Smith explains why instructor-featured videos are such a powerful tool for keeping remote-learning students grounded and for providing a sense of human connection, based on his research

Aaron Smith

University of Waterloo

Using self-determination theory to design online courses that boost student motivation

Boosting student motivation through course design

Maurice Kinsella and Niamh Nestor explain how to use self-determination theory as a guide to boost student motivation through careful online course design

Maurice Kinsella, Niamh Nestor, John Wyatt

University College Dublin

A diverse group of students requires a diverse range of learning opportunities, an approach that is championed by universal design for learning

Flexibility is key if we want students to connect with their studies

Universal design for learning not only embraces diversity, it also uses it as the basis for providing choice in how students learn – and succeed, says Lillian Nave

Lillian Nave

Appalachian State University

Too many devices. Should we be training lecturers to deal with shortened attention spans?

Should lecturers be trained to deal with shortening attention spans?

Would my life be easier if I had received explicit guidance in how to deliver content in TikTok-length pieces? asks Katie Davis

Katie Davis

University of Washington

Advice for teaching students across Eastern and Western cultural boundaries

When East meets West: improving student engagement in culturally diverse classrooms

TJ Moore offers simple steps that support student engagement across Eastern and Western cultural boundaries, for lecturers teaching at home or overseas

TJ Moore

The University of Edinburgh

Learn how applying game techniques to online learning improves engagement

Serious play: boosting engagement in online courses through games

Gaming techniques should be taken seriously as a way to keep students engaged in online courses, explains Dario De Notaris, based on his research into improving Mooc completion rates

Dario De Notaris

University of Naples Federico II

How to encourage the use of zoom cameras in online classes

To see or not to see: managing the complex issue of Zoom cameras

Many students opt to keep cameras turned off in online classes, which makes building authentic connections more difficult. Celia Ann Evans shares strategies for encouraging the use of cameras without making it a requirement

Celia Ann Evans

Cornell University

Blogging is an overlooked means of engaging students and reaping myriad other benefits

Back to the future: how blogs can revolutionise your classroom

From assisting reflective learning to increasing engagement, do not overlook the humble blog amid the rush for the shiniest new online thing, says Dennis Relojo-Howell

Dennis Relojo-Howell

The University of Edinburgh

Lessons in how gamification can help drive students' online learning

Lessons from gamification to enhance students’ capacity for learning

Oran Devilly and May Lim share lessons from using gaming techniques to help students develop the learning traits needed to benefit from online teaching

Oran Devilly, May Lim

Singapore Institute of Technology

Made in China. The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated China's position as the world leader in edtech.

Covid-19 has reinforced China’s role as global leader in ed-tech

The country’s giant companies benefit from an ecosystem that supports online learning and a cultural propensity to prioritise education, says Tom C. Varghese

Tom C. Varghese

University of Oxford

The government and HE sector must think digital-first when offering employability skills and training.

Digital-first thinking is needed to address youth employability

Younger people are geared towards digital channels, so they’re more likely to engage with innovative, online training as part of their studies, says Harminder Matharu

Harminder Matharu

FutureLearn

Universities have been taking all the wrong cues when trying to measure engagement.

Forget everything you think you know about online engagement

There’s much interest in how many times students access the virtual learning environment or complete online tasks, but that only provides part of the picture, says Linda Kaye

Linda Kaye

Edge Hill University

Three tips for building community in the classroom

Building community in the classroom whatever your teaching modality

Nancy Gleason offers three tips for building community among students whatever your teaching modality

Nancy Gleason

New York University Abu Dhabi

Doing science at home. Harvey Mudd College in California devised many innovative methods to teach lab work online

Rethinking remote labs to deliver during Covid and beyond

Our faculty has devised truly innovative methods to replace the in-person lab experience, says Maria Klawe

Maria Klawe

Harvey Mudd College

Getting creative in the classroom is crucial in helping stave off online adversity.

A bit of creativity can go a long way when teaching online

It’s crucial to shake things up to stop online delivery from homogenising even the most disparate teaching styles, says Constanza Pacher

Constanza Pacher

MacEwan University

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