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

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

University College London

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

Online student studying at her laptop

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

University of East Anglia

Four students sit on a grassy lawn

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

An illustration of a man holding an umbrella while emotions rain down upon him

Psychological safety can be a positive, powerful influence on learning environments

In order for students to feel confident speaking up in class and flexing their creative muscles, educators must create a sense of psychological safety. Here are eight tips to do so

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

A lightbulb is added to a machinery process

A guide to making automation work in higher education

Implementing automation in universities can relieve staff from repetitive tasks, streamline operations and enhance the student experience. Find out how to do it and the key questions to ask at each stage

Gregor Caldow, Jennifer Robertson

University of Glasgow

A running track

Four tips for setting up a fast-track accountancy degree programme

The Flying Start programme helps students from lower socio-economic backgrounds get started on their accounting careers. Here’s four things to remember when setting up your own alternative degree pathway

Ishani Chandrasekara

Queen Mary University of London

A globe nestles in green grass

Building a sustainable future on campus

Work towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals starts from the ground up. Here’s how to cultivate a greener campus

Gerry Wee

Singapore Institute of Technology

A student presenting a green initiative in front of an audience

How to include student voices in green campus initiatives

As centres of knowledge and innovation, higher education institutions have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to lead by example in promoting sustainability and environmental awareness. Here are ways to do it

Sowparnika Pavan Kumar Attavar

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Members of Gen Z use a range of devices

For Generation Z, online courses are the future of education

What do online courses need to offer to engage Generation Z? Find out what young people want and how to make their education serve them better

Samar Abdelazim Ahmed

Dubai Medical College for Girls

Business woman on her laptop in her living room

Ways to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset in students

Some practical tips to help nurture the next generation of entrepreneurs

Isabelle Ford, Hannah Willis

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Hands high-five in front of a leafy tree

Bridging the SDG awareness gap

Universities have a critical role to play in increasing awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Here’s how to do it

James Miller, Andrew Hursthouse

University of the West of Scotland

An illustration of young people putting a lighbulb together

When engaging young people in participatory research, trust is key

How can we collaborate with young people to co-produce research? Keep these three things in mind

Abigail Harrison Moore, Lauren Theweneti

University of Leeds, Sheffield Hallam University

A student smiling in class

Using emotions to boost learning

A professor explains how he leverages emotions to enhance students’ learning, using an approach called ‘mastering emotions in entrepreneurship education’

Vik Perez

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A student looks thoughtfully into the distance

Universities owe it to society to produce good citizens

Higher education’s role in creating the citizens of tomorrow’s world should not be underestimated. Here’s how to shape the leaders of the future and foster a sense of civic responsibility within them

Hind Lebdaoui

Al Akhawayn University

Millennial man thinking at laptop

Online tests as a method of engagement in higher education

Continuous e-assessment helps students engage with course materials and reduce procrastination, and offers educators benefits such as automated marking

Panagiotis Giannarakis

University of Southampton

Question marks against a yellow background

Let students know they don’t know

Overconfidence often prevents students from being able to identify areas of weakness. As teachers, we must help them realise what they are

Tony So

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Young female student in a lecture hall

Welcome! Now what?

A course induction can be more than an information-giving session in the student welcome timetable. It can introduce students to the practice of reflection on short- and long-term goals and what they want to achieve, writes Marianne Savory

Marianne Savory

Leeds University Business School

Student speaking to a teacher in front of laptop

Using philosophy to enhance online students’ critical thinking skills

Online courses often lack the kind of spontaneity that builds critical thinking skills. So how can we make up for this?

Garth Elzerman

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Man covering his eyes in front of his laptop

To trigger-warn or not to trigger-warn: that is the question

An instructor subjectively defines what they consider triggering, so how useful are they and how can we get trigger warnings right?

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

A woman holds up a bar chart to an iPhone camera

19 ways to promote your online course

In a crowded marketplace, marketing online courses can be challenging. Here are 19 proven strategies to get the word out

Shefa Mostafa Gawish

Dubai Medical College for Girls

Parents with two sons posing for a photo

A guide to supporting student parents at university: part three

In the final piece in her series, Andy Todd explores ways personal tutors can help their tutees transition into university smoothly

Andy Todd

University of Chester

Students in a class look at their phones

Transform digital pedagogy with social media

In order to ready the classroom for the digital age, integrate social media platforms into your teaching. Here’s how to do it

Mehmet Demir

University of Birmingham

Mother getting her son ready for school

A guide to supporting student parents at university: part two

The second in a three-part series provides detailed, practical guidance on how student parents can be supported to succeed at UK universities

Andy Todd

University of Chester

A human and a robot shake hands

A four-step process to embedding AI literacy in business courses

Business students will need to know how to work with AI tools in their future careers. Prepare them with this four-step process

John Murphy

The University of Adelaide

Father and son at an airport

A guide to supporting student parents at university: part one

The first in a three-part series provides an overview on how student parents can be supported to succeed at UK universities

Andy Todd

University of Chester

An audience in a darkened lecture hall

To demystify AI for your students, use performance

Updating Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the AI era helped students to understand the opportunities and limitations of the tool, in an engaging way. Here’s how to use performance as pedagogy

Will Shüler, Chris Hogg, Karim Shohdy

Royal Holloway, University of London

Mature age female student with hand up in lecture theatre

Why your students aren’t speaking up in lectures

When the risk of putting their hand up and giving an answer is greater than the benefit, students will remain silent. Here are strategies to encourage them to participate in class

Jade Garratt

Psych Safety

A student raises his hand in a lecture hall

Branch out to boost student engagement in flipped learning

When using a flipped learning method, it’s crucial that students engage with the pre-class content. Here’s how to make sure they do

John Warren

Loughborough University

Black female student doing online education

Blended learning is the short-term fix that turned into a long-term stay

Yes, the transition between online and in-person methods can make blended delivery challenging for students and educators alike, but keeping students engaged and sustaining their learning is worth the effort

Nisha Detchprohm

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

black woman at laptop with scales and gavel, law studies

International collaboration is a legal education opportunity

Cross-cultural understanding can enrich the ways in which educators in law integrate comparative legal analysis into their teaching, writes Petra Butler

Petra Butler

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

A group of students laugh together

How universities can better support Gypsy, Roma and Traveller students

More students from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are entering higher education. But what can universities do to better support their needs?

Colin Clark

University of the West of Scotland

Students working together in class

Use peer feedback to build engagement and belonging online

Giving feedback is a time-consuming and often frustrating part of teaching. What if educators handed the task to students? Here are the takeaways from an online business course

David Waller, Kaye Chan, Melissa Clarke

University of Technology Sydney

Five hands holding stars

Ways to empower EAP students to give high-quality feedback

Helping English for academic purposes students provide better quality feedback to their peers can give them more autonomy and free up teachers’ time

Jingfei Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Illustration of hand holding a cup aloft

Everything you wanted to know about National Teaching Fellowships but were afraid to ask…

The UK’s National Teaching Fellowships were established to recognise excellence in teaching and student learning. Fellow James Derounian asks if the scheme fulfils its goals

James Derounian

University of Bolton

Students talk to their teacher round a table

Five tips for blended learning design

Blended learning has become more prevalent in higher education in the past few years. But what do students think about it? A students-as-co-creators project found out

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Setenay Dilek Fidler, Mahima Singh, Drilena Ukperaj

University of Westminster

Dragon animation from a video game

Using AI to create engaging educational games for humanities students

Combine AI with gamification and storytelling activities to enhance student engagement

Dania Arriola Arteaga , Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Microphone on stage in club

Academics can (and should) be idiots

The comedy stage can be a place for academics to be silly and let it all hang out. Chris Pahlow explores why humour is effective for scholars and the people they’re trying to communicate with about their research

Chris Pahlow

Amplifying Research

A group of four students working on a project

Use student-centred learning strategies to motivate international business students

Support your international students by incorporating strategies that promote student-centred learning into your teaching

Giselle Bate

University of Chester

A lecturer takes questions from students with raised hands

Six strategies for boosting student attendance

Make your classroom a welcoming, engaging space for in-person learning once again. Here are six ideas to improve student attendance

Maha Ayman, Hananeh Ali

Dubai Medical College for Girls

Student outside holding a notepad while thinking deeply

Want to increase student satisfaction? Activate higher-order thinking skills

Activating students’ higher-order thinking skills enhances student satisfaction, research shows. Here are some examples of ways to do it

Irina Shcheglova

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A group of students converse over a table

Interdisciplinarity makes us greater than the sum of our parts

The real world is complicated. Let’s give our students the tools to take it on with interdisciplinary education

Jillian Terry

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Student receiving guidance from a teacher

Five steps to prevent disengagement

Follow these steps to ensure students at risk of dropping out of their studies feel supported to get back on track

Layal Hakim

University of Exeter

Academic integrity concept

Teaching international students about academic integrity

Cultural misunderstandings can lead to international students being referred for academic misconduct. An answer for university educators can be to tailor course content to bridge gaps in your students‘ understanding

Julija Jones

University of Southampton

A teacher writing in her journal

Reflective practice 101

Why and how to incorporate reflective practice into your teaching and learning

Natalie K.D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

A lecturer speaks to a group of students

Four ways to tap into students’ family experiences for better learning

Using students’ family experiences as a jumping-off point for learning can help engage them and prepare them for the workforce. Here’s how to do it

Ankit Agarwal

The University of Adelaide

A group of students fist-bump over a table of work

Spark creativity in your students – and boost their employability

Thinking creatively is a crucial skill for the future workplace. But how can we instil it in today’s students?

Sarah Montano, Inci Toral

University of Birmingham

Teacher sitting at his desk in an empty classroom waiting for his students

First-day-of-term tips: a checklist

Here are some steps to take to ensure the first few weeks of term go smoothly for yourself and your students

Kalpana Gupta

University of Colorado Boulder