Teach your students to be engaged citizens

Advice on getting your students registered to vote and into the polling station on election day, as well as teaching critical thinking, debating well, reaching out into the community and how universities can advance democracy

A row of voting booths with brightly coloured balloons

Nearly 50 per cent of the world’s population will have the opportunity to vote in an election in 2024, and the consequences could shape modern society for decades. From Trump to Tuvalu, every fight counts – and at stake is the world your students will inherit. Teach them about civic responsibility, engage them in activism, involve them in community projects, help make their university a bastion of democracy – and most importantly, make sure they get to the ballot box.

Voting counts: how to get more students to the ballot box

Young people are less likely to vote than any other age group, so what can institutions do to engage students with the most fundamental of democratic processes? Rebecca Deegan shares some lessons

Rebecca Deegan

I Have A Voice

Teaching civic responsibility

Button badges with the Scottish saltire pile up

Every student in Scotland can vote: here’s why that should matter to educators

Teach your students that voting is an investment in the future – and help them build a lifelong habit. Murray Leith offers advice

Murray Leith

University of the West of Scotland

A shadowy hand casts a vote in a ballot box

How to engage students using public advocacy

Use real-world events to help students join the dots in their learning. Cornelia Koch outlines how

Cornelia Koch

The University of Adelaide

Advice for how universities can train students in democratic values and practices

How universities can embed democratic principles and practices into the student experience

Higher education is a critical pillar of a functional democracy and there are things that colleges and universities can do today to actively foster democratic practices, as Meg Little Reilly explains

Meg Little Reilly

University of Vermont

A hand places a vote inside a ballot box

Believe it or not, you can use conspiracy theories as tools for teaching

When misinformation is a global risk, critical thinking skills are more vital than ever, writes Malcolm Schofield. Here, he offers techniques from parapsychology and belief studies that can make research and analysis more rigorous

Malcolm Schofield

University of Derby

Helping students make sense of global politics through class debates

How to guide students to develop and take part in class debates to deepen their understanding of course content

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Community outreach

Volunteers wearing hi vis

Use students to facilitate impactful collaborations that benefit the community

Using students to connect third-sector organisations with people who can help them brings benefits to all involved. By Martin Parker

Martin Parker

University of Bristol

Pottery wheel

Fostering student co-creation to give back to the community

Engaging in local civic projects offers students meaningful learning opportunities, fosters co-creation and supports the community at large. Here, Martha Sullivan outlines the benefits based on working with the Empty Bowls project

Martha Sullivan

Virginia Tech

Advice on shaping community outreach in order to improve educational outcomes for local communities

Changing lives through community engagement and outreach

Josephine Bleach outlines questions that higher education institutions should ask to help them foster authentic community engagement that improves educational outcomes for children, families and communities

Josephine Bleach

National College of Ireland

A group of people link arms as the sun sets

How universities can build meaningful collaborations to solve societal challenges

For universities to extend their impact and community engagement, they need to form strong partnerships with external organisations and individuals. Alicia Wilson shares seven guiding principles that support successful collaboration

Alicia Wilson

Johns Hopkins University

Four ways universities can enhance their community impact

Go beyond the campus walls to enrich the surrounding community educationally, socially and economically. Xiuli Guo outlines how

Xiuli Guo

University of the West of Scotland

How universities can advance democracy

A university leader gives a press conference - standing as a bastion for democracy is key for higher education and its leaders

Four key strategies for higher education leaders to advance democracy

University leaders must use their positions to develop citizens and communities that combat tyranny and facilitate democracy – hard work that is done on and off campus

Jon McNaughtan, Alexander W. Wiseman

Texas Tech University

Advice on promoting democracy among students in higher education

How universities can promote ‘democratic competences’ among students

A guide to how higher education can help develop a culture of democracy among students, through study programmes, a whole institution approach and community engagement, by Sjur Bergan

Sjur Bergan

Council of Europe

open knowledge

How open knowledge strengthens democracies

No longer just guardians of knowledge, public universities are critical to the health of young democracies. To support civil society and democracy, flagship institutions must embrace their role as coordinators of open knowledge exchange

Justin Axel-Berg

University of São Paulo

A sign on black railings reads "Polling Station"

A higher education playbook for strengthening democracy: what institutions can do

Five ways universities can engage in supporting democracy in their home nations and throughout the world, presented by William Tierney

William Tierney

University of Southern California

Social justice in, through and beyond higher education

Higher education institutions can work individually and together to advance social justice well beyond their campus walls, as Pardis Mahdavi explains

Pardis Mahdavi

Arizona State University