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.

Students responding to a question in the classroom

An examination of student engagement in the classroom

An exploration of what student engagement means for different individuals and how to support and assess it in the classroom

Stephanie Foster, Kirk Ambrose

The University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University

Neuroeducation can help students learn better at university

Five ways to use neuroeducation to improve student learning

Understanding what happens in the brain when it learns can help teachers plan their lessons, attitudes and words for maximum learning impact

José Alberto Herrera Bernal

Tecnológico de Monterrey

How to support multilingual international students in the classroom

Multilingual students face unique challenges that affect their participation and communication in the classroom, but educators can take steps to make them feel welcome

Andrea Feldman

The University of Colorado Boulder

Tips from university students on filming videos to keep them engaged

Tips from students on how to film videos that keep them engaged

A discussion thread on making videos became Keith Pressey’s most successful post in 13 years of teaching – here he shares the key takeaways from the exercise

Keith Pressey

Colorado State University Global

The National Student Survey changes could harm higher education

The changes to the National Student Survey could prove disastrous

The removal of well-being-centric questions and the ability to compare with previous years will impede universities’ ability to offer adequate support

Harriet Dunbar-Morris

The University of Portsmouth

Image of a person hidden behind a large question mark

My teacher’s a robot: beating negative perceptions when teaching online

Students on online courses complain of a lack of interaction, motivation and familiarity with teachers, research shows. Wendy Cowan looks at how to build ‘instructor presence’ into online courses

Wendy Cowan

Athens State University

Foundation students moving on up at university

It’s time to end the negative narratives surrounding foundation students

Foundation students are often seen as somehow lacking, but we can challenge the stereotypes around their knowledge and backgrounds to force positive change

Christina Delistathi

University of Westminster

Amplify the authentic student voice in university marketing

Any university can claim to be the best, but in the end, people will believe the students who study there. Here are tips on collaborating with students to create marketing content that amplifies their authentic voice

Ari Badlishah

The University of Edinburgh

How to shift the power dynamic between lecturer and students

Calling all authoritarians: how to shift the power dynamic in your classes

Using the empowerment framework helps build shared purpose, meaning and respect between professors and students, leading to reciprocal growth and learning

Catherine Whaley, Jon McNaughtan

Texas Tech University

Lights, camera, action: how to get students to turn on their cameras

Strategies to strengthen student engagement and build community in virtual learning environments by encouraging all students to turn on their cameras, by Clara Chapdelaine-Feliciati

Clara Chapdelaine-Feliciati

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

The basics of building engagement and motivation for learning online

The fundamentals of effective course development and communication when teaching predominantly online, shared by Hasti Abbasi

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

The pronoun y'all as inclusive language in universities

Embracing inclusivity with ‘y’all’: why this pronoun deserves a fresh look

In a recent online meeting, a colleague told me that using that word made me sound uneducated. So I set out to see if it is really sending a bad message

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Engage your students with these feedback strategies

Angeles Aguirre and Jorge Mosqueda provide simple introductions to four methods of feedback, from video summaries and social media posts to rubrics

Angeles Carolina Aguirre-Acosta , Jorge Mosqueda

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A tutor talking to a student in the library

Data analytics to target student support and address problems early

How higher education institutions can incorporate data analytics into student support strategies to pinpoint risk factors that could disrupt a student’s progress and target assistance

Elise Awwad

DeVry University

Image showing icons linked to online messaging and social platforms

Boost learning with online student discussion forums

How to scaffold class online discussion forums to ensure participation from all students and maximise the benefits to learning

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Three blended learning challenges and how to overcome them

Tips to improve student retention, engagement and participation drawn from teaching blended and online introductory computer programming courses, which cannot rely on in-person labs

Erick Purwanto, Thomas Selig, Na Li

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Making students comfortable in class without coddling them

Comfort without coddling: how to make students comfortable in the classroom

How do educators foster a safe environment for students while encouraging their independence? Brooke Wilson discusses why this is important

Brooke Wilson

Colorado State University Global

Image showing someone trapped in a glass jar, trying to be heard

Breaking language barriers: supporting non-native English-speaking students

Steps that tutors can take to better support students who are non-native speakers of English and ensure they feel included and able to play an active role in their university community

Jiajun Liu, Qian Wang , Shuai Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Is online education killing conversation

Will online education lead to the death of conversation?

Students who can critique ideas and generate sound, reasoned arguments in real time will be better prepared to find success after they graduate, says Rebekah Wanic

Rebekah Wanic

Nova Southeastern University

Hacking their hack: how embracing online summaries revolutionised my classes

With students struggling to focus on and comprehend assignments, summaries can take some of the leg work out of learning and allow students to come to class ready to connect

Catherine Ross

University of Texas at Tyler

Students are disconnected because of higher ed discipline silos

Students are disengaged – and it’s due to how higher ed is structured

Academic structures, such as disciplines, too often silo and limit possibilities for engagement and connection, says JT Torres

J. T. Torres

Quinnipiac University

Student happiness versus student satisfaction

Should we be aiming for student happiness or student satisfaction?

Happiness and satisfaction are two sides of the same coin, but crucial differences exist between them – and one serves our students far better, says Doug Specht

Doug Specht

University of Westminster

Bringing confusion into class can actually benefit students

Confusion diffusion: nine ways to prepare students to work with uncertainty

Jenny Moffett explores classroom techniques to help students meet the demands of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

An introduction to microlearning

Dulce Julissa Salas Benavides and Jesús Alejandro Salas Benavides explain the basics of microlearning, from how it works to benefits and key features

Dulce Julissa Salas Benavides , Jesús Alejandro Salas Benavides

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Top three teaching and learning tips for higher education

Good teachers need to be good learners

Patrick Bailey draws on four decades of university experience to identify the three things he thinks have the biggest impact on successful teaching and learning

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University

Female student writing in the university library

Mini virtual writing retreats to support and connect tutees

A guide to organising mini virtual writing retreats each week to build a supportive scholarly community within a personal tutoring group

Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou

Manchester Metropolitan University

How to design a rubric in five easy steps university

Build effective rubrics in just five steps

A quick guide to the process of designing successful rubrics and recommendations for successful implementation

Ileana Alejandra Ochoa Arias , José Wbaldo Rivera Nevarez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Creating innovative social media content

Lessons learned in creating and using innovative social media strategies

If we aspire to enabling better educational decision-making, marketers first have to understand how, when and where prospects make those decisions

Simon Pride

Arts University Bournemouth

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

Campus Talks: Breaking down barriers with research and student-led campaigns

Winners of the Times Higher Education 2021 Awards discuss how their research and student-led campaigns navigate difficult and taboo topics

Anna Walas, Lindsay Morgan

Edinburgh Napier University, University of Nottingham

How to rethink university comms with student voice at the centre

Tactics for revamping your comms with students front and centre

How can you stay on top of the evolving student voice and ensure it’s at the heart of your communications? Kim Graakjaer shares her thoughts and some takeaway tips

Kim Graakjaer

The University of Manchester

Don’t build barriers between yourself and your students

Lecturers can make their teaching more memorable by breaking down barriers between themselves and their students with a smile and a joke, says Mohammed Zuhear Al Mulali

Mohammed Zuhear Al Mulali

Al-Mustaqbal University

Using the ‘36 questions to fall in love’ to revolutionise group work

Nici Sweaney shares a simple classroom task rooted in the psychology of interpersonal relationships that anyone can use to help students bond and feel more comfortable with group work

Nici Sweaney

Australian National University

Minecraft is just one creative assessment platform for university educators

Breaking with tradition: 10 creative assessment ideas

Monica Francesca Contrino and Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez suggest 10 methods for adding an imaginative twist when evaluating your students’ learning

Monica Francesca Contrino , Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Efficient methods of marking and providing feedback

Aaron Taylor and Victoria Rafferty provide advice on how to ensure formative and summative feedback is carried out with student learning in mind

Aaron Taylor, Victoria Rafferty

Arden University

TikTok can be a great instructional tool for engaged educators

What I learned from spending three years researching TikTok

Far from being an attention span wasteland, the popular social media platform has great instructional potential for engaged and experimental academics, says Elizabeth Losh

Elizabeth Losh

William & Mary

International perspectives on teaching and learning forged during Covid

Academics from around the globe share practical advice and lessons learned for those teaching online now or in future turbulent times

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Assessment and feedback as a participatory dialogue

Assessment and feedback as an active dialogue between tutors and students

Seven steps towards enhancing assessment and feedback as a participatory, social process that supports deeper learning, by Neil Lent, Tina Harrison and Sabine Rolle

Neil Lent, Tina Harrison, Sabine Rolle

The University of Edinburgh

A little more conversation: using Elvis to teach critical theory

Sharing a critical reading of an American icon via film and critical theories builds an authentic learning space that can examine current cultural issues

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Building emotional resilience in students is a key goal

Building emotional resilience is not creating a generation of ‘snowflakes’

Many students arrive at university adept at navigating challenging situations. Julia Downes explains how to leverage and add to these skills for positive and validating results

Julia Downes

The Open University

Strategies for a holistic student experience

Pardis Mahdavi and Loulou Hong discuss the strategies they use to foster a culture of student wellbeing on campus.

Pardis Mahdavi, Luoluo Hong

University of Montana , Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Blocks for building a stronger student community

Block teaching can help rapidly establish bonds among students, and with their lecturers, which in turn maximises learning potential. Here, Sarah Jones offers insights from the 50-year history of block scheduling

Sarah Jones

De Montfort University

Diverse hands illustrating inclusive student-staff partnership concept

Student-staff partnerships: seven strategies for adopting inclusive practices

Student-staff partnerships can support skills development and enrich courses, as well as offer life-changing professional and academic opportunities for diverse students. Here, Madelaine-Marie Judd and Brooke Szücs encourage others to embrace this ethos

Madelaine-Marie Judd, Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

Relationship-building skills are transferable from the workplace to academia

Relationship-building: the key to effective teaching

Teaching in HE is daunting for new academics, but interpersonal skills honed in the workplace provide strong foundations, say Charles Marley and colleagues

Charles Marley

Adelaide University

Virtual reality has failed higher education

Virtual reality has failed education, so what should we do with it?

Getting VR right at a sophisticated level requires a hefty mix of hardware, pricey developers, rock-solid internet and suitable pedagogy – but there is a way forward

Malcolm Burt

Central Queensland University

How to communicate the value of the arts and humanities to students

Classroom tips for debunking the arts and humanities employability myth

David Dodick offers practical pointers gleaned from a course he designed and taught aimed at communicating the value of arts and humanities degrees for various careers

David Dodick

University of California, Berkeley

Socrates' methods can still help university student in the battle with misinformation

How Socrates can help your students question information

In a world full of answers, we must take time to ask questions, and the approaches favoured by Socrates can still be useful today, explains Konstantinos Arfanis

Konstantinos Arfanis

Arden University

Theatre icebreaker games for team-building in higher education

An introduction to using theatre icebreaker games games to break down barriers between students and promote teamwork and trust at the start of a course

Jóna Guðrún Jónsdóttir , Rannveig Björk Thorkelsdóttir

University of Iceland

Student voice initiatives in universities need to be rethought

You said, we did – now what? Why student voice initiatives need a rethink

‘Student voice’ initiatives tend towards changes that can be easily packaged and publicised rather than those that demand time, resources and deeper consideration

Claire Kinsella, Linda Kaye

Leeds Beckett University, Edge Hill University

What can human behaviour analytics tell us about student learning?

Human behaviour analytics could be the answer to enhanced student engagement and better learning experiences in computer-aided learning environments

Fang Chen, Kun Yu

University of Technology Sydney

We may never stop university students cheating but we should still encourage academic integrity

Zero cheating is a pipe dream, but we still need to push academic integrity

David Rettinger and Erica Price Burns offer key points for institutions to consider when creating systems that encourage academic integrity among students

David Rettinger, Erica Price Burns

University of Mary Washington

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