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.

By Laura.Duckett , 10 August, 2026

Tech-free teaching: how to get it right

Students sitting in a circle with no desks
Carefully designed device-free lessons can help students learn to articulate their thoughts, engage with peers and brainstorm ideas. Learn how
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton , 8 August, 2026

Does student attention have a half-life?

Retro style poster for space tours to Mars
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
By Laura.Duckett , 7 August, 2026

When the university lesson becomes a ritual

Back view of student raising his hand to answer teacher's question
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
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien , 5 August, 2026

Why serious skills need serious play

Students play a game designed to improve their clinical communication
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
Reading time
5minutes
By kiera.obrien , 31 July, 2026

What future-proofing a course really means

A student works at a laptop with headphones on
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
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien , 28 July, 2026

How universities can learn to live with AI

An illustration of a robot in a mortarboard
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
Reading time
5minutes
Student engagement