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 , 17 July, 2026

Five pillars of collaborative online learning

University students working individually at their desks

How to promote interaction, a sense of collective responsibility and reflective practices to prevent students from ‘dividing and conquering’ in group projects

By kiera.obrien , 17 July, 2026

Your students use GenAI. Let’s redesign learning so thinking still happens

A student opens an AI chatbot in a lecture hall

We can’t put AI back in the box. Instead, higher education needs to find a way to make students think despite it

Reading time

5minutes

By kiera.obrien , 13 July, 2026

The answer to personalising education isn’t technological, it’s organisational

Is higher education too focused on tools and algorithms when it comes to personalised education? Perhaps there’s a simpler answer

Reading time

4minutes

By kiera.obrien , 9 July, 2026

How language surveys can shape a multilingual university

An illustration of students speaking different languages

A biennial language survey changed how one university thought about linguistic diversity – and helped give students a voice. Here’s how

Reading time

5minutes

By Eliza.Compton , 9 July, 2026

Should I raise my hand? Navigating cultural norms in the classroom

To tap into cultural diversity and enrich teaching environments, Sarah Kegley suggests three strategies: consult class members, be clear about engagement guidelines and make good use of resources

Reading time

5minutes

By miranda.prynne , 7 July, 2026

What are students really paying attention to?

If we want to engage students, we must reuse and regenerate their attention rather than take, make and waste it, writes Christine Rivers, who shares advice on how to do this

Reading time

4minutes

By kiera.obrien , 7 July, 2026

Click like: how to use influencers in authentic assessment

A hand holds a phone, on which an influencer is live streaming

Bridge the gap between students’ education and their online lives by deploying social media content creators in assessment. Here’s how

Reading time

5minutes

By miranda.prynne , 6 July, 2026

The Democracy Lab: how 20 minutes of debate can revive the lecture

Student raising their hand to speak in a lecture

By introducing short debate about a current issue or trend tied to that day’s lecture, Theo Koutmeridis discovered a simple way to boost student interest and engagement for the whole two-hour class

Reading time

4minutes

By Laura.Duckett , 1 July, 2026

Software engineers with people skills grow from cardboard cities

Students using card and paper to create models in class

Sometimes the best way to teach software engineering is to step away from the computer. Learn how to deliver a cardboard building activity that replicates a software development lifecycle

By Laura.Duckett , 30 June, 2026

Impactful lessons begin and end with clarity

Students in class watching a teacher, among them one raises her hand to answer a question

Common in primary and secondary teaching, starter and plenary activities can get students interested and build knowledge. Paul Demetriou explains how to use them in university teaching

Reading time

5minutes

Student engagement