Networks

• The Engage Network aims to bring together University of Edinburgh students and staff interested in creating genuine and meaningful interactions focused on learning, teaching and assessment. Engage Network events run roughly once a month either online, in person or hybrid. Email iad.teach@ed.ac.uk to be added to the mailing list.

Signposting

The IAD has created a series of guides to student engagement in different areas of practice, which are helpful introductory guides for staff:

• EngagEd in... community building (13 pages)
• EngagEd in… research led learning and teaching (18 pages)
• EngagEd in… learning and teaching conversations (14 pages)
• Engaged in… feedback and assessment (9 pages)
• EngagEd in… teaching with lecture recording (18 pages)

You may also find the following pages useful:

• Student contract: The student contract is a supportive set of regulations, policies and procedures that underpins the way staff and students work in partnership together to provide a learning environment that enables students to fulfill their potential.

• Student Partnership Agreement: This states how the University and Edinburgh University Students Association work together to enhance the student experience. Small pots of funding (up to £1000) are available each year to support staff and students to work in partnership through the Student Partnership Agreement Small Project funding.

Toolkits

• Encouraging student engagement with blended and online learning: This toolkit from University College London provides a useful overview of how to support student engagement in a blended and online environment.

Guidance

• A Student Engagement Framework for Scotland: This useful guidance document was created by sparqs (student partnerships in quality Scotland) and provides a framework for student engagement in HE.

• Relationship-Rich Education at Scale, aka the Too Many Bodies Problem: Short article by Prof Peter Felten offering three practices to make relationship-rich education possible no matter how many students you teach.

• Embedding active learning into your teaching practice (12 pages):  A Heriot Watt 'Watt Works' Quick Guide, which outlines some examples of how you might embed active learning into your teaching practice, both as short activities within a lecture, and as longer activities taking up one or more teaching sessions.

• Top tips for online student engagement (2 pages): University of London's Centre for Online and Distance Education offers some top tips on engaging students with online teaching and learning.

Websites

• ALN Global Festival of Active Learning – The Active Learning Network: The Active Learning Network is a community for anyone interested in active learning. The website includes useful resources and links, and details of their annual Festival of Active Learning.

Journal articles

Journals from RAISE: The RAISE network recommned a list of journals to dip in to, which provide an academic view on the effectiveness of student engagement.

Specific journal articles include:

• Grau, S. L., & Rockett, T. (2022). Creating Student-centred Experiences: Using Design Thinking to Create Student Engagement. The Journal of Entrepreneurship, 31(2_suppl), S135-S159. https://doi.org/10.1177/09713557221107443

• Martin, F. & Bolliger, D.U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning 22(1), 205-222. doi:10.24059/olj.v22i1.1092

• Seven Principles For Good Practice in Undergraduate Education: This paper outlines seven principles intended as a guideline for good practice aimed at improving learning and teaching.

• Prince, M. 2013. Does Active Learning Work? A Review of the Research. Research Journal for Engineering Education. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2168-9830.2004.tb00809.x

Books and book chapters

Recommended books from RAISE: This selection of books have been recommended as essential reading for student engagement by the RAISE network.