Enhancing Learning through Effective Student Engagement

Student engagement, much like employee engagement, measures how enthusiastic and interested students are about their work. In the higher education context, you can build strategies to increase student engagement through education opportunities that let them build their skills toward real-world career success.

Engaged students tend to be more motivated to succeed in their coursework. Students who actively participate in learning activities and academic development can enhance their skills and abilities and prepare for future leadership roles within their fields. This becomes increasingly important in a competitive academic environment where student satisfaction and retention are crucial. When attracting new students becomes challenging, it’s vital to focus on student retention and ensure that current students are satisfied and motivated to excel in their studies.

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What does student engagement mean?

According to The Glossary of Education Reform, student engagement refers to "the degree of attention, curiosity, interest, optimism, and passion that students show when they are learning or being taught, which extends to the level of motivation they have to learn and progress in their education." [1]

This concept is rooted in the belief that learning is enhanced when students are curious, engaged, or inspired. Conversely, learning declines when students are bored, uninterested, disconnected, or disengaged. Enhancing student engagement or improving student involvement are common instructional goals expressed by educators.

Why is student engagement critical?

Student engagement often leads to a deeper understanding, particularly when students actively apply the concepts they learn to real-world scenarios. This is crucial in an educational environment where students prepare for their careers. By integrating new skills and knowledge into practical applications, students can see the direct relevance of their studies to their professional goals, thereby enhancing their readiness for the workforce.

When this happens, you and your employees benefit more from learning and development efforts. Specifically, student engagement often influences learning, student retention, student satisfaction, and overall academic success. [2]

Strategies for fostering student engagement

To maximize the benefits of your educational investment, consider focusing on strategies that enhance student engagement. This is especially important in a university setting where you will guide diverse student groups through various learning experiences. Implement the following tips to structure your academic activities engagingly and effectively.

Tell students what they will learn 

One way to help your students feel engaged with the material they are learning is to make sure they understand the program's objectives and why it’s important. This step helps them see why this investment is valuable. Your students will likely be more motivated to learn when you show them how their education will directly apply to their job, career, or organizational goals. 

Help students find their motivation

You can help students feel motivated by giving them a tangible reason. As mentioned above, one way is to explain how the material relates to their future careers so they can understand what outcomes to expect and how they will benefit from completing their education. You can also tie education to career goals by meeting with students one-on-one to better understand what direction they would like their career to go, then setting training goals for them to help them start on that path.

Diversify learning paths

A diverse group of students will all have preferences for how to learn, and they will be naturally more interested in some types of learning than others. Student populations will likely include people at different stages of life with different learning experiences. One student might regularly participate in in-person learning opportunities, while another might need a more flexible option. You can increase student engagement by offering a range of experiences so that students can choose the best fit for them. This might include content of varying lengths or time requirements, or it might include content in different formats such as in person, in small groups, or online. 

Cover new material

Another tip for keeping your students engaged in learning and development is to offer them new and challenging learning experiences. Students should find new material more interesting than reviewing the same material they’re already familiar with. You can start by asking or quizzing groups to see what they know about a topic to determine what topics would be most engaging to them.

Ask open-ended questions 

Students tend to be more engaged when you ask open-ended questions—those that require a longer answer than “yes” or “no”—to lead discussions. For example, instead of asking, “Does this concept relate to daily tasks?” you could ask, “How does this concept relate to daily tasks?” The first question can be answered with a simple one-word answer, while the other invites the student to think deeper. Open-ended questions give students the space to think of the justification for their answers and formulate original opinions. Other students may have responses or counterpoints, continuing the conversation forward and allowing for collaborative learning. 

Let learners become teachers

One way for participants to review what they’ve learned is to teach someone else. Students can benefit from learning formats that rely on peer learning or small group conversations. When you implement self-paced learning options, for example, you can encourage your team to talk about their learning or ask questions on team message boards or Slack. This allows students to bounce ideas off each other and benefit from each other’s learning experience. 

Getting started with Coursera

To enhance your learning and development program, you can explore strategies to increase student engagement so that employees connect deeply with the learning material and find ways to translate their new skills into their daily responsibilities. Students who feel engaged in the material they learn are more passionate and motivated to succeed, leading to better student retention and higher employability. 

Coursera for Campus empowers any university to offer job-relevant, credit-ready* online education to students, faculty, and staff. With Coursera for Campus, you can promote student employability by teaching in-demand skills for high-growth fields and help students master job-ready skills with Guided Projects, programming assignments, and in-course assessments—online, offline, and via mobile. Enable faculty to create projects, assessments, and courses tailored to learner needs with Coursera for Campus.

* Credit eligibility determined by your institution.