Did you know that the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal is edited in CELT? The current issue brings together a series of articles which show the value of student engagement in the curriculum and daily life of universities. Alison Cook-Sather and Peter Felten provide an inspiring introduction to the issue, with their opinion piece which relates pedagogical partnership to feelings of belonging for both students and members of staff. This theme is illustrated starkly in an open and honest piece by Jasmin Brooke, who is a current undergraduate student in the UK. She talks about how she overcame feelings of loneliness and difficulty in integration by engaging with student partnership activities and I applaud her generosity in sharing her experiences; I am sure that many staff and students will identify with her feelings and that it will prompt discussion and planning about ways to provide similar opportunities.
There are three articles which examine the different conceptions of student engagement and the way it surfaces in university activities. Tom Lunt analyses student discourse in an online environment for clues to the ways digital literacy and social capital may relate to student engagement. Sandeep Gakhal et al analyse student satisfaction data to assess differences in experiences of students who attend a UK university depending on whether they are from the UK or other countries and found that student engagement in large classes may have been more of a factor in the data they examined. This has implications for course development and planning. Inger Mewburn considers whether student engagement can be rewarded using digital badges; as well as explaining their use, she shares the results of a pilot study which reveals the complexity of such an initiative.
Our five case studies provide glimpses into a wide range of considerations of student engagement. Within the curriculum, Helen Page et al describe a project to engage Biosciences students in research-informed teaching and its effects on their skills and confidence. Michael Nelson and Simon Tweddell consider academic staff reactions to the introduction of team-based learning and make some general recommendations for others who may want to implement the approach.
Looking at extra-curricular activity, Katie Strudwick et al have provided a piece written in partnership with student participants, which considers active student engagement in extra-curricular activities and suggest some ways to make this more effective. In another student-staff jointly-authored piece, Licia Calagno et al describe a review of a new personal tutoring system and its impact on student engagement. Katie Carpenter and Claire Kennan share their experience of a cross-disciplinary project in which theatre skills were employed to support students in developing their public-speaking skills.
If you would like to get involved with the journal as an author or reviewers, please do get in touch. We are always happy to discuss ideas at an early stage, and we have a mentoring system in place for novice authors and reviewers, so don’t let lack of confidence dissuade you from considering the journal.
Full Contents list
Cook-Sather, A. and Felten, P. (2017). “Where Student Engagement Meets Faculty Development: How Student-Faculty Pedagogical Partnership Fosters a Sense of Belonging.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 3-11. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/cook
Brooke, J. (2017). “Mental Health and Student Engagement – A Personal Account.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 12-15. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/brooke
Lunt, T. (2017). “Police, politics and democratic learning communities in Higher Education.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 16 – 39. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/lunt
Mewburn, I. (2017). “A PhD should not look like it’s fun: an actor network theory analysis of digital badges.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 40 – 53. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/mewburn
Gakhal, S., et al. (2017). “Evaluating student satisfaction at a top-performing UK university.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 54 – 70. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/gakhal
Page, H., et al. (2017). “Engaging students in bioscience research to improve their learning experience.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 71 – 80. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/page
Strudwick, K., et al. (2017). “Understanding the gap – to participate or not? Evaluating student engagement and active participation.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 81-87. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/strudwick
Calcagno, L., et al. (2017). “Building Relationships : A Personal Tutoring Framework to Enhance Student Transition and Attainment.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 88-99. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/calcagno
Carpenter, K. R. and Kennan, C. (2017). “Developing Public Speaking Skills in Undergraduates: A Two-Day Event.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 117-124. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/carpenter
Nelson., M. and Tweddell, S. (2017). “Leading Academic Change: Experiences of Academic Staff Implementing Team-Based Learning.” Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal 1(2): 100 – 116. https://journals.gre.ac.uk/index.php/raise/article/view/nelson
Learning & Teaching News 