Student engagement is one of the most important aspects of the student experience and student outcomes. Engagement is a well-researched area which has been shown to have significant impacts. These impacts include:

• Improved student outcomes.
  
  
• Improvements in critical thinking, cognitive development, self-esteem and a range of practical competencies and skills (Trowler, 2010).
  
  
• Enhancement of a sense of belonging (Thomas, 2012).

Kuh (2009) defines student engagement as “the time and effort students devote to activities that are empirically linked to desired outcomes of college and what institutions do to induce students to participate in these activities.” This definition places the emphasis of student engagement not just on students but on what universities do to encourage students to engage in meaningful ways. This is why ‘engaging’ is a core strand of the Bedfordshire Curriculum Framework 2024.

The Engaging Strand highlights that teaching and learning is engaging in the following ways. None of these elements operate in isolation - they overlap and intersect with each other and offer a range of flexible pedagogies and approaches to the curriculum that can be tailored to your discipline:

Inspiring - Seeking to inspire students to enjoy their learning and have high aspirations.

Meaningful - Students see personal, social, professional, intellectual and practical relevance.

Collaborative - Students learn with and through peers, tutors and others, face-to-face and online, sustaining a learning community.

Challenge and Active - Activities have rigour, provide stretch and challenge students existing constructs, knowledge and assumptions and offer opportunities for creative and enjoyable learning.

Research-informed - Learning is encouraged from, and through, research, scholarship and professional practice.