Levels of Student Engagement

Abstract

Student engagement is generally seen as a proxy for better learning outcomes (Trowler, 2010). How can we, however, determine what we should do to increase student engagement? George Kuh (2003) suggests engagement is both “deceptively simple” and “self-evident” (p. 25), but then considers the conditions for engagement: what are students actually doing when they are engaged in learning? To some degree, student engagement can be observed if students are involved in learning in a sustained way, enthusiastic about what they are doing, focused, curious and questioning. However, another possible meaning of student engagement involves the enlargement of the curriculum to involve students in the contexts in which disciplinary knowledge may be used. We see, for example, in this issue, an exploration by Wong Mun Loke and Lim Lum Peng of how pre-clinical dentistry students can be persuaded that learning better patient communication provides them with skills to practice. In another article by Chris McMorran, students are drawn into scholarly conversation that will foster a lifelong ability to enter into contested discourse in a meaningful way. Both of these represent engagement as an enlargement of the arena in which learning occurs, with an intention of looking to the future. The gears of learning engage with the gears of real-life professional practice. (Abstract taken from first paragraph of document)