Student Engagement

This page provides a variety of curated resources and tips to support student engagement in classes. Topics on this page focus on facilitating Active Learning, incorporating meaningful and effective Student to Student Interactions, and general tips starting from the first week of class.

Getting Started

First Week of Class

Activity ideas from fellow Highline faculty. Also check out this article: Make the Most of the First Day of Class.

The 4 Connections

These simple practices build relationship with students. Check out Highline's 4 Connections Canvas site.

Motivation + Active Learning

Barkley (2010, p. 6) describes student learning as the product of active learning and motivation. She describes it as the product, rather than the sum because both must exist. An instructor might be using dozens of active learning techniques throughout a course, but if the students are not motivated to learn, then student engagement will not occur. Likewise, an instructor who works to increase student motivation (i.e. through culturally responsive teaching) but uses non-active teaching techniques (i.e. lecture, reading assignments) may not be able to build engagement in the course.

Motivation and active learning work together synergistically, the whole being more than the sum of the parts. Barkley further describes the relationship in a double helix model, in which “active learning and motivation are spirals working together synergistically, building in intensity” (p. 7).

Active Learning Techniques

Cornell’s Center for Teaching Innovation has some tips for Getting Started with Active Learning Techniques. The University of Central Florida Faculty Center for Teaching & Learning maintains a list of over 300 Active Learning Techniques that is continually added to.

Student to Student Interaction

Learning activities that invite students to engage with each other fosters active learning. Providing opportunities for students to engage with each other is also an important tenet of culturally responsive teaching. However, not all collaborative learning is high quality. Rather than just place students into groups and ‘wait for the magic to happen’, it is important to think about both structural and dynamic quality elements that lead to high quality collaboration.

Check out this handout from Harvard Graduate School of Education with protocols for different types of discussion and small group work.

TLL "Discussion Protocols" Tip Sheet.pdf

Additional Considerations for Student to Student Interactions in Class

Structural quality elements

Student-centered, culturally responsive activities: does the activity reflect students of different cultures? Does it include culturally affirming and relevant images, authors, and ideas?
Balanced group composition: are groups made up of a diversity of students from a racial standpoint? age? genders?
Group norms and task clarity: does the activity have a well-defined purpose and a list of steps to follow?

Read more about Classroom Seating Arrangements here from Yale's Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning.

Dynamic quality elements

Responsive, respectful, and inclusive interactions: is there a process in place for students to address microagressions?
Constructive exchange: how do students engage with each other in order to learn from each other? What protocols have you set in place to facilitate this?
Shared leadership and decision making: what practices are established for students to hel guide the direction of the class?

Making learning social

Let students take on the work of facilitation: what social annotation tools (like Perusall or Hypothes.is) can be used for certain activities?
Connect new learning to existing knowledge: where are there opportunities for sudents to share different perspectives? How can students learn from the diversity within the classroom?
Encourage practicing job-transferable skills: when is it important to collaborate and cooperate? How does this transfer to the workplace across disciplines?

Practicing peer critique

Help students develop assessment skills: how does this reinforce course content? How is this a valuable life skill? What tools can be used to support this (think checklists, rubrics, etc.)?
Help students develop constructive feedback skills: similar to the questions above - how does this reinforce course content? How is this a valuable life skill? What tools can be used to support this (think checklists, rubrics, etc.)?
Help students gain insight into other perspectives: how does my feedback differ from others? Why? What are other ways of assessing this? What are other ways of providing feedback?

Student Engagement Online

Quick tips when teaching online and with Zoom:

Ensure students can easily find the class's Zoom link:
- Include the Zoom link in the course syllabus and Canvas module
- Before the first day, send a welcome message to students that includes the date, time, and Zoom link
- On the day, send a final reminder that includes the date, time, and Zoom link
Encourage students to use the chat and reaction emojis throughout the class
Incorporate activities that use Breakout Rooms
Use in-class polls:
- At the beginning and end of teaching a concept to check understanding
- To gauge comfort with a topic
- To prompt debate and/or discussion
Be flexible with students cameras on/off - while it can feel helpful for engagement to require cameras on, this also alienates many students. Students have many reasons for turning their camera off, and only one of them is to hide.

Fostering Authenticity and Human-Centered Communication in an Online Class (presentation recording)

Part of the Spring 2026 Faculty Showcase. View the Fostering authenticity and human-centered communication in an online class presentation recording here.

In this presentation, faculty member Lisa Voso about the small changes she made in her classes to humanize the class for herself and her students, leading to more positive student engagement.

Presenter:

Lisa Voso

Resources from the Learning & Teaching Library

Barkley, E.F. (2010). Student engagement techniques: A handbook for college faculty. Jossey-Bass.
Darby, Flower, and James M. Lang. Small teaching online: applying learning science in online classes. Jossey-Bass, 2019.
Felten, P., & Lambert, L.M. (2020). Relationship-rich education: How human connections drive success in college. John Hopkins University Press.
Fisher, Douglas, and Nancy Frey. Checking for understanding: formative assessment techniques for your classroom. ASCD, 2014.
McKeachie, Wilbert James. McKeachie’s Teaching Tips : Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers. 11th edition, Houghton Mifflin Co., 2002. (see Chapter 3)

Nilson, Linda Burzotta. Teaching at Its Best : A Research-Based Resource for College Instructors. Fourth edition., Jossey-Bass, 2016. (see Chapter 4)

Page updated

Report abuse