Edinburgh Network: Growing Approaches to Genuine Engagement (ENGAGE)

Friday 28th February 2025, Engaging students with assessment and feedback: a case study in 3D chess from Heriot Watt University 

Speakers: Dr Andrew MacLaren, Associate Professor of Team Communication, Heriot Watt University 

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides - Engage session February 2025 (PDF)

Thursday 14th November 2024, Co-creating assessment and feedback: exploring examples, challenges and opportunities

Speakers: Prof Cathy Bovill, Personal Chair of Student Engagement in HE, Co-director IAD

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides - Engage session November 2025 (PDF)

Tuesday 5th October 2021, Challenges with assessment - how are we responding to students' feedback?

Speakers: Dr Neil Lent, Lecturer University Learning and Teaching, and Dr Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer in Student Engagement, both IAD.

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides - Engage Oct 21 (PDF)

Tues 30th March 2021, Engaging students through innovative assessment choice in the Currents: understanding and addressing global changes course

Speaker: Dr Andy Cross, Post-doctoral Research Associate / Teaching Development Fellow, School of Geosciences

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Intro slides engage Mar 2021 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Andy Cross Mar 2021

Thurs 6th June 2019, Student-staff co-creation of assessment

Dr Catherine Bovill, IAD   

Slides from the session - Dr Cathy Bovill (PDF)

Handout - A Practitioner's Guide to Choice of Assessment Within a Module: Case Studies from University College Dublin (PDF)

Thursday 24th April 2025, Engaging Students with Interdisciplinary Learning

Presenter – Prof Vel McCune, Deputy Director, IAD and Head of IAD Learning and Teaching Team 

Video Recording (Media Hopper) 

Presentation slides (PDF) - TBC

Tuesday 22nd October 2024, Learner-centred practice, research and leadership: Thriving in an age of disruption 

Presenter – Professor Kerri-Lee Krause, Chair, Australian Government Higher Education Standards Panel

Video Recording (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides - Engage session Oct 2024 (PDF)

Wednesday 20th March 2024, Using the student support model to create a community of learners

Presenter - Tina Harrison, Personal Chair of Financial Services Marketing and Consumption

Video Recording (Media Hopper)

Wed 5th April 2023 Building community while teaching - Crispin Jordan

Video Recording April Engage session - Media Hopper

This recording is with auto-generated subtitles so will contain some errors

Presentation Slides - Engage April 2023 (PDF)

Wednesday 15 March 2023, Students’ perspectives on the Student Support System

Speakers: Clarissa Yung, 4^th year undergraduate student, BSc Psychology, PPLS

Introduction slides - Engage March 23 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage March 23 (PDF)

Video Recording (Media Hopper)

Tuesday 07 December 2021, Is ‘mattering’ a more helpful way of thinking about student belonging at university?

Speakers: Peter Felten, Assistant Provost for Teaching and Learning, Director of the Center for Engaged Learning, and Professor of History, Elon University, USA and Heidi Weston, Undergraduate Researcher, Elon class of 2023 (History and Education), Elon University, USA

Introduction slides - Engage Dec 21 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage Dec 21 (PDF)

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Thurs 12^th November 2020, Strategies for building relationships: creating community and belonging among students and staff

Presenters: Prof Tina Harrison, Assistant Principal, Academic Standards and Quality Assurance and Personal Chair of Financial Services Marketing and Consumption, Dr Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer in Student Engagement, Institute for Academic Development

Introductory slides (PDF)

Video of the session (Media Hopper)

Mon 14th January 2019, Building community and relationships between staff and students in Schools

Dr Esther Mijers and students from History Classics and Archaeology and Dr Chris Mowat and students from Chemistry

Slides from session - Chris Mowat (PPT)

Slides from session - Ester Mijers (PPT)

Tues 18th April 2023 Curriculum creation as co-inquiry about the University - Tai Peseta

Presentation Slides - Engage April 2023 (PDF)

Tuesday 1 November 2022, Student Partnership in Quality Systems

Speakers: Eve Lewis, Director, Sparqs and Stef Black, Development Consultant, Sparqs

Presentation slides - Engage November 22 (PDF)

Tues 29th May 2018 - In conversation about internationalising and diversifying the curriculum in partnership with students  Dr Wendy Green, University of Tasmania; Ms Sarah Moffat, Edinburgh University Students' Association; Dr Catriona Cunningham, University of Stirling

Slides from session - Wendy Green (PDF)

Slides from session - Sarah Moffat (PDF)

Slides from session - Catriona Cunningham (PDF)

9^th April 2018 - Student-staff co-creation of a course: Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World

Slides from session (MS PowerPoint)

Weds 24th February 2021, High Impact Practices: why we should pay attention to practices that offer disproportionate benefits to underserved students.

Speaker: Dr Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer in Student Engagement, Institute for Academic Development

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Feb 2021 Hight Impact Practices (HIPs) presentation slides (PDF)

Thursday 04^th June 2020, Supporting autistic students and colleagues

Presenters: Sue Fletcher-Watson and Natalie Jenkins

Slides from the session (PDF)

Video of the session (Media Hopper)

Tuesday 28th January 2020, Using cognitive load theory to help students learn more effectively

Professor Michael Seery, School of Chemistry

Slides from the session - Professor Michael Seery

Video of event on Media Hopper

Wed 12th December 2018, Complicating inclusivity and diversity in student engagement and partnership: Whose voice gets heard?

Dr Lucy Mercer-Mapstone, IAD

Slides from session - Lucy Mercer-Mapstone (PPT)

15^th February 2018  - Making curricula inclusive and engaging  

Slides from session (MS PowerPoint)

Tuesday 14^th January 2025, Engaging students in flexible and hybrid pedagogies

Speaker: Dr Celeste McLaughlin, Head of Academic Development for Digital Education 

Video Recording (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides (PDF)

Wooclap responses (MS Word)

Wednesday 22nd May 2024, What impact might teaching in the outdoors have on student engagement? 

Speaker: Robbie Nicol, Professor of Place-Based Education, Moray House School of Education and Sport

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Thursday 7^th December 2023, What role do virtual simulations play in engaging students?

Speakers: Paul Driver, Director of Simulation-based Learning, Anglia Ruskin University

Video recording – virtual simulations and engaging students (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides - Engage December 2023 (PDF)

Thursday 20 October 2022, Engaging students in digital learning environments: cameras on or off?

Speakers: Celeste McLaughlin, Head of Digital Education for Academic Development, IAD

Introduction slides - Engage October 22 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage October 22 (PDF)

Whiteboard Activity (1, 1a, 2)

Video Recording (Media Hopper)

Thursday 21 April 2022, A framework to support enhanced engagement 

Speakers: Marian McCormick, Principal Lecturer (Learning & Teaching), Canterbury Christ Church University

Introduction slides - Engage Apr 22 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage Apr 22 (PDF)

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Thursday 13 January 2022, Engaging online students

Speakers: Gill Aitken, Programme Director, MSc Clinical Education and Kanastana Yasotharan, MSc Clinical Education student

Introduction slides - Engage Jan 22 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage Jan 22 (PDF)

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Fri 23^rd October 2020, Student engagement through hybrid teaching: sharing ideas and practice

Presenters: Dr Dan Swanton, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, School of Geosciences, Fizzy Abou-Jawad, Vice President for Education, Edinburgh University Students’ Association, Dr Jessie Paterson, Lecturer in Student Learning, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.

Introductory slides (PDF)

Video of the session (Media Hopper)

Slides from Dan Swanton’s presentation (PDF)

Dan Swanton's webpages - Pandemic Urbanism in Eight Objects

Dan Swanton's webpages - Pandemic Urbanism - A Drift

Notes taken in the breakout rooms (MS Word)

Tuesday 21st April 2020, Engaging students online and building community

Presenters: Gill Aitken, Tim Fawns, Derek Jones, Debbie Spence

Video from session (Media Hopper)

 The following Teaching Matters blog and journal commentary relate to this team’s work:

Top ten tips for teaching online

Online learning as embodied, socially meaningful experience

Wed 13th Feb 2019, Student engagement in lecture capture

Anne-Marie Scott, Information Services

Slides from session - Anne-Marie Scott (PPT)

Wed 14^th November 2018 - Online Learning Network and engage: Engaging Online Students 

A joint Online Learning Network and Engage Network event.

Slides from session - Intro (PPT)

Slides from session - Eli Appleby-Donald, student perspectives (PPT)

Slides from session - Elizabeth Mortimer, Edinburgh Award (PPT)

Slides from session - Tim Fawns et al, community building online MSc (PDF)

Collated post it notes (MS Word)

12th Dec 2017 - Introducing Piazza - a tool for students to ask, answer and discuss questions with staff input where needed

Slides from Alan Murray (MS PPT)

Slides from School of Mathematics (MS PPT)

Piazza - find out more (external website)

Wednesday 25 May 2022, Reading and writing blogs: how can students influence teachers' practice?

Speakers: Jenny Scoles, Academic Developer (Learning and Teaching Enhancement), Institute for Academic Development

Introduction slides - Engage May 22 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage May 22 (PDF)

Tuesday 08 March 2022, Writing personal stories to think academically: Blogging workshop for students

Speakers: Josephine Foucher, Teaching Matters Co-Editor and Student Engagement Officer, Institute for Academic Development and PhD Candidate, Sociology

Presentation slides - Engage Mar 22 (PDF)

Tues 1^st December 2020, Engaging students through blogging

Speakers: Dr Hazel Christie, Senior Lecturer (University Learning and Teaching), Institute for Academic Development, Josephine Foucher, Teaching Matters Deputy Editor and Student Engagement Officer, Institute for Academic Development and PhD student in Sociology

Video of the session (Media Hopper)

Introductory slides (PPT)

Slides - Using Assessed Blogs to Enhance Student Engagement - Hazel Christie and Nina Morris (PPT)

Slides - Engaging Students Through Blogging - Josephine Foucher (PPT)

Wednesday 29^th April 2020, Research focus: conversations, community and collegiality

Presenters: Jenny Scoles (IAD), Hazel Christie (IAD), Nina Morris (Geosciences), Karen Howie (IS)

This event was a focus group gathering information for a research project exploring the impact of blogging on teaching and learning practice.

More information about this work

Tuesday 06 May 2025, Students’ use and acceptance of generative AI: lessons learned from a PTAS project

Speakers: Jordana Viotto, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship; Susan Dunnett, Personal Chair of Consumer Culture and Society; Raluca Bunduchi, Personal Chair of Innovation; Kasia Banas, Undergraduate Talent Lead and Programme Co-Director for the DDI Health and Social Care programme; Naomi Sleator 

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Wednesday 04 December 2024, Meaningfully engaging a diversity of students in experiential learning - what has worked for SACHA (Students as Change Agents) 

Speakers: Ruth Donnelly, Emma Taylor and SACHA student participants 

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Wednesday 25 September 2024, What does good teaching look like in 2024? A reflection on the 2024 Teaching Awards

Speaker: Callum Paterson (he/him) Academic Engagement & Policy Coordinator Student Voice Team

Presentation slides - September 2024 (PDF)

Wednesday 13 March 2024, Student Engagement from the perspective of Edinburgh University Students’ Association

Speaker: Carl Harper, Vice President Education, Students Association

Presentation slides - March 2024 (PDF)

Friday 23rd February 2024, Exactly how engaging is a curriculum for the future?

Video Recording (Media Hopper)

Presenter - Elaine Brown, Institutional Lead for Personal Development Tutoring and Ruskin Modules

Thursday, 22^nd November 2023, Is active learning the key to student engagement?

Speakers: Dr Vicki Dale, Senior Lecturer (Academic Services) and Dr Nathalie Tasler, Senior Lecturer (Academic and Digital Development), University of Glasgow

Video recording – Active learning (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides - Engage November 2023 (PDF)

Thursday 23 June 2022, Is sociable curiosity the most important graduate attribute?

Speakers: Neil Thin, Senior Lecturer, Social Antrhopology

Introduction slides - Engage June 22 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage June 22 (PDF)

Wednesday 20 April 2022, Effective student engagement strategies 

Speakers: Ellen MacRae, President Edinburgh University Students’ Association and Tara Gold Vice President, Education, Edinburgh University Students’ Association

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Wednesday 09 February 2022, Enhancing student participation in social science courses (with students)

Speakers: Rachel Howell, Lecturer in Sociology / Sustainable Development, School of Social and Political Science. With Ana Diaz-Vidal, UG student, SPS.

Introduction slides - Engage Feb 22 (PDF)

Presentation slides - Engage Feb 22 (PDF)

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Tuesday 09 November 2021: How do students define and relate to the curriculum? Findings from a recent study at the University of Edinburgh

Speakers: Emma Taylor, PhD Intern, Institute for Academic Development, One Pusamane, PhD candidate, African Studies; Ian Glen, Curriculum Transformation Partner, Catherine Bovill, Senior Lecturer in Student Engagement, Institute for Academic Development

Presentation slides - Engage Nov 21 (PDF)

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Thurs 21st January 2021, Students talking about their experiences of student engagement in lockdown and semester 1

Speakers: Jessica O’Loughlin, undergraduate student, Biochemistry, Ana Diaz Vidal, undergraduate student sustainable development, and others

Video recording (Media Hopper)

Presentation slides Jan 2021 (PDF)

Intro slides Jan 2021 session (PDF)

Thurs 16th May 2019, Student engagement article, group discussion

Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka, PhD student Moray House School of Education and Sam Dvorakova, PhD student, School of Physics

'Enhancing outcomes and reducing inhibitors to engagement of students and staff in learning and teaching partnerships: implications for academic development'.

The paper is available here:  https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1360144X.2018.1545233

Slides from the session - Tanya Lubicz-Nawrock & Sam Dvorakova (PDF)

Tues 4th December 2018, Analysing NSS results and implications for student engagement

Dr Alex Buckley Strathclyde University; & Dr Jill MacKay Vet School, Dr Kirsty Hughes Vet School, Dr Neil Lent IAD

Slides from session - Alex Buckley (PPT)

Slides from session - Jill MacKay and colleagues (PPT)

16th May 2018 - Discussion of two student engagement articles    

Slides from session (PDF)

Articles under discussion:

Anonymous academic (2015) My students have paid £9000 and now they think they own me. The Guardian Friday 18 December.  Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987) Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. AAHE Bulletin March, pp3-7.

19^th January 2018  - Learner engagement: In Conversation with Peter Felten and Meredith Piatt

Tanya Lubicz-Nawrocka's blog - event overview (external website)

Notes - Peter Felten & Meredith Piatt, in conversation (MS Word)

Cathy Bovill - Language & Behaviour of Engagement (MS PPT)

Kate Wall - Catalytic Tools for Encouraging Metacognitive Engagement With Pedagogy (MS PPT)

Mark Huxham - Engagement at Scale (PDF)

Susan Deeley - Co-design of Assessment (PDF)

17 Oct 2017 - The Launch: 10 Ways to enhance student engagement in learning and teaching

Video of the Engage launch

Launch event slides - 10 ways to enhance student engagement (MS PPT)

More student engagement suggestions, adaptations and ideas co-created by the event participants (MS Word)