Edinburgh Network: Growing Approaches to Genuine Engagement (ENGAGE)
A network for students and staff interested in student engagement.
Who is the network for?
The Edinburgh Network: Growing Approaches to Genuine Engagement (ENGAGE) aims to bring together students and staff interested in creating genuine and meaningful interactions between students and staff focused on learning, teaching and assessment. Meetings focus on sharing ideas, research and practice, and offer space for discussion and collegial support. Whether you are interested in enhancing student engagement in learning and teaching from the student or staff perspective, you are welcome to come along.
2023-24 workshops
As the year progresses more workshops will be added as details are confirmed and so we would ask you to please check back throughout the academic year.
| Date & Time | Workshop | Presenters | Venue | Student Booking Link | Staff Booking Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates TBC | |||||
Extra guidance for staff bookings: For full instructions (if needed) on using People and Money for workshop bookings, you can use the relevant user guide:
People and Money User Guide – How to View/Search, Enrol and Withdraw from Learning (Employee guide)
How do I join?
If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive more information about events please contact:
Privacy statement for IAD mailing lists: you can read our IAD privacy statement for mailing lists here
Previous engage events and resources
Academic year 22/23
Tues 18th April 2023 Curriculum creation as co-inquiry about the University - Tai Peseta
Presentation Slides - Engage April 2023 (PDF)
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, 4th year undergraduate student, BSc Psychology, PPLS
Introduction slides - Engage March 23 (PDF)
Presentation slides - Engage March 23 (PDF)
Video Recording (Media Hopper)
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)
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)
Thurs 23rd June 2022 Neil Thin Is social curiosity the most important graduate attribute?
Video recording June engage session- Media Hopper
This recording is with auto-generated subtitles so will contain some errors
Wed 25th May 2022 Jenny Scoles Reading and writing blogs: how can students influence teachers’ practice?
Video recording May engage session- Media Hopper
This recording is with auto-generated subtitles so will contain some errors
Academic year 21/22
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 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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
Academic year 20/21
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
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)
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)
Tues 1st 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)
Slides - Using Assessed Blogs to Enhance Student Engagement - Hazel Christie and Nina Morris (PPT)
Slides - Engaging Students Through Blogging - Josephine Foucher (PPT)
Thurs 26th November 2020, Co-creating a diverse and inclusive curriculum - when, where, and how?
Presenters: Dr Job Thijssen, School of Physics and Astronomy, Dr Hannah Chalmers, School of Engineering, Jennifer Struthers School of Physics and Astronomy, Magnus Riley, School of Physics and Astronomy, Katie McGill, School of Engineering, Sarah Lappin, EUWiSTEM, Dr Srinjoy Mitra, School of Engineering
Video of the session (Media Hopper)
Slides from Job Thijsen’s presentation (PPT)
Slides from Jennifer Struther and Magnus Riley - Decolonising a Physics Curriculum (PPT)
Slides from Sarah Lappin - Co-creating a diverse and inclusive curriculum (PDF)
Thurs 12th 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
Video of the session (Media Hopper)
Fri 23rd 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.
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)
Academic year 19/20
Thursday 04th June 2020, Supporting autistic students and colleagues
Presenters: Sue Fletcher-Watson and Natalie Jenkins
Video of the session (Media Hopper)
Tuesday 05th May 2020, A Field course in the time of Covid
Presenter: Nick Colegrave - Institute of Evolutionary Biology
Field Zoology is a core third year course for our 35 or so organismal biology students. It is built around a 1 week residential field course on the Island of Cumbrae in the west of Scotland, and is where we provide training in field study design, analysis and presentation (important foundations for their honours year research projects). Equally importantly is the role it plays in cohort/community building, fostering confident interactions between both staff and students, and among students.
This year, we had to cancel the residential component and move all teaching online at short notice. We have tried to recreate the experience of carrying out a self-designed field study in a virtual environment, and to foster community through activities such as virtual pub quizzes.
Wednesday 29th 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 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
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
Academic year 18/19
Thurs 6th June 2019, Student-staff co-creation of assessment
Dr Catherine Bovill, IAD
Slides from the session - Dr Cathy Bovill (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)
Mon 25th March 2019, Embedding democratic learning principles in neoliberal times: the story of the MSc Transformative Learning and Teaching
Dr Aileen Kennedy, Kat Brack, Kirstie Fairnie
Slides to follow
Wed 13th Feb 2019, Student engagement in lecture capture
Anne-Marie Scott, Information Services
Slides from session - Anne-Marie Scott (PPT)
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)
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)
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)
Wed 14th 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)
Academic year 17/18
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)
16th May 2018 - Discussion of two student engagement articles
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.
9th April 2018 - Student-staff co-creation of a course: Understanding Gender in the Contemporary World
Slides from session (MS PowerPoint)
15th February 2018 - Making curricula inclusive and engaging
Slides from session (MS PowerPoint)
19th 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)
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)
17 Oct 2017 - The Launch: 10 Ways to enhance student engagement in learning and teaching
Launch event slides - 10 ways to enhance student engagement (MS PPT)