Student Engagement

Student engagement in higher education goes beyond keeping students busy or on task. Through high-impact practices that are hands-on, collaborative and reflective, instructors can help students meaningfully apply and deepen their learning. Questions like how to design engaging activities, which approaches suit different contexts and how to foster independence and self-direction help shape effective teaching and learning strategies for student engagement.

What is Student Engagement?

Student engagement captures both:

  • How deeply students invest in their learning.
  • How effectively institutions create the conditions to support that investment.

Engagement isn't only about what students do. It's also about how learning experiences are designed to make their meaningful involvement possible.

In a post-secondary context, student engagement is crucial for supporting students' academic performance and retention. High-impact instructional approaches immerse students in focused, interactive opportunities—formally and informally, inside and outside the classroom. Research shows that engaged students establish a sense of belonging and develop relationships with their institution's faculty and staff.

This collection of CITL resources and services helps explore key questions, such as:

  • How can I design activities that foster independence and self-direction in my students?
  • How do I create conditions in my classes where all students can meaningfully participate?
  • Which high-impact practices best support deep learning in my course context?
  • How can I incorporate experiential and work-integrated learning in my teaching?

To support these questions and more, our Student Engagement resources are organized according to CITL’s Lines of Innovation—a framework for flexible and modern learning environments, inspiring and empowered instruction, responsive and reputable programming, and engaged and successful learning.

Professional Development in Teaching

Educator learning opportunities that enhance teaching effectiveness, foster the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), grow educational leadership and build community.

Instructional Resources

These CITL-developed resources for instructors address different topics related to student engagement:

Student Engagement YouTube Playlist

This playlist collects all of CITL's videos related to student engagement, including webinars and conference presentations. New videos will be added as they become available. View the playlist on YouTube.

Curriculum and Course Design

Curriculum and course design processes to support the proactive development of programs and courses that inspire positive learning experiences.

Instructional Resources

These CITL-developed resources for instructors address different topics related to student engagement:

One-on-one Consultations

CITL's Instructional Designers and Educational Developers can provide insight into fostering student engagement. Contact CITL's Support Centre to request a consultation on assessment strategies.

Learning Environments and Technologies

Leadership on the thoughtful assessment, design and integration of learning spaces, technologies and instructional strategies that support all modes of delivery.

360 Virtual Tours

CITL's media services team can create interactive 360 virtual tours of classrooms, labs and off-site locations, with four tiers of production styles available for educational environments. These tours provide a simple but effective interactive classroom experience that can foster student engagement in new ways. Please contact CITL's Donna Downey for more information.

Consultation on Using Brightspace to Foster Student Engagement

Boosting student engagement is key to creating meaningful and impactful learning experiences. Instructors can use Brightspace's range of tools to monitor student activity in a course, including their engagement with course materials and participation in discussions. Please contact CITL's Teaching and Learning Exchange for more information on our consultation services on using Brightspace to foster engagement and promote active participation in the learning environment.

Drone Recordings

CITL's media services team can shoot, edit and produce stunning drone footage that brings complex concepts to life by offering students a unique perspective on their studies and help create an immersive learning environment. Please contact CITL's Donna Downey for more information.

Learning Environment Development

CITL's classroom technologies team collaborates with Facilities Management, faculty and stakeholders to help design dynamic learning and meeting spaces that enhance the student experience through thoughtfully designed environments that foster engagement, flexibility and innovation. Please contact CITL's Todd Constantine for more information.

Multimedia Design

CITL's multimedia team works with instructors to develop tailored, creative solutions for learning resources that can make content more engaging, accessible and memorable. Please contact CITL's Donna Downey for more information.

Student Learning Solutions

Proactive and evidence-based resources and services for students in support of their teaching and learning success. 

Peer-Assisted Learning (PAL)

This course-integrated academic support program offers peer-led group study sessions that help students engage directly with the subject matter, supporting their success in challenging courses. PAL is available at no cost to all students in participating courses who want to improve their course grade and understanding of the material. Find more details about the program online, and contact CITL for information about PAL for your course.

Peer Tutoring for Academic Writing

Provided by trained peer tutors, CITL's writing services offer peer tutoring that supports students at all stages of the academic writing process. The knowledge students receive from working with a peer tutor helps them engage with the writing process and more confidently proofread and edit their own writing assignments. Please contact CITL for more information on encouraging students to take advantage of peer tutoring for academic writing.

General Inquiries

Please visit our Service Guide, Resource Collections and Need Help? pages for general information and inquiries about CITL's services, supports and resources, including our work on student engagement.