Development Monthly | #41 March 2025 | The Power of Connection: Building Strong Networks for Success in HE
After holding leadership roles at University College London (2000-2005) and St George’s University of London (2005-2013), in 2013, I moved to Queen Mary University of London. I originally joined as Director of Taught Programmes in the School of Biological & Behavioural Sciences, where I am also a Professor of Reproductive Biology.
In 2018, I became Dean for Education in the Faculty of Science and Engineering, and in 2019, I was also appointed to the pan university role of Deputy Vice-Principal of Education. I focus on issues relating to quality and standards, and the student experience. I continue to teach and am a passionate advocate for student engagement, particularly disadvantaged students and students from historically underrepresented groups.
In this blog post, I reflect on last week’s evasys Student Engagement conference, organised by Helena Lim and the team at evasys, and kindly hosted by Professor Sal Jarvis and colleagues at the University of Westminster. This event, which picked up on Helena’s insightful report ‘Future-proofing student engagement in UK Higher Education’, was attended by 127 delegates from 43 different universities and colleges across the UK.
On arrival, it was clear that this was going to be an unconventional conference that encouraged delegates to think differently. As we entered the main conference room, instead of linear rows of seats facing the projection screens, we were ominously greeted by concentric circular rows of chairs all facing in toward the centre. Speakers addressed the audience ‘in the round’, turning to speak directly to delegates at all four points of the compass.
If that surprise wasn’t enough, the vast majority of speakers addressed the audience (for up to 30 minutes each) without slides! Gone was any opportunity to read ahead on the slides, simply hearing (rather than listening to) the presenters. Likewise, we couldn’t be tempted to grab power naps, safe in the knowledge that we couldn’t be seen. Instead, we had to actively listen to each speaker, aware that we were directly facing other conference delegates and were very visible to the presenters as they turned to face each corner of the room.
When enrolling, I had expected the Evasys conference to focus on what I understood to be ‘student engagement’: do students attend scheduled teaching activities (whether in person or remotely) and do they engage with the session content?
In the opening insight talks, we heard from Divanshu Airan (President of Westminster Students’ Union) and Amira Campbell (President of the National Union of Students), as well as from Sal Jarvis. After a short coffee break, these talks were immediately followed by a panel discussion / fireside chat, expertly facilitated by David Gilani (Middlesex University). Divanshu, Amira, and Sal, joined by George Walker (SOAS), shared their perspectives on student engagement and how students’ unions and universities need to collaborate to maximise student engagement in such a rapidly changing society.
Through these insight talks and panel discussion, it rapidly emerged that, from a student perspective, ‘student engagement’ relates to all aspects of university life. It is as much about immersion in the full university experience and developing a sense of identity as it is about engaging with the academic content and demands of a course. Universities can only understand and rise to these challenges by working with our respective students’ unions, elected and non-elected student representatives. I had travelled to the conference expecting to hear more about the latest learner engagement analytics and how we might develop more 21st century measures of student engagement. What I rapidly appreciated is that I needed to reframe completely my definition of student engagement.
Either side of the lunch break, we were offered a choice of breakout sessions. I smiled noting the resistance I have encountered to the OfS concept of ‘personalising the learner journey’. The conference reminded us how important some autonomy is to keep ‘students’ motivated and engaged.
In the afternoon, Juliette Morgan (Advance HE) challenged attendees to completely reimagine higher education. Juliette spoke to the exponential increases in the pace of change in 21st century society, and the uncertainty and anxieties that this generates in students and staff alike. Are 20th century models of university life fit for purpose in a technology-enhanced society? This was elaborated in the subsequent presentation from Dr Samar Gad (Kingston University) who shared her experiences of bringing AI into both learning and assessment. (Here, I noted that although students were instructed to use Claude for their assignments, 55% used Chat GPT. Will Chat GPT become the ‘Hoover’ of the AI world? We’re already using Chat GPT as a verb rather than a noun.)
Finally, Professor Ale Armellini (University of Portsmouth) delivered a characteristically provocative session challenging delegates’ preconceptions and beliefs. In such a rapidly changing world, can we devise strategies that really ‘future-proof’ any aspect of university life? Without clairvoyance, how do we plan for such an unpredictable future, and what might be the unintended consequences of closer collaborative working between university leadership and students’ unions?
So, other than being a really enjoyable event, what were my takeaway messages?
We can drive up engagement by challenging orthodoxies that may be restricting student engagement. Dare to change the layout of the room or the format of sessions to better engage the student audience.
What university staff define as ‘student engagement’ is not aligned with the perceptions of some / most / all students. We need active dialogues between universities and students to even understand, let alone solve, the challenge of ‘Future-proofing student engagement’.
“Staff engagement = student engagement.” (Disengaged / disinterested colleagues are a fast-track to student disengagement.)
Supporting student engagement requires radical reimagining rather than tweaks around the edges of an ageing system.
The future may be uncertain, but then the past hasn’t been as constant as we selectively remember anyway. We’ve addressed significant challenges before, and working collaboratively across the sector and with students, universities will continue to evolve and rise to the challenges around student engagement.
To download the full “Future-Proofing Student Engagement in UK Higher Education” report, visit: https://evasys.co.uk/insights/future-proofing-student-engagement-in-uk-higher-education/
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