PapersFlow Research Brief
Higher Education Practises and Engagement
Research Guide
What is Higher Education Practises and Engagement?
Higher Education Practices and Engagement refers to the involvement of students as active collaborators with staff in higher education, including co-creating curriculum, inclusive student engagement, pedagogical partnerships, student voice, academic development, equity and diversity, and student participation.
This field encompasses 20,662 papers exploring students and staff as partners in higher education. Key areas include co-creation of curriculum, pedagogical partnership, and student voice in shaping learning and teaching. Growth data over the past five years is not available.
Topic Hierarchy
Research Sub-Topics
Students as Partners in Curriculum Design
Research examines co-creation processes where students collaborate with staff to design curricula, learning outcomes, and assessment strategies. Studies explore power dynamics, impact on student agency, and curriculum relevance.
Pedagogical Partnership Frameworks
Theoretical models conceptualize student-staff partnerships as joint knowledge production with shared vulnerability and reciprocity. Empirical studies develop partnership typologies, success factors, and institutional implementation strategies.
Student Voice in Higher Education Governance
Analysis of student representation mechanisms in university decision-making bodies and their substantive influence on policy. Research investigates voice amplification strategies, representation challenges, and impact assessment.
Inclusive Student Engagement Practices
Strategies to engage marginalized student populations through culturally responsive partnership models and intersectional approaches. Studies address equity barriers, belonging interventions, and inclusive engagement metrics.
Academic Development through Partnerships
Student involvement in staff development programs, peer observation, and educational research enhances teaching practice reflexively. Research documents partnership learning outcomes for academic developers and institutional change.
Why It Matters
Higher education practices and engagement enable students to participate in curriculum design and teaching improvements, addressing equity and diversity challenges in institutional life. Kahu (2011) in "Framing student engagement in higher education" provides a framework that connects psychosocial, structural, and socio-cultural factors to engagement, applied in studies to enhance retention and success rates. Kuh (2003) in "What We're Learning About Student Engagement From NSSE: Benchmarks for Effective Educational Practices" identifies benchmarks from the National Survey of Student Engagement, used by over 1,500 institutions to measure and improve practices like active learning, with NSSE data showing engaged students gain deeper learning outcomes.
Reading Guide
Where to Start
"Framing student engagement in higher education" by Kahu (2011) provides a foundational framework connecting multiple dimensions of engagement, making it accessible for understanding core concepts before exploring specific practices.
Key Papers Explained
Kahu (2011) in "Framing student engagement in higher education" establishes a psychosocial framework, which Lea and Street (1998) in "Student writing in higher education: An academic literacies approach" build on by examining literacies in engagement contexts. The New London Group (1996) in "A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures" extends this to multiliteracies pedagogy, while Kuh (2003) in "What We're Learning About Student Engagement From NSSE: Benchmarks for Effective Educational Practices" offers empirical benchmarks; Hunter et al. (2006) in "Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students' cognitive, personal, and professional development" applies it to research partnerships.
Paper Timeline
Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.
Advanced Directions
Recent focus remains on adapting partnerships post-Covid, as in Rapanta et al. (2020) addressing online refocusing, with no new preprints or news in the last six to twelve months indicating steady application of established frameworks.
Papers at a Glance
| # | Paper | Year | Venue | Citations | Open Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures | 1996 | Harvard Educational Re... | 5.3K | ✕ |
| 2 | Student writing in higher education: An academic literacies ap... | 1998 | Studies in Higher Educ... | 2.5K | ✕ |
| 3 | E-Moderating | 2004 | — | 2.2K | ✕ |
| 4 | Online University Teaching During and After the Covid-19 Crisi... | 2020 | Postdigital Science an... | 2.0K | ✓ |
| 5 | Framing student engagement in higher education | 2011 | Studies in Higher Educ... | 1.8K | ✕ |
| 6 | On being included: racism and diversity in institutional life | 2013 | Choice Reviews Online | 1.4K | ✕ |
| 7 | A reconceptualisation of the research into university academic... | 1997 | Learning and Instruction | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 8 | Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in st... | 2006 | Science Education | 1.3K | ✕ |
| 9 | Academically Adrift: Limited Learning on College Campuses | 2012 | Growth: The Journal of... | 1.2K | ✕ |
| 10 | What We're Learning About Student Engagement From NSSE: Benchm... | 2003 | Change The Magazine of... | 1.2K | ✕ |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is student engagement in higher education?
Student engagement in higher education involves psychosocial, structural, and socio-cultural dimensions that influence participation in learning activities. Kahu (2011) in "Framing student engagement in higher education" conceptualizes it as a psychosocial process within a framework of influences. This approach helps explain variations in student involvement and outcomes.
How does multiliteracies pedagogy support engagement?
Multiliteracies pedagogy addresses multiplicity in communication channels by designing social futures through diverse literacy practices. The New London Group (1996) in "A Pedagogy of Multiliteracies: Designing Social Futures" argues it connects changing social environments to new literacy approaches. It promotes active student participation in higher education contexts.
What role does undergraduate research play in engagement?
Undergraduate research fosters cognitive, personal, and professional development through collaborative apprenticeships with faculty. Hunter et al. (2006) in "Becoming a scientist: The role of undergraduate research in students' cognitive, personal, and professional development" found it enhances students' science identity and skills. This practice integrates students into authentic research, boosting engagement.
How has online teaching affected engagement post-Covid?
Online university teaching requires refocusing teacher presence and learning activity to maintain engagement. Rapanta et al. (2020) in "Online University Teaching During and After the Covid-19 Crisis: Refocusing Teacher Presence and Learning Activity" emphasize pedagogical content knowledge for virtual environments. It supports effective transitions from face-to-face to online formats.
What are benchmarks for effective educational practices?
Benchmarks from NSSE measure student engagement through practices like level of academic challenge and active learning. Kuh (2003) in "What We're Learning About Student Engagement From NSSE: Benchmarks for Effective Educational Practices" reports data from thousands of students across campuses. These benchmarks guide improvements in higher education engagement.
Open Research Questions
- ? How can student-staff partnerships in curriculum co-creation be scaled across diverse higher education institutions?
- ? What structural barriers prevent inclusive engagement for underrepresented students in pedagogical partnerships?
- ? In what ways do socio-cultural factors interact with online teaching practices to influence student voice?
- ? How do equity and diversity initiatives measure long-term impacts on student participation in academic development?
Recent Trends
The field maintains 20,662 works with no specified five-year growth rate; persistent emphasis appears in high-citation works like Rapanta et al. on online adaptations, but no recent preprints or news coverage in the last six to twelve months signals consolidation of themes such as student-staff partnerships from earlier papers like Kahu (2011).
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