Engaging and Motivating Students Archives

Three Teachers, One Challenge: Improving Student Engagement with Course Readings

Lonna Summers Rocha, Carrie L. La Voy, and Steven H. White February 16, 2026

We often hear faculty complain that students are not reading the course material. Studies consistently report low rates of reading compliance across disciplines, with students citing time pressures, unclear purpose, perceived irrelevance, and weak accountability structures as reasons for skipping assigned materials (Hoeft, 2012; Brost

A Blue Book–Worksheet Sandwich to Increase Attendance and Engagement

Claudia Kale January 26, 2026

As the Covid-19 pandemic ran its course, you most likely found yourself adapting classroom policies and activities to meet the challenges of remote and hybrid learning. Perhaps you flipped your classroom for the first time, saving precious class time to have students work through activities

Inspire Questioning, Build Interest, Advance Learning

Regan A. R. Gurung October 6, 2025

Have you noticed what students do when they’re curious about something? A few years ago, a common response to having a question about a text (or the world, for that matter) was to “ask Google.” Nowadays the common refrain seems to be “ask ChatGPT.” When

Being the One to Many: The Importance of Engagement and Belonging

Regan A. R. Gurung August 4, 2025

John lost both his parents by the time he was 12. He moved around between different families, got himself into a lot of trouble, and eventually was expelled from high school. Fast-forward many years, and John, after earning degrees from Harvard, Columbia, and Yale, went

If They Come, They Will Build It: On Fostering Attendance

Regan A. R. Gurung June 2, 2025

Every fall term since the start of the pandemic, I’ve expected that students will come to class with more energy than the semester before. Yes, Zoom classes and the fear of contagion changed our experiences of higher education, but as the distance from the initial

Fountain mosaic pattern at Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, Morocco

Connecting Students to Beauty and Wonder

Mays Imad May 27, 2025

In recent years, many of my students have told me they feel bored, anxious, and lonely. Some explain that they often reach for their phones and scroll just to fill the silence. Listening to them, I’ve learned that this habit is not really about killing

Storytelling in Education: Engaging Students through Narrative-Driven Courses

Timothy Thornton and Letitia Bergantz May 12, 2025

Storytelling is a powerful tool that can transform the learning experience. By weaving a cohesive narrative throughout a course, educators can captivate students’ interest, deepen understanding, and create a more memorable and engaging learning journey. Storytelling can serve as a versatile means to deliver content,

The Power of Professor Engagement: Connecting through Student Success

Terrance Hinton April 28, 2025

In higher education, student success is a widely used yet insufficiently defined concept. While some students equate success with academic performance, others view it through lenses of personal development, career preparation, or perseverance in overcoming obstacles. These varied definitions are shaped by diverse personal, environmental,

Reeling Them In: Video Text Introductions to Support Comprehension

Nicholas E. Husbye March 17, 2025

My course is literally about teaching reading to young children, a challenge given that research suggests that college students complete only 20–30 percent of assigned readings, a behavior inversely related to academic performance and engagement (Kerr & Frese, 2017; Deale & Lee, 2021). Further exacerbating

Using Game-Based Teaching to Engage Reluctant Learners

Andrew Davies July 8, 2024

Picture this: Days before your semester begins, your students are messaging each other about how excited they are to begin your class. Then, during the semester, they show up to every lesson curious about what they’re going to learn that day, even enthusiastic about doing

Engaging and Motivating Students