Unpacking Student Engagement in Higher Education

Unpacking Student Engagement in Higher Education

Table of contents

Introduction

Ensuring students simply show up for class isn’t enough to guarantee their success—or for any college or university to truly fulfill its mission. Student engagement in higher education must go beyond attendance, encompassing emotional, cognitive and behavioral involvement both inside and outside the classroom. Holistic engagement enhances academic performance while fostering a strong connection to the institution and preparing students with workforce-ready skills.

In fact, according to the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE), students who participate in high-impact practices—like undergraduate research, service learning, and internships—report significantly higher levels of learning, development, and satisfaction with their college experience.

The top benefits of student engagement in higher education include:

  • Increased matriculation, retention, persistence, and on-time graduation
  • Higher GPAs
  • A stronger sense of belonging within the institution
  • Greater satisfaction with the higher education experience
  • Enhanced workforce readiness through the development of in-demand skills
  • Improved job prospects upon graduation
  • Increased interest in pursuing graduate or professional school

 Discover more insights through this infographic around key student engagement statistics. 

In this blog post, we’ll explore the three primary dimensions of student engagement, identify key factors that influence it, suggest best practices for measurement and assessment, offer ideas to enhance engagement and explore future trends shaping student involvement.

Defining Student Engagement in Higher Education

Student engagement is a multifaceted concept that encompasses the various ways in which students participate in and interact with their academic environment. It involves the psychological investment a student makes in learning, including active participation in academic and co-curricular activities on campus.

Engaging students also means encouraging them to pursue contact with faculty outside the classroom, get involved in civic activities and service learning and develop a sense of belonging to the campus community. By fostering student engagement, institutions can promote student success, encourage students to take ownership of their learning and create a positive and supportive campus culture.

Dimensions of Student Engagement

Student engagement in higher education can best be understood across three unconnected dimensions: cognitive, emotional, and behavioral. Each dimension plays a role in shaping a student’s skill development, well-being, and success.  

Cognitive

This dimension involves the active participation of students in the learning process, challenging their preconceived notions, cultivating program-solving skills, and promoting critical thinking. 

Fostering cognitive engagement prepares students for the challenges they will face outside of the classroom and beyond graduation while enhancing their adaptability and innovation.

Courses that stimulate cognitive engagement often incorporate interactive discussions, problem-solving activities and projects that encourage students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world scenarios. Additionally, the integration of technology and collaborative learning platforms can enhance cognitive engagement by providing students with dynamic, immersive learning experiences.

Bloom’s taxonomy provides a popular model for faculty and co-curricular program leaders to develop learning outcomes. Developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom with collaborators Max Englehart, Edward Furst, Walter Hill and David Krathwoh, the taxonomy is composed of six categories—each of which is progressively more challenging than the last as learners expand and deepen their learning:

  1. Remembering: recalling facts and basic concepts from recent or long-term memory
  2. Understanding: constructing meaning from oral, written, and graphic messages
  3. Applying: using recalled information in novel situations
  4. Analyzing: drawing conclusions from ideas 
  5. Evaluating: making judgments based on criteria and standards 
  6. Creating: putting elements together to produce new work

Most first-time students will be accustomed to the first category; exams in their K-12 education test their recollection of information. It is then each institution’s duty to challenge learners to engage with course content and co-curricular concepts on a deeper level—incorporating activities, exercises, and experiences to move students across all six Bloom’s taxonomy elements.

Emotional

This dimension involves students' emotional connection with their academic pursuits, peers and the overall campus environment. Feeling a sense of belonging, motivation and enthusiasm for learning are key indicators of emotional engagement. 

Emotional engagement is key to any institution’s mission and success, as a student who is emotionally engaged is far more likely to persist within their degree program and be retained by the institution. 

Positive emotional engagement can compel a student to overcome academic barriers, leverage student support services, pursue ambitious goals and contribute to their surrounding community. 

Behavioral

Behavioral engagement involves observable indicators of cognitive and emotional engagement, with a strong emphasis on student involvement. 

Inside the classroom, a student who is highly engaged within this dimension will ask the instructor questions and assert their viewpoint during discussions. They may also take notes, lead group projects and volunteer to give presentations.

Behavioral engagement also expands outside of traditional course experiences. Active participation in extracurricular or co-curricular activities, service learning and community engagement are all essential components of behavioral engagement within modern higher education. Meaningful student involvement in these activities can lead to stronger relationships and a sense of community, encouraging under involved students to participate more effectively in campus life.

students walking

Factors Affecting Student Engagement

Increasing student engagement in higher education isn’t as simple as tweaking one or two elements of the educational experience.

Colleges and universities seeking to boost engagement must consider higher education from a complex, holistic lens—one that encompasses, at a minimum, the following attributes.  

Teaching quality and pedagogy

Incorporating interactive activities in both academic and co-curricular programs can enhance engagement, as can using a variety of instructional strategies to cater to different student learning styles. 

Clear communication is also essential for capturing students’ interest, and the instructor’s passion for a subject can keep a student invested in the course. 

Active learning opportunities

Active learning strategies—such as group discussions, case studies, presentations, and hands-on research—can stimulate cognitive engagement. 

Moving beyond traditional lecture-based approaches allows instructors to create environments that empower students to actively participate in their learning processes. 

Course content and relevance

Courses and co-curricular experiences that demonstrate real-world applicability and relevance to employer demands drive greater student engagement than lectures or discussions based on theoretical or outdated ideas. 

Integrating interdisciplinary topics can also foster deeper engagement, as students can draw connections across themes addressed within multiple courses and fields. 

Physical learning environment

The physical layout and atmosphere of the classroom, meeting space or event hall can impact how well students are able to focus on the subject matter. Faculty and staff should work together to design spaces that are comfortable, well-lit and organized. 

Accessibility services should also be consulted to ensure that all spaces are physically accessible and welcoming to students with physical, mental and learning disabilities.

Instructor-student relationship

Students who have positive relationships with professors and support staff are more likely to ask questions, actively participate in discussions and aim to contribute positively to their learning environments. Instructors should be approachable, demonstrate genuine interest in students' success and provide timely, constructive feedback. 

Meeting with students outside of the regularly scheduled learning experience can also help foster positive relationships. This can involve faculty holding office hours and support staff—including academic advisors, career counselors, residence hall staff and Student Affairs leaders—joining students at campus events, attending student-run programs and leading field experiences. 

Diversity, equity and inclusion

Emotional engagement thrives in a supportive and inclusive campus environment. Institutions should prioritize creating spaces wherein students feel heard, respected and valued. This can involve establishing mentorship programs, providing mental health resources and promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion.

Technology integration

Leveraging educational technology tools can make student engagement in higher education more dynamic and relevant for students of all ages and demographics. 

For example, student engagement portals reduce barriers to co-curricular engagement by centralizing all resources into one shared hub. Communication tools, such as text messaging, allow students to communicate with students and the institution while exploring opportunities on their own schedule. 

Scheduling tools make it easier for students to build course schedules that fit around their non-academic obligations and interests. 

Support services

The role of support services in fostering cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagement can not be overstated. Tutoring services, writing centers and academic advising help students develop essential study skills and time management strategies—which are crucial for engaging thoughtfully with course materials and performing well within the classroom. 

Meanwhile, career counseling can motivate students to connect their academic pursuits to their career aspirations, and orientation programs—along with ongoing opportunities like First-Year Experience programs and leadership programs— help students connect with the broader campus community.

Evaluation and self-reflection

Regular, timely and constructive feedback from faculty and staff helps students understand their progress and areas for improvement. Better yet, encouraging students to evaluate their own learning encourages deeper investment in the learning and skills development process. 

By regularly encouraging students to self-reflect, institutions help students better articulate their skills to employers, understand the immense value of co-curricular learning and appreciate feedback from mentors and peers.

Personal well-being

A student’s mental, emotional and physical health is intrinsically tied to their ability and willingness to engage with the opportunities around them. Physical and mental illnesses—along with stress, anxiety and depression—provide enormous barriers to student success. 

Students who are unable to develop healthy coping mechanisms and leverage appropriate support systems will often fail to persist in their academic studies.

Financial assurance

Worries about financial stability can harm engagement. A student who struggles to afford tuition, books, housing, living expenses and other personal costs may be unable to fully invest in their studies.

Additionally, needing to work part- or full-time may prevent some learners from joining student organizations and attending campus events.

 

students in hallway

How to Measure Student Engagement in Higher Education

If you want to increase engagement—across your entire student body or within certain student demographics—you need first to understand the existing trends, habits, behaviors and preferences related to engagement at your institution. 

Many institutions have found the following methods helpful for measuring engagement. 

Surveys and questionnaires

National surveys like the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) provide standardized measures of student engagement. 

Additionally, institutions can create custom surveys to measure specific aspects of student engagement in higher education, focusing on areas like classroom experiences, extracurricular involvement and overall satisfaction.

Self-reflection forms and exercises

Not only can self-reflection forms and activities deepen student engagement in and of itself, but such practices can provide institutions with valuable assessment data through evidence of students’ self-development and growing engagement. 

Focus groups and interviews

Focus groups and interviews can provide valuable qualitative data to complement quantitative measures. By speaking with students individually and within small groups, institutions can explore student experiences and perceptions in depth. 

Anecdotes and insights from interviews and focus groups can form theses for later research that can be expanded to a wider sample. 

Learning analytics

Learning Management System (LMS) data can offer insights into how students engage with digital resources, participate in virtual discussion forums and complete online assignments. Relatedly, tracking digital engagement data can allow an institution to understand how frequently and for how long students interact with online materials. 

In addition to understanding current student engagement in higher education, website analytics can also be valuable to admissions and alumni teams. 

By understanding how alumni and prospective students engage with the institution’s website, professionals can make changes that better reflect the interests of their core audiences. 

Attendance and participation records

Within the classroom, regularly monitoring attendance can offer a basic indicator of student engagement with course content. Keeping records of student participation in class discussions, group activities and other interactive elements provides additional insights.

Coursework performance

Analyzing student performance on exams, projects and assignments can offer insights into each learner’s level of cognitive engagement. Faculty should establish clear criteria and use rubrics to assess the depth and breadth of engagement.

Co-curricular and extra-curricular involvement

Assessment is critical to understanding student engagement within clubs and organizations, campus events, service-learning projects and other co-curricular opportunities that promote development outside of the classroom. 

As we explored within The Student Affairs Guide to Data-Informed Decision-Making, co-curricular experiences can be measured through surveys, polls, interviews, focus groups and participation data. 

Modern Campus Involve makes assessing student activities particularly easy, with a real-time analytics dashboard, dynamic visual reporting, custom demographic attributes and more. 

Retention and graduation rates

The percentage of students who persist from one semester or academic year to the next may also be indicative of cognitive, emotional and behavioral engagement. Similarly, institutions may find that high graduation rates correlate with positive high student engagement, as graduation requires an advanced level of classroom success.

students texting in a library

Student Engagement Strategies

Every department, office, individual staff and faculty member can play a role in enhancing student engagement in higher education at their institutions. Here are some of the top strategies that should be implemented and considered.

Create a sense of community

Programs, initiatives and events overseen by Student Affairs don’t merely provide extraneous fun; they’re essential for transforming a sprawling institution into an inclusive community and fostering loyalty among students. How well an institution engages its students outside of the classroom can even make or break its retention rate. 

These can include orientation programs that help students acclimate to the higher education experience, clubs and organizations promoting social interactions, community-building and leadership development, and residential life initiatives that enhance students’ connections with their peers.

Foster a sense of belonging

Fostering a sense of belonging promotes student engagement and success. When students feel connected to their campus community, they're more likely to participate in academic and co-curricular activities, seek out support services and persist in their studies.

Institutions can foster a sense of belonging by creating inclusive and welcoming campus environments, providing opportunities for students to engage with faculty and peers and promoting campus events and activities that cater to diverse interests. By doing so, institutions can help students develop a sense of identity and purpose, which is essential for academic success and personal growth.

Use technology to enhance learning

Leveraging technology creates interactive and dynamic learning experiences, especially for Gen-Z and Millennial learners who don’t just appreciate technological integrations; they expect it.

Colleges and universities should consider introducing digital maps and virtual tours that simulate the campus experience for prospective learners, class schedule optimization tools to connect students with appropriate course schedules each term, conversational text messaging that’s enhanced by AI to connect students with staff resources 24/7 and a student engagement portal to streamline, enhance and incentive involvement. 

Institutions with non-traditional students and lifelong learning programs—including Continuing Education, Workforce Development and Corporate Training courses—can benefit from management systems specifically designed for such learners. 

Modern Campus Lifelong Learning, for example, enhances the digital experience for students through simplified registration and re-enrollment, verifiable credentials, self-service portals and more. 

Incorporate real-world applications

Linking academic and co-curricular concepts to real-world scenarios enhances the practical relevance of coursework and student leadership initiatives. These can often come in the form of high-impact practices (HIPs) —long-term experiences that are intentionally designed to foster student success. 

These practices can include internships and co-ops, industry partnerships, first-year seminars, living-learning communities, service projects, student abroad programs, capstone projects and field experiences. 

In addition to driving student engagement in higher education, high-impact practices are also positively associated with increased GPA and retention, increases in critical thinking and writing skills and higher rates of student-faculty interaction.

Offer support and resources for mental health and well-being

Investing in students’ mental well-being is both a moral imperative and a crucial strategy for ensuring the institution’s own prosperity.

Common stressors—including social isolation, academic pressure and financial stress—along with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses can impede a student’s ability to succeed inside the classroom and prevent them from engaging in co-curricular opportunities.

To help students cope with transitional challenges and improve their mental health, institutions should provide counseling and therapy services, empower students to leverage academic resources, increase access to financial aid and scholarships and promote a welcoming environment. 

Mentoring programs

Mentorship is a powerful tool for guiding students on their academic and personal journeys. A 2023 study found that students with strong mentor relationships are more confident in their career ambitions and workforce readiness. 

Mentorship can come in the form of peer mentors whom students can confide in, faculty or staff mentors who offer academic and career guidance and alumni mentors who can offer keen career insights and life advice.

hands on laptop

Real-World Examples of Boosting Student Engagement

Perhaps the best way to develop your own student engagement strategy is to study the successes of peer institutions. 

Here are some top success stories involving colleges and universities whose engagement initiatives have yielded impressive, rewarding results.

Engaging prospective students

Engaging current students

Engaging alumni

corner of a laptop

Future Trends In Student Engagement

Predicting future trends in student engagement is challenging, as it depends on evolving industry landscapes, technological advancements, and societal shifts. 

However, several emerging trends suggest how colleges and universities might engage students both inside and outside the classroom in the near future.

Personalized learning experiences

More institutions will leverage physical and digital technologies to create adaptive learning environments that cater to individual student needs and preferences. 

Additionally, a customized curriculum will allow students to design unique learning pathways based on their interests, career goals, and learning styles.

Virtual and augmented reality

A future in which VR is a regular part of higher ed life isn’t too far off! Using virtual and augmented reality to provide immersive, interactive educational experiences will engage students in fresh, exciting ways. 

Such tech can also be used to attract prospective students to apply or enroll via virtual tours, orientations and fairs. 

Gamification

Gamification is already a popular, proven strategy for incentivizing students to engage with experiences outside of the classroom. 

Faculty and academic leaders can follow suit by integrating gamified elements into individual coursework and career pathways. Institutions can fuse academic and co-curricular experiences by rewarding student achievements with digital badges and providing rewards for completed milestones.

Hybrid learning

For many institutions, the growing demand from non-traditional students has driven the adoption of hybrid learning options for the first time. As the Chronicle for Higher Education found, students loved the flexibility offered by hybrid learning models and are keeping the demand high. 

Institutions looking to get ahead in the engagement game should expand their offering of programs that combine online and in-person instruction while investing in new ways to deepen the impact of such programs and market them to more learners. 

Data-driven student support

In addition to using data to boast about engagement gains, institutions will use predictive analytics to identify students at risk of disengagement. 

Early warning systems will prompt the right institutional staff and faculty to intervene and support students in real time.

Social media integration

Students, especially Gen-Z, are already checking their social media feeds throughout the day. Why not use that to your advantage? 

Institutions can leverage popular and emerging social media platforms for educational purposes, collaborating with influencers and educators to create informative, engaging content. Social media can even be used to offer virtual study groups, academic support communities and mentorship programs. 

Continuous professional development for faculty and staff

To ensure that instructors can properly leverage emerging technology, institutions should provide faculty and staff with ongoing training. Such training should cover inclusive teaching methods, culturally responsive education, and technology usage.

Break Down Barriers and Boost Student Engagement

Student engagement in higher education is a cornerstone of academic and institutional success. Colleges and universities that actively foster emotional, cognitive, and behavioral connections—both inside and outside the classroom—are more likely to attract, retain and graduate students who persist through challenges and become engaged alumni. 

Overcoming common barriers like financial constraints, limited awareness of campus resources and time management challenges is key to creating an inclusive, supportive environment where every learner can thrive.

Modern Campus empowers institutions to tackle these challenges head-on. With solutions designed to support the entire learner-to-earner lifecycle, Modern Campus helps colleges and universities engage students more effectively through personalized communication, dynamic event management and flexible learning pathways. Request a demo today to see how Modern Campus can help your institution inspire persistence, satisfaction and long-term success.

Key Takeaways

  • Engaging modern students’ cognitive learning processes, capturing their emotional awareness, and promoting behavioral development are all key to student development and success. 
  • Although student engagement is impacted by many personal and societal factors that institutions can not directly control, departments can collaborate to design programs, services, and initiatives that mitigate common barriers to engagement and foster deeper learning. 
  • Engagement will most certainly continue to be a challenge and concern in the new future, so institutions should actively seek to integrate emerging technologies, offer students more flexible and personalized experiences, and leverage diverse data analytics to guide decision-making.
Shauna Cox

Shauna Cox

Shauna Cox is the Editor-in-Chief of The EvoLLLution, the online newspaper developed by Modern Campus to create a conversation hub focused on non-traditional higher education and the transforming postsecondary marketplace. She began her Modern Campus journey with The EvoLLLution in 2019, and has since added Content Marketing Manger to her title. Shauna works personally with every contributor at The EvoLLLution to produce the content that has supported the site’s rise to becoming the top resource for non-traditional higher education. She earned her BA in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University, and lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Connect with her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shaunacox

Last updated: April 24, 2025

We use cookies on this website to enhance your experience and improve our services and our website’s functionality. By continuing to use our website, which includes remaining on this landing page, you consent to the use of cookies and agree to our Privacy Policy.