An engaged learning environment is a great tribute to the learners’ success that rests on active learning and motivation. It offers a positive ambiance for interaction, collaboration, and active learning, which eventually establishes a sense of connection between the university students, course content, and their lecturers. The students do not just get to learn through logical thinking. Instead, they get to learn in such a way that their relevant interests and feelings get engaged.

If you wish to create an engaging learning environment that encourages students to embrace their uniqueness as they strive for excellence at your institution of higher learning, read on for the steps to follow.

Why is an Engaging Learning Environment Important?

• It increases interaction and attention amongst the students and with their lecturers.
• It helps make the students feel safe, connected, and supported, promoting high performance.
• Motivates students to practice critical thinking skills at a higher level.
• It promotes increased effort and investment in course-related tasks for a positive and meaningful learning experience.
• An engaging learning environment provides students with frequent and immediate feedback.
  It allows learners to experience diversity.

10 Ways to Foster an Engaging Learning Environment at Your University 

1. Create a family atmosphere Families are not always perfect, and not all are equal, but most stick together even over difficult times. To create a family of learners, organize team-building activities throughout the year, and you will see it pay off.

2. Focus on active learning Instead of focusing on getting the students to ”learn” something, the results are impressive when educators focus on getting the students to ”do”. Encourage student effort and participation instead of passive instructor-led presentations as students learn better when actively involved instead of just listening. Develop activities that help the students stay physically active, like collaborating in group assignments, individual or paired problem-solving, flipped teaching, or experimental learning projects that involve shared research. Emphasize teaching strategies like video and multimedia presentations that break up the learning monotony.

3. Set clear expectations Complexity in course syllabi, presentations, and expectations diminish students’ enthusiasm. Keep your expectations on how students should engage in the classroom with their peers, instructors, and coursework firm, clear, simple, and consistent. Have an outline of what you expect the students to learn in the course and why.

4. Encourage goal-setting Incentivize students to set their own goals for the course with personal milestones to signal their progress. This way, the ownership of engagement gets transferred to the students, getting them motivated and enthusiastic about attaining expertise on the path they have defined .It would help if you also encouraged competition amongst them based on how fast one attains their goal or beats it without putting too much emphasis on grades. Remember to create scenarios where failure is a possibility, as a thinker learns much from failure and success.

5. Celebrate success Take note of the success of each student as per their set goal and milestones and celebrate them in the lecture room. Positive reinforcement is the best motivator for success in learning. When students achieve and feel that it gets noticed, they are likely to strive harder to achieve more.

6. Make it personal Learning becomes more individualized in an engaged learning environment, with each student working at their developmentally appropriate pace. As an instructor, you make the learning process personal by learning and using the students’ names, being accessible & approachable, and taking time to learn about the student’s backgrounds and personal interests.
If there are challenges of language barrier from having a diverse class, embrace Translation services. Translation of study materials like lecture notes in all major languages as per the class’ composition will improve communication and create better engagement. In short, take time to know your students, check to see there is no communication barrier, and build a relationship with them.

7. Give feedback and keep it positive It is true that “it is not what you say, but how you say it.” Keep your feedback objective and your tone positive even when the students miss the mark. When feedback is given in such a way that it challenges the students with respect and dignity, they are more likely to handle it.

8. Ask for feedback An engaging learning environment encourages a two-way process of communication- speaking and listening. As much as teachers review students and give feedback, they should also be open to checking in with the students to understand how best to improve their teaching style. When students feel that their input is actively sought, they are more likely to engage better and readily in the learning process.

9. Redesign your learning space Gone are the days when physical classrooms were all about having desks in a row. A well-designed class should be inviting, comfortable, and practical, depending on the type of learning experience the course is for.

10. Provoke conversations on social media Technological trends have seen students hang out on social media channels the most. It is possible to have valuable conversations and learning opportunities in these places, just as much as you can in a classroom. Source and post relevant content frequently for your students on social media and motivate them to interact by giving feedback on the platforms and lecture halls. However, take caution and uphold institutional policies on security, privacy, etc.

Conclusion

Engaged students are most likely to commit to learning, make an effort in understanding the course, re-engineer the experience and incorporate it into their lives.If you have more strategies that you feel should have made it to our list, please engage with us and share your ideas in the comment section below.