1. This subject was intellectually engaging and stimulating​

Overview

Based on student feedback and a series of conversations with ABP subject coordinators, BEL+T has produced a set of Tactics for  Promoting Intellectual Engagement. The objective of this process was to identify the characteristics that students attribute to intellectually engaging and stimulating subjects to inform teaching practices. In addition to student commentary, the following guidance includes tactics used by subject coordinators as well as things to consider for their application. Access the PDF version here.

Based on ABP student voices, the qualities associated with a subject deemed intellectually engaging and stimulating include:

1. Curated - Students consider the subject content and activities to be sufficiently broad, varied and challenging.
2. Applied - Students provided with opportunities to deepen their knowledge of content through related learning activities and assessment tasks.
3. Relevant - Students satisfied that subject content and activities are relevant to their backgrounds, current practice and their possible futures.
4. Absorbing - Students engaged through the quality of content delivery, based on from whom, where and how delivery occurs.

The student quotes included in this guide were generated using artificial intelligence, based on submitted student comments from the ESS survey. These original comments were uploaded to a secure University of Melbourne AI chatbot, which processed and returned similar but anonymised quotes to preserve confidentiality but maintain the focus and intention of the original.  All outputs were reviewed for language and consistency with the original by a member of BEL+T.

Curated

Students consider the subject content and activities to be sufficiently broad, varied and challenging.

Tactic 1 - Select content to cover a range of contexts and perspectives

Examples:

• Choreograph a range of perspectives across lectures, guest lectures, tutorials, precedents and readings.
• Signpost diverse perspectives within the subject’s overarching narrative/theoretical framework.
• Brief guest speakers, then ask closing questions and guide the discussion to ensure it aligns with subject aims.
• Draw upon content from co-curricular events (e.g., Dean’s lectures) to broaden content and situate within the Faculty’s wider context.

Things to consider:

• Offer a balance of perspectives (gender, culture)
• Consider diversity of students and student cohorts, in terms of their interests, expectations and backgrounds.
• It may not be necessary to invite guests in order to include multiple perspectives—but do consider whether there is a ‘guiding narrative’ that ties all of the perspectives together.

Tactic 2 - Offer a range of learning activities and formats to provide flexibility and variety to students

Examples:

• Offer a range of tutorial-based activities (e.g., site visits, drawing exercises, etc) as a way of engaging with theoretical concepts
• Use tutorial as opportunities for students to make connections between delivered content and assessment projects
• Provide option for workshops/consultations outside of tutorials that focus on particular topics/skills/knowledge that students can select.

Things to consider:

• Consider how learning activities might align to various modes of assessment in subject
• Be sure to highlight the type of knowledge/skills (e.g. ILO’s, tools) that are relevant to the subject.

Tactic 3 - Ensure that content delivered is at the appropriate level of difficulty for the cohort, with an awareness that students will likely have differing levels (i.e. competency)

Examples:

• Design multiple points of entry (e.g., written, visual or oral) for students to build a learning journey.
• Use of non-weighted quizzes as a way of establishing baseline knowledge across cohort.
• Provide variety in how students engage with content (e.g., important ideas are repeated and reinforced, whereas more complex ideas are made available to students wanting to go further).

Things to consider:

• Consider student capacity and learning needs when designing activities to allow for various degrees of challenge.
• Clarify to students the challenge involved in connecting various areas of content
• When allowing flexibility within learning structure, ensure learning equity
• May need to lead reflective exercise to show how existing skills can support individualised learning (while still being sufficiently challenging).

Applied

Students provided with opportunities to deepen their knowledge of content through related learning activities and assessment tasks.

Tactic 1 - Include experiential learning activities to provide students with opportunities to deepen their knowledge through application

Examples:

• Offer hands-on learning activities, even in the lecture session.
• Incorporate site-based learning activities as opportunities for experiential learning.
• Connect research-based tasks like a public exhibition can add a celebratory aspect whilst implying minimum standards.
• Encourage students to attempt, test and try making space for failure.

Things to consider:

• Application requires basis (e.g., theory/concepts) and structure, otherwise the activity may not lead to learning
• Consider including students in selection of site visit destination(s)
• Consider activities/tasks that students can intentionally complete as part of the site visit (e.g., in the form of a guided tour)
• Consider low-tech or ‘unplugged’ activities that physically engage students to learn by doing

Tactic 2 - Enhance engagement with delivered content by linking it to opportunities for applying knowledge through interactive activities

Examples:

• Create list of interactive activities for tutors to use in tutorial time that links to lecture content.
• Combine skills with interaction to enable different student capabilities to be strengthened, or different points of entry.
• Design interactive activities to emphasise student diversity, promoting student agency.

Things to consider:

• Clearly state expectations of students in terms of preparation and engagement in tutorial-based interaction (it may also be useful to explain to students the tutor’s role during these activities).
• If the activity involves collaborative digital platforms, consider logistics (i.e. installation, downloading, access).

Tactic 3 - Enhance engagement with delivered content by linking it to opportunities for applying knowledge through assessment tasks

Examples:

• Offer a site visit early in the semester with an explicit link to an assessment task.
• Include peer assessment as a way of engaging students beyond their own assessment outputs.

Things to consider:

• Consider the speed/intensity of activities in relation to the timing of assessments.
• Consider assessment is part of the learning experience.
• Consider curating and designing lecture content to align with what is being assessed (i.e., scaffolding students’ cognitive development required to engage in assessment tasks).

Relevant

Students satisfied that subject content and activities are relevant to their backgrounds, current practice and their possible futures.

Tactic 1 - Communicate and/or demonstrate to students how the subject relates to the rest of the pathway or program (past, present or future) and inform their imagined futures beyond the degree

Examples:

• Call on guests to talk about their pathway (e.g., what motivates them and how they apply their degree to practice), showing students that there might be multiple ways to build careers.
• Design site visits co-led by ‘elder’ practitioner and emerging practitioner (often a recent graduate), allowing students to imagine their future selves.
• Highlight how and where the subject content and assessments link to other subjects and through the pathway/program
• Frame first lecture discussion around ‘Why bother? Why is this subject relevant to the rest of the degree?’

Things to consider:

• Consider whether tasks contribute to the relevance of the subject—and if not, whether they are actually necessary.
• Consider mapping across subjects to ensure relevance is identified and thus realised.
• Consider ABP Strategic Priorities as touchstones of ‘relevance’ for curriculum (need not be explicit).
• Industry connection can also be a means to validate the content and learning in the subject and enable students to see where they are going.

Tactic 2 - Communicate and/or demonstrate to students how subject is informed by current industry practice and/or non-academic contexts

Examples:

• Work with industry partners in an ongoing way, ensuring they are aware of the connection between their participation and the subject, its learning aims and outcomes.
• Give students opportunities to speak with community members, past students, industry members—to help position their work.
• Link to industry through emphasising tutors expertise and professional knowledge.

Things to consider:

• Consider also contextualising subject content in a disciplinary and industry culture, creating a sense of disciplinary belonging and community.
• Be aware that academic research areas or approaches may be the outlier in practice—be sure to contextualise for students re: relevance.
• Consider that students can become ‘ambassadors of change’ for industry; either way, this needs to be communicated to students to set their expectations and help motivate them.

Absorbing

Students engaged through the quality of content delivery, based on from whom, where and how delivery occurs.

Tactic 1 - Display passion for content

Examples:

• Use lectures as opportunities to demonstrate your passion for the subject matter and/or discipline.
• Include yourself in a virtual site visit so that students can see your response and insights of a place.
• Incorporate personal insights to situate content in a richer context.

Things to consider:

• Sharing experiences can provided further layered richness in framing the subject content.
• Lectures are not just about delivering knowledge content to be tested, but also to inspire students and invite them to discover the discipline for themselves.
• Inspiring students through lectures does not necessarily align to assessment but can be useful in other ways (travel, career paths, etc.)
• Give students opportunities to demonstrate their own passion.

Tactic 2 - Demonstrate skilful delivery of content through clear, structured, concise and digestible manner

Examples:

• Provide students with signposting and summaries of lectures.
• Combine and carefully sequence content through levels of complexity and media types.
• Use of different media (e.g., videos, student debates in the lecture theatre, pop culture).
• Locate content in real-world contexts.
• Interactive lectures that include asking students questions, raising thorny moral issues, bringing in contemporary issues.
• Invite students to contribute anonymously to a glossary of words that they find are ambiguous or confusing.

Things to consider:

• Demonstrate care for students by being aware and considerate of their time and preferences.
• Important to ‘sit with silence’ be comfortable waiting for students to think through and respond to questions.
• Consider the quality of presentation images, graphics and multimedia and the way they integrate to provide a cohesive narrative.
• Consider the time needed for students absorb content that has been relayed through subject lectures and other modes.

Tactic 3 - Encourage active learning

Examples:

• Design interactive lectures that include asking students questions, raising thorny moral issues and bringing in contemporary issues.
• Invite students to contribute anonymously to a glossary of words that they find are ambiguous or confusing.

Things to consider:

• Important to 'sit with silence' and be comfortable waiting for students to think through and respond to questions.
• Consider the time needed for students to absorb content that has been relayed through subject lectures and other modes.