Student Engagement SIG participants all answered this question in our first meeting of 2022.  Now I’d like to ask you: What element of student engagement would you like to focus on in 2022?

There was great diversity in replies from SIG participants – the theoretical and the practical – some encouraging engagement and some measuring it – course focused or program focused.  At the heart of each person’s focus, however, was a genuine interest in the student experience.

I have a suggestion for your 2022 engagement focus: Why not embrace a new online technology, either one that has demonstrated success at USQ, or one we’re trialling?

Here are some ideas:

iSee: An emerging tool for student engagement

• iSee is an online collaborative tool that operates in three dimensions.  It is ideal for classes and workshops.
• Find out more about it here.
• Sign up to be part of the USQ trial here.

Engageli: An emerging tool for student engagement

• An online learning environment that aims to replicate the classroom collaborative experience in a virtual environment.
• Find out more about Engageli here.
• Register interest in Engageli here.

• Padlet is an online communication and collaboration tool that is visually interesting and allows students to post messages, images, sound files, or videos.
• There is a great deal of research (both at USQ and in the global tertiary sector) to demonstrate Padlet’s success in student engagement.  This research speaks of its capacity to engage students and create a sense of community. One of our TechDems participants included a Padlet in StudyDesk, instead of forums, and moved from four posts in forums in 2020, to 319 posts in 2021 on the Padlet. In addition to the original posts, there were 403 comments and 1164 reactions to posts and comments within the Course Padlet. Impressive!
• An an example, why not take a look at our SIG padlet? 
• Find out more here.

For more information on the Student Engagement SIG, please contact me.

Katrina Cutcliffe