Enhancing Student Engagement Discussed at St Mary’s

More than 50 staff members at St Mary’s University College, Twickenham, recently gathered for a study day that explored student engagement. During the day a keynote address was delivered by Gwen van der Velden, Director of Learning and Teaching Enhancement at the University of Bath. Gwen has worked in Higher Education for more than 20 years and has held several national roles in the field of student engagement. Other sessions included using technology to support student engagement, widening participation in higher education and the importance of student belonging. St Mary’s Teaching and Learning Co-ordinator Stephen Scott said, “The annual study day is traditionally the biggest teaching and learning staff development event of the year at St Mary’s. We choose this year to explore ways of enhancing student engagement because it is a topical issue in higher education and because of our involvement in the Higher Education Academy’s What Works? Student Retention and Success change programme. “We were delighted that Gwen was able to attend and deliver an interesting and thought provoking keynote address which set the tone for the rest of the day. Feedback from colleagues about Gwen’s keynote and the other sessions was very positive with many colleagues commenting that they were inspired by the discussions throughout the day.”