Student engagement in and through orientation

The purpose of this chapter is to explore the complexities involved in understanding and planning for student orientation and engagement within the higher education context. Key understandings of what is meant by ‘student engagement’ are explored through a conceptual framework that draws together five dimensions of engagement: personal, academic, intellectual, social, and professional.

Findings: Discussion focuses on the challenges to student engagement in higher education, including contextual/environmental factors as well as personal factors. Examples are provided of ways in which these challenges can be addressed, with a particular focus on students’ orientation and transition into the higher education context. The framework articulated in this chapter has wide potential as a foundation for the planning and delivery of activities aimed at enhancing student engagement. The examples in the chapter, drawn from our own practice, illustrate the practical outcomes of using the framework in this way.

Throughout the chapter, the context of teacher education is used as a lens through which to view the broader issues of student engagement, with specific reference to programs and practices developed within the Australian context. Therefore, the chapter has direct applicability to those involved in teacher education. However, the framework has further value in that it allows for deeper understanding of the demands that engagement makes in terms of a student’s academic, personal, social, intellectual and professional skills, knowledge, aspirations, and dispositions, and to therefore consider how such demands might be addressed for students across a range of backgrounds, within practice and policy.