Learning and Teaching

Although student retention, progression and completion in the UK are high by international comparison, surveys across seven institutions involving 1,574 students found that between 33% (1/3) and 42% (2/5) of students think about withdrawing from higher education (HE) (Thomas, 2012). This suggests that a significant minority of students consider leaving, and that there is scope to enhance the student experience. Research finds that high quality, student-centred learning and teaching makes a significant contribution to improving student engagement and belonging, and improves the success all students, especially those from non-traditional backgrounds (Crosling et al 2008, Thomas 2002 and Thomas 2012). This chapter discusses effective approaches to learning and teaching to engage a diverse student body.