The Intricacies of Student Engagement in Higher Education after the pandemic: Academic and Central Services staff views and experiences

Jones, Caroline Sarah ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9899-5058 and Bell, Huw ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9695-9632 (2025) The Intricacies of Student Engagement in Higher Education after the pandemic: Academic and Central Services staff views and experiences. Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal, 6 (1). pp. 111-147. ISSN 2399-1836

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Abstract

This article reports on research which aimed to capture the voices of central services and academic staff at a UK Higher Education institution on the intricacies of student engagement in the post-pandemic era. Participants (n=23) took part in semi-structured interviews across the academic year 2023-24. This research contributes to the field of Higher Education by bringing additional insights to the ongoing debate of student engagement, including the tangible and non-tangible aspects. It identifies that students are tactically engaging as they cope with economic, political, and social challenges post pandemic. It found that students can be in attendance but disengaged or not in attendance but engaging online, which directly challenges student engagement monitoring methods. Recommendations are that social and relational teaching practice is embedded into the heart of HE delivery, with academics given time and space to deliver these practices, particularly for those HEIs with students from widening participation, commuter, or first-generation student demographics. Further research is needed to review barriers to student engagement post-pandemic to capture student voice and to examine the conflicts of students not being able to attend despite being committed, and those who do attend and appear to be less committed.