Abstract
Student engagement refers to a broad range of activities where students participate in management, education, research, and community activities within their institutions. It is a mutually beneficial collaborative approach between students and their institutions. This article provides practical advice for the implementation or further development of student engagement at medical, dental, and veterinary schools. The tips provided are based on the experiences of a group of universities recently recognized for best practice in student engagement, and are supported by evidence from the literature. The tips cover overarching themes which include the creation of an institutional culture and formal framework for student engagement, and maximize communication routes between students with peers and faculty. Tips are for specific areas of active student engagement, covering curriculum design and development, peer teaching, governance processes, research activities, peer support programs, and interaction with the local community.
Acknowledgments
We wish to thank the many students who helped us write this manuscript: Simon Dress, Fabian Stroben (Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany), Bogdan Zdravkovic (University of Maribor, Slovenia), Melanie Still and Sebastian Leathersich (University of Western Australia, Australia), Evyn Neumeister and Austin Beason (Southern Illinois University, USA), Konrad Nilsson (Uppsala University, Sweden), and Joni Remmits and Lisa Adriaansen (University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands).
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Harm Peters
Harm Peters, MD, MHPE, is a Professor of Medical Education and director of the Dieter Scheffner Center for Medical Education and Educational Research at the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
Marko Zdravkovic
Marko Zdravkovic, MD, is a teaching assistant and former coordinator of Centre for Medical Education at Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, and an anesthesiology resident at University Medical Centre, Maribor, Slovenia.
Manuel João Costa
Manuel João Costa, PhD, is an Associate Professor and coordinator of the Medical Education Unit at the School of Medicine, University of Minho, Portugal.
Antonio Celenza
Antony Celenza, MBBS, MclinEd, University of Western Australia is a Professor of Medical Education and Emergency Medicine and Head of the MD Program and MD Education Unit.
Kulsoom Ghias
Kulsoom Ghias, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences and co-chair of the Undergraduate Medical Curriculum Committee at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.
Debra Klamen
Debra Klamen, MD, MHPE, is a Professor and chair of the Department of Medical Education and senior associate dean for Education and Curriculum at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, USA.
Liz Mossop
Liz Mossop, PhD, is a Professor of Veterinary Education at the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science University of Nottingham, UK.
Michael Rieder
Michael Rieder, MD, PhD, is chair of the Department of Paediatrics and was the Assistant dean for Learner Equity and Wellness (Undergraduate Student Affairs), Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Western University, Canada.
Vishna Devi Nadarajah
Vishna Devi Nadarajah, PhD, MHPE, is a Professor of Human Biology in the School of Medicine and dean of Teaching and Learning at the International Medical University, Malaysia.
Danai Wangsaturaka
Danai Wangsaturaka, MD, PhD, is a lecturer in medical education and assistant dean of Academic Affairs at Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand.
Martin Wohlin
Martin Wohlin, MD, PhD, MD, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer in Emergency Medicine, former Head of the Unit for Medical Education, Uppsala University, Sweden.
Margot Weggemans
Margot Weggemans, MD, is a PhD candidate at the Center for Research and Development of Education, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands.