Academic research on student engagement - lost formulae to inspiring students

Academic tutors take on a multitude of roles in their current positions at university and while teaching is expected, from most, it is often assumed that the tutor will apply appropriate pedagogical tools to convey knowledge to the students. This view is now being challenged as many students are being actively encouraged to voice their views of the teaching and learning experience, for the module and the university experience, through module evaluation forms and the national student survey. The results from these surveys and comments, left by students, on social networking sites reveal that there is a gulf from student expectations and the actual teaching delivery experienced. The pedagogical elixir appears to have been lost by our fatigued, multi-tasking, poorly resourced academics. This research was driven by a desire to reveal the true nature of an inspired learning experience for students. This is made explicit by the triangulated results (in-depth interviews and a large survey at two universities) that reveal the characteristics that students seek in their tutors. The findings have been categorised into three themes namely: Charisma, Academic skills and Teaching skills (CAsTs) to enable tutors to appreciate the areas that they may need to develop to inspire their students.