ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores the nature of student engagement (SE) in Higher Education (HE), to map SE conceptually and to articulate the key principles that underpin it. The author draws on both research evidence and literature and on discussions over the last eight years with colleagues from across the world. His starting position for uncovering the nature of student engagement is premised on the goal of HE being about enabling the individual to learn and develop in powerful and transformative ways. The book focuses on the United Kingdom and Europe has followed a different path, with much more emphasis on seeking to understand how students learn rather than on transitions and student success. It involves gathering qualitative evidence from students and staff in a single subject school and brought out the extent to which students were disengaged, rather than engaged, and the influences on that.
