Vincent Mangematin: On Student Engagement

Student engagement plays a crucial role in developing soft skills, fostering entrepreneurial behaviour and enhancing team and project management abilities. By prototyping what they can achieve after graduation, students begin to transform society. Engagement means that students act, get involved, participate and commit to making a difference.

In their insightful paper, “What does it mean to be engaged? The engagement of student engineers with sustainability: a literature review,” Guera et al. propose measuring learner engagement “as the extent to which students act, collaboratively or otherwise, by becoming immersed in activities with the clear purpose of achieving personal, academic, societal or other meaningful goals. Student engagement is contextual and time bound.”

On the learner’s journey, student engagement is primarily a personal construct. It enables students to gain autonomy and better manage their emotions when interacting with others. For example, when students take part in organising and promoting events, be it a concert, a theatre performance, a wine tasting or a party for new students, they develop independence and improve their interpersonal skills. Student engagement thus becomes an integral part of their educational pathway, complementing the formal curriculum.

Individuals develop and shape their identities through interaction with others. When students participate in associations that aim to improve society, they not only engage with each other but also with diverse societal actors. This engagement takes various forms. For example, SPJIMR in Mumbai provides students with immersive experiences that accelerate leadership development. These experiences push students to reflect, understand and act in unfamiliar situations. Whether mentoring school-aged youths from the underprivileged districts of Mumbai or engaging in social entrepreneurship programmes at business schools such as Cardiff University or Queen Mary University in North London, students face “constructive dissonance” that fosters a deep understanding of challenges and leadership skills necessary to drive innovation for the benefit of both business and society.

Secondly, student engagement serves as a “proof of concept” demonstrating to learners the impact of their action. By acting locally, they witness the direct results of their efforts and the process through which small actions can transform the lives of others. When mentoring school aged children or assisting illiterate immigrants, students from business schools take an active role in societal change and, in doing so, transform themselves into key drivers of that change.

Students engage for a wide variety of reasons, from personal development to community involvement. Some are driven by a passion for making a positive social impact, while others may seek to enhance their leadership or teamwork skills. Regardless of their motivations, engagement cultivates critical life experiences that help students grow as individuals. Through this process, they not only enhance their academic knowledge but also cultivate empathy, social awareness and a sense of responsibility. By stepping out of the classroom and into real-world challenges, students come to understand that they are not passive recipients of education but active participants in shaping a better future.

Professor Vincent Mangematin is Directeur/Executive Dean at ESDES Business School in Lyon-Annecy, France.