The Secret Sauce to Enhancing Student Engagement

• Educators can significantly enrich teaching and learning by adopting a framework that encompasses empathy, transparency, preparation, and inclusive teaching practices.
• Applicable to even technically demanding courses, this method can foster motivation, build confidence, and boost participation by prioritizing responsiveness and psychological safety.
• This flexible, human-centered teaching philosophy can improve learning experiences across disciplines, delivery modes, and institutional contexts without lowering academic rigor.

 
Last year, a colleague congratulated me on receiving a rating of 4.85 out of 5 in the student evaluations for Marketing Analytics, a module in a core MSc course that I taught while I was at the University of Hull in the U.K. But after he extended his congratulations, his next words stuck with me: “How did you achieve such a high evaluation in a technical module? You must have done something very right.”

I was thrilled with the evaluation, of course. This was my first time teaching at the university and receiving such positive feedback was a rewarding moment. But his question lingered: What exactly did I do right?

As educators, we often navigate our teaching on autopilot, drawing on intuition, experience, and instinct. Yet, moments such as these demand pause. I began to reflect critically on my teaching methods, the classroom environment I created, and the feedback my students shared with me throughout the term.

What emerged from this reflection was a pattern—a guiding philosophy that I had unconsciously followed but never articulated until now. I call it E2P2, a term that stands for empathizing, ensuring transparency, preparing, and promoting inclusivity.

This approach isn’t about simplifying the content or making things easier. Quite the opposite. It is about scaffolding the learning journey—removing unnecessary friction, building trust, fostering motivation, and prioritizing engagement and empowerment. This philosophy worked for me in a data-heavy course, and I believe it can work for any professor, no matter what courses they teach.

Let’s break down what E2P2 looks like in practice and why it resonated so deeply with my students.

Empathizing—Understanding Student Fears and Motivations

Technical subjects can be intimidating. This is particularly true in modules such as Marketing Analytics, where students encounter complex data sets, statistical models, and software tools—often for the first time. For students from nonquantitative backgrounds, terms like regression, multicollinearity, or clustering can feel alien and overwhelming.

In my first session, I asked the students to write down how they felt about studying analytics, with their answers remaining anonymous. The responses were telling:

“Excited but nervous.”

“I want to do well, but I’m not good at math.”

“I’m worried I’ll fall behind.”

These fears are real and valid. Instead of brushing them aside, I made them central to how I structured the learning experience. I openly acknowledged that anxiety around numbers is common and reassured students that their struggle isn’t a sign of failure—it’s a sign of learning. I frequently used encouraging language, celebrated progress over perfection, and shared my learning curve with quantitative methods during my own academic journey.

By doing so, I established a psychologically safe learning environment where vulnerability was not penalized but welcomed. This simple act of humanizing the learning experience had a powerful effect: Students became more willing to ask questions, admit confusion, and take intellectual risks.

Ensuring Transparency—No Hidden Surprises

Uncertainty is the enemy of engagement. When students don’t know what’s expected of them or how they’re being assessed, they disengage—not because they are lazy, but because they feel lost.

That’s why transparency became a non-negotiable element in my teaching. Before the semester began, I uploaded all core materials on the learning management system: detailed lecture slides, assessment briefs, deadlines, grading rubrics, and even optional readings. I recorded an introductory video that walked students through the module structure, as well as explained how their grades would be calculated and what support resources were available.

When students don’t know what’s expected of them or how they’re being assessed, they disengage—not because they are lazy, but because they feel lost.

Each week followed a clear rhythm: lectures on Monday, lab sessions on Wednesday, office hours on Friday. Every topic came with practice data sets, exercises, and discussion prompts.

Feedback was another cornerstone of transparency. I didn’t just grade assignments; I gave constructive, personalized feedback and discussed common mistakes in class. I always engaged in these practices in a respectful and growth-oriented manner.

This level of transparency helped students plan their workload, manage stress, and feel in control of their progress.

Preparing—Teaching as a Profession, Not a Performance

Preparation is often underestimated in teaching, especially in higher education. Yet in my experience, meticulous preparation is one of the clearest signals you can send to students that you value their time and effort.

For every lecture, I crafted slide decks that were logically structured, visually consistent, and conceptually coherent. I rehearsed data demonstrations in advance to ensure a smooth flow during class. I anticipated common misunderstandings and prepared analogies or visual explanations to clarify difficult points.

For example, when introducing linear regression, I didn’t just show the formula. I created a storytelling arc around it—a case study on customer churn, complete with real data, business context, and decision-making implications. This brought technical concepts to life and gave students a sense of relevance. I also embedded short interactive polls using Mentimeter to obtain real-time feedback and help students self-assess their grasp of the content.

In essence, preparation wasn’t just about being ready to present the content—it was about being responsive, anticipatory, and intentional. It set the tone for the entire course: My classroom was a serious space for learning, and I was there to help them succeed.

Promoting Inclusivity—Meeting Students Where They Are

In a diverse classroom, no two students bring the same prior knowledge, confidence level, or linguistic ability. This diversity can be a strength—but only if the learning environment is intentionally inclusive.

Inclusivity, for me, began with simple choices. I avoided jargon unless I explained it. I used visuals and metaphors alongside equations. I varied examples across industries and geographies to ensure cultural relevance.

I also scheduled additional office hours and drop-in clinics for students who needed more support. For students who struggled with English, I provided supplementary materials with annotated vocabulary and simplified summaries. I encouraged students to form their own peer support networks through group activities and collaborative problem-solving tasks.

Teaching isn’t about transmission; it’s about transformation. And transformation begins with connection.

Importantly, I never framed inclusivity as “helping the weaker students.” Instead, I positioned it as recognizing the many forms of intelligence in the room. The student who struggled with SPSS syntax might excel at marketing strategy or storytelling with data. My job was to amplify those strengths while helping them bridge the gaps.

When I promoted inclusivity as a mindset—not just an intervention—I noticed something remarkable: Students became more compassionate toward one another. Group discussions became more balanced, quieter students started contributing, and the overall classroom culture shifted from competitive to collaborative.

By implementing E2P2, I achieved an outcome that was about far more than receiving a high evaluation score. I designed a classroom where students felt empowered, enjoyed the challenge, and showed up ready to engage week after week. Students told me they felt “seen,” “supported,” and “stimulated.” As a teacher, I don’t think anything is more fulfilling than receiving such responses.

Why E2P2 Works Across Contexts

What I love most about E2P2 is its adaptability. It’s not a technique for technical subjects, or a checklist for high scores. It’s a philosophy grounded in empathy, structure, and student-centered thinking.

Whether you’re teaching business ethics, finance, digital marketing, or strategic management, the E2P2 mindset can elevate your teaching. It works in undergraduate and postgraduate settings, in face-to-face and online formats, and in small and large cohorts.

Why? Because at its core, E2P2 taps into what makes learning human: the need to feel understood, guided, prepared, and included.

A Call to Educators: Reflect, Refine, Reimagine

In an age where higher education is increasingly measured by outcomes—employability, retention, satisfaction—we risk losing sight of the process. Teaching isn’t about transmission; it’s about transformation. And transformation begins with connection.

E2P2 is a low-cost, high-impact way for schools to fulfill their teaching missions. Applying its four principles reminded me that the most effective teaching is based on care, not just content.

So, if you’re an educator wondering how to make your classroom more engaging, I encourage you to reflect on these four pillars. Ask yourself:

• Am I truly empathizing with my students’ fears and motivations?
• Have I made my expectations and processes transparent?
• Am I thoroughly prepared—do I know not only how I will present course content, but also how I will keep the student experience in mind?
• Have I created an inclusive space where every student can succeed?

If the answer is “not yet,” don’t worry. That’s the beauty of E2P2—it’s simple, flexible, and deeply human. Let’s teach not just with passion, but with purpose. Let’s make every classroom a space where learning thrives.