The secret ingredient: the students' role and how they can be engaged with the curriculum

Relationships between students, teachers and their educational institutions have changed dramatically over recent decades. What had been seen as unidirectional learning from teacher to student is now increasingly seen as more symbiotic. In some countries the model of financing education has changed, with a corresponding shift from seeing students as the recipients of education to that of consumers. In addition, changing emphases in delivery and modes of learning have promoted the requirement of ‘active’ and ‘engaged’ learning while at the same time increasing the opportunities for students to learn remotely and at a distance. Combined together, these and other changes have increased the significance of student engagement in medical education. In this chapter we will explore the differing perspectives of what student engagement is and how it can be promoted and explore the experiences at a number of case study institutions.