Defining Engagement  

But how then should we define engagement?  In their article at the web site PLoS ONE, Boulton et al. define engagement as “the active commitment and purposeful effort expended by students towards all aspects of their learning, including both formal and informal activities (2019).” Please note the key words here:  active commitment and purposeful effort.  We can infer then that a strong degree of focus or determination is required of students who want to succeed academically, and it stands to reason that instructors can encourage this attitude.