Tackling Student Engagement

Improving student engagement on course and campus-related activities, leads not only to improved retention and attainment but also creates valuable advocates and ambassadors of your university.

But improving engagement is not easy. With various channels competing for students' attention, academic and teaching staff need to cut through the 'noise'.

That's why we created Bright Birds...

Young student raising his hand while his classmates are taking notes in an amphithater

What is Bright Birds?

Bright Birds is our student engagement App that brings the latest developments in gamification to motivate and incentivise students to participate in any part of the university experience.

Students are sent 'challenges' through the App and are tasked with completing them in order to receive particular rewards.

Bright Birds doesn’t replace existing online learning platforms or university Apps but supports them by using gamification to incentivise students' use of them.

The live ranking in Bright Birds ensures that the situation can be followed in real time. We noticed that the sense of competition between the groups increased which works very well. The goal of increasing motivation and engagement has been achieved. Leandra Fels, Lecturer, Hanze University

What do we mean by challenges?

We use the term ‘challenges’ to mean any activities or tasks sent to students through the App. The challenges can be optional or mandatory, and will usually have a reward attached to incentivise task completion.

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Types of Challenges

As well as being optional or mandatory, the challenges can also be set as individual, small group, or an entire programme or cohort.

Usually challenges will relate to something around social, cultural, practical or academic themes.

What Bright Birds Can Bring To Your Institution

Supporting Students Throughout Their Transition to Higher Education

Start to motivate students pre-arrival by getting them to complete pre-arrival/enrolment forms and surveys, or engage with information about study skills or academic integrity.

Perhaps introduce information and activities about the local area, cultural information, or the accommodation and campus. Ensure students are arriving on campus as prepared as they can be to start their university life motivated and engaged.

A Structured Communication Channel - Reaching the "Modern-Day Student"

As email is typically not students' preferred way of communicating you'll be reaching out to students via their more preferred medium: Smart Phone Communication.

This allows you to connect with the modern-day student and via 'push notifications' send messages and reminders to students about academic challenges via the Bright Birds App.

Furthermore, Bright Birds brings together all separate platforms, systems, processes and services. It boosts uptake of existing systems it does not replace them.

Serious college student working on futuristic smartphone in lecture hall-1

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Micro-credentials, Badges, and Rewards

Create a number of Micro-credentials and Badges, unique to your institution, perhaps linked to defined graduate attributes which you challenge students to achieve, such as a 'course-ready’ badge which shows students have already completed all the required parts needed in the run up to the start of their first semester.

Part of the gamification approach uses coins (or points) within the App to reward students for participation and involvement. Give students the chance to redeem these coins/points into something meaningful e.g. book vouchers, university hoodies, or supporting a good cause of their choice.

Student Engagement Tracking

Bright Birds not only encourages students to engage on these tasks but also shows their progress towards achieving them.

Having an additional layer of data which links to how engaged your students are in the early part of university allows you to respond appropriately by, for example, putting in place interventions for students at risk of dropping out.