Leveraging Industry Speaker into Active Learning Opportunities to Increase Student Engagement

Industry guest speaker has been invited in many educational settings to share their real-world experience with students, yet there is little understanding on how it can be leveraged to increase student engagement. Student engagement is a concept receiving strong attention in higher education due to its association with a number of positive academic outcomes. The purpose of this research is to design active learning strategies into traditional guest lectures to make it more engaging. It hopes to address the research question on “How can industry speakers be leveraged to increase student engagement in higher education?”. A total of 92 participants were surveyed at an undergraduate Year 1 Business Degree programme using quantitative research method where self-administered online survey was used to measure the learning activities designed in terms of engagement. The finding indicated that activities like Kahoot gamification and infographics when used correctly with lecturer support such as providing feedback and motivation can help in the overall engagement of the guest lecture that could provide a valuable educational experience. The results of this study provided important implications for educators seeking to enhance student engagement through industry guest speakers.