Project Lead: Robert Eaton, Centre for Learning & Teaching.

Student engagement in taught sessions is a growing concern across higher education, with teachers frequently reporting low attendance amid suggestions that increasing numbers of students are choosing to rely on lecture recordings. While a range of pedagogical approaches seek to address this challenge, less attention has been paid to the role of teaching presence—the ways in which educators communicate ideas, establish connection with students, and create engaging learning environments through their communication and interaction.

This project will explore how developing teaching presence can support more engaging teaching practice, through a series of workshops and reflective evaluation designed to develop communication and presentation approaches that support clarity, narrative structure, audience engagement and confident interaction with students. Drawing on both storytelling approaches and a “stagecraft” framework for teaching, the project will emphasise authentic communication rather than performative or gimmick-based engagement strategies.

Evaluation will involve staff surveys, reflective practice, peer observation and student feedback to explore how developing teaching presence influences staff confidence and student engagement.

The project will generate practical resources and guidance to support wider staff development. Findings will inform discussion about whether communication and teaching presence should form a more explicit component of CPD for teaching staff at Bath.

Project outcomes expected Autumn 2027.