Engaging Students with Drama

Practical Techniques for Higher Education Lecturers

Robert Robson, Ewa Krolikowska-Adamczyk, Kevin Williams

ISBN: 9781917433761 HBK; 9781917433778 PBK; 9781917433785 PDF; 9781917433792 EPUB

About this book | Table of contents | About the authors | Buy now

In an evolving higher education landscape threatened with the encroachment of artificial intelligence and a multitude of distractions, student engagement and lecturer effectiveness are more critical than ever. Engaging Students with Drama introduces a bold and innovative teaching methodology - drama-based techniques - designed specifically for use in higher education classrooms. Far from being purely about performance or entertainment, this approach is grounded in enhancing knowledge transfer, person to person to achieve learning outcomes and foster authentic connections between lecturers and students.

Targeted at a broad, practitioner-focused readership across academic disciplines and global contexts, this book is an invaluable resource for:

New and experienced lecturers seeking to develop or refine their teaching effectiveness
Academics who primarily focus on research but are required to teach or present
Curriculum designers for formal lecturer training programmes and Teaching and Learning enhancement teams
Senior leaders responsible for staff development, student success and the student learning experience.

Key features include:

Real-world applications and tested techniques
Dedicated chapter addressing common fears and resistance to adopting innovative approaches
A comprehensive training strategy for lecturer development
Examples are featured throughout to showcase practical implementation and outcomes
Pedagogic in-chapter features such as ‘Points for Action’ and ‘Pause and Reflect’ prompts for immediate classroom or training room use.

With inclusive tools applicable across all disciplines, Engaging Students with Drama fills a critical gap in the market offering a practical and user-friendly focus on designing and applying drama-based techniques for teaching in higher education. Backed by educational theories and empirical evidence, this book empowers educators to step confidently into more engaging, impactful, and transformative teaching practices shaping not only how we teach, but how students learn.

Publication: November 2026

Ch 1: Introduction; Ch 2: The Effective Lecturer; Ch 3: Teaching Effectiveness and the Use of Drama; Ch 4: The Lecturer as Performer: Introducing the Concept; Ch 5: The Lecturer as Performer: Embracing Performing Arts Skills Ch 6: The Drama-Based Toolkit in Practice: A Research Project; Ch 7: The Drama-Based Toolkit in Practice: Outcomes and Reflections; Ch 8: Applying the Drama Toolkit: Use of Body and Voice; Ch 9: Applying the Drama Toolkit: Using Props, Costume and Creating the Performance Space; Ch 10: Applying the Drama Toolkit: Additional Tools; Ch 11: Achieving the Learning Outcomes: Designing the Drama Toolkit; Ch 12: Setting the Scene: Building Trust and Rapport with Students; Ch 13: Overcoming Barriers: Building the Confidence to Perform; Ch 14: Applying Drama-Based Tools: Institutional Training Strategies; Ch 15: Conclusion.

About the authors

Rob Robson, Associate Head of School (Student Success), Executive Business Centre, Greenwich Business School, University of Greenwich UK. Ewa Krolikowska, Associate Head of School (Student Success), School of Management and Marketing, Greenwich Business School, University of Greenwich UK. Kevin Williams, Academic Portfolio Lead and Programme Director, Greenwich Business School, University of Greenwich, UK.