The simple answer to this question is YES. Engagement does matter. What does it look like when it’s not there?
- A mind numbing lecture.
- Being
- talked At,
- firehosed with information, or
- expected to regurgitate facts.
- Planning your grocery list instead of listening.
If you train groups of people you’ll know that feeling of the room being ‘flat’, disengaged, their minds being somewhere else. It’s not a learning environment that anyone feels great about coming back to right?
The flip-side, is a classroom being alive with discussion, and learners helping each other kick goals. A room full of collaborative learning, communication, solving real world problems. Learners leaving on a high, trainers knowing deep down their learners ‘get it’. This is what we want to see in classrooms right?
Yes, engagement does matter – so much so, RTOs are now assessed against it as a new performance indicator in the AQF standards.
The AQF is the Australian Qualifications Framework – which is a national policy that standardises qualifications across schools, vocational education and training (TVET) and higher education. The Certificate 1, 2, 3, 4, Diploma, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor, Master and Doctorate qualifications all fall under this framework which ensures national recognition, accreditation, and quality assurance.
Essentially, if you’re an RTO – a Registered Training Organisation – you can deliver
qualifications under the AQF but you’ll be subjected to regular audits to ensure that you’re adhering to the policies and standards.
The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regulates RTOs in Australia, but some states have their own regulatory bodies like:
- In Western Australia, it’s the Training Accreditation Council (TAC).
- In Victoria, it’s the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA).
Long story short, Australia has pretty strict standards for organisations delivering registered training, and are audited on a regular basis to ensure that they’re following procedure and delivering quality training products.
In 2026 (in Australia at least), if we’re delivering qualifications under the AQF, there are standards and performance criteria that have to be met and now engagement is one of them (halle-freakin-luia – why this hasn’t been the norm since day dot is beyond me).
Here are the facts:
When the training products of an RTO are audited, they are assessed against Outcome Standards – which are broken into different Quality Areas.
Quality Area 1 = Training and Assessment.
Outcome Standard 1 = Training is engaging, well-structured and enables VET students to attain skills and knowledge consistent with the training product.
Performance Indicator 1.1d = “The RTO demonstrates: training techniques, activities and resources engage VET students and support their understanding.”
So what’s no longer acceptable? and to be fair, never should have been?
- Death by Powerpoint
- Tick and flick learning
- Long lectures or presentations with no practical application or learner involvement.
- Lecturers standing at the front preaching to the (more than likely disengaged) audience.
If this is what is happening in your classrooms, there is hope!
- The Engagement Toolkit - download this free 40 page guide full of activities that promote engagement - a practical facilitator’s guide packed with strategies to make your sessions more interactive, engaging, and effective.
- Break the Lecture Habit - the workshop that demonstrates these activities and gets teachers, trainers and lecturers adapting them for their own classrooms - regardless of the topic or delivery mode.
- Join the public workshop here - suitable for teachers, lecturers and facilitators of adult education anywhere.
- Apply for this workshop at your own school or college by applying here.
Hallo! If you’re curious about the ideas explored in this article and how I might be able to help, please book in for a quick (complimentary) chat! Every client is different, which is why I have lots of different ways of helping – whether it’s an upcoming event, free resources on my website or one to one coaching, let’s work out the best fit for you and your unique scenario!
Continue the Learning
If you’d like to explore these ideas further, the resources below may be a helpful next step.
Further Reading
If this topic has sparked your thinking, you may find the following articles helpful. Each explores a different aspect of creating learning experiences that are engaging, practical, and meaningful.
Why do we need to rethink workplace learning?
In this article, Maria unpacks why so much learning fails to land, from death by PowerPoint and tick and flick online courses, to chaotic induction processes and outdated, top down, lecture style workplace cultures.
Everyone’s a Teacher
Maria Doyle’s book Everyone’s a Teacher explores the principles behind engaging, effective learning experiences. It introduces a practical methodology for making learning more interactive, memorable, and meaningful — whether you’re working with students, professionals, or teams.