Background <p>Academic belonging is considered an important prerequisite for academic success and is closely linked to students’ academic engagement. Together, these constructs positively influence motivation, willingness to learn, and achievement.</p> Aims <p>This study aimed to examine the potential contribution of the Philips 66 brainstorming technique to nursing students’ academic engagement and belonging-related outcomes.</p> Method <p>A single-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design was conducted in Northern Cyprus with 85 nursing students. Data were collected using a demographic form and the Academic Engagement Scale before and six weeks after a Philips 66 brainstorming session, which was integrated into the practical component of the Nursing Management course. Data were analyzed using paired-samples t-tests, with effect sizes reported as Cohen’s d (α = 0.05), with small to moderate effect sizes.</p> Results <p>Students showed a statistically significant improvements in total and subscale scores on the Academic Engagement Scale after the intervention (<i>p</i> &lt; .05). The findings suggest that the Philips 66 brainstorming technique may be associated with improvements in academic engagement and may also be related to students’ sense of belonging.</p> Conclusion <p>The Philips 66 brainstorming technique appears to be a promising approach for supporting nursing students’ academic engagement. Integrating such active learning strategies into nursing education may support students’ institutional commitment and professional competencies.</p> Trial registration <p>This study was an educational intervention using a single-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design and did not meet the criteria for a clinical trial requiring registration in a WHO-approved clinical trial registry. Therefore, trial registration was not applicable.</p>