It's what the Beatles meant when they sang about the black-beat. It's an African thing. To be just a little behind on the metronome leaves the two and four beats held back. It's a heart thing. You can be a great, killer technician, but if you're not grooving you'll only be able to play in the technician bands.
Groove is paramount.
I would approach it by asking that student which bass player or which songs they've heard that they liked the feel of the bass, and have them play along with it. I think that's the way almost everybody learns, except maybe classical people. Most of us played along with records and radio, so that would be the advice I would give. I try half tone and whole tone scales and all that weird stuff, although I try to come up with my own combinations. And if the musical situation is open enough to let me come up with my own parts, then I try to apply that stuff.