Feature article

Robot student

Class exercises that use ChatGPT to strengthen students’ learning

To foster engagement, comprehension and knowledge retention in the classroom, educators should find a balance between leveraging AI tools such as GenAI to strengthen learning while also preserving their guiding role

Nikolas Dietis

University of Cyprus

A pile of novels in a library

Using literature to increase students’ empathy

Asking students to reflect on emotions through literary works can enhance their empathy. Here are some tried and tested methods

Rouli Esther

University of Indonesia

A speaker stands at a lectern with a microphone

A practical guide to better presentations: part one

Getting through long, not-so-interesting talks is a common experience in academia. But if we all agree it can be done better, how can we start delivering better presentations?

Anna Christodoulou

University of Westminster

Students and staff on laptops

It’s time to embrace digital equity

Ensuring digital equity at your institution requires prioritising accessibility and championing digital literacy, among other initiatives

Kim Brooks, Jody Couch, Ben Tait

Dalhousie University

Students work together using a laptop and calculator

Three ways professional certifications can boost student outcomes

Professional certifications not only align students’ skills with real-world industry demands but can also lead to unexpected improvements in academic outcomes. Ekaterina Ipatova shares how her students responded to this innovative mode of assessment

Ekaterina Ipatova

University of Roehampton

Hand playing piano

Tax Taylor Swift

Is sustainability a ‘blank space’ in professional music education? Not exactly. Music students want to make an impact and some music academics are embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the curriculum

Thomas Irvine

University of Southampton

Raised hand in class

‘Students need to take responsibility for class participation’

Questions to encourage undergraduates to contribute to class content or in discussion help them develop skills for academia and the workplace. Mariano Carrera shares his experience from teaching in Thailand

Mariano Carrera

King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok

A student giving a presentation in class

Engaging students through poster presentations: a case study

Read about how a poster presentation task can promote students’ engagement with course content and each other

Qingyang Sun

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A presentation takes place on a screen featuring an illustration of the Earth

How strategic sustainability can foster innovation

Sustainability is much more than a set of policies or practices. Here’s how it can be a transformational strategy for achieving a university’s mission

Reynaldo Rivera

Universidad Austral

Frankenstein's monster

What Frankenstein’s monster can teach researchers about the dark side of ‘impact’

What can a 19th-century novelist tell academics about research ethics? Taking time to see the impact of research on ourselves is a good place to start measuring the social good of scholarly endeavours, writes Jennifer Allsopp

Jennifer Allsopp

University of Birmingham

A group mediation session

Setting up an in-house mediation service at your university

Want to prevent conflict escalation? Make mediation a “first resort” option

Carol Platts

University of Manchester

Two young people high five over a boardroom table

Eight steps to launch a student-led peer-review journal

To help PhD students gain the skills required for publication and improve research literacy, consider an in-house academic journal

Andrew Drybrough, Philip Montgomery

Nazarbayev University

Male online student

As students become more ‘distant’, can feedback still hit the mark?

Whether they are behind a computer screen or behind bars, all students need support with making effective use of feedback – whether or not the process is a two-way street

Robert Nash, Kieran Balloo

National Institute of Teaching, University of Southern Queensland

A group of students sitting in a circle while a teacher addresses them

How living with blepharospasm helped me become a better teacher

Read about a strategy that helped an educator living with an eye condition build emotional resilience and create a more inclusive classroom environment

Bhawana Shrestha

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

People laugh round a boardroom table

Six tips when undertaking a curriculum framework review

For a curriculum framework to deliver for both students and educators, it must be regularly updated. Here are six things to remember when embarking on a framework review

Steve Briggs

University of Bedfordshire

Health researcher and patient

‘Uncertainty is part of co-production’

Flexibility and an open mindset can help health researchers work with healthcare professionals and patients to create better adapted services. Here, Gary Hickey shares ways to navigate through the process

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Students in an exam hall being assessed

We have to rethink academic integrity in a ‘post-plagiarism era’

What is the future of plagiarism as a concept in the AI age and what are the implications for assessment? This resource seeks to answer these questions, among others

Karen Kenny

University of Exeter

A adult works at a laptop, while a small child plays with dinosaur toys on the keyboard

The small steps that can make a big difference to student parents

Juggling academic and parental commitments is no easy feat. Here’s how universities can make small, programme-level adjustments to relieve the pressure on student parents

Rebecca Gordon

University of the West of Scotland

Hand holding university diploma

Why transfer student programmes are key to expanding access

Students need and want flexible, affordable pathways into higher education, so universities need to support non-traditional avenues, remove barriers and take the opportunity to reach a more diverse cohort, writes Steve McLaughlin

Steven W. McLaughlin, Rick Clark

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Medical professional talking to a female patient

Yes, empathy can be taught – here’s how

Find out how evidence-based methods can be used to provide empathy training, bringing huge potential benefits for healthcare outcomes and busting the myth that it can’t be taught

Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

Old books

GenAI can help literature students think more critically

Is ChatGPT destroying critical thinking, or is it allowing us to reconsider how we teach it? This resource explores some ways to empower literature students to use it to deepen their understanding

Shuri Mariasih Gietty Tambunan

University of Indonesia

A jigsaw puzzle shaped like a head, brightly coloured blocks emitting from it

How to support neurodivergent postgraduate researchers

How can universities ensure PhD students of all neurotypes can thrive? Here’s how to provide neurodiversity-affirmative supervision

Deborah Riby , Amy Pearson, Jess Hirst

Durham University

Pile of journals

‘Researchers have a responsibility to publish’

Without publication, advancements in knowledge will be stifled or even halted altogether, writes Walid Saad. Here he explains the many benefits to publishing for established scholars and students alike

Walid Saad

Virginia Tech

Leaking water pipe

The foundations of a successful knowledge transfer partnership

By collaborating with businesses, researchers can apply their expertise to real-world problems with tangible outcomes. Here, academics outline how they established an effective knowledge transfer partnership to reduce water waste

Muhammad Shakir , Jawwad Latif

University of the West of Scotland

Robot giving a star rating

Will AI revolutionise marking?

Artificial intelligence has the potential to improve speed, consistency and detail in feedback for educators grading students’ assignments, writes Rohim Mohammed. Here he lists the pros and cons based on his experience

Rohim Mohammed

University College Birmingham

A pair of legs following an arrow on asphalt

Using directional reflection to stimulate students’ evaluative thinking

Many students struggle to understand and engage with the concepts and practices associated with reflection. This is where directional reflection comes in

Simon Brownhill

University of Bristol

A plastic bottle is placed in a recycling bin

How to encourage reuse and recycling on campus

Universities generate a significant amount of waste. Here’s how to encourage students and staff to reuse and recycle

Verónica Torres

Universidad Austral

Coloured pencils

Can non-assessed creative play help students develop confidence and critical thinking?

Supporting and enhancing students’ drawing skills improves not only their visual communication but also their mental health and well-being. Chris Wright and Zoë Allman offer low-stakes ways to use creativity to build community

Chris Wright, Zoë Allman

De Montfort University

Woman sleeping at desk

Why academics are losing sleep

Struggling to balance academic life with healthy sleep habits? Whether it’s a well-placed nap or giving grant writing a rest, this science-backed guide will help scholars, teachers and administrators get their full eight hours

Chin Moi Chow

University of Sydney

Students walking through campus building

Rethinking online learning to tackle global injustices

A critical look at how online learning can be used to decolonise global development curricula

Sam Spiegel

The University of Edinburgh

A magnifying glass sits on a laptop

A four-step process to transform everyone into a fact-checker

The 4-Check strategy can help combat misinformation in the digital age. Here’s how to use it

Stephanie Jean Tsang

Hong Kong Baptist University

A human and robot hand typing on a laptop

Reduce admin burden with AI

How teachers can use AI to respond to student enquiries, provide feedback and create engaging learning content

Shahper Richter, Inna Piven, Patrick Dodd

University of Auckland

Traffic light sequence from green to red

Trying to decide what, where and when to publish research?

It’s a strategic balancing act, writes Walid Saad. While academic researchers often know why it’s important to publish their work, the timing, location and medium can be less evident. These tips are geared to sharing research for maximum effectiveness

Walid Saad

Virginia Tech

A placard at a climate change protest reads "if you change nothing, nothing changes"

On climate change, are universities part of the problem or part of the solution?

As the effects of climate change become increasingly more extreme, fossil fuel interests are preventing transformative change. Where do universities stand?

Jennie C. Stephens

Maynooth University , Northeastern University

A student using their phone

How universities can use research to develop effective digital products

Tips on developing a user-led digital approach at your institution, based on the University of Exeter’s success

Helen Cocks, Amelia Johnson

University of Exeter

A car driving on a bridge across the sea

Five actions to drive your career forward in the third space

Third spaces professionals can often find themselves excluded from traditional academic promotion or career development opportunities. Here’s how to carve your own path

Steve Briggs

University of Bedfordshire

Detective concept, escape rooms

Escape the class! Tips for creating virtual educational escape rooms

With games, tasks and a story, a virtual escape room can make ‘dry’ subjects more engaging for students working outside their majors, writes Cecilia Teng. Here, she gives educators steps for creating their own

Cecilia Teng

National University of Singapore

A tutor helping her postgraduate students

How can we better support our postgraduate students?

The challenges postgraduate taught students face are different from those of their undergraduate counterparts. Here are some ways to help them overcome them

Ellen Bell, Kelly Edmunds

University of East Anglia

A professor helps a student in class

Five ways coaching can improve the university experience of Black students

The ethnicity awarding gap continues to be an issue in UK universities, especially for Black students. Could coaching be the answer?

Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

Light bulbs swing together

Creativity and innovation are the keys to reshaping learning

To keep education relevant and students engaged, classrooms have to move with the times. Here are several ways to keep pace with technological change

Lim Jun Wei , Ho Yeek Chia, Boredi Silas Chidi

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) , Cape Peninsula University of Technology

Question marks

‘Generic prompts give students autonomy and flexibility to expand their ideas’

Leaving space for students to bring their prior knowledge and experience to a question can help with comprehension in STEM courses

Karen Ho, Douglas B. Clark

Mount Royal University, University of Calgary

Lots of social media users in a grid

We should be using social media more to understand students

How to use netnography to improve communication with prospective and current students

Alex Fenton

University of Chester

Older students at their desks at a university

How can universities encourage active ageing?

As life expectancies rise, universities must prepare to welcome more older students. Here are some ways to ensure institutions are inclusive spaces for these learners

Husnul Fitri

University of Indonesia

A toy robot observes a laptop screen, filled with books

Three ways to develop students’ AI literacy

Is higher education prepared for a future defined by AI, or do we need to do more to align education with technology’s changing landscape? Here are three ways to get your students to engage with it critically

Chahna Gonsalves , Sam Illingworth

King’s College London, Edinburgh Napier University

Clapperboard

Using documentary film to communicate your social research

Film can humanise your research and make it accessible to an audience beyond your field. Here are five key takeaways from our experience of bringing sociology to life

Rosalind Edwards

University of Southampton

A robot wears a mortarboard and rests upon an open book

How to align AI tools with teaching philosophies: a practical guide

Lucy Gill-Simmen provides a practical framework for integrating AI into teaching, while remaining true to your pedagogical principles

Lucy Gill-Simmen

Royal Holloway, University of London

A female student working on her laptop

How can we use microlearning to enhance university teaching?

What are the benefits of microlearning and how can institutions ensure their courses suit the needs of digital natives?

Robert A. Phillips

University of Manchester

Students chat in a lecture hall

Four ways to use gamification to engage your students in learning

What if learning was as addictive as gaming? Motivate your students and engage them to learn with these four teaching innovations

Lim Keong Teoh

University of Winchester

A student at her laptop with earphones on

Key strategies for successfully marketing an online course

Highlighting multimedia aspects, networking opportunities and the value of your course’s credential value are some of the ways institutions should be marketing their online education offering

Valeria Adriazola

Dalhousie University

Middle Eastern male millennial online student

How to demonstrate the value of online education to paying students

Scalability and flexibility are just two benefits that online learning offers students in the MENA region. Here’s how to let potential students know why they should enrol

Mohamed Abuelseoud Abdelzaher

Al-Mustaqbal University