What does ‘age appropriate’ AI literacy look like in higher education?
As AI literacy becomes an essential work skill, universities need to move beyond developing these competencies at ‘primary school’ level in their students…
Are you a jack of all GenAI?
Effective use of generative AI draws on a suite of skills that go beyond well-crafted prompts. Getting the best out of tech’s ubiquitous tool requires informed choices,…
Harness the power of AI to preserve endangered art forms
Researchers breathed new life into Cantonese porcelain painting techniques using AI, equipping a new generation with traditional skills. Here’s how they did it
The power of participatory podcasts as a research method
Instead of seeing podcasting as an alternative output, producing a series with a group of youth curators helped Abigail Harrison Moore and Lauren Theweneti…
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
We should be using social media more to understand students
How to use netnography to improve communication with prospective and current students
Inclusive co-teaching can draw on educators’ lived experience
Joint teaching between academic faculty and experts by experience offers not only professional development for future teachers, but benefits student understanding as …
Low-cost ways to support women academics
Offering mentorship opportunities, supporting peer groups and addressing bias are some of the ways institutions can support women academics
Practical strategies for greener transportation on your university campus
Focusing on electric vehicle use and optimising lead-acid batteries, Kumar Tripathi shares practical tips for improving campus sustainability through …
Colouring in: a big-impact, low-budget support for student well-being
The simple activity of colouring in could be an easy, budget-friendly way for university educators and professionals to help students reduce stress and improve…
Embrace the potential of dyslexic thinkers for the future of research
Academia has made progress in recognising neurodiversity, but dyslexic academics still face significant barriers. Here’s how universities can embrace cultural …
When engaging young people in participatory research, trust is key
How can we collaborate with young people to co-produce research? Keep these three things in mind
How to achieve interdisciplinary research? Focus on the people
Restructuring research domains around four communities allowed academics to find their natural home, writes Andrew Linn. Here’s how to do it
How to preserve academic credibility when engaging with social media
As political expression on social media can harm public perception of scientists, strategies such as sharing research, separating personal and professional identities,…
A guide to supporting student parents at university: part three
In the final piece in her series, Andy Todd explores ways personal tutors can help their tutees transition into university smoothly
A guide to supporting student parents at university: part two
The second in a three-part series provides detailed, practical guidance on how student parents can be supported to succeed at UK universities
A guide to supporting student parents at university: part one
The first in a three-part series provides an overview on how student parents can be supported to succeed at UK universities
Peer feedback: a burden for students or route to better academic writing?
Asking students to give anonymous feedback on each other’s work can not only result in better writing skills but also offer them opportunities to try new…
Learning translational medicine can make doctors more effective
As doctors must apply the latest scientific results in daily practice as soon as possible, it follows that translation methodologies should be taught to medical students
Building trust to support researchers’ mental health
Principal investigators should know what challenges to trust their research team may face at each stage of a project – from team building to post-project collaboration – so …
Lessons in chemistry: widening university students’ participation through storytelling
Storytelling can bridge the gap between complex STEM content and student engagement – it gives learners a discovery-based approach and educators an inclusive…
Teaching international students about academic integrity
Cultural misunderstandings can lead to international students being referred for academic misconduct. An answer for university educators can be to tailor…
‘It just isn’t safe to disclose’
Neurodiverse academics face real and significant barriers to achieving positions of educational leadership. Here are considerations for universities to make …
Can academic prenups help overcome barriers to interdisciplinary research?
A bottom-up approach could establish shared values, objectives, risk appetites and publication strategies as ways to mitigate challenges that hinder effective progress of…
What work-based learners need from sustainability education
Flexible course design, reasonable time commitments and real-life practice are vital if universities expect to train the next generation of leaders and entrepreneurs in…
Effective ways to keep online language students motivated
A learning designer discusses tried and tested strategies to keep students engaged in online language courses
Key questions to help universities measure societal impact
When societal impact has so many definitions, how can higher education institutions measure it without overlap or disengagement? This coordinated approach aims …
What can universities do to support academic couples?
What elements can make a university stand out as being partner-friendly? Here are ways for institutions to support academics in dual-career partnerships – and boost …
Embracing disagreement in research co-production
Co-producing a research project is not all consensus and harmony, so these four tips will guide research collaborators in how to allow and enable disagreements …
How to choose an app that will encourage reporting of sexual violence on campus
Responsible technology can enhance university responses to gender-based violence reports. Here, Heather Flowe and Laura Stevens share what to look for and demand …
Curriculum reform to boost under-represented students’ success in higher education
Large-scale transition from traditional curricula to a block model can have a positive impact on student achievement. Here, Thomas Roche, Erica Wilson and Liz…
How to face adversity and change in higher education with resilience
In times of stress and uncertainty, university leaders must model calmness, clarity and confidence in their ability to respond to and recover from challenges, writes …
‘Strengthening institution-wide commitment to trans inclusion is more important than ever’
Guidance for museums, galleries and heritage has insight for universities as they prepare to bolster freedom of speech, write four academics
Heart skills to future-proof students
These 10 skills might sound as soft as the centre of a Valentine’s Day chocolate, but they are essential for the careers and employability of our students, writes …
The transformative power of mentoring in historically black colleges and universities
HBCUs’ culture of generosity and community has much to offer all colleges and universities, write Marybeth Gasman and Levon T. Esters. Here, they distill their …
HARKing forward: an argument for a polarising research practice
Hypothesising (or proposing) after results are known is seen as going against scientific principles. Here, however, Yehuda Barach argues for its use in the name of …
The three Cs of the 21st-century workplace: cognition, character and career
Changing skill demands require a lifelong approach to education that prioritises self-efficacy, critical thinking and a growth mindset. Here is how these elements can fit…
What is the cost of students’ social mobility from a community ties perspective?
Personal networking strategies can influence successful academic integration and emotional stability of students from under-represented communities in higher…
How to make access to doctoral study more equitable
A three-pronged look at how to make access to doctoral study more equitable and remove barriers to entry that disproportionately impact students from ethnic …
A reflexive writing workshop to enhance engagement with learning
Reflexive writing workshops can help boost students’ interest and motivation in relation to their studies. Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou explains how these can work
Student ambassadors, key players in widening participation
How to design and run an effective student ambassador programme to support widening participation initiatives
Four strategies that rethink whole-group discussions
A guide to organising class discussions in different formats so that all students feel able to participate, based on insight from Harvard educators
Tips and tricks for impactful reverse mentoring
How to structure and manage effective reverse mentoring programmes which can bring benefits for participants and the wider sector
Making sustainability part of university DNA
Meaningful change comes from embedding green practices into every aspect, and every member, of the institution, starting from induction training
The case for reverse mentoring in higher education
Reverse mentoring can drive progress on many challenges faced in higher education today, if planned with care, as Rachael O’Connor explains
How can students learn to be innovative?
Teaching students innovative thinking through the use of business case studies and ‘learning by doing’, explained by William Cheung and Edward Yiu
Which specific Covid disruptions impacted motivation and engagement?
Lockdowns, isolation, remote learning and more have impacted various aspects of students’ lives. Knowing what and how puts educators in a better position to offer support
Sensitive marking and the end of the line for the academic essay
Rather than flagging essays by students with specific learning difficulties for “sensitive” marking, why are universities not rethinking the way they assess to make it more…
The flipped classroom: an evidence-based approach
The flipped classroom is most effective when it places active learning at its core, research suggests. A new model for flipped learning, developed by Manu Kapur and colleagues,…
Saying people’s names right: what policymakers can do
How can leaders and policymakers in higher education help staff and students to respect people’s name-based identities? Jane Pilcher and Hannah Deakin…
Negative thinking has a role to play in helping students plan their careers
Three recommendations that balance the power of negative and positive thinking to guide career planning for students
Can we really decolonise the university?
To explore what is possible, non-Indigenous scholars Mahdis Azarmandi and Sara Tolbert offer an anticolonial feminist praxis for unsettling settler institutions
Prioritising equity in higher education: the impact of individual identities
Recommendations for improving equity in higher education, informed by research into the impact of individual identities upon staff experiences of the pandemic
Five characteristics of effective supervisor training
What constitutes effective training to ensure research supervisors are well equipped to work with doctoral students? Sioux McKenna and Puleng Motshoane share…
Making male athletes key players in preventing sexual assault on campus
Young sportsmen have the influence to shift campus attitudes away from rape culture and misinformation towards accountability and support for survivors. A US…
The secret to ‘levelling up’ is in cross-sector, community-based research
New research shows the achievements of non-academic partnerships and gives insights into what funding and delivery models can help them flourish
A simple way to improve navigation in online learning
Five simple steps to use colour to design an engaging menu and navigation system that enhances digital learning environments and platforms
Building blocks of university-industry partnerships for positive change
How universities can develop strategic cross-sector partnerships and trans-disciplinary research in order to boost progress towards the SDGs
Why it is time to start co-creating professional development with employees
Steps to working with employees to shape and improve professional development programmes
Defining impact: a shift in thinking, acting and being
What is impact? And, more importantly, how do universities foster and measure it? Here is a plan to raise impact awareness, literacy and readiness
Steps to decolonise higher education: after yourself, change the curriculum
Opening the curriculum to First Nations’ histories and knowledge is a key part of decolonisation, as lisahunter and Karen Lambert explain in this second part of their series
Six ingredients for successful digital transformation
For forward-thinking universities, technology is not an afterthought but a core part of their activities. Here, Nick Skelton distils insight from UK higher education leaders…
Touch is a simple and effective way to manage learners’ cognitive load
Studies from educational psychologist Paul Ginns show that students who point and trace learning material results have greater comprehension and retention
Questions beyond majors: developing mental maturity in students
When undergraduates build their own course plan, reading list and thesis project, the benefits extend beyond the individual student’s mindset to teaching faculty, write Ryan…
Show off students’ employability with e-portfolios
Why and how to make e-portfolios a central part of university courses, helping students identify and exhibit skills that will appeal to employers, by Lourdes…
Adaptability is different from resilience – and here’s how to nurture it
Identifying what adaptability is and how to boost it can help students make appropriate adjustments to optimise their academic and personal well-being
Arts-based methods to foster participatory and interactive learning
Arts-based methods in university teaching centre individual human values and relationships as key contributors in learning. Anne Pässilä and Allan Owens …
Breaking language barriers: supporting non-native English-speaking students
Steps that tutors can take to better support students who are non-native speakers of English and ensure they feel included and able to play an active role in their university…
Teach and talk: encouraging student dialogue in class
Dialogic validation is about making students aware of the value their ideas bring to the classroom. Roehl Sybing discusses three simple principles that teachers can…
The power of gender-sensitive mentoring
Mentoring is a powerful tool to enhance job satisfaction and work-life balance. This guide aims to help mentors adopt a gender-sensitive approach to support women and people…
Learned words: using poetry to reflect on practices in higher education
Poetry writing can aid reflection on your teaching and learning or research practices, offering a fresh way of organising thoughts, as Sam Illingworth explains
When refuge isn’t safe: uncovering real-life stories to shape policy
Human stories that feed into research can be a powerful tool for driving policy change but need careful and sensitive handling, as Lizzie Kirsch explains
Augmented reality in teaching: key challenges and how to overcome them
Will Shüler identifies three challenges of integrating augmented reality into the classroom and shares advice on how university tutors might navigate them
If you want students to read more, consider asking them to read less
Students can feel overwhelmed when faced with lengthy academic reading lists so how can educators help them develop their reading skills? Will Mason and …
Student diaries as a tool to improve the university experience
Do you really know what your students experience during their studies? It is more complex than many surveys suggest. Using student diaries may support deeper…
How campus layout influences social ties and research exchange
Shorter distances between departments and offices can boost communication and exchange. But proximity is not the only way that campus design influences …
Meaning making: how universities can boost the uptake of edtech among faculty
The key to promoting the uptake of new edtech tools and teaching innovation among faculty, based on research
What does ‘taking sexual violence seriously’ look like at universities?
Rates of sexual violence in universities are the highest in society, ONS data show. So what actions must universities take if they are serious about tackling this pernicious…
Walk the walk to benefit your academic research
Walking can be used to benefit academic research, help with problem-solving and promote creative thinking. Here, Anna Lois McKay explains the different ways it works
A checklist for making disability inclusion a reality in higher education
Actions that universities must take to promote equal access and opportunity for disabled students in higher education, based on a research-backed framework developed by …
What can human behaviour analytics tell us about student learning?
Human behaviour analytics could be the answer to enhanced student engagement and better learning experiences in computer-aided learning…
How to address bias in the classroom and in assessment in five steps
Biases can affect personal interactions, course design, learning activities, assessment and institutional practices, thus it is vital that educators work to remove bias from…
What’s next for AI in higher education?
From assessment to ethics and job security, a new Jisc report highlights AI’s challenges and successes and provides insight into upcoming developments
Address STEM inequality by reconceiving merit
The cultural yardsticks used to measure merit in STEM are warped with bias and often devalue women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ scientists with records equal to white…
Co-creation: how to find the ‘super’ in supervision
Co-creation can bring together research supervisors and doctoral students to unpick the tensions and challenges in the supervisory relationship and seek solutions, researchers…
Don’t be cruel: how to write a fair peer review report
Not every comment in a peer review report will be positive, but it is possible to highlight weaknesses and errors in a journal article while being constructive. After all, …
Why universities in emerging countries should invest in social media marketing
Why should higher education institutions in emerging countries invest in social media rather than flashy marketing campaigns to develop brand credibility and…
The evolving meaning of ‘corresponding authorship’ in research
How the role of the corresponding author is changing in terms of research team dynamics and the perception of its meaning, and the implications for …
An invisible minority: what is needed to support students with caring responsibilities
Students with caring responsibilities in the UK have no joined-up support. Jessica Iyamu and Ellie Brown make a call for policies to provide consistent help across all…
Women in academia are doing too much non-promotable work – and that has to stop
The No Club shares advice for women about how to spend their time at work, how to change the environment to stop saddling women with unrewarded work, and…
How to maximise student satisfaction with the flipped classroom
What are the pedagogical, technical and social aspects that lecturers should consider to give students the best possible experience of the flipped classroom?
Block mode of teaching in higher education: advantages and challenges
Block scheduling may be intense but can also foster student engagement and reduce stress. It needs careful implementation to realise its full benefits
It is about ‘people knowing who I am’: reflections on how to guide inclusion work in universities
Advice on using a framework called ‘the Inclusion Compass’ to guide inclusion work within universities, based on a pan-European research project carried out to explore how …
Improving learning through physical action and sensory perception
Drawing on movement and sensory perception as part of learning can enhance outcomes, research shows. Sheila L. Macrine and Jennifer M. B. Fugate explain how to…
Five tips to enhance your institution’s civic engagement by working with public libraries
Advice to help universities work in partnership with public libraries to reach wider audiences and enhance their civic engagement
Coordinating co-authors
Co-authoring with other researchers can result in more ambitious and exciting papers than solo endeavours but is also fraught with potential hiccups. Steven Bateman …
Using digital technology to get student affairs and faculty working together for better results
When student affairs staff and faculty work together, it results in better learning experiences for students. Amy Greenstein and Steven Goss explain how digital tools can…
Three tips for ‘unbundling’ an aspect of your university services
Building partnerships with ed-tech firms and other providers involves ‘unbundling’ elements of university services to share tasks among all parties. Dawn Gilmore and Chinh Nguyen…
Engaging public health faculty to make healthier campus decisions
As universities move from a crisis response to ongoing management of Covid-19, this guide outlines why and how to engage public health faculty in campus decision-making
Supporting equity among students in group work
Natasha Holmes and Kira Treibergs share strategies for preventing implicit biases affecting student group dynamics, and facilitating productive and equitable…
Deep and meaningful learning: taking learning to the next level
Explicitly linking prior knowledge and experience is key in engaging students in deep learning and transitions them away from passivity in learning
Learning challenge and difficulty: calm seas do not make skilful sailors
Five strategies for university teachers to encourage students to use challenge, struggle and safe failure for effective long-term learning
Learning to learn and higher-order thinking: it’s not just what to learn but how to learn
Through deconstructing the thought processes that occur during learning, students understand how they learn and therefore learn more effectively
Interactive learning: more than teamwork makes the dream work
Educators can engineer, harness and guide social dynamics towards a positive learning experience rather than leaving students’ interaction to chance
Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn?
If educators understand the factors that interplay with emotional states to affect learning, they can work with this to enhance the learning experience. Here are six…
Writing about the day job: levelling up scholarship across higher education
Tutors with full class schedules have little capacity for research but by focusing on the scholarship of teaching and learning, they can contribute valuable insights…
Contextual learning: linking learning to the real world
Experience in the professional world can set your students up for a seamless transfer from higher education to the world of work
Learning as becoming: what do students become as a result of their higher education experience?
A learning framework can help students understand their transition from higher education to the professional world as well as support their holistic experience of…
Managing individual research productivity in academic organisations: seven key insights
Advice on steps institutions can take to boost the productivity and impact of researchers, based on a study by Olga Ryazanova and Jolanta Jaskiene
Squid pro quo: using Squid Game to engage economics students
Wayne Geerling explains how economics lecturers can draw on popular culture to demonstrate key concepts in a more relatable way that aids understanding, taking ‘Squid…
Adult ADHD and higher education: improving the student experience
Alex Conner and James Brown explain why adult ADHD is linked to underachievement in higher education and what institutions can do to support better outcomes for those …
Intersectionality and why in 2022 inclusion must allow for multiple identities
University diversity policies must include intersectionality, and now is the time make it happen. Paul Harpur, Dino Willox and Brooke Szucs offer five strategies for using…
Where are the leaders with a disability in higher education?
While support is available for people with a disability in universities, this is not translating to senior leadership positions – to the detriment of individuals and the sector as …
Match sustainability learning outcomes to specific curricula to achieve SDG 4.7
Ron Johnston provides a guide to embedding education for sustainable development into university courses by linking it with the learning outcomes of the core subject being taught
Using action learning to improve interdisciplinary online teaching
A guide to using action learning – questioning knowledge to find solutions – to evaluate and improve teaching practices, based on research by Na Li, Qian …
Say my name: the importance of correct terms, titles and pronunciation
Jane Bryan shares lessons in handling people’s names with respect and sensitivity, ensuring correct use and pronunciation to boost feelings of belonging within institutions
Well-being pedagogies: activities and practices to improve the student experience online
With many concerned about the mental health effects of learning remotely, Elena Riva shares helpful practices that can boost student well-being in the online teaching and…
Using productive failure to activate deeper learning
Manu Kapur explains how using a flipped-classroom approach, setting students problems that they are unable to tackle properly until they have been taught the…
How does national culture affect the adoption of learning technology?
Na Li, Xiaojun Zhang and Maria Limniou offer tips to counter the hidden cultural and social factors that reduce acceptance of virtual learning environments, based on …
Virtual classroom connections: enhancing three presence elements via online tools
Nguyen Hoang Thuan and Pham Cong Hiep provide practical tips for enhancing three types of presence – teaching, social and cognitive – in online learning and…
Relationship building among globally diverse students in a borderless university
Monika Foster offers insights into why and how to encourage relationship-building between global learners by celebrating diversity and encouraging…
Fostering freedom in PhD students: how supervisors can shape accessible paths for doctoral research
Clive Palmer looks at alternative approaches to PhDs that open postgraduate research to more candidates – for professional development, career change or just love of…
Online review exercises to improve student performance in large courses
Online review exercises, used in combination with other learning activities, improve student engagement and learning performance in large online courses, Peng Cheng…
The future of education in the real world: five shifts to consider for building a better learning…
Kyriaki Papageorgiou outlines shifts in higher education that should help academics in designing more effective teaching and in recognising what areas need in-person…
Equitable teaching that creates pathways to success for all students
Andrew Estrada Phuong and co-authors present a framework for an adaptive equity-oriented pedagogy that helps diverse students achieve better results
How resetting motivations can help faculty achieve better teaching and well-being during challenging…
Faculty members’ personal motivations impacted their attitudes towards meeting the challenges of the pandemic, and in turn, their well-being and teaching quality, …
Supporting self-directed learning across cultural boundaries
Academics from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University draw on their research showing the Western teaching model based on ‘self-directed learning’ is effective among…
Serious play: boosting engagement in online courses through games
Gaming techniques should be taken seriously as a way to keep students engaged in online courses, explains Dario De Notaris, based on his research into improving …
Lessons on improving online teaching from a survey of students in Hong Kong
A survey of students in Hong Kong highlighted concerns relating to the efficacy of online teaching. Ka Ho Mok runs through key lessons for universities looking to …
Virtual exchange: supporting online collaboration to benefit all learners
Virtual exchanges enable group work between students in different locations, but studies show varied learning gains. Irina Rets and Bart Rienties use research to…
A guide to effective digital course design and delivery from four online teaching experts
Chrysi Rapanta consolidates the knowledge of four online teaching experts to produce guidance on what pedagogical content knowledge faculty need in order to develop…
Instant messaging for improving instructor feedback in distance learning
One of the biggest challenges to online learning is lack of immediate instructor feedback, Justin Fendos’ research revealed. So his team trialled instant…
Forum-based online teaching to improve student engagement and motivation
A key challenge with online learning is maintaining student engagement and motivation. A forum-based teaching system, in which all students could see and compare their work …
Guide learning by activating students’ inner feedback
David Nicol explains how students can be guided to make comparisons and feedback on their own work, rather than relying on instructor comments, for…
How a flipped classroom model improves learning in online STEM courses
STEM courses can be challenging to master online, but research by Atef Abuhmaid and Tao Tang shows a flipped classroom model improves outcomes. Here …
Strategies for scaling up quality online courses in higher education
As remote and blended learning models look set to remain in place, universities need to consider how to scale online courses while maintaining quality. Michael…
In defence of old-school teaching during a worldwide crisis
The rapid move to online teaching risks lecturers becoming over reliant on technology and steadily disappearing from their own courses. Here Glenn Geher…
Building an effective home studio for remote teaching
Recording classes well from home can be a challenge but by getting the basics right you can create a simple studio set up which will support effective online teaching. Here, Sean…
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