Feature article

Lots of traffic lights mounted on single large pole

The colour of comprehension: how to make student understanding visible

Asking ‘any questions?’ rarely gives a true picture of how much a class has taken in. A simple traffic-light strategy can reveal students’ understanding and give instructors insights they can act on immediately

Yunteng He

Central Community College

A counsellor offering advice to a student in an office

How can we better support students experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity?

Universities must take a joined-up, person-centred approach to homelessness and housing insecurity, ensuring every student can access support, feel they belong and succeed, says Melanie-Marie Haywood, who shares advice

Melanie-Marie Haywood

Birmingham City University

Everyone loves interdisciplinary research, but no one wants to fund it

Higher education talks a lot about interdisciplinary research, but finding funding is still an uphill struggle. Lindell Bromham offers a solution

Lindell Bromham

Australian National University

A student raises a hand in a lecture hall

Why face-to-face lectures need to be interactive – and how to do it

In the YouTube era, are lectures still an efficient use of classroom time? Achim I. Czerny argues they are – with a crucial twist

Achim I. Czerny

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

An academic leading seminar activities with flipchart

Demystify open research

How to make open research feel like a natural progression of researchers’ work, rather than a high-risk, low-reward activity

Eilis Hannon, Liam Berrisford

The University of Exeter

Mature female university teacher talking to a class

The best teachers never stop learning

Teaching excellence isn’t something you achieve, but rather something you continually practise and hone. Kim Loeffert explains

Kim Loeffert

Virginia Tech

The best interdisciplinary research begins long before the first experiment

Investment in relationships, humility and shared purpose creates the conditions where breakthrough science can flourish, argues Jacob Barney

Jacob Barney

Virginia Tech

Questions academics should ask when looking for a book publisher

With so many academic publishers out there, how can you decide which one aligns with your values? Here’s what to consider

Katharine Nelson , Elinor Potts

University of London, The London School of Economics and Political Science

A supervisor and supervisee having an conversation

Beyond red ink: how better feedback can transform doctoral supervision

The aim is not to facilitate a perfect thesis through increasingly detailed comments but to develop researchers who can question advice, respond thoughtfully to criticism and make informed decisions about their work, writes Yakubu Salifu

Yakubu Salifu

Lancaster University

Asian students in light-filled university building

Practical advice for supporting international students

For international students to thrive in their studies, they need holistic support that integrates language development and cultural exchange

Kai Cheong Lei

Macau University of Science and Technology

Two students in lecture hall look at a book

Overcome reading reluctance with in-class tasks

While no replacement for tackling long texts, short reading sessions build confidence, boost students’ learning and improve their analysis, synthesis and discussion

Noam Schimmel

University of California, Berkeley

Develop students’ oracy with these activities

Oracy skills can empower graduates to contribute meaningfully to societal challenges in an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world, says Paul Demetriou, who shares practical advice

Paul Demetriou

New City College

Students study together under the teacher's supervision

Five tips to integrate sustainability education into your curricula

Sustainability education is vitally important, yet often faces roadblocks in practice. Get started with education for sustainable development with these tips

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Amanda Capucci Polzin

University of Westminster

Diverse group of young adult students listening to their mature female professor during a chemistry lecture in a lab

Strong labs are built on shared ownership – with students as collaborators

Students learn more, contribute more and mature as scientists when given active roles rather than supporting parts in research teams

Robert Cooper

Virginia Tech

A female student taking notes from her online class with other students and a teacher appearing in a gallery view on her screen

The power of feedback to build belonging in online learning

Connection in online learning does not happen accidentally; we must design and nurture it through feedback. Because good feedback conveys attention, recognition and care, write María de Lourdes Gómez Calvo and Estefannía Garza Tamez

María de Lourdes Gómez Calvo, Estefannía Garza Tamez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

How to establish a culture of care on campus

One university found student retention greatly improved when it made a few tweaks to its campus environment, fostering a warmer and more connected culture. Here’s how

Robert Vela

Texas A&M University – Kingsville

Make learning fun with mini whiteboards

The portable, double-sided and easily wipeable mini whiteboard offers a tactile alternative to its big brother at the front of the classroom, promoting active learning in groups of all sizes

Eleanor Hodgson

The University of Exeter

Make your higher education meetings neurodivergent-friendly

For neurodivergent staff, meetings can be something to dread. Here’s how to make them feel comfortable and get the best out of them

Jamie Wilde

University of Southampton

Graph emerging through surface of water, open research concept

How to build ethics into open research

Researchers, library professionals and institutions have ways to address inequalities around how data is collected and shared. Here are considerations to help support ethical, equitable open research

Meghmala Bhattacharya

Teesside University

A woman on a unicycle juggling piles of work

Academic work-life balance isn’t just about reducing the load

With the right institutional support, a demanding academic role can enrich home life. Here’s how

Diep Nguyen

The University of Newcastle, Australia

Five ways to make workplace learning count

How can we make workplace learning relevant to students’ academic journeys? Ice Ko shares five lessons learned from getting the most out of external partnerships

Ice Ko

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Asian students doing pair work in a lecture hall

Help undergraduates sustain critical AI use under deadline pressure

When assignments are due, students might be tempted to skip checks and reflection when they turn to AI tools for support. Here’s a five-stage framework to deter shortcuts

Chris Harwood

Sophia University

Chinese students working together at a laptop

From silence to engagement in Sino-foreign education

Don’t just view silence as a problem to solve, recognise its implications and support students to develop the confidence to participate at their own pace, say Zhou Ge and Irina Shcheglova. Here’s how

Zhou Ge, Irina Shcheglova

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A teacher advises students on their work

Bring agility to a slow-moving curriculum with intersessions

Short, intensive learning periods can give educators room to experiment, as technology and workplace demands move faster than traditional curriculum cycles. Here’s how it works

Harit Satt

Al Akhawayn University

‘The more I improved my instructions, the better they worked as AI prompts’

Clear instructions tell students about the assessment task, its purpose and its criteria for success, but they also give a large language model a checklist for optimisation. Soohyun Ahn offers advice for navigating educators’ two audiences

Soohyun Ahn

Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

An illustration of a robot towering over a crowd of people and a backdrop of high rises

Teaching utopian and dystopian narratives in higher education

Today’s world is full of complexities and uncertainties, particularly for young people finding their feet. Fiction about better – or worse – worlds offers valuable perspectives and possibilities, write Matthew Leggatt and Emrah Atasoy

Matthew Leggatt , Emrah Atasoy

University of Winchester, The University of Warwick, The University of Edinburgh

What’s in a name? How to build trust into a student mentor role

A new framework for student support meant the creation of a new role – but what to call it? Dana Abiltayeva explains why it matters

Dana Abiltayeva

Nazarbayev University

Robotics students in a practical university class

For impactful teaching, remove barriers to learning – one decision at a time

Students can find information almost anywhere, but instructors provide something worth coming into the classroom for: meaningful relationships, authentic context and shared experiences. Matt Nowinski explains

Matt Nowinski

Virginia Tech

Who are you when you teach?

Teaching isn’t just about activities and assessments – it’s about how we fill the different roles the job requires, personally and professionally. Here’s how to shape your educator identity

Elysia Sokolenko, Matthew Arnold

Adelaide University

‘Reflective learning is becoming a meaningless buzzword’

Lip service to reflective learning is eroding its potential for confronting ingrained beliefs and encouraging students to explore new ways of thinking, writes Ella Houston. Here, she shares practical strategies for promoting the transgressive aspects of reflection

Ella Houston

Liverpool Hope University

Female instructor in class before screen with code

The building blocks of effective teaching

The best teachers genuinely care about their students, but build that care upon a solid structural foundation. Find advice here on making good teaching a habit

Karen Yu Ka Man

The Education University of Hong Kong

A schoolteacher standing in front of a whiteboard interacting with pupils

Want to improve your teaching? Ask a teacher

Schoolteachers-turned-lecturers have a wealth of pedagogical knowledge, says Gordon Baillie, Here, he outlines reasons why university educators should be tapping into it and shares questions they can reflect on to improve their practice

Gordon Baillie

University of Chester

Outline of marching band as if in chalk on a blackboard

Lessons in teaching excellence drawn from leading a marching band

The football field can foster teaching excellence as much as the classroom. The leader of a nationally recognised marching band shares five ways to build a culture where students learn to work together and lead

Polly Middleton

Virginia Tech

Staff and students strategising with Post-It notes on a transparnt screen

How to prepare, motivate and reward students who engage in EDI work

EDI work can take a psychological toll on students. Thoughtful discussion and engagement strategies are key, as are psychological support and remuneration, say a medical school team

Lois Haruna-Cooper , Emma Kelley , William Shem Braithwaite

UCL

A student watches a teacher lecture on a laptop

Strategies for making online courses more impactful

Here’s how to break the barrier between screen and student and engage with your online cohorts in a personal way

Heather Gass

Colorado State University Global

Multiracial group of university students in a study group

Teaching strategies to support international students in diverse classrooms

How can we design teaching that better supports international students to succeed within higher education? Here are teaching tips to boost classroom practice for the inclusion and benefit of all students

Elida Cena, Gülseli Baysu, Judith Wylie

Queen’s University Belfast

Build students’ intercultural competence in online classrooms

The ‘global shared learning classroom’ teaches students how to view traits such as leadership through different cultural lenses, better preparing them to thrive in an interconnected world. Learn how

Jorge Alberto Mosqueda Benavides

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Students and mentors laugh around a table

Personalised coaching could be the key to postgraduate resilience

Democratise executive coaching for postgraduate students and help them develop the resilience and adaptability they’ll need for the future. Here’s how

Pamsy Hui, Terrance Leung, Celine Ho

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Where the Nile’s waters meet: creating value through interdisciplinarity and collaboration

Effective interdisciplinary collaboration hinges on four principles: focusing on the problem, understanding how disciplines interact, fostering relationships and recognising power dynamics, writes Ben Kei Daniel

Ben Kei Daniel

University of Northern British Columbia

Advice on launching co-created humanities modules

It can be daunting designing and introducing a new module. Be brave and take chances, says Alyson Mercer, who shares tips on the process from conception to implementation

Alyson Mercer

The University of Exeter

Why a laboratory is more than a room full of equipment

The laboratory is at the centre of a university’s academic infrastructure. Here’s how to define laboratory excellence for the future

Imtias Amir Bahauddin

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Man pushing pound coin up a hill in Sisyphys metaphor for research funding

The Sisyphus trap: surviving plummeting funding success rates

Building a research programme absolutely depends on winning grants, but early career researchers also need to be able to distinguish which opportunities are worth pursuing and where their finite time is best spent

Meysam Qadrdan

Cardiff University

An online learner smiling at classmates on his laptop screen

Five design principles for meaningful online global learning

As digital technologies transform access to both information and education, how can universities offer distinctive educational value for professional learners online? Maria Cross offers advice

Maria Cross

UCL

‘Great teaching does not mean more work. It means better choices’

Effective teachers connect students to the ideas and knowledge that matter to them. Urbi Ghosh explains how educators can demonstrate clear links and interrupt their own practices when autopilot has kicked in

Urbi Ghosh

Colorado State University Global

Success in academia is more than a citation count

Academic communities have long relied on citations, publication counts, the journal impact factor and the h-index as indicators of scholarly achievement. These metrics capture only part of the story, as Rachel Miles explains

Rachel Miles

Virginia Tech

A group of smiling students standing outside on university campus grounds

What can traditional degrees learn from apprenticeships?

Three stages for embedding apprenticeship-informed practice, with strategies collected from degree apprenticeship educators across the UK

Multiple authors

The University of Exeter, Manchester Metropolitan University

An academic surrounded by books looks stressed

Does your university workload allocation model support gender equality?

Workload allocation models can fail to reflect the reality of female academics’ workloads and unintentionally compound gender inequality. Find advice for making the process more transparent

Noreen O’Leary , Hannah Christie, Ioana Tistea

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

How a silent card game helps students develop intercultural communication skills

A game built on gesture can speak volumes about hidden norms and the skills to navigate them because it converts an abstract concept into personal experience

Nasreen Sultana

The University of Queensland

A student taking notes on a notepad while looking at her laptop

How to prevent free riding in online group work

When collaborative assignments lack structured guidance, levels of contribution among team members may vary. Gabriela Espínola offers insight into building community and accountability online

Gabriela Espínola Carballo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A teacher gestures to a screen in a lecture hall

Six ways to design a class students look forward to

Give students a clear reason to pay attention to your content. Here’s how to design courses to spark curiosity

Ricardo A. Ramirez-Mendoza

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

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