Feature article

Male Asian student working on a robot arm

GenAI as a research assistant: transforming start-up due diligence

Universities are not just centres of innovation, they are also platforms for promoting the commercialisation of research. As ‘research assistants’, Gen AI can open the door for ‘under the radar’ start-ups that human evaluators may miss

Tiam Lin Sze

Singapore Management University

Students recycling at a local community centre

Tackle one concrete problem to advance the SDGs: campus recycling

A focus on recycling offers universities a realistic, high-impact way to strengthen sustainability and make measurable progress toward the SDGs

Germán Anzola

The University of Applied and Environmental Sciences (UDCA)

A student speaking to a teacher in class

Make feedback a conversation to empower the student voice

Nurture feedback literacy through collaborative evaluation. Frederik Dahl Madsen and Kay Douglas show how a new approach works in two contrasting courses

Frederik Dahl Madsen, Kay Douglas

The University of Edinburgh

Barbed wire and a security camera on a brick wall

What learning behind bars can teach us about the university classroom

A partnership with a prison helped one educator see her university teaching in a different light. Find out how

Sobia Razzaq

University of Westminster

Young woman outside Athenian Academy

The case for degrees that teach us how to think

As debate about the cost and purpose of higher education intensifies, the humanities are often the first target. Yet evidence shows that far from being outdated or indulgent, humanities degrees cultivate critical skills, resilience and, yes, viable career paths

Michelle Moseley-Christian

Virginia Tech

A visualisation of analysing data sets

Use GenAI as your personal learner engagement analytics expert

Harness the student data in your virtual learning environment with a few choice prompts for GenAI

Stephen Buckingham

Queen Mary University of London

A lecture hall full of students

The secrets to successful ‘mega’ modules

Teaching at scale is a growing reality across UK higher education, but how can modules with more than 500 students maintain quality and engagement?

Fujia Li, Hugh Waters

The University of Exeter, University of the West of England Bristol

View from a sailing ship on the ocean

Turn your research into a Hollywood-worthy story

Take a leaf out of a master storyteller’s book. If you want your research to be noticed, transform it into a story. After all, it worked for Charles Darwin…

Simon Hall

University of Cambridge

Students at work in a lab

Prevent overstimulation and support autistic students in the laboratory

Laboratory sessions can prompt overstimulation in autistic students. Here, one student outlines the challenges they’ve faced and what support has helped

Matthew Jones, Beth Crofts

University of Salford

Students chatting together at a table in class

Everyday strategies to build belonging and well-being

With a focus on emotional safety, connection and clear communication, these actions build belonging and support well-being across any discipline

Lauren Flannery

The University of East Anglia

Two black men shaking hands and smiling

Can peer mentoring support under-represented students into postgraduate research?

Mentoring is often seen as a silver bullet for tackling complex challenges such as unequal access to postgraduate research opportunities. So, can a peer-to-peer scheme support under-represented students into PhD study?

Maisha Islam

University of Southampton

Students discuss ideas in a focus group

Co-creation for a more welcoming campus community

A foundation mentoring scheme helped students widen their networks. But how to increase participation? Involving students in a co-creation research project provided the answer

Amy MacLatchy

University of Westminster

A student taking a moment to reflect on a concept

Reflective skills are key in an unpredictable labour market

Students need to be agile to succeed in the workplaces of the future. Rather than rely on static career planning tools, teach students to pause and evaluate

Michelle Civile

The University of Exeter

Man holding glowing orb

Teaching core skills for today’s and tomorrow’s jobs

Students need skills that go beyond subject knowledge to be ready for as-yet-unknown jobs. For institutions, that means preparing them with cognitive abilities – and awareness of how to apply them – for careers now and in future

Aulay Mackenzie

Walbrook Institute London

Young woman with a drill assembling a wooden bookcase

‘The arts and humanities celebrate what makes us human’

As deepfakes blur truth and political divides widen, the arts and humanities offer essential skills such as reflection and resilience. And, of course, they provide respite and balance. Patty Raun explains

Patricia Raun

Virginia Tech

Two engineering students work together on a project

Ask students to create assessments for industry insight

Engineering education requires up-to-date industry knowledge. Why not deploy your senior students to craft authentic assessments?

Jamil Jasin, Alfred Cheng Hock Tan , Idris Li Hong Lim, Christian Della

Singapore Institute of Technology

A padlock secured to a lightbulb

Subtle steps that protect your authorship

Many early career researchers working with code, data and analysis assume goodwill is enough to secure authorship – it isn’t. Here’s how to protect your contributions and build fair, transparent collaborations

Hari Ram C. R. Nair

Chalmers University of Technology

Student co-creation

Co-creation that treats students as collaborators, not consultants

When students believe their opinions matter, their creativity, confidence and sense of belonging grow – and so does the impact of your work. Here are five practical ways to bring students ‘behind the camera’ in co-curricular programme design

Melissa Gerrior, Jennifer Graham

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities, Georgia College and State University

University students sitting at their desks

Why clear GenAI guidance matters to neurodivergent students. And how to get it right

Neurodivergent students often experience heightened anxiety when GenAI expectations vary across courses. Here’s how to design more consistent guidance

Jayne Quoiani

The University of Edinburgh

A Native American dance stick

Place Indigenous knowledge at the heart of academic inquiry

Decolonise the curriculum by engaging students with historically marginalised knowledge from a range of sources. Here’s how

Kam Kaur

The University of Adelaide

Illustration of man pushing cogs linked to books representing work-integrated learning

Real-world projects offer ideal conditions for teaching soft skills

With tomorrow’s graduates requiring agility, empathy and leadership capabilities on top of subject knowledge, the path forward is through connection with industry and community partners, as Kevin Koh explains

Kevin Koh

Singapore Management University

Equipment travellers will take on safari

Why academics need to find adventure beyond the classroom

The best research inspiration happens organically. Here’s how to free yourself from the constraints of campus and go out into the field

Kenneth Pratt

University of the West of Scotland

A student presenting to class

Give students the tools to negotiate in the classroom

Teach students to listen, interpret non-verbal cues and understand their peers’ needs through simple classroom strategies

Elisa González

CETYS Universidad

Young female manager in a meeting

Why university leaders must listen differently in one-to-ones

Talk less and listen more should be a mantra for leaders and managers. When they acknowledge diverse perspectives, avoid dominating discussions and reflect what they have heard, it sets the tone for more inclusive, respectful dialogue

Annie Owen

University of Southampton

A illustration of a laptop offering online learning

Design online learning materials to suit everyone

Create interactive webpages and get to know how your students learn in order to improve e-learning materials. Follow this advice to get started

Nguyen Thi Tu Linh, Nguyen Quoc Minh (Harry) Quan, Nah Yong En

Singapore Institute of Technology

Students working together at a desk

Give students autonomy over their learning

Here are simple ways to nurture self-direction in students – from consulting them on assessments to offering choice on learning objectives – shared by Natalie K Seedan

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Two female Asian fashion design students in workshop

Beyond the creative supplement: reframing the value of arts-based research

When traditional methodologies struggle to capture sensory, emotional and lived dimensions of culture, researchers can turn to arts-based enquiry. This practical advice explains how to integrate audio, visual and reflective data collection into research design

Peng Liu

Macau University of Science and Technology

Doctors of colour clasp hands in a circle

What underpins the success of a racial justice network?

A small online meeting of ethnic minority medical students in 2020 has now grown into a well established staff and student community. Here are six features that underpin its success

Kate Williams, Shameq Sayeed

University of Leicester

Language class

Turning a student-led initiative into a language-learning community

Simple steps to foster informal, institution-wide language learning can develop into a sustainable programme that builds confidence, encourages cultural exchange and strengthens student community

Viktória Sirokmány

Semmelweis University

A researcher works at a laptop

How to get a four-star impact case study? Stop chasing one

Research assessment exercises have turned impact into a means to an end. Instead of writing a good story, do good work for genuine impact

Andy Phippen, Louise Rutt

Bournemouth University, University of Plymouth

Hands holding up a sign that says "reuse", "recycle" and "reduce" with accompanying icons

The future of sustainable universities is circular

With growing pressure to reduce emissions, costs and waste, now is the time for universities to reimagine their role in the resource life cycle, says Darren Wilkinson

Darren Wilkinson

Lancaster University

Are academics becoming overexposed on LinkedIn?

Social media is key to building an academic network but what about the darker side of putting your professional life on global display? Larisa Yarovaya explores the balance between polished presence and oversharing

Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

Two academics chatting

Tips for mastering the art of negotiation in academia

Whether navigating marking loads or vying for promotion, strong negotiation skills can make all the difference. Drawing on theory and practice, here are five ways to build them

Nick Worthington

The University of Exeter

Human embracing AI in a handshake

Not faster but fairer: tame ‘techno-solutionism’ to build inclusive futures with AI

University leaders and academics must resist an open-armed embrace of AI and ask tough questions about who, really, is benefitting from its use in order to shape an inclusive future, writes Chie Adachi

Chie Adachi

Queen Mary University of London

A close-up of a microphone

How to demonstrate the worth of arts and humanities-based research

Express the tangible benefits of your creative work and practices, by showcasing public value

Mette Hjort

The Education University of Hong Kong

Young Muslim female student in university classroom

What universities gain from involving displaced students in civic engagement

Civic action not only gives displaced students and refugees a sense of belonging and agency, it brings academic communities benefits such as cultural insight and leadership skills

Jonathan Becker, Zarlasht Sarmast

Bard College

An academic listens attentively to a student

University students need emotional support as well as intellectual challenge

Empathetic teaching is about more than lectures and grades – it’s about helping the whole student grow. Find out how

M. Devendran Manogaran , Nor Adilla Rashidi

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Business and legal education concept

How business schools can capitalise on changes to legal services

Business schools need not compete with law schools. Instead, they can serve as strategic partners as legal services respond to technology, freer markets and client demand, writes Maximiliano Marzetti

Maximiliano Marzetti

IÉSEG School of Management

Students working together on a group project

Teaching future-proof skills: lessons from degree apprenticeships

How degree apprenticeship-style teaching can develop the creative and social intelligence students need to succeed in a changing workplace

Yuxi Heluo

The University of Exeter

A student responding to a prompt on a whiteboard during 2024's Feedback Fest

How a festival makes student surveys fun

A festival-style event can boost survey participation and show students that their feedback leads to change. Here”s how to run one

Emma Craigen

The University of Edinburgh

A student uses a microscope in a lab

Use experiential learning to embed transferable skills in the university classroom

Find out how one educator integrated the transferable skills students need for employability into a content-heavy course

Philip Y Lam

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

AI and integrity concept

Teaching responsible use of GenAI in graduate studies

When graduate students learn to use AI transparently, to seek approvals, respect Indigenous consent and critically assess outputs, they develop skills essential for both academic success and professional practice

Katerina Standish

University of Northern British Columbia

Students use their laptops in class, looking focused

‘GenAI and critical thinking can – and should – work together’ 

Find out how to encourage critical thinking in the university classroom by working with GenAI tools, rather than against them 

Joel Davis, Jane Southworth, Kati Migliaccio

University of Florida

A sound artist surrounded by equipment in a studio

Blend individual and group work to build creative confidence

Combining collaborative accountability with personal ownership helps students take risks, navigate challenges and reflect more deeply, writes Dane Taylor

Dane Taylor

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

University students sitting exams

What can university lecturers do to ease students’ exam anxiety?

Exam stress in all its forms will be familiar to most university lecturers. What is less discussed is how educators’ awareness can ease students’ nerves and lead to better outcomes

Melinda Cserép

Semmelweis University

A smiling woman holds a red, heart-shaped helium balloon

Higher education needs to hold students' hearts, not hands

During times of financial constraint, don’t rush to define kindness to students as an unaffordable luxury. Instead, let’s change the way we think

Rachelle McKay

Dalhousie University

A teacher accepting an award in front of colleagues

The road to recognition: reflecting on our National Teaching Fellowship journeys

Three educators share what they learned from applying for National Teaching Fellowships – from overcoming self-doubt and building peer support to discovering that reflection is its own reward

Jennifer Rose, Nick Weise, Ang Davies

The University of Manchester

Male mechanical engineering student

Three ways to motivate engineering students

Motivating engineering students when information overload threatens to sap their attention requires real-world industrial collaborations, a customised learning experience and a focus on impact

Julien Le Duigou

Université de Technologie de Compiègne

UK pound coins and a calculator

Why universities must step up their efforts as civic institutions

As major employers and civic bodies, universities have the opportunity – and responsibility – to work with local communities to drive meaningful change. Here are lessons from community organising

Farhan Samanani, Michael Bennett

King’s College London

Students discuss their work round a table

A co-curricular approach to SDG education

To accomplish the Sustainable Development Goals, students need to be equipped to tackle real-world issues across disciplines. Here’s how it can be done

Michelle Cheng Wing Tung

The Education University of Hong Kong

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