Feature article

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

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

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

Employees sitting at a long table in a boardroom

Try a ‘not by the book’ teaching approach for student-centred, industry-focused learning

By replacing classroom work and exams with real-world projects, educators build soft skills and foster industry partnerships that prepare students for dynamic careers

Marie Taillard

ESCP Business School

A snail on a laptop keyboard

Use GenAI to slow down and reflect more deeply

University staff are under pressure to produce more with less. But what if, instead of using GenAI to save time, we took a slower approach?

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

University students celebrating their graduation

Rethinking neurodiversity in higher education

Strategies to embed neurodiversity support into teaching and assessment to unlock talent and drive innovation across higher education

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Mother holding small child’s hand

‘We stopped talking at communities and started working with them’

From consultation to collaboration, a ‘new’ approach to building meaningful community-university relationships results in connection, trust and true partnership

Kimberley Simms, Luke Parmenter

Nottingham Trent University

An illustration of a book with coloured and newsprint rays shining out from it

Honour the university library as a creative space with an artist residency

Make your institution’s library a hub of innovation, exhibitions and community art by inviting artists to use its space. Here’s how

Darlene Maxwell, Corinne Noble, Alexandra Genova

Royal College of Art

Students playing a table-top game

Use games to get students back to class

Gamified learning can transform passive teaching into engaging, student-centred experiences. Matthew Jones offers practical advice on creative delivery and scaling up

Matthew Jones

University of Salford

Three Asian men working on a robot

‘Adults bring experience and cognitive strengths to lifelong learning’

The science of adult learning provides a road map for strengths-based, age-inclusive programme design and helps turn classrooms into vibrant hubs of intergenerational learning

Sally Ng Siew Hiang, Adam John Privitera, Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing

Nanyang Technological University

A student in a lab coat smiles

‘Support is not remedial. It is pedagogy’

STEM foundation years are key to widening participation. Find out how to make them supportive and structured, with well-being at the centre

Darryl Morgan, Hannah Seale

University of South Wales

A group of students discussing something on an iPad

Stop asking students to be the lesson and focus on choice and consent

When students are asked to share personal stories to illustrate lessons, the emotional cost can outweigh the educational gain. Aasiya Satia explores how consent-based pedagogy can create safer, more equitable classrooms for all students

Aasiya Satia

McMaster University

Older man in university class

How to build a bridge from adversity to university

In this video, academics explain the essential elements – initial outreach, support and an interdisciplinary approach – behind the success of the Adversity to University bridging programme

Christopher Smethurst, Becky Edwards, Sandra Lyndon

University of Chichester

A student talks intently to an out-of-focus lecturer

Empower LBGTQ+ people to be their authentic selves on campus with Rainbow Office Hours

A simple, low-cost idea helped one university campus become a more welcoming space for members of the LGBTQ+ community. Here’s how it worked

Rafael Henry-Venson, Emily Nordmann

University of Glasgow

A hand taking a book out of a shelf in a library

How to support humanities PhD students with ethics applications

As creative and digital research grow within the humanities, PhD supervisors can help their students approach the ethics approval process thoughtfully and productively. Josie Barnard explains how

Josie Barnard

De Montfort University

Students eating breakfast together

The power of breakfast to boost student attendance

Learn how a free weekly breakfast initiative has strengthened student belonging, improved attendance and proved surprisingly easy to sustain on a small budget

Jean O’Donoghue, Jessica Thackeray, Adrian Penny

The University of Edinburgh

A healthy array of vegetables and pulses

Put food sustainability on your university’s menu

Steps for embracing food sustainability and fostering behaviour change across campus, which any higher education institution could take

Graeme Collie

King’s College London

Chester, UK

Lessons from first-time festival planners

Co-creating a large-scale, impactful public event can seem more like a ‘would love to’ than a ‘must’, particularly in the face of resource pressures or lack of an established culture or calendar. Here’s advice learned from developing a four-day festival from scratch

Sarah Cameron, Jane Pearson, Hannah Perkins, Katherine Wilson

University of Chester

A Black artist holds a paintbrush out to the camera

Helping Black students thrive in art education

How to make art school a welcoming, inclusive environment for Black students, and support them into artistic careers

Emily Moore

Royal College of Art

Someone standing at a crossroad, unable to make a decision

Top business graduates lack one key skill – execution

Top-performing graduates often struggle with execution in the workplace. Educators can change that by designing learning exercises that hone decision-making skills and resilience

José Ignacio Sordo Galarza

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Woman asleep on a snail

What happened to creativity in the classroom?

When generative AI leads 150 students to submit the same ‘creative’ work, something is afoot in arts and humanities education. Here, Leah Henrickson and Luke Zaphir turn insights from cognitive science into ways to use AI to boost students’ creativity

Leah Henrickson, Luke Zaphir

The University of Queensland

A meeting takes place around a long table

Build intellectual virtues in your business students by crossing disciplines

Here’s how a faculty programme helped educators embed qualities that underpin sound thinking and responsible leadership into the teaching of business students

Cecilia Primogerio , Camila del Carril

Universidad Austral

Wind turbines and solar panels across the horizon

Support smaller businesses’ sustainability efforts through education

For businesses to improve their sustainability, they first need to understand how. Paula Whitehouse shares lessons from a programme specially developed to educate executives in environmental strategies

Paula Whitehouse

Aston University

One student comforts another with a hand on the shoulder

Support students’ mental health with bespoke workshops

With mental health concerns and student suicide rates increasing, a partnership with St John Ambulance offered a practical way to support students to ask for help when they need it. Here’s how it worked

Lisa Simmons

Manchester Metropolitan University

A podcast host speaing to an unseen interviewee

Bridging the digital knowledge gap between generations with podcasts

Faced with students who seemed to know it all, one educator used podcasting to build engagement and intergenerational dialogue about how digital technology is impacting people's lives

Mónica Itzel Gárate Carrillo

CETYS Universidad

Group of happy multiracial university students

Five considerations for effective group work

Why struggle through setting and assessing group tasks when this teaching approach can present considerable challenges around communication and conflict? These insights offer ways to design tasks that will benefit both educators and students

Donna Hurford, Andrew Read

University of Southern Denmark, London South Bank University

Students laugh over a coffee

How to help autistic students adjust to life on campus

With autistic students’ drop-out rate spiking, here’s how to help them ease into their university career, allow for neurodiversity-friendly socialising and reduce their anxiety with a furry friend

Tabitha Biller

De Montfort University

A woman researching at a desk in a library

How to get started with pedagogic research (and actually publish it)

Pedagogic research is increasingly central to teaching excellence in higher education, yet many academics are unsure how to begin. Discover how to shape your idea, secure funding, navigate ethics and find the right publication for your work

Rushana Khusainova, Marios Kremantzis, Christopher Pesterfield, Xiaoting Luo

The University of Bristol

Community partnership concept

A community-university partnership is a relationship, not an affair

Long-term, mutual benefits of civic engagement emerge slowly, which can be at odds with university timelines. A ‘new’ 10-year project shows how trust and commitment need persistence to pay off

Mhairi McVicar, Ali Abdi, Corey Smith

Cardiff University

A group of people following someone

Embrace discomfort to develop these four leadership attributes in your students

Educators play a key role in developing the next generation of bold leaders. Here is how to nurture traits – such as curiosity and realistic thinking – that students will need in the modern workplace

José Ignacio Sordo Galarza

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A studnet presenting to class

Sharpen public administration students’ critical analysis skills with ‘case memos’

Bridge theory and practice while developing students’ critical thinking through structured ‘case memos’ that foster reflection, discussion and theory-informed evaluation of local governance challenges

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Students work together in a group

Authentic assessment for inclusivity and employability

Designing an educational studies course for international learners meant rethinking assessment, from traditional exams to a more practical, student-informed approach. Here’s what worked

Xiao Qu

University of the West of Scotland

Caucasian male lab technician

Technical knowledge and expertise is more valuable than you think

Involving technical staff in decision-making committees can lead to more efficient practices and remove siloed thinking or practices, which benefits individual technicians, institutions and the sector

Jiteen Ahmed

Aston University

A mentor helps a student over a laptop

What’s the next step for widening participation? Make it personal

Despite admissions numbers soaring, students from low-income backgrounds are still missing out on the best graduate jobs. Here’s how personalised one-to-one coaching can dismantle the invisible barriers to career success

Ollie Taylor

UpReach, University of Liverpool

Guest speaker addressing college class

Be my guest speaker

Incorporating guest speaker presentations as part of work-integrated learning helps university educators as well as students, writes Temesgen Kifle. It can enhance teaching practice, build stronger connections with industry, and keep courses up to date with evolving workforce needs

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

Students work together round a table

The Portfolio Club: an extracurricular activity to support students’ employability

Strengthen the work readiness of your biomedical science students by supporting them to begin work on their training portfolios early. Here’s how

Tahmina Hussain

University of Salford

Young woman looking thoughtful

Mapping employability skills across curricula

A mandatory university-wide initiative shows how mapping professional skills against all programmes can tailor students’ work readiness no matter their career path

Katy Gordon

University of Southampton

A group of people having a discussion at a table

Foster allyship to support marginalised groups in higher education

How to initiate change, create safe spaces for difficult conversations and nurture a culture of allyship in your department

Reuel Blair, Tizzy Gill

Nottingham Trent University, Birmingham City University

The Venice skyline at dusk

Seeing is believing: how to make internationalisation count

Simply being international is no longer enough in higher education. Internationalisation needs to demonstrate impact and return on investment – and to do that, it needs to be seen, writes Michael Scott

Michael Scott

The University of Warwick

International group of people meeting

The dos and don’ts of developing an international network in higher education

International collaborations sound impressive on paper – but most fail to move beyond initial enthusiasm and a signed memorandum of understanding. Jeremy Howick shares lessons from building a global network focused on empathy in healthcare

Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

Kittens fight each other

Five tips for debating sensitive issues in the classroom – without losing control

Find out how to create a learning environment where controversial topics can be debated fairly and constructively, with these five tips

Hélène Thibault

Nazarbayev University

School taskers hosting a session

Snails, Jaffa Cakes and rubber ducks: making university outreach playful

Outreach initiatives like School Tasking show how academics can break down barriers, engage young learners, and make higher education feel accessible rather than intimidating

Ali Struthers, Alex Horne

The University of Warwick

Female college teacher in class

The anxieties of non-research faculty at a research university

The worth of know-how – as opposed to know-that – is enhanced when instructors are full-time, eligible for tenure and materially supported in their collective endeavour. Here, Daniel M. Gross makes the case for valuing teachers’ collective wisdom

Daniel M. Gross

University of California, Irvine

Librarians work together in a team

From library-focused project to campus-wide collaboration

A heritage trail to mark an anniversary event began life in the library, but how to extend its reach to the rest of the university? Here’s what one library team learned when they collaborated across their institution

Rachael Jones, Neal Buchanan, Carol Stewart

University of Strathclyde

The interior of an art gallery with people walking around

Better together? The secret to successful collaborative arts and humanities PhD research

Insights into managing collaborative relationships in arts and humanities PhD research, based on Alastair Owens’ extensive experience with museums and doctoral students

Alastair Owens

Queen Mary University of London

Funding bid for research illustration concept

How research technical professionals can enhance research infrastructure funding bids

When technicians are empowered and supported, they don’t just contribute to best practice and equipment sustainability, they can boost bids for investment in infrastructure

Alex Laude

Newcastle University

A teacher going through a pile of papers

From grading grind to peace of mind: preventing midterm marking meltdown

With clear communication, focused feedback, time management strategies and smart use of technology, educators can make their marking more efficient, sustainable and impactful for students

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

Students work together over a laptop

Tips for embedding flipped learning at an institutional level

The benefits of flipped learning are clear, but what about scaling it up across an entire university structure? Here are some strategies – and lessons learned

Julia Chen, Wong Chi-ming, Laura Zhou

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University