Feature article

Opening doors: how to make work experience work for scientists and school students alike

Giving more secondary school students opportunities to experience working in a research lab means addressing faculty capacity

Kathryn Woods-Townsend, Kate Bartlett

University of Southampton

Two students sitting at a table discussing a GenAI prompt

A research-led approach to teaching GenAI prompt design

Strategies to transform student interactions with GenAI from one-line questions to robust prompts that yield reliable results and improve critical thinking skills

Mogeeb A. A. Mosleh

University of Science and Technology (Yemen)

A student sits an exam hall as her peers leave around her

The key to reducing exam anxiety? Better communication

Anxiety about assessment is leaving more students feeling overwhelmed. Ease the pressure with clarity, consistency and care

Apurav Krishna Koyande, Bhajan Lal Rahanu

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

An AI expert presenting in front of room full of staff

Why your AI training programme won’t create an AI-literate university

Five system-level strategies for building AI literacy with guidance for both early-stage adopters and digitally mature institutions

Pavana Kiranmai Chepuri

Woxsen University

Library outreach with high school students

Using university library outreach to demystify the transition from high school to higher education

Outreach initiatives can introduce potential students to the support that will be available on campus, develop their research skills and instil a sense of belonging before they arrive. Kealin McCabe outlines different approaches

Kealin McCabe

University of Northern British Columbia

A guide to academic presentations for first-timers and nervous novices

Even when a presentation doesn’t go to plan, the experience can offer lessons about content, preparation and reflections on effective ways to communicate your research to an audience

Praysgod Mhlongo

Cape Peninsula University of Technology

A female professor at her laptop in the library

Safeguards against GenAI hallucination in literature reviews

Generative AI can speed up literature reviews, but it can also produce convincing false references. Learn practical strategies to help researchers use AI tools while keeping their work anchored in real, verifiable research

Jie Zhang, Lili Jiu, Yi Luo

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

92 year-old Jewish Holocaust survivor, Larry Heimlich of Chicago, reading a dedication plaque at a Holocaust Monument

The gap between facts and understanding: helping students confront AI’s failings

Students often accept AI output without questioning it. Designing assignments where the tool fails – visibly and meaningfully – can change that, as Jan Burzlaff explains

Jan Burzlaff

Cornell University

Young black woman and older woman working on logistics

Assessing students when artificial intelligence is ubiquitous

If we continue to prioritise memorisation in an age of wall-to-wall information, we send the wrong message to our students and employers. Michelle Seref offers advice on assessment that builds critical thinking skills

Michelle Seref

Virginia Tech

A scientist filling a test tube in a lab

Practical ways to embed green chemistry into a packed curriculum, part 2

Find out how targeted teaching, skills-based projects and real-world context equip students to think critically about environmental and human impacts while developing as responsible scientists

Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot, Euan D. Doidge, Rebecca L. Jones, Laura Patel

Imperial College London

Three ways to make your classroom a multilingual environment

How to develop intercultural communication in students of different ethnic backgrounds, from the perspective of a translation educator

Chuan Yu

Hong Kong Baptist University

How to start reimagining assessments authentically

What does authentic assessment really look like? Through real-world tasks, meaningful application and core knowledge and skills, it supports deeper learning and a more accurate measure of students’ understanding

Karen Bunch Franklin

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A scientist drops liquid into glass vials

Guide research students to think like scientists

Research supervision is about helping students develop a scientific mindset as much as it is about imparting knowledge. Find how to guide them with these practical tips

Kamilya Kokabi

Nazarbayev University

Two chemists in a lab consulting a training manual

Practical ways to embed green chemistry into a packed curriculum, part 1

Learn how small, intentional curriculum changes can help students connect chemistry with health, environmental and social impact and sustainable development

Agnieszka Brandt-Talbot, Euan D. Doidge, Rebecca L. Jones, Laura Patel

Imperial College London

Male students presents to his classmates

Think again: reclaiming our ‘cognitive debt’ from AI

GenAI’s insidious impact on human intellectual development calls for a return to the foundations of education – reading, writing and debating, writes Shahriar Akter

Shahriar Akter

University of Wollongong

Detail of man writing music on an electric guitar

How universal design for learning can build AI proficiency

The most transformative uses of AI in teaching may have to do with how we design courses. Kim Loeffert explains how to use AI to bring UDL principles into learning and assessment

Kim Loeffert

Virginia Tech

Why AI literacy belongs in the first-year experience

Embedding AI literacy early ensures every student gains essential understanding of systems, ethics and responsible use, closing gaps left by optional or uneven provision. Learn how

Leocadia I. Zak

Agnes Scott College

Bored students sit slumped in a lecture hall

Dear educators, Gen Z here. Could you please teach us like it’s 2026?

Learning has changed drastically in the past five years, but teaching practices haven’t caught up. From your students’ perspective, here’s how to adapt

Sara Brownell

Arizona State University

The hidden research power of librarians at small research-intensive universities

Early career librarians might not see how proximity to faculty, students and institutional decision-making creates opportunities to contribute meaningfully to research initiatives. Trina Fyfe offers critical reflections

Trina Fyfe

University of Northern British Columbia

An illustration of a robot holding a lightbulb

Vibe coding belongs in your university’s GenAI literacy strategy

Most AI training teaches staff to use tools. Here’s a practical case for teaching them to build – and what we learned from doing so

Simon Wang, Nancy Guo, Kaitai Zhang

Hong Kong Baptist University

Illustration of group of diverse students under an umbrella

Five practical tips to make online and in-person courses more accessible

Addressing accessibility in teaching materials can be confusing and complicated, especially for university educators or administrators who are new to the concept. Here are five steps to get started

Bill Curtis-Davidson

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

The long game: gamifying sustainability education

To integrate sustainability into the business school curriculum, why not try an interactive game? Here’s how to immerse students in real-world challenges

Cecilia Primogerio , Maria Fernanda Figueroa Herrera

Universidad Austral

A student on a field trip in the forest taking notes

The power of place to spark learning and belonging

Four place-based learning practices that can connect students to community, nature and a sense of hope for the future

Douglas Haynes

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

‘Small changes in assessment design can make thinking visible’

Many concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on academic integrity and authorship have focused on controlling the tool rather than reconsidering the task, writes Nicole Brownlie. Here, she offers a shift to assess process, not just answers

Nicole Brownlie

The University of Southern Queensland

A student raises a hand at the back of class

Four ways to make sure international students understand your teaching

While all students have to grapple with new terminology, those speaking in an additional language have an extra hurdle to understanding. Find out how to tweak your teaching to better support them

Gabriel Azpilcueta, Kathy Watson

Adelaide University

A pharmaceutical machine inspector at work in science laboratory

What does AI literacy in healthcare look like?

Done well, AI literacy helps students remain safe, critical, communicative and accountable in environments where digital systems are becoming more visible, writes Andrew Barker. Here, he outlines strategies to embed it in healthcare education

Andy Barker

University of Hull

Distorted reflection of a man walking in the street

How AI is quietly distorting academic enquiry – and what to do about it

If students rely on AI summaries as starting points – or substitutes for enquiry – they risk bypassing the processes higher education is designed to cultivate: comparison, evaluation and critical analysis. Cayce Myers offers solutions

Cayce Myers

Virginia Tech

How can we embed students’ ‘cultural wealth’ in STEM teaching?

How can educators build on the knowledge, skills and personal assets students bring to the classroom? Sarah Rodriguez offers practical, adaptable strategies

Sarah L. Rodriguez

Virginia Tech

Close-up of hands flicking through flashcards

Flash cards work, but only when we teach students how to use them

Based on research comparing paper-based and digital tools, William J. Owen and Leah Chambers explain how flash cards can support learning and study skills development

William J. Owen , Leah Chambers

University of Northern British Columbia

GenAI has destroyed grading – and it’s made me a better instructor

Instead of a six-page research paper turned in at the end of a course, here’s how to focus on the real-time learning that happens between leaps of understanding and moments of doubt

Dan Sarofian-Butin

Merrimack College

Developing more nuanced research on and for LGBTQ+ staff

Strengthening data collection on LGBTQ+ staff supports fairer, more responsive equality policies. Emma Jones and Simon Lock outline strategies

Emma Jones, Simon Lock

UCL

Young black woman looking at screen with help from older black woman, job shadow concept

Five steps to prepare neurodivergent students for the world of work

Students with neuro-cognitive conditions often face significant challenges when making the transition into the workplace. So, how can higher education institutions ensure these students are ready to launch their professional lives?

Sophie Hennekam, Barbara Haddou

Audencia

A group of international students smiling to camera

How to confront bias about international students

Diversity in higher education does not automatically lead to inclusion. Read about how subtle biases shape multicultural classrooms and how to address them

Aybike Serttaş

Istanbul Aydin University

Hand stopping a line of dominoes falling

When the business plan becomes a performance

Under conventional assessment models in entrepreneurship, continuation of a venture is rewarded and optimism reads as competence, write Ian Solway and Jolyon Nott. But students should be required to demonstrate judgement, not projected success

Ian Solway, Jolyon Nott

University of Southampton

The power of the nudge to move EDI from strategy to practice

Nudges make the inclusive option easier for staff to take. Find five tips to embed them here

Teslim O. Bukoye

University of Bath

A university professor smiling to camera

You can’t teach ‘affective’ empathy from a case study

If business schools want to produce socially responsible graduates, they must centre lived experience of social disadvantage in their teaching and learning, say Kathy Walsh and Mihajla Gavin

Kathy Walsh, Mihajla Gavin

University of Technology Sydney

Cricket player tossing ball in hand on pitch

Test match or T20? Helping PhD students navigate the multi-format reality of PhD research

Doctoral supervision involves helping students read the changing nature of the game, providing practice nets and empowering them to build the versatility needed for a sustained research career, writes Aastha Malhotra

Aastha Malhotra

The University of Southern Queensland

A pair of scales showing a balance between a pile of books and an AI bot

GenAI has not broken assessment. It has exposed it

An assessment system that rewards polished work above judgement can’t function in a GenAI-enabled world. Here’s how to build one that can

Lucy Gill-Simmen

Royal Holloway, University of London

A smiling university professor in a campus hallway

Look for research opportunities in everyday teaching

Low-effort ways to conduct pedagogical research that can transform teaching work from routine into discovery, inviting us to question longstanding assumptions, experiment with innovative approaches and contribute meaningful insights

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Man's hands over laptop keyboard with figures and speech bubbles

GenAI has turned teachers into auditors

When educators have to police how students use AI, and gatekeeping adds to the workload and emotional toll, teaching loses its joy, write Meena Jha and Amara Atif. Here are ways to reclaim the role of educator

Meena Jha, Amara Atif

Central Queensland University, University of Technology Sydney

Academics discuss around a meeting table

Build a teaching and learning research network from the ground up

Early career educators can find support in teaching and learning scholarship through a community of practice. Here’s how

Paul Chesterton

Teesside University

A team of professionals brainstorming in an office

Making a university people strategy real

A university-wide plan to improve working culture works best when team leaders take ownership of it. Donna Dalrymple offers guidance on translating strategy into meaningful change

Donna Dalrymple

UCL

Red-headed female student looking unhappy in an exam

How to redesign law exams for students with ADHD

Long closed-book examinations are at odds with how the brains of students with ADHD work, writes Malak Benslama-Dabdoub. Here, she explains how to create assessment that tests the target skills

Malak Benslama-Dabdoub

Royal Holloway, University of London

Being a beginner is hard. Let’s make it easier for our students

Tips and strategies for helping students move beyond the fear of making a mistake – and feel more willing to try

Kate Sansome

Adelaide University

From theory to judgement: using role play to assess students’ decision-making skills

Students can explain theories. But can they challenge them? A structured role-play approach helps assess critical thinking, professional judgement and decision-making – skills that traditional assessments often miss

Angela Christidis

The University of Exeter

How should universities define AI proficiency?

AI literacy is increasingly seen as fundamental knowledge for students. How can educators set the parameters that ensure proficient use of artificial intelligence across the institution, regardless of discipline? Junghwan Kim offers advice

Junghwan Kim

Virginia Tech

Outreach programmes that lay STEM pathways and strengthen research skills

Help local schools build the foundations for future STEM students, address regional issues and hone your students’ research management skills – all with outreach activities. Here’s how

Cristina Mihaela Nicolescu, Marius Bumbac

Valahia University of Târgoviște

When pedagogy meets extended reality: a quick guide

How to design extended reality experiences with clear pedagogical intent, immersing students in worlds that develop decision-making skills, deepen learning and prepare them for the workplace

Graciela González Valdepeña, Lorena Quilantán García

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Woman talking into smartphone, AI as student support

‘AI should support student services, not impersonate them’

Are universities ready for GenAI in student support? When chatbots seem to offer a scalable, cost-effective way to meet rising demand for student support, universities need to consider how to shape their use without outsourcing care or increasing risk

Michael Cowling, Joseph Crawford

RMIT University, University of Tasmania

A research supervisor sitting at her desk smiling to camera

Five things supervisors can do for struggling PhD students

Doctoral students can find the slow and often uncertain nature of research challenging. Supervisors can ease distress by rethinking how the doctorate is framed, structured and experienced

Peng Cheng, Jie Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

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