Feature article

Researchers work together over a microscope

Bridge the gap between university knowledge and societal challenges

Let’s build a culture where local communities can benefit from ground-breaking research. Here’s how a funding programme helped develop research aligned with the SDGs

Laura Salinas

Universidad Austral

Young male student looking at phone while putting off study

To stop students procrastinating, collaborate with them

To help students start academic work on time, educators can use an approach that both guides them and pushes them to manage their own journeys

Itamar Shatz

University of Cambridge

A professor explaining course structure to a class full of students, some of whom have their hands raised

You only get one first class of term – make it count

How to create a positive first impression and transform the first class from a passive briefing to an interactive launchpad for learning

Svetoslav G. Georgiev

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A researcher inspects solar panels in a lab

How living labs bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world

To help students connect their classroom learning to the messier results of the real world, perhaps living labs are the answer. Find out more

Sivaneasan Bala Krishnan

Singapore Institute of Technology

female mature-age online student working at laptop

‘What I learned from being a university student again’

If educators want to understand student confidence, inclusivity, belonging and engagement, they could consider returning to the classroom as a learner

Marianne Savory, Beka Kimberley, Laura Oxley, Afua Kudom

University of Leeds, Graduate Futures Institute

University students having a discussion about climate change while one presents a poster titled "Save the planet"

Simple ways to bring climate education into every classroom

Strategies to empower students to engage with climate issues in ways that are relevant to their discipline, their futures and the world they are entering

Ümit Kennedy, Brittany Vermeulen

Western Sydney University

Three shifts in course design to update pedagogies for the AI era

How can education truly prepare students for the unpredictability of the working world? Find three ways to encourage students to develop the skills they’ll need

Philip Y. Lam

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Male student working at laptop surrounded by images of documents

How document-grounded AI can support inclusive learning

When educators restrict an AI model to a defined collection of trusted inputs, they can introduce students to academic materials in a flexible and interactive way. Here, Imran Khan shares five practical insights

Imran Khan

Birmingham City University

A student wearing headphones speaking to a screen with other students online

How to design an asynchronous COIL project

Intercultural online projects work best when designed around learning journeys with multiple pathways for participation. Read guidance on fostering connection, trust and engagement

Bhawana Shrestha, Chiraz Retimi, Ana Magano

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University , University of Djelfa, Agrupamento de Escolas da Damaia

A student consults an AI bot for study help

Make AI literacy a foundational element of your course design

With AI becoming commonplace in nearly every industry, educators need to intentionally integrate AI into the learning process. Here’s how to do it, ethically and transparently

Andrea Ramirez-Salgado, Darius Brown, Soohyoun Ahn, Tom Zhang

University of Florida

Female architect looking at plans on site

‘Success in academia needs a metric for how scholarship improves lives’

If we want universities to address society’s greatest challenges, we should ask ourselves how our work makes the world better in tangible, measurable ways. Bobby Vance explains how this question has shaped his career

Bobby Vance

Virginia Tech

Academics sharing ideas in a university library

How to redesign a university curriculum at scale

Industries are being shaped by AI, climate change and demographic and geopolitical shifts. We must redesign curricula to better prepare graduates, says Kathryn Woods

Kathryn Woods

UCL

We must stop treating internationalisation as something dependent on an aeroplane

Studying abroad can open students’ minds to the world – but the barriers to physical mobility are mounting. It’s time for a rethink

Anthony Manning

Arden University

‘You can’t just lecture students any more’

GenAI does not make lecturers redundant, but it does weaken one-way content delivery as a reason to bring students together, writes Debra Page. She shares four practical shifts to teaching in the age of AI

Debra Page

University of Reading

A student on a Zoom call with other online students

How a studio-based format transforms online teaching

Online teaching works best when teaching, facilitation and technical delivery are treated as complementary professional roles. Read guidance on studio-based delivery

Multiple authors

Cranfield University

Move beyond technical skills and embed AI literacy that teaches students to question

Learning to use artificial intelligence effectively and responsibly is essential, but it is not enough. Educators should also prepare students to question, influence and shape the future of AI. Find out how

Katie Ledingham, Sarah Hartley

The University of Exeter

How to use AI voice cloning to accelerate online course design

An artificial intelligence voice-cloning feature can make video content production more time efficient, responsive and agile. This guide offers a practical, ethical road map for replicating instructor audio

Ramon Rodriguez, Winston M. King

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

The understanding gap – and how AI can help university educators close it

Students often fall behind long before assessments reveal it. Identifying gaps in understanding during teaching – and using AI for just-in-time support – could transform learning, writes Zabin Visram

Zabin Visram

Glion Institute of Higher Education

A new students arriving at his accommodation with a box of belongings

Stop making assumptions about students

By designing assumptions out of the welcome experience, we can better prepare students to navigate the transition to university. Kelly Edmunds and Lucy Kemp offer practical strategies

Kelly Edmunds , Lucy Kemp

The University of East Anglia

Students work together in a lecture hall

Co-creation from a student’s perspective

Despite its reputation for embedding autonomy and collaboration skills, for students, co-creation can feel like a box-ticking exercise. Find five practical steps for making it a genuine partnership

Ava Doherty

University of Oxford

Exhortation does not achieve impact – it requires system design

Recognising universities’ quieter impact on society goes beyond publications. It requires people who capture evidence and narratives across education, student development, innovation and entrepreneurship and ecosystem development as well as research

Lily Kong

Singapore Management University

A team of coders brainstorming in front of a large code-filled screen

How a university coding competition develops future skills

How to create a pressure cooker environment that forces rapid problem-solving and collaboration among students from different disciplines

Oğuz Şentürk

Istanbul Aydin University

Students concentrate on writing in class

A four-step writing protocol to teach students how to practise attention

Harness writing and composition teaching to help students develop their capacity for sustained attention. A simple classroom activity can get you started

Leonard Nalencz

University of Mount Saint Vincent

Digital heart among locks, ones and zeros on keyboard

‘Higher education needs more of the empathetic mindset’

Empathy, listening and imagination must remain central to how we educate future leaders, writes Lu Liu. The human qualities that make innovation meaningful are at risk when universities over-emphasise technical capability

Lu Liu

Virginia Tech

Academics discussing a collaborative project around a table

Common challenges in academic collaboration and how to overcome them

Academic collaboration requires more than goodwill and good communication. These strategies can help collaborators navigate tensions around critique, hierarchy, incentives and AI-assisted research

Yan Jin, Ye Bai, Jie Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Who provides academic skills support at your institution? The answer may be more complex than you think

Academic skills support can end up spread between teams and departments. Here’s a guide to who’s providing what and how to coordinate

Steve Briggs

University of Bedfordshire

Young woman wearing virtual reality headset with globe in background

How to create a virtual field trip

Virtual field trips have the potential to prepare students more thoroughly for experiences on location. Here’s how to put one together

James Allen

University of Southampton

A student accompanied with her mother and carrying a box of belongins up the stairs of her new halls of residence

Why we should encourage a stretched transition to university

Offering more information before and throughout university reduces the pressure on both students and staff and can help build a sense of belonging, says Becky Lewis

Becky Lewis

The University of East Anglia

Researchers discuss experiments in a lab

Open research won’t slow your career down – it’s the smartest way to build it

Is open research a virtue that early career researchers can’t afford? Here’s how to make open practices work for you from your very first project – without adding hours to your week

Jesse Xiao

The Education University of Hong Kong

How part-time lecturers can protect their professional identity

You can teach hundreds of students, design learning activities, mark assessments and support academic success – yet still feel like a visitor in your own institution. Find out how to establish a sense of belonging as a part-time visiting lecturer

Katherine Mansfield, Yaz Osho

University of Westminster

Scientists having a meeting in a laborator

A simple research laboratory protocol to yield better scientists

Lack of clear expectations among researchers who share a laboratory can waste time, erode trust and impede scientific progress. A universal agreement can make communication, collaboration and mutual respect a deliberate part of lab culture

Idriss Njike, Neil Garg

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

A woman walking up a leafy green structure extending up into the sky

Why AI makes a growth mindset fundamental for university students

How to encourage students to use AI as a reflective learning partner to strengthen weaknesses and respond to instructor feedback

Ana Li Zhong

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

The key to designing outreach activities students remember

Five ways to spark students’ curiosity during outreach activities and encourage them to keep exploring

Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Young healthcare student in a coaching session

How academics can use coaching approaches to support students

Academic coaching assumes students are the experts who already know how to overcome their barriers and achieve their potential. The key is giving them prompts and space to set their own action plan

Helen Foster

Canterbury Christ Church University

How to supervise a student systematic review without losing a semester

A systematic review can fit inside a degree but only if the supervisor sizes the question to the calendar before the student starts searching

Sarah Mitchell

Research Gold

University students sitting outside looking at a funny video on one of their phones

Help students practise digital mindfulness

By reducing screen time, students can recharge and reconnect with their physical surroundings. Learn how to guide them towards more mindful digital use

Chaonan Xu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Medical students talk in a university corridor

Connecting the institutional dots for workforce readiness

Collaboration is proving critically important for changing workforce needs in the healthcare sector. Here’s how to make it part of your university’s culture

Walaa Awad

Colorado State University Global

How to apply for promotion in higher education

In seeking a more senior role in academia, you will need to communicate a strong, positive story about yourself that emphasises performance and impact as well as contribution to the institution and its reputation

David Waller

University of Technology Sydney

Students in a classroom with an online student appearing on a screen at the end of the table

Give students greater flexibility with HyFlex learning

Designing different routes through the same module so they offer an equivalent learning experience is where the real work begins, writes Stuart Samuels, who offers practical planning advice

Stuart Samuels

To get started with interdisciplinarity, ask: what’s the problem?

Interdisciplinarity can often be treated as an institutional side project. But embedding it into university structures can change everything. Here’s how

Yuzhuo Cai

The Education University of Hong Kong

Rethinking course design to enliven student engagement

To foster students’ meaningful learning, educators should be using class time to maximise the benefits of the in-person experience, as Nasreen Sultana explains

Nasreen Sultana

The University of Queensland

How to set your students up to write compelling op-eds

Help students develop their writing and refine their arguments by publishing opinion pieces. Find advice for supporting student writers here

Arafat Reza, Shahariar Sadat

BRAC University’s Centre for Peace and Justice

Five principles for designing industry-relevant microcredentials

Microcredentials that respond to student and employer needs require industry-backed, thoughtful design, writes Karla Margarita Banda Martínez, who offers guidance

Karla Margarita Banda Martínez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Black university teacher calling on a student in class

Teaching is a verb: what sets good teachers apart

Reflection is what moves teaching beyond performance and towards continuous improvement, writes William Owen

William J. Owen

University of Northern British Columbia

A student discusses options with a careers support advisor

Embed career readiness throughout a student’s journey

Instead of a stand-alone service, career support should be part of a larger academic ecosystem that begins at orientation. Here’s how to implement it

Angel Iverson, Julia Vollrath, Alison Noonan

University of Florida

University staff on laptops listening to a speaker out of shot

How to build an inclusive curriculum design toolkit

Educators often understand the benefits of inclusivity but lack the skills to embed it in courses and curricula. An inclusive design toolkit can bridge institutional ambition and everyday teaching practice

Emma Whewell, Sian Davies-Vollum, Faith Tucker, Helen Tiplady

University of Northampton

Black female student taking notes at laptop

Leveraging student agency in course design

Giving students choice is not about reducing expectations or allowing students to take shortcuts in their study, writes Courtney Kimmel. Here, she explains how course structure can create pathways to deeper learning

Courtney Kimmel

Virginia Tech

How to show students’ learning beyond grades: a five-step process

Teaching success should not rely solely on pass rates or student satisfaction. Here’s how to gather evidence that students understand, apply and transfer what they learned

Anabel Campaña

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

Show students why your classes matter

When we demonstrate clear benefits, offer incentives that support learning and intervene when students fall behind, we can make attending a more attractive choice. Read strategies based on student insights

Andrew Snyder, Bingqing Wang, Jiayu Zhou

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

‘Effective outreach closes the gap between understanding and action’

University outreach is often measured in terms of reach and participation. But information alone rarely changes behaviour. The real test is whether people do something differently as a result

Mike Gutter

Virginia Tech

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