Feature article

A country lane with the word "slow" painted on

Make time to think about the scholarship of teaching and learning

Learn how a ‘slow scholarship day’ can prompt academics to reflect on their and their students’ needs, test emerging ideas with colleagues and think about how a teaching idea might develop into a research project

Jennifer Rose, Karen Lander, Grazyna Lipowska-Bhalla

The University of Manchester

A professor and a student have a meeting

Four questions that help students take the lead in supervision meetings

Dissertation and final-year projects are designed to help students learn to think independently but supervision meetings could be reinforcing their dependence on an educator. Find a simple way to make meetings student-led

Temitope Bodunrin

University of the West of Scotland

Happy white male college student working on laptop in library

‘We need to stop asking students to fit the intervention and start designing personalised support’

Tailored academic coaching can help students move beyond an immediate difficulty or concern to develop the skills, will and self-regulation that support their long-term success

Anna Newsome Holcomb, Widalys Santiago Sosa

Georgia Tech College of Lifetime Learning

Mixed group of medical students around instructor holding 3D model of the heart

Good medicine: tackling global health inequalities with cross-border student research

Collaborations between the Global North and Global South teach the communication and working skills essential for addressing the challenges of a complex world. Here are key principles to help get such projects going

Nephtali Marina-Gonzalez, Peter Snow, Olutayo Ifedayo Ajayi

UCL, University of Global Health Equity

A female student working on one of several screens that surround her desk

A programme-wide approach to AI literacy

How to help students develop the judgement to use AI tools ethically and appropriately, critically evaluate their outputs and demonstrate their own contributions

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

What should engineering education look like in the age of AI?

Engineering students have more information at their fingertips than ever, but preparing them for working life means giving them opportunities to make decisions, solve real problems and get things wrong. Find out four ways to do so

Samer Al Kork

Al Akhawayn University

Higher education is preparing for the wrong cliff

The demographic downturn is real but the greater threat to universities might be a leadership culture that mistakes institutional preservation for institutional progress

James S. Bridgeforth

Middle Tennessee State University

Student partnership programmes can’t be copy-and-paste – and here’s why

Co-creation is not a template. Here are three lessons on approaching it from a more reflective, inclusive angle

Kevin Brazant, Mia Nembhard

University of the Arts London, London Metropolitan University

A young woman with a baby wearing a cap and gown

Course design for busy lives

Working students succeed when course design reduces friction, respects learners’ context and connects learning directly to their work. Trevor Brown and Jill Gavin-Pitt offer advice

Trevor Brown, Jill Gavin-Pitt

Manchester Metropolitan University

How to support physical accessibility in place-based learning

Students with disabilities should not be excluded from the academic and career benefits of fieldwork and laboratory experience. Here, P. Shive Kumar offers practical guidance for designing inclusive experiential learning

P. Shiva Kumar

Aditya University

A male and a female teacher in a hallway collaborate via a digital tablet

How co-teaching can improve your teaching practice

Co-teaching can help students but it can also do wonders for educators, giving them immediate, helpful feedback, new methods to explore and fresh perspectives on problems

Craig McEwan, Eleanor Hodgson

The University of Exeter

AI marking assistants: the future of assessment or not fit for purpose?

Agentic AI can make marking more efficient – but what are we losing in the process? Find out why human judgement is still key

Aditi Jhaveri, Eunice Tang

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

A close-up of a hand using a phone with emojis coming from it

How to write university social media guidelines that academics will use

Guidelines should focus on the grey areas that staff encounter, with clear examples, escalation routes and enough flexibility to respect academic independence, says Khulya Sabirli

Khulya Sabirli

Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University

It’s good to talk: the power of action learning sets in educator development

Protected time for peer questioning can help educators rethink teaching challenges, build collegial relationships and develop inclusive practice. Find out how to embed action learning sets in academic development

Vanessa Mar-Molinero

University of Southampton

Male students shaking hands at job interview in library

Social mobility through career readiness: techniques to help students get there

Students might not acquire professional interpersonal skills on their own. So, if universities are serious about social mobility, they need to give learners opportunities to practise before they meet with prospective employers

Alyssa Rametta

Virginia Tech

Ducking out of the algorithm: how observing nature develops students’ sustained focus

Could asking politics students to watch ducks and squirrels help them resist screens and extend their attention? Eloise Harding used a fieldwork-based assessment that drew on their curiosity and critical thinking skills to find out

Eloise Harding

University of Southampton

A mature student with her son on her lap while she works at her desk

What about students who can’t take a placement year?

Ways for academics and careers teams to support students juggling multiple responsibilities, including helping them recognise and articulate the skills they gain beyond their studies

Danny Buckley, Natalia Vershinina, Julia Cook

Loughborough University, Audencia, De Montfort University

Recognise, respond and reflect: spot students struggling in the classroom

How educators can identify struggling students, even in online classes – and what to do about it

Multiple authors

Adelaide University

Black female teacher with adult students handing out papers

Using classroom charters to support inclusive learning: four approaches

Drafting a classroom charter brings students into conversations about expectations, belonging and participation that often prove more valuable than the resulting document

Elodie Duché

York St John University

A man on a bridge using rope to bridge a gap

Level the playing field for BTEC students entering university

A cross-sectoral shared commitment to improving transition, retention and academic preparedness can help universities better serve BTEC entrants, says Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson

University of Chester

A lecturer gestures to a projected image

The hidden emotional labour of the hourly paid lecturer

Dealing with the uncertainty and precarity of part-time and hourly paid lecturer roles can take a mental toll. Here’s how it can shape the career paths of early career academics

Yaz Osho, Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

A group of students having a discussion in class

A checklist for inclusive classroom discussions

Many students stay quiet in class discussions because they are unsure about how to contribute. A simple checklist can help

Ya Zhang, Shuhao Zhang, Yu Liu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

An illustration of a student navigating a computer motherboard with a map

The coordinates that reorient learning in an AI-enabled world

AI has reshaped how knowledge is produced and assessed, so educators need to reconsider where teaching can add value. Here’s how curriculum reform works on a new map

Lin Yue

Adelaide University

‘Universities must manufacture the work experience AI is deleting’

Telling students to become more AI literate does little good if the labour market offers them fewer entry-level roles where they can develop professional judgement. Gleb Tsipursky offers a strategy to fill the gap

Gleb Tsipursky

Independent consultant

White male professor in discussion with diverse group of students in university amphitheatre

Whose knowledge counts? EDI’s role in securing linguistic and epistemic justice

Academic conventions in speaking and writing English can disadvantage first-generation, working-class and multilingual students and scholars. Here are some practical ways to make these norms transparent, negotiable and open to critique

Dylan Williams

Queen Mary University of London

A group of university students sitting on the stairs leading to the entrance of a university building

Make employability accessible by embedding it in curricula

Sometimes, our job is not to give students more examples to add to their CV. It is to help them recognise, value and communicate what is already there, writes Natalie Freeman, who offers guidance on how to do so

Natalie Freeman

The University of East Anglia

A patient group is engaged in discussion

Four ways to create more inclusive patient and public involvement in research

Relying on established patient groups or advertising in the same way for public contribution often means research can suffer from blind spots. Here’s how to spread your reach for a more diverse cohort – and ultimately, more relevant work

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

The seven traits higher education leaders need to drive change

Higher education is facing 'massive consolidation’, write four US consultants, and leaders will need specific qualities to navigate their communities through mergers or institutional restructure

Ricardo Azziz, Lloyd Jacobs, Richard Katzman, Bonita Jacobs

Center for Higher Education Mergers and Acquisitions, University of North Georgia, University of Toledo, Augusta University

Young Asian female graduate in job interview

How universities can help students translate their skills for employers

A shared language for skills can help students identify the transferable capabilities they are accruing in their studies and present their relevant experiences confidently to employers

Sarah Armour, Harriet Smith

University of Glasgow, Russell Group

Two business students discussing visuals on a dashboard

Beyond analysis: let’s teach business students to act

How to help postgraduate students interpret real-time data and system behaviour to detect early warning signals, identify emerging disruptions and guide decisions – rather than simply report after the fact

José Ignacio Sordo Galarza , Astrid Xiomara Rodríguez Castelblanco

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Three researchers in casual clothing at a lake take water sample

Collaboration is not optional – and conservation science shows why

Today’s research challenges are too complex to be solved in isolation. Conservation science offers lessons for academics everywhere about how to build collaborations that genuinely work

Robert Cooper

Virginia Tech

An engineering student fixing a machine in class

The difference between AI-proof and AI-authentic engineering education

If engineering students are turning to AI first, educators need to think carefully about how to make classroom learning valuable. A simple four-stage approach can help, writes Salman Shahid

Salman Shahid

The University of Manchester

A small human with a sword and a shield attempts to fight a giant robot

Police a losing battle or teach students to think clearly? The choice is ours

Instead of trying to detect and ban AI, let’s teach students to interrogate it. Find five ways to embed critical AI literacy

Naeem Ramzan, Shahid Awan

University of the West of Scotland

A scientist presenting research to an audience

What climate scientists teach us about research communication

People are more likely to engage with research when they understand why it matters to them. Andrew Charlton-Perez and Laura Tobin explore strategies to make academic work feel relevant to a wider audience

Andrew Charlton-Perez, Laura Tobin

University of Reading

Man typing at laptop with sustainability symbols surrounding it

How funding processes can support more sustainable research practices

Universities could embed and improve sustainability throughout the research cycle, including funding requirements, guidance and policy. Here is how one project aimed to use funding as a driver of change

Ava Lorenc, Anne-Laure Donskoy, Matthew Fackrell

The University of Bristol

Develop your students’ characters through real experience of care

Embed virtues in students by helping them practise caring for others. Here is a step-by-step guide to get started

Agustina Ortelli

Universidad Austral

Are you missing a vital ingredient in VR teaching and learning?

VR learning should go beyond aesthetics. Each object, space or interaction must have a pedagogical function, says Nancy Zavala. Learn how a design thinking approach can help students put theory into practice

Nancy Zavala

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Students look at their phones in the lecture hall

The barriers to student engagement – and how to overcome them

Five key barriers in teaching and institutional practices could be preventing students from learning. Find out how to cultivate an environment in which they can thrive

Dina Mohamed Salah , Nimrah Afaq

Dubai Medical University

Young Asian woman gaming with headset on

If games belong in the university curriculum, why are they not in the library?

For many educators, questions about institutional licensing, accessibility and cost end the conversation about digital games before teaching even begins. Here are practical ways to extend availability

Marcus Carter, Jen Scott Curwood, Ben Egliston, Eduardo Velloso

University of Sydney

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

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