University course design and delivery

How to design in-person, hybrid and online courses that maximise student engagement, inclusion and learning. Here, you can find advice on instructional design including lesson planning, creation and organisation of educational materials and effective use of digital technologies; as well as teaching methods and styles to help you achieve specific learning outcomes.

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

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

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

Develop students’ oracy with these activities

Oracy skills can empower graduates to contribute meaningfully to societal challenges in an increasingly dynamic and interconnected world, says Paul Demetriou, who shares practical advice

Paul Demetriou

New City College

Students study together under the teacher's supervision

Five tips to integrate sustainability education into your curricula

Sustainability education is vitally important, yet often faces roadblocks in practice. Get started with education for sustainable development with these tips

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Amanda Capucci Polzin

University of Westminster

Make learning fun with mini whiteboards

The portable, double-sided and easily wipeable mini whiteboard offers a tactile alternative to its big brother at the front of the classroom, promoting active learning in groups of all sizes

Eleanor Hodgson

The University of Exeter

Five ways to make workplace learning count

How can we make workplace learning relevant to students’ academic journeys? Ice Ko shares five lessons learned from getting the most out of external partnerships

Ice Ko

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Asian students doing pair work in a lecture hall

Help undergraduates sustain critical AI use under deadline pressure

When assignments are due, students might be tempted to skip checks and reflection when they turn to AI tools for support. Here’s a five-stage framework to deter shortcuts

Chris Harwood

Sophia University

A teacher advises students on their work

Bring agility to a slow-moving curriculum with intersessions

Short, intensive learning periods can give educators room to experiment, as technology and workplace demands move faster than traditional curriculum cycles. Here’s how it works

Harit Satt

Al Akhawayn University

An illustration of a robot towering over a crowd of people and a backdrop of high rises

Teaching utopian and dystopian narratives in higher education

Today’s world is full of complexities and uncertainties, particularly for young people finding their feet. Fiction about better – or worse – worlds offers valuable perspectives and possibilities, write Matthew Leggatt and Emrah Atasoy

Matthew Leggatt , Emrah Atasoy

University of Winchester, The University of Warwick, The University of Edinburgh

‘What are we doing today?’ Design classes that students look forward to

When students feel that classroom learning is meaningful, that their voices are heard and that their presence genuinely matters, learning becomes more exciting, says Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez

Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Advice on launching co-created humanities modules

It can be daunting designing and introducing a new module. Be brave and take chances, says Alyson Mercer, who shares tips on the process from conception to implementation

Alyson Mercer

The University of Exeter

An online learner smiling at classmates on his laptop screen

Five design principles for meaningful online global learning

As digital technologies transform access to both information and education, how can universities offer distinctive educational value for professional learners online? Maria Cross offers advice

Maria Cross

UCL

‘Great teaching does not mean more work. It means better choices’

Effective teachers connect students to the ideas and knowledge that matter to them. Urbi Ghosh explains how educators can demonstrate clear links and interrupt their own practices when autopilot has kicked in

Urbi Ghosh

Colorado State University Global

A group of smiling students standing outside on university campus grounds

What can traditional degrees learn from apprenticeships?

Three stages for embedding apprenticeship-informed practice, with strategies collected from degree apprenticeship educators across the UK

Multiple authors

The University of Exeter, Manchester Metropolitan University

A teacher gestures to a screen in a lecture hall

Six ways to design a class students look forward to

Give students a clear reason to pay attention to your content. Here’s how to design courses to spark curiosity

Ricardo A. Ramirez-Mendoza

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

‘Close your laptop, use your brain’

How thoughtful technology use and analogue activities can engage distracted students and reduce overreliance on AI

Lauren B. Clark

UCL

AI literacy as habit, not bolt-on

Let’s avoid teaching students that AI is a topic separate from the rest of the course content. Instead, embed it in course design. Find out how

Lucy S. Méndez Santiago

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

A teacher advising a student on a reading in the library

What sets great teachers apart?

A great teacher is there to inspire students, not through theatrics of personality but because of a burning love of their subject, writes Steve Lambert

Steve Lambert

University of Chester

The world is not a case study: teaching business judgement with the Bloomberg Terminal

A software program can give students a better proxy for business environments and help them make better decisions. Learn how

Irina Gokh

De Montfort University

Male Asian student writing on laptop in common area

International scholars’ real-world strategies in academic writing

Students writing in English as a second language bring a practical and targeted approach to research, reading and writing. Xinqiang Li explains how he integrated these lessons into his teaching

Xinqiang Li

Michigan State University

A mechanical robot hand writes on a notepad

A tool for teaching argumentative writing to EFL students

Even students with a solid grasp of English can find it hard to construct coherent arguments in their academic writing. A six-week training course centred around an AI-powered corpus platform could help, writes Liu Kanglong

Liu Kanglong

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

To AI or not to AI? That is the question

Educators should embrace their role as advocates for higher education and the critical thinking skills it imparts, argues Sarah Birrell Ivory. Here, she shares a classroom exercise that compares the learning benefits of a written source with generative AI

Sarah Birrell Ivory

Independent academic

A professor teaches from the front of class

We promise our graduates will be employable. Are we keeping that promise?

How can our degree programmes prepare future graduates to be employable and equipped? Chathura Sooriya-Arachchi envisages a better way

Chathura Sooriya-Arachchi

University of Westminster

An illustration of a figure balancing on a tightrope

The balancing act involved in teaching a class of mixed-ability students

Have you faced a situation where half of your class are subject-matter experts, and the other half are absolute beginners? Find practical strategies for bringing novices up to speed while keeping experts motivated

Lolita Edralin

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A student on a zoom call in her home office

Make tech work in large online courses

Students on large online courses can sometimes feel like a face among the crowd. Keep them engaged with interactive activities such as digital escape rooms or business simulators

Nelly Ramirez Vásquez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Three people working in an industrial design studio

‘Collaboration is not a slogan or aspiration but a deliberate educational practice’

Higher education leaders often praise interdisciplinary collaboration, but their systems make it difficult to achieve. For innovation to flourish, universities must teach students and faculty to work across disciplines – and differences

Lu Liu

Virginia Tech

A hand pulling out a book from a library shelf

Helping students find and learn from high-quality sources

From celebrating your university library to demonstrating your own source selection process, learn strategies to help students confront increasing misinformation and disinformation online

Tom Hayward

UCL

A group of students wearing green t shirts discussing a sustainability initiative

A beginner’s guide to systems thinking in education for sustainable development

Systems thinking can better equip students to engage with sustainability challenges. It helps to treat it as a competence and a journey, says Fatima Lopez Castellanos

Fatima Lopez Castellanos

The University of Bristol

Female teacher doing chemistry demonstration

Training tomorrow’s citizen scientists in introductory science courses

Faculty who teach large introductory STEM courses often experience burnout, writes Michael Evans. Thinking of yourself as a trainer of citizen scientists and seeing your field in the world around you can help keep teaching fresh

Michael Evans

Georgia Tech College of Lifetime Learning

How to make interdisciplinary teaching a reality

While disciplinary expertise remains important, future graduates will increasingly need broader capabilities to cope with uncertainty and change. Lei Zeng offers advice on how to develop them

Lei Zeng

The University of Manchester

An unenthused student receives a test back in the classroom

Why first-year courses should be pass/fail – and how to make the case at your institution

First-year students suffer from disproportionate levels of stress. But there’s one structural fix that costs almost nothing: pass/fail assessment in year one. Find six steps to implement change

Lasha Markozashvili

Nazarbayev University

Want industry speakers? Get them in early

Guest speakers offer an informed, personal perspective on their discipline and a chance for learners to make an in-person connection that a recording cannot replicate. Here’s how to maximise the benefits and get students to turn up

Treasa Kearney, Anna Egan

University of Liverpool, Manchester Metropolitan University

A group of students discussing an interdisciplinary project at a table

Three ways to foster an interdisciplinary mindset in students

Interdisciplinarity can feel vague and abstract. Read guidance on helping students understand how concepts are defined and how approaches to problems differ across disciplines

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Design learning experiences students cannot outsource to AI

A good class creates a sequence of mental events that cannot be outsourced: prediction, surprise, judgement, revision and retrieval, writes Emilia Samit

Emilia Samit

Nebrija University

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

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

Brittany Vermeulen , Ümit Kennedy

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

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

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

Theresa Mercer , Daniel Evans, Kenisha Garnett, 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 College of Lifetime Learning

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