Higher education pedagogy

Learn more about pedagogy and how different theories of teaching and learning work across higher education. Here, academics offer insights into a variety of pedagogies, drawing on their own teaching experience alongside research, to provide practical advice on what instructional methods work best for different university contexts, disciplines and classes.

A student and their lecturer in conversation.

Stop investigating, start teaching

Trying to detect whether a student has misused AI in their work is a wasted effort, from which no one benefits, writes B. Jean Mandernach. She proposes a different approach focused on finding out what students truly understand

B. Jean Mandernach

Grand Canyon University

Students in class watching a teacher, among them one raises her hand to answer a question

Impactful lessons begin and end with clarity

Common in primary and secondary teaching, starter and plenary activities can get students interested and build knowledge. Paul Demetriou explains how to use them in university teaching

Paul Demetriou

New City College

Female lecturer addresses a group of students

Why universities need shared conversations about ‘good’ teaching

Good teaching cannot be owned or defined by any one person or group, writes David Mather. He calls for more open discussion and exploration of what constitutes quality teaching

David Mather

The University of Portsmouth

How agentic AI brings interactivity to STEM learning

When applied thoughtfully, agentic AI has the potential to turn classrooms into environments where students actively explore complex systems rather than passively absorb information

Gerard Joseph Lim

Nanyang Technological University

Group of multiracial university students in a tutorial

A million more teachers: building human-centric skills in small-group teaching

Small-group discussions and one-to-ones can expand students’ capacity to act, think and communicate, writes Alastair Bonnett. Here, he offers a model for shifting university teaching from macro to micro

Alastair Bonnett

Newcastle University

Asian students articipating in small-group discussion

Practicalities of co-creation: how to truly engage the student voice

When educators share the design and implementation of course material and assessment rubrics, they give students a stake in their own and their peers’ learning

Shuhui Yin

Macau University of Science and Technology

Students in a lecture hall working on essays

Feedback is a skill to be taught, not assumed

Comments such as ‘This is a good essay’ might reassure but won’t help a writer improve. Here’s how to show students what strong and weak peer feedback looks like

Jiashi Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A group of students at a desk working on a project

A ‘smart’ way to get students working together

Reduce the tendency to ‘divide and write’ with a five-step process that draws on individual strengths, promotes constructive communication and ensures equal participation

Ya Zhang, Shuhao Zhang, Yu Liu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Couscous, among other ingredients, in a marketplace

Less beer, more couscous: gamifying supply chain education

Using the Beer Game to teach business students about supply chains may have had its last orders. Switching to couscous changed how one educator’s class thought

Jawad Abrache

Al Akhawayn University

GrimmGPT? Use AI to rewrite fairy tales – and get your students thinking

A simple strategy to help your students question AI tools from a familiar starting point

India Lawton

Southampton Solent University

A university lecturer explaining a concept while sitting amongst students

Five words and a GenAI prompt to spark deeper online learning

A five-stage framework, enhanced by GenAI, can help educators create more interactive, inclusive and responsive online learning experiences that boost student engagement and learning online

María Robertha Leal Isida, Dania Arriola Arteaga

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Illustration of robot and man on either side of ball of scribble

Faculty must embrace the ‘messy middle’ to guide AI proficiency

The primary source of institutional AI proficiency must be universities themselves, not the technology companies who offer training for their platforms. Without that agency, we risk surrendering educational practice to commercial interests, write Amy Allen and David Hicks

Amy Allen, David Hicks

Virginia Tech

Two students using a map to navigate a digital world

Boosting AI literacy across your institution

AI literacy goes far beyond basic prompt writing. Learn strategies for building understanding of how AI tools work, how to use them effectively to support teaching, learning and research, where their limitations lie and the ethical implications surrounding their use

Campus contributors, Laura Duckett

Campus

Defining and developing students’ critical AI literacy

By the time they arrive at university, most students are using AI. So, with the lines between AI use and original work increasingly blurred, academia now needs to teach them how to use the tools critically

Amy Allen, David Hicks

Virginia Tech

Industrial engineer inspecting a residential construction project with a VR app with a virtualisation of the building's interior

Extend reality to make learning more meaningful

To meet the challenges of the modern workplace, students need to encounter environments that simulate professional scenarios during their studies. Read about how to design extended reality activities that boost a range of discipline-specific skills

Daniel Cantú, Claudia Hernández

Tecnológico de Monterrey

What if the undergraduate journey were a four-year internship?

Treating work placements and co-curricular programmes as optional or supplementary misses deeper questions about whether traditional degrees prepare students for careers. Michelle Seref explains

Michelle Seref

Virginia Tech

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Blocks showing man making path between bombs to idea

How to support students to learn from, with, about and beyond AI

Educators should not be competing with chatbots and large language models. Instead, a continuum can help them guide students from passive learning from AI to synthesising information alongside it

Tan Seng Chee

Nanyang Technological University

Educators must model inclusive pedagogy

Belonging is not a by-product of good teaching but an intentional outcome of inclusive practices. These include healthy dialogue, co-creation and reflective practice, says Patrice Seuwou

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Young female student wearing safety glasses in an organic chemistry lab

Questions that support reflection and sense-making in STEM education

Focusing on the thinking that a lab-class prompt invites – rather than the answer it elicits – allows instructors to create learning experiences that are both rigorous and inclusive

Karen Ho, Douglas B. Clark

Mount Royal University, University of Calgary

Man falling into laptop screen with numbers in cords in background

‘If you like, I can….?’ Why GenAI needs to come with a health warning

Warnings about the dependency-forming tricks of GenAI are unlikely to change student behaviour, even as they fear its effects on learning. Educators need to help students recognise engagement loops for themselves, writes Adrian Wallbank

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

Design students working together in class

‘AI turns the classroom from structured event into improv class’

Rethinking the role of the teacher builds on alternatives to scripted material, such as studio-style sessions, flipped problem-based work, team-based clinics, Socratic debates, in-class case simulations and live data analysis

Dirk Hovy

Bocconi University

Detail of medic drawing a vaccination shot

Inoculating students against AI-generated scientific misinformation

GenAI raises an urgent pedagogical question for universities: how can we train students to evaluate scientific claims critically when the language of scholarship can be so convincingly simulated?

Elissar Gerges

Zayed University

Five university students working on a group project in class

Universal design for learning: a benefit, a challenge and a solution

Discover how to embed choice into learning in a clear, manageable and meaningful way

Pablo Dalby

The University of East Anglia

Statue of Plato in front of Academy of Athens in Athens, Greece

I blame Plato: how ancient thinking still might shape belonging in STEM

The history of mathematics tells a rich story of collective labour, curiosity, dialogue, adventurousness and responsiveness to human questions. Educators have responsibility to tap into this for current and future students, writes Clemency Montelle

Clemency Montelle

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Students in a boardroom working on a company project

Every AI learning persona needs an origin story

Anna, a fictional social responsibility consultant, mentors students analysing a company in crisis. Her story shows how thoughtfully designed AI personas can turn simple chat interactions into immersive learning experiences

Lorena Quilantán García

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Illustration of faces in blues and greens

Lecture room as tapestry: weaving culture, curiosity and learning together

Culturally inclusive pedagogy asks educators to redesign learning environments that work with, rather than ignore, the diversity in university classrooms. Here, Chipo Simbi offers advice around student engagement, assessment and safe spaces

Chipo Simbi

University of Southampton

How to get students talking in seminar courses

From setting expectations before the course begins to structuring discussion and preparation, these strategies help educators turn hesitant students into confident, collaborative seminar course participants

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

Young Asian woman looking at wall of electronic images

Why critical visual literacy matters in a complex information landscape

Even in teaching materials and trusted sources, images are not neutral. Here, Alexius Chia explains how to guide learners from superficial impressions to being able to critique perspective, power and intent

Alexius Chia

Nanyang Technological University

Details of hands playing different games

A game-making workshop to bring complex systems to life

Board games offer a powerful teaching tool to deepen understanding of complex dynamics such as climate. This analogue group task fosters the skills of systems thinking: setting boundaries, seeing multiple perspectives and holistic analysis

Adam Procter, Matteo Menapace

University of Southampton, Manchester Metropolitan University

A group of students in a classroom working on a live brief

From buzzwords to business plans: making the SDGs matter to students

How to help students apply SDG thinking in practical, business-focused ways using local case studies, live briefs, internships and feedback

Robyn Griffiths

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Two female students looking at a flash card

Packed with ethics: using flash cards to spark connection

Ethics is a fundamental skill in accounting, but it is difficult to teach in a way that gives students confidence to use and test frameworks. Here, Catriona Hyde explains how simple flash cards can create curiosity and connection in the classroom

Catriona Hyde

University of Leicester

How to embed STEM across all disciplines? Start small

Build the STEM skills students will need for the future into your existing courses – with a little-and-often approach. Here’s how

Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

A lecturer at the front of class presenting to students

Let’s not patronise Gen Z students

Gen Z students don’t need flashy visuals to keep them engaged. They want clear, effective design, say Svetoslav Georgiev and Joseph Tinsley

Svetoslav G. Georgiev, Joseph Tinsley

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Campus webinar: Co-creation and tapping into the student voice

Hear experts from four Australian universities discuss how educators, course designers, professional development teams and institutions can embed the skills for effective co-creation in the classroom

Kathleen Mahon, Joseph Wenta, Lorelle Burton, Iven Mareels

The University of Queensland , The University of Newcastle, Australia, The University of Southern Queensland , Federation University Australia

Students working on a project together in class

Let professors play: the case for sandbox classes in HE

Some of the most powerful innovations in teaching don’t come from policy mandates – they come from freedom to play, writes Danny Oppenheimer

Danny Oppenheimer

Carnegie Mellon University

Young female professor taking a question in class

How universities can prepare faculty to teach executive education

Teaching seasoned professionals requires a different approach from undergraduates or even MBA students. This guide aims to prepare faculty to connect academic insight with real-world leadership experience

Konstantin Korotov

ESMT Berlin

How to establish a community of practice for co-creation

To co-create research-informed teaching, a group of educators established a community of practice with doctoral students. Here’s how it worked

Kara Chan

Hong Kong Baptist University

A hand sketching prototype designs amongst rulers and other tools

Teaching design in 3D: blending sketching, AI and AR

GenAI can do more than generate images – it can spark design students’ ability to imagine objects and spaces in 3D. Here’s how

Lesly Pliego , Fernanda Peña, Antonio Juárez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A scrunched-up piece of paper is fashioned into a lightbulb

Small shifts to nurture a design thinking mindset in university teaching

Design thinking, with its focus on problem-solving in a structured way, can help ready students for the workplace – and doesn’t require a curriculum overhaul, writes Asrif Yusoff

Asrif Yusoff

University of Greenwich

A student writing an essay by hand in a library

From shortcut to support: GenAI’s role in essay-writing

A guide to moving beyond panic and prohibition, showing how educators can set clear, evidence-informed boundaries that turn GenAI from an essay-writing shortcut into a meaningful learning support

Luis Moisés López Flores

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Connected classrooms: building belonging, trust and well-being

Learning communities that are grounded in trust, psychological safety and holistic support give students space to explore and share their talents

Christie Stewart

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

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