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.

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 dynamics of GenAI are unlikely to change student behaviour, even as they fear its effects on their learning. So, educators need to help students recognise the 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 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

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

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

A woman deep in thought sitting at a desk

Guide students through four stages of cognitive development

Critical thinking does not develop automatically. Using William Perry’s model of cognitive development, Adeola A. Matthew shows how lecturers can help students progress from simplistic, dualistic thinking to more reflective and reasoned judgement

Adeola A. Matthew

The University of the West Indies

A group of students at a table looking at their screens

Tips for running engaging tutorials

Practical strategies for turning tutorials into active, inclusive learning spaces, from designing hands-on activities and valuing student contributions to building rapport and providing effective feedback

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Campus Talks: How to turn vulnerability into a teaching superpower

Authenticity and connection are key to supporting students in the classroom. This means it is important for educators to develop the skills to show up as their whole selves but also understand how to protect their boundaries

Marissa Edwards, Eliza Compton

The University of Queensland , Campus

How teachers become students’ growth partners in learning

Simple habits can transform students’ silence and hesitation into conversation and curiosity, making the university classroom a dynamic space for learning and growth

Yongjia Lin

Macau University of Science and Technology

Woman with coloured hair in lecture hall

Teaching the professionals: effective strategies for mature learners

Adult students re-enter education with professional knowledge, time constraints and often a need to see direct benefits from their learning. These tips aim to help university teachers give these cohorts an effective experience

Russell Woodward, Ian Rodwell

University Centre Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

How I use AI tools to enhance EFL students’ speaking skills

AI tools can help students of English as a foreign language build confidence in academic speaking by offering structured practice opportunities, personalised feedback and support with idea generation. Ka Ho To explains how

Ka Ho To

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Let’s teach students to see the fingerprints

Does humanities education still have value when machines can generate art at the touch of a button? Yes, if we reframe our thinking, writes Renia Lopez-Ozieblo

Renia Lopez-Ozieblo

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Two designers making a model of a building

Tips for introducing complex design software in the classroom

As design education becomes increasingly digital, educators face the challenge of integrating powerful simulation and modelling software without overwhelming students. Adalberto Tamez Alanis offers guidance

Adalberto Tamez Alanis

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A scientist views a brain scan on a screen

How does the brain learn? And why don’t we teach that way?

Neuroscience shows traditional teaching is not enough. Instead, an experiential approach can return learning to its natural order

Mussab Aswad

Nasser Centre for Science and Technology

Female Asian college student writing in library on a laptop

‘Students don’t have to prove authorship of every word, they show their supervision of AI tools’

When all students are required to use generative AI for every assignment, their practice can be more rigorous, transparent and deeply reflective. Here, Tiatemsu Longkumer explains a rubric

Tiatemsu Longkumer

Royal Thimphu College

Whiteboard with photographs and sticky notes on a magnetic wall

How ‘aesthetic pedagogy’ can get the attention of your Gen Z students

Today’s students need immersive, aesthetic experiences that awaken curiosity, stimulate the senses, and foster critical thinking, says Fabián Bautista

Fabián Bautista Saucedo

CETYS Universidad

Co-creation as an alternative for engaging students

Co-creation through experiential learning outside the classroom space – working abroad, in the field, in a lab – is fantastic but not always feasible. Can’t leave the classroom? Ed Berger explains how educators can still spark engagement

Ed Berger

Virginia Tech

Top down view of students walking between classes

How to model good academic practice

By modelling good practice in your own teaching, you can help students build confidence, work more effectively and set habits that support both academic and personal success. Here’s how

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Sticky labels: why language shapes identity (and how to say better things)

The words we use in creative education – and the ones we don’t – shape how students see themselves. David Thompson explores how labels affect self-image and how university educators can shift language to build creative confidence

David Thompson

University of Lincoln

Four common arguments for acknowledging AI use (and why they are wrong)

Educators may want AI to be used well or to go away entirely, write Chloe Salisbury and Luke Zaphir. Here, they take on a central piece of AI lore and offer ways forward

Chloe Salisbury, Luke Zaphir

The University of Queensland

A practical guide to using games in university teaching

What is game-oriented learning, what criteria must games follow to have true educational value and how to use them in your own teaching? Find out here

Philippe Lepinard

Université Paris-Est Créteil

Three students working together in a library

How to reclaim humanity in the AI classroom

As GenAI changes how students study and complete assessments, higher education educators must focus on metacognition, clarity and connection, says Patrice Seuwou

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Close up of a camera as it films an instructor explaining a medical concept

Use scripted conversations to fill knowledge gaps

How a conversational video that recreates instructor–student dialogues is boosting test scores, confidence and deeper comprehension across engineering cohorts

María Villarreal, Jobish Vallikavungal, Ana Sarmiento, Jonathan Montalvo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Campus Talks: How to make co-creation work in your teaching

Find out why and how to collaborate with students to ‘co-create’ elements of their learning, from a leading expert on co-creation in higher education

Catherine Bovill

The University of Edinburgh

A robot in a mortarboard poses with a diploma

A university blueprint for teaching with GenAI

How a human-centred approach to embedding GenAI ensures the tool enhances human reasoning, rather than replacing it, institution-wide

Abderrahim Agnaou

Al Akhawayn University

Students in a lecture, pictured from above

Are we teaching information or developing understanding?

Why we need students to understand concepts rather than simply learn facts – and what pedagogical approaches can help

Maximillian Afnan

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Students talking in class? Teach from the back

Stepping away from the front of the lecture hall renders educators more approachable, and more able to catch the eye of a student looking confused or manage unwarranted chatter

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

How can we embed Global South perspectives in GenAI teaching?

GenAI can accelerate learning, but if we aren’t careful, it can also reinforce colonial assumptions. Jasmine Mohsen explains how to avoid this

Jasmine Mohsen

SP Jain London School of Management

Assessment needs to grow up: what process and imperfection mean for higher education

Rather than railing against AI, educators could see this moment as an overdue correction and redesign assessment around what matters: the process by which humans think, revise and learn

Pontus Wärnestål

Halmstad University

Two heads represented as the puzzle piece missing from the other

The practicalities of co-creation with students

A guide to collaborating with students to shape teaching, curricula and assessments, and support research, based on insights from academics who are successfully using co-creation all over the world

Campus contributors, Laura Duckett

Campus

Teacher guiding a student through an exercies on their laptop

Exercises to strengthen students’ socio-emotional skills

Simple, structured activities can strengthen students’ socio-emotional skills, from active listening to emotional regulation, helping them navigate academic and interpersonal challenges

Tatiana del Pilar Amado Castellanos

The University of Applied and Environmental Sciences (UDCA)

Research culture begins with curiosity in the classroom

Research culture starts in the classroom, where enquiry becomes a habit and curiosity drives learning. Kashan Pirzada offers guidance on small, everyday teaching practices to cultivate it

Kashan Pirzada

Birmingham City University

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