Europe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Make your higher education meetings neurodivergent-friendly

For neurodivergent staff, meetings can be something to dread. Here’s how to make them feel comfortable and get the best out of them

Jamie Wilde

University of Southampton

Graph emerging through surface of water, open research concept

How to build ethics into open research

Researchers, library professionals and institutions have ways to address inequalities around how data is collected and shared. Here are considerations to help support ethical, equitable open research

Meghmala Bhattacharya

Teesside 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

‘Reflective learning is becoming a meaningless buzzword’

Lip service to reflective learning is eroding its potential for confronting ingrained beliefs and encouraging students to explore new ways of thinking, writes Ella Houston. Here, she shares practical strategies for promoting the transgressive aspects of reflection

Ella Houston

Liverpool Hope University

A schoolteacher standing in front of a whiteboard interacting with pupils

Want to improve your teaching? Ask a teacher

Schoolteachers-turned-lecturers have a wealth of pedagogical knowledge, says Gordon Baillie, Here, he outlines reasons why university educators should be tapping into it and shares questions they can reflect on to improve their practice

Gordon Baillie

University of Chester

Staff and students strategising with Post-It notes on a transparnt screen

How to prepare, motivate and reward students who engage in EDI work

EDI work can take a psychological toll on students. Thoughtful discussion and engagement strategies are key, as are psychological support and remuneration, say a medical school team

Lois Haruna-Cooper , Emma Kelley , William Shem Braithwaite

UCL

Multiracial group of university students in a study group

Teaching strategies to support international students in diverse classrooms

How can we design teaching that better supports international students to succeed within higher education? Here are teaching tips to boost classroom practice for the inclusion and benefit of all students

Elida Cena, Gülseli Baysu, Judith Wylie

Queen’s University Belfast

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

Man pushing pound coin up a hill in Sisyphys metaphor for research funding

The Sisyphus trap: surviving plummeting funding success rates

Building a research programme absolutely depends on winning grants, but early career researchers also need to be able to distinguish which opportunities are worth pursuing and where their finite time is best spent

Meysam Qadrdan

Cardiff University

Ming Cheng, professor of higher education at Sheffield Hallam University, talks about microaggressions in UK higher ed

Campus Talks: Why universities need to start taking microaggressions seriously

Drawing on research into the experiences of Chinese academics in the UK, we hear how these subtle but powerful discriminatory acts manifest in universities and what could be done to address them

Ming Cheng, Miranda Prynne

Sheffield Hallam University

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

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

An academic surrounded by books looks stressed

Does your university workload allocation model support gender equality?

Workload allocation models can fail to reflect the reality of female academics’ workloads and unintentionally compound gender inequality. Find advice for making the process more transparent

Noreen O’Leary , Hannah Christie, Ioana Tistea

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

‘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

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

A student raises a hand in the classroom

How to spot bias in your own teaching – and what to do about it

Bias can materialise as a set of habits no one thought to question. Here’s how to look at your own teaching with clear eyes

Dami Folayan

Arden University

Caucasian male working at laptop in cafe

Learning shouldn’t have a graduation date

AI’s pace of change is challenging the idea that education is something we complete at the beginning of adult life. Drawing on lifelong learning expertise, Aidan McGowan shares five lessons for extending the university-learner relationship across a career

Aidan McGowan

Queen’s University Belfast

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

Teachers and students working on a project together in the library

Co-creation isn’t simply asking for students’ views

How to prepare, support and work with student co-creators so that diverse perspectives can genuinely shape change

Manjula Patrick

UCL

Young female student looking confused at laptop

How to turn students’ smartphone confidence into academic digital literacy

Confidence using apps and social media doesn’t always indicate that first-year students can use university systems. Here are four ways how to make sure their practical computing habits are up to scratch

Nassir Ibrahim, Jameson Tucker, Imran Khan

Birmingham City University

A hand holding a magnifying glass over a stack of papers

Don’t ban GenAI: teach students to question it

By turning AI output into an object of collective enquiry, educators can teach a valuable habit: rather than simply asking whether an answer is correct, asking what makes it credible, writes Mert Can Atar

Mert Can Atar

Istanbul Aydin 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

Research staff in a library working on a digital huimanities project

How to build a sustainable digital humanities ecosystem

Digital humanities is about more than adopting new technologies. It depends on bringing people, expertise and ideas together – and creating the structures to help them thrive, says Mara Oliva

Mara Oliva

University of Reading

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

podcast graphic featuring Julia Priess-Buchheit and Sarahanne Field

Campus Talks: How is AI affecting open research?

Learn about the advances, risks and challenges that are shaping open research practices, including artificial intelligence, from two experts based in Europe

Julia Priess-Buchheit, Sarahanne Field, Eliza Compton

Kiel University, University of Groningen

How can we better support female autistic students?

Autism can manifest differently in women and girls. Learn how small changes, such as warning students before making changes to classroom layouts, can make all the difference

Sarah Guest

University of Chester

Students developing a model aeroplane at an event

Universities create structured opportunities for students – but what happens in the spaces between?

Closer attention should be paid to what happens once students walk out of an event or workshop or complete a project – this is where the real impacts can be seen and further developed, writes Tosin Adebisi

Tosin Adebisi

The London School of Economics and Political Science

A woman wearing a headscarf in an office

Beyond access: what Muslim women can teach universities about inclusion

Universities have made significant progress with widening participation, but access alone does not create belonging. Here are four ways to build environments that recognise and support Muslim women

Amena Amer

UCL

Man tries to find his way through a maze

What students need to learn beyond the curriculum

Universities cannot assume students know how to engage in self-directed study and campus life. Clear direction and signposting can help arrivals flourish inside and outside the classroom, colleagues at Manchester Metropolitan University write

Katharina De Vita, Lucy Pittaway, Melanie McHale

Manchester Metropolitan University

University staff clasp hands in a show of solidarity

Three lessons that outreach can teach us about enriching our own work

University staff can benefit from outreach as much as its participants. Oliver Rossetti explores three principles that can drive positive change within institutions, as well as beyond

Oliver Rossetti

Arden University

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