Feature article

Using the ‘36 questions to fall in love’ to revolutionise group work

Nici Sweaney shares a simple classroom task rooted in the psychology of interpersonal relationships that anyone can use to help students bond and feel more comfortable with group work

Nici Sweaney

Australian National University

Augmented reality in teaching: key challenges and how to overcome them

Will Shüler identifies three challenges of integrating augmented reality into the classroom and shares advice on how university tutors might navigate them

Will Shüler

Royal Holloway, University of London

Minecraft is just one creative assessment platform for university educators

Breaking with tradition: 10 creative assessment ideas

Monica Francesca Contrino and Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez suggest 10 methods for adding an imaginative twist when evaluating your students’ learning

Monica Francesca Contrino , Rocío Elizabeth Cortez Márquez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Transformative not transmissive education for sustainability

The teaching of sustainability and the SDGs needs to equip graduates with the skills to bring about transformative change for a better future. Jen Dollin, Brittany Hardiman and Susan Germein explore what this means for universities

Jen Dollin, Brittany Vermeulen , Susan Germein

Western Sydney University

Using immersive tech to enrich healthcare education

As virtual reality technology has become more affordable and user friendly, it opens opportunities to enhance teaching of clinical skills. Here’s how one team brings VR into the classroom

Chris McKenzie, Janet Skinner, Amy Poole

The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh Napier University

Students working together to solve a problem

A framework for teaching work integrated learning projects

A framework for structuring work integrated learning (WIL) projects to train students in problem solving and creative thinking, from Nguyen Hoang Thuan and Pedro Antunes, based on their research and lecturing experience

Nguyen Hoang Thuan, Pedro Antunes

RMIT University Vietnam, University of Lisbon

Efficient methods of marking and providing feedback

Aaron Taylor and Victoria Rafferty provide advice on how to ensure formative and summative feedback is carried out with student learning in mind

Aaron Taylor, Victoria Rafferty

Arden University

Medical students challenge elitism in medical education

Challenging elitism in medicine

Early and ongoing support, inclusive selection processes and gateway programmes can help address the inequalities in access to medical training

Clare Austin, Paola Dey

Edge Hill University

Open-book assessments: dos and don’ts that foster good practice

Exam format can affect student performance and anxiety levels. Here’s how to set an OBA that gives students their best chance to excel

Hongru Zhang

Macau University of Science and Technology

Mentoring postgrad students well requires much planning

Setting up right is crucial for supervision success – here’s how

Successful supervision requires careful planning. Tania Crotti and Anna Szorenyi share road-tested approaches to establishing and maintaining effective supervisory practices

Tania Crotti , Anna Szorenyi

Adelaide University

Community outreach like the Great Science Share for Schools requires listening

Flip the script: why listening is the best form of outreach

In aiming to widen participation, it’s easy to get lost in your own passion. Instead focus on understanding others’ needs – and keep it simple

Lynne Bianchi

The University of Manchester

How a sustainable internship programme can support social mobility

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds can remain on the back foot when entering the workforce. This programme offers higher education practitioners a replicable model that includes professional skills development and access

Fiona Hudson, Inís Fitzpatrick , Cathy Mcloughlin

Dublin City University

TikTok can be a great instructional tool for engaged educators

What I learned from spending three years researching TikTok

Far from being an attention span wasteland, the popular social media platform has great instructional potential for engaged and experimental academics, says Elizabeth Losh

Elizabeth Losh

William & Mary

Image showing different individuals with different ways of perceiving the world

What universities can do to support their autistic employees

Institutions can take simple steps to ensure autistic staff are properly supported to succeed, as Jennifer Rudd explains

Jennifer Rudd

Swansea University

Collective voices, zero tolerance

Universities can use their ability to engage with students to effect cultural change, as the Bystander Intervention initiative to combat sexual abuse has shown. Louise Crowley explains how they did it

Louise Crowley

University College Cork

How to design low-stakes authentic assessment that promotes academic integrity

Robust assessment design is more important than ever in the battle to maintain academic integrity, say Nguyen Bui and Simon Feros

Nguyen Bui , Simon Feros

Australian National University

Female student reading a book in the university library

If you want students to read more, consider asking them to read less

Students can feel overwhelmed when faced with lengthy academic reading lists so how can educators help them develop their reading skills? Will Mason and Meesha Warmington share five actions to support students in tackling, even enjoying, their course literature

Will Mason , Meesha A Warmington

University of Sheffield

Enable learners to become confident digital explorers

Universities must help students develop digital skills and competencies that will set them up for successful lives after they graduate

Mike Cooray, Rikke Duus

Hult International Business School (Ashridge), UCL

Enrich your online evaluation practices with this quick guide

A group of academics from Tecnológico de Monterrey present a series of recommendations for designing and implementing online assessment

Graciela González-Valdepeña, Adriana Plata-Marroquin , Gabriela Sánchez Castillo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

What I have learned on the journey towards commercialising my PhD

Engineering biologist Maggie Hicks shares what she has learned on her journey towards commercialising her PhD, with business partner and fellow PhD student Florentina Winkelmann

Maggie Hicks

The University of Edinburgh

Illustration of mentoring tree of lightbulbs

Career mentoring can support student employability

Support for students extends beyond the classroom. Here’s how to develop a successful mentoring programme to help students take their first steps into the workplace

Zurria Qureshi

University of Westminster

Ungrading in universities is not being carried out effectively

The problem with ungrading? Everyone’s doing it wrong

The vast majority of applications of what is referred to as ungrading rely on rubrics, stated learning outcomes and grades by other names, says Sean Michael Morris

Sean Michael Morris

Course Hero

Part-time work could be a great option for work-life balance

In the search for work-life balance, going part-time could provide an answer

James Derounian makes the case for part-time work, particularly as academics advance in their careers – and gives tips on how to begin the transition and make a success of it

James Derounian

University of Bolton

So, you want to reach out? Lessons from a ‘science for all’ programme

Public engagement in STEM strengthens research relevance and trust in science, but how can universities do it well? Here, the team behind S4 give three considerations based on a decade of effective outreach to disadvantaged schools

Mary Gagen , Will Bryan, Rachel Bryan

Swansea University

Improving research culture at universities

To improve research culture, we must change the way we measure performance

Jo Cresswell explains how universities can support more collaborative cultures by changing the way academics are reviewed, assessed and rewarded

Jo Cresswell

Dr Joanne Cresswell Coaching

Towards independence: blazing your trail as a freelance researcher

What options are open to you as a researcher if you decide formal academia within a university is not for you? Helen Ross outlines considerations and useful advice for anyone wishing to become an independent researcher

Helen Ross

Independent academic

Knocking down the house of policy impact in higher education

It’s high time we rethought policy impact

The frameworks currently in use for rewarding policy impact are peppered with problems and pitfalls – here’s how to fix them, says Christina Boswell

Christina Boswell

The University of Edinburgh

Midwife hands baby to mother after hospital birth

Ways to support research students in nursing and midwifery

PhD supervision requires a specific skill set – from communication to emotional intelligence – to meet its challenges and secure its rewards. Here, Helen Allan shares her advice based on more than 20 years of experience

Helen Allan

Middlesex University

International perspectives on teaching and learning forged during Covid

Academics from around the globe share practical advice and lessons learned for those teaching online now or in future turbulent times

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

The different steps to improved sustainability

To offset or not to offset – that is the question

Carbon offsetting is a hotly debated issue, with critics positing that it distracts from real efforts to reduce emissions. David Duncan explains why a compromise position in which offsetting is used to complement focused efforts at carbon reduction may be needed

David Duncan

University of Glasgow

Exams must be used correctly in modern university teaching

Traditional exams aren’t dead – they just need to be used correctly

Knowing when to utilise traditional v authentic assessment methods – and the modern tools to build them – is a crucial part of the teacher’s role in 2022 and beyond

Beatriz Murillo Pancardo , Pedro de Jesús García Reza , Mariano Garay Peña

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Academic integrity summer schools can be very useful for ECRs

How to organise an event to train ambassadors of academic integrity

Engendering academic integrity in the next generation of researchers is vital for the academy – Salim Razı offers key takeaways from organising free academic integrity summer schools

Salim Razı

Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University

Eight ways to engage with AI writers in higher education

Just as spelling checks and predictive text have become accepted, so too will AI writers, so educators should help students responsibly engage with and understand the potential and limitations of these text generators, writes Lucinda McKnight

Lucinda McKnight

Deakin University

To block or not to block? How time affects learning in higher education

From intensive block plans to open-ended study programmes, the ideal length for a unit of study is under interrogation. Jason M. Lodge considers the evidence

Jason M. Lodge

The University of Queensland

Students as co-explorers: how to build a synergistic research environment

Working with and for postgraduate students towards the goal of improved well-being and thriving in their future careers is the basis for successful research teams. Soo Downe offers tips based on her experience in midwifery studies

Soo Downe

University of Central Lancashire

Artificial intelligence: a dystopian future for higher education?

AI in higher education: dystopia, utopia or something in between?

To understand how HE can incorporate AI successfully, we need to think about how humans will interact with the technology and change their behaviour, says Ben Swift

Ben Swift

Australian National University

Assessment and feedback as a participatory dialogue

Assessment and feedback as an active dialogue between tutors and students

Seven steps towards enhancing assessment and feedback as a participatory, social process that supports deeper learning, by Neil Lent, Tina Harrison and Sabine Rolle

Neil Lent, Tina Harrison, Sabine Rolle

The University of Edinburgh

University leaders need to create policy for permanent remote work

What must leaders consider as they develop permanent remote work policies?

Most agree that remote working is here to stay, so developing thoughtful and effective policy will be critical to ensure that students are served and institutions thrive

Jon McNaughtan, Catherine Whaley, Chelsea Wallace

Texas Tech University

Counter-mapping as a pedagogical tool

Engaging students with urban spaces can contextualise and deepen learning and bring in inclusive perspectives. Daniel Gutiérrez-Ujaque and Dharman Jeyasingham explain how counter-mapping can be used as a pedagogical tool

Daniel Gutiérrez-Ujaque , Dharman Jeyasingham

Brunel University London , The University of Manchester

What I learned from nearly getting cancelled

Being the subject of student complaints was a very difficult experience for all involved – one that I am trying to learn from

Anonymous

Campus

Building a course around target 'customers'

Why higher education must serve students as the customer and the product

An effective university programme should continually adapt in order to add value for and to the students so that they can meet future workplace demands, Haksin Chan and Roy Ying explain

Haksin Chan, Roy Ying

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Six tips for implementing a careers chatbot ethically and effectively

Helping students make good academic choices fuelled by their career aspirations before they start studying is crucial – and a well-designed chatbot can be very useful

Caroline Tolond, Deirdre Hughes, Chris Percy

Arden University, CiCi

Universities must bridge the gap between diversity and belonging

Universities must do better at bridging the gap between diversity and belonging

Lillian Nave outlines the three key interventions required for universities to help diverse students learn about, accept and participate in each other’s worlds

Lillian Nave

Appalachian State University

Hands linked to show networks and collaboration

Doctoral training programmes: worthwhile or not?

If the chance to work with gifted people and across unfamiliar disciplines appeals, a doctoral training programme could be for you, whether you’re a student or an academic

Graham Huggan

University of Leeds

Female athlete performing a backflip outdoors

Flipping the university admissions process on its head

Why should it always be students who seek out their ‘best fit’ campus? It’s time for universities to rethink how they manage traditional admissions – and boost enrolment and diversity as they go, says Joe Morrison

Joe Morrison

Concourse

A little more conversation: using Elvis to teach critical theory

Sharing a critical reading of an American icon via film and critical theories builds an authentic learning space that can examine current cultural issues

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Building emotional resilience in students is a key goal

Building emotional resilience is not creating a generation of ‘snowflakes’

Many students arrive at university adept at navigating challenging situations. Julia Downes explains how to leverage and add to these skills for positive and validating results

Julia Downes

The Open University

First generation student worried by the college applications process

How to ensure college admissions are equitable and accessible

As a first-generation college student, Aimee Huffstetler knows how daunting the application process can be. Now working in enrolment, she shares advice on what higher education administrators can do to ensure more equitable and accessible admissions

Aimee Huffstetler

Gwynedd Mercy University

How campus layout influences social ties and research exchange

Shorter distances between departments and offices can boost communication and exchange. But proximity is not the only way that campus design influences interactions among the university community

Andres Sevtsuk

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Digital exclusion often strikes early for university students

Digital exclusion hits students hardest at the start of their journey

VLEs, intranets, sports and social apps – the digital ecosystem at university is vast. We must induct students into it quickly and carefully to prevent them falling behind

Claire Smith

University of Sussex

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