Feature article

Fundamentals of design that will improve your work in every dimension

Improving the design of your teaching or research work need not be daunting and will herald remarkable results in a few tiny steps, explains Cavell Ord-Shrimpton

Cavell Ord-Shrimpton

Arden University

Teaching English for academic mediation and discussion using team games

Using English for academic discussion and mediation is a challenge for students who are not native speakers. Laura McNabb shares classroom games that help students learn the language skills they need

Laura McNabb

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Self-care tips such as setting a regular wake-up time can help mature students handle the stresses of university life

Coaching students in self-care lessons that will help them manage stress

From setting a consistent wake-up time to sound financial planning, there are many beneficial changes that you can encourage to help your students

Matthew L. Brown

Colorado State University Global

Teamwork skills are crucial for students to learn as they head into the workplace

Six tips on helping your students improve their teamwork skills

We know that teamwork is more important than ever before – here’s how to help students identify their ideal role in a team, agree on responsibilities and more

Ingrid Benavides

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Image of an elderly men receiving a vaccine

Decolonising medicine, part three: uncovering silenced voices and histories

Lecturers should ensure they present the full picture when teaching medicine, detailing exploitation and marginalisation of certain groups in the advancement of medical science, as Musarrat Maisha Reza and Emily Calvo-Hobbs explain

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Emily Calvo-Hobbs

The University of Exeter

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Making undergraduate access to research experience transparent and inclusive

A barrier to research careers is accessing the relevant experience. Saloni Krishnan and Nura Sidarus outline a scheme that has helped a wider range of undergraduate students secure research placements

Saloni Krishnan, Nura Sidarus

Royal Holloway, University of London

Universities and their researchers have a key role to play in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

The sector’s role in addressing climate change is crucial – and varied

From researching microalgae to evaluating and contributing to climate policy, universities have a significant job to do, says Lucy Meredith

Lucy Meredith

University of the West of Scotland

Man on ball juggling balls in front of a city

How a rich extracurricular campus life nurtures well-rounded individuals

Soft skills such as organisation, communication and networking are often developed outside the classroom. Here’s how universities can help their students learn vital life skills

M. C. Zhang, Aliana Leong

Macau University of Science and Technology

Collaboration is key for universities and colleges that want to serve their students well

For students’ sake, we shouldn’t be too proud to seek collaboration

It’s difficult to admit as an institution where you aren’t delivering for students, but we must be self-aware enough to seek help when needed

Michael A. Baston

Rockland Community College

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Helping students tackle terminology barriers

Lots of new terminology can leave students feeling overwhelmed. Sonja Dunbar shares one way to build student confidence when encountering discipline-specific terms

Sonja Dunbar

University of Cambridge

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Block mode of teaching in higher education: advantages and challenges

Block scheduling may be intense but can also foster student engagement and reduce stress. It needs careful implementation to realise its full benefits

Amir Ghapanchi

Victoria University

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Educating trainee teachers in critical thinking

Effective approaches to training student teachers in critical thinking so they can apply it across multiple disciplines and pass on their knowledge to their own pupils, by Joseph Sanacore

Joseph Sanacore

Long Island University

Communication is a vital skill for all students to master

Promoting communication skills is just as vital as course content

From the classroom to the workplace, students need to communicate effectively – and you can show them how

Jessica Guadalupe Toro Palacios , Eunice Costilla Cruz

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Creating a bioscience toolkit for first-year students

Chinedu Agwu shares advice on supporting first-year students to develop the core skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a bioscience course

Chinedu Agwu

University of Hertfordshire

Serendipity plays a big part in much scientific discovery - and researchers can increase the chances of it happening

How to enhance your chances of serendipitous research discoveries

Five approaches that will help researchers prepare for and make the most of serendipitous opportunities

Rachel Herbert

Elsevier

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The formula for a successful knowledge exchange programme

Tips on how to create a successful knowledge exchange programme that fosters a truly collaborative culture, from Milan Radosavljevic

Milan Radosavljevic

University of the West of Scotland

Amplifying your research paper can be achieved if you are ready to be proactive

How to be proactive when amplifying research papers

Conferences might be the first thought, but there are many options for furthering your paper’s reach – and they usually require you to take the lead

Ashleigh Johnstone

Arden University

Don’t worry about journal acceptance rates – and here’s why

Deciding where to submit a manuscript? A journal acceptance rate is a useful signal to prospective authors of the probability of acceptance of their manuscript – no more and no less than that

Rachel Herbert

Elsevier

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How we used a business management theory to help students cope with uncertainty

Uncertainty is a major challenge to mental health so a team at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University used a business management tool to help students cope with worries about the future. Here, they explain how

Zheng Feei Ma, Jian Li Hao, Yu Song, Peng Liu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Illustration of people around a giant typewriter with the word 'story' on paper

You’re a content producer now, part two: how to craft an article for mainstream media outlets

After you’ve decided your topic and format, it’s time to consider the details of writing the story – from mastering tone, style and point of view to all-important SEO

John Weldon

Victoria University

You’re a content producer now, part one: how to write articles for a mainstream audience

How does a scholar, trained thoroughly in academic style for academic journals, enter the wider world of general publishing?

John Weldon

Victoria University

Giving students the chance to work in a professional company housed in a university has benefits for all

We started a commercial software company at our university – and you should too

Staffed by students, epiGenesys provides profits for the university and allows students to work in a lively, supportive and successful business environment

Mike Holcombe

University of Sheffield

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Helping students make sense of global politics through class debates

How to guide students to develop and take part in class debates to deepen their understanding of course content

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Timing your writing and breaking it into 25-minute chunks can be very useful for time-poor academics

The ‘25 method’ for forming a writing routine when you have limited time

Olivia Burgess shares her abbreviated form of the pomodoro method for being productive in only 25 minutes a day

Olivia Burgess

Colorado State University Global

Western universities need to get theirs heads out of the sand and embrace international partnerships

Western universities need to look further afield or risk alienation

So many institutions have their heads in the sand, but if they create true international partnerships, they can reap great rewards, says Hugh Martin

Hugh Martin

British University in Dubai

Image showing a box of essential items being handed to two Ukrainian women

How can universities support Ukrainian students? Advice from a Polish institution

Rapid response actions that universities can take to support Ukrainian students and academics, based on the experience of a Polish institution

Paweł Śpiechowicz

University of Lodz

Eight ways UK academics can help students and researchers from Ukrainian universities

From joining a working group to mentoring and collaborating, UK scholars can support Ukrainian scientists and make a difference, no matter how small

Anna K. Bobak, Valentina Mosienko, Igor Potapov

University of Stirling, The University of Bristol, University of Liverpool

Maternity leave can be incredibly hard to navigate for women in academia

Breaking barriers for women: how to build effective parental leave

Seven academics who recently navigated the topsy-turvy world of maternity leave make six recommendations for ensuring motherhood is compatible with academia

Ellie Harrison , Siobhán O’Brien , Tiffany B. Taylor

University of Sheffield, Trinity College Dublin, University of Bath

Image showing an inclusive diverse and happy group of students

It is about ‘people knowing who I am’: reflections on how to guide inclusion work in universities

Advice on using a framework called ‘the Inclusion Compass’ to guide inclusion work within universities, based on a pan-European research project carried out to explore how this could work across higher education

George Koutsouris, Lauren Stentiford , Tricia Nash

The University of Exeter

Partnerships with outside companies can help universities if wielded properly

Could 2022 be the year of partnership models, and should you get involved?

Universities must consider the positives and negatives before jumping into a student support partnership or signing up with an online programme manager

Dawn Gilmore, Chinh Nguyen

RMIT University, Curio

Developing a library service continuity plan focused on digital services and cybersecurity

How can library teams prepare and protect their digital services from cybersecurity threats? Amy Pawlowski and Gwen Evans draw on three real-life examples to offer important lessons

Amy Pawlowski , Gwen Evans

OhioLINK

Empathy is an important quality for tutors to practice in the classroom

Using empathy in the classroom can have a great impact on learning

Instructors can take many small steps to make their classrooms a more enjoyable and positive space for students

Mariano Garay Peña , Beatriz Murillo Pancardo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Magnifying-glass-over-scrambled-block-letters

Streamline your research using academic search engines

Specialist search engines can put the most relevant literature at your fingertips, but which is the best one for you, and how can you optimise your searches?

Jack Wang

The University of Queensland

Student motivation and engagement can be about helping university students to untangle difficulties in personal lives

A ‘motivation and engagement wheel’ to keep students on board

The wheel model was designed to help demystify student motivation and provide targeted help where and when necessary, explains Andrew J. Martin

Andrew J. Martin

UNSW Sydney

Training students in effective teamwork and collaboration

The ability to work effectively as part of a team is a vital life skill. Steven Bateman, Yan Jin and Jie Zhang explain how they support and train students in teamwork

Steven Bateman, Yan Jin, Jie Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Feet climbing hands acting as steps (illustration)

From conventional course to block scheduling: adapting resources for successful learning

Block teaching can seem like an impossible task – all the teaching in less than half the time. But with intentional design of courses and resources, you can move from traditional to block delivery. Here, Ellen Buck shares advice based on her experience

Ellen Buck

University of Suffolk

Sexual misconduct is still a big problem in universities

Despite positive steps, much remains to be done on sexual misconduct

A year on from the OfS’ statement of expectations, it’s time to implement effective, evidence-based approaches to address harassment and sexual violence

Emma Bond, Andy Phippen

University of Suffolk, Bournemouth University

Image to depict how sensory and motor systems aid learning

Improving learning through physical action and sensory perception

Drawing on movement and sensory perception as part of learning can enhance outcomes, research shows. Sheila L. Macrine and Jennifer M. B. Fugate explain how to put this into practice

Sheila L Macrine, Jennifer MB Fugate

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Kansas City University

10 ways universities can tackle gender inequality

Ellie Bothwell outlines recommendations from THE’s recent report on how universities around the world are performing on gender equality

Ellie Bothwell

Times Higher Education

Getting your university admission team's online engagement right can help attract and keep prospective students

The top three engagement challenges facing admissions teams and how to solve them

Whether it's due to ‘ghosting’ or ‘student melt’, prospective students are harder than ever before to attract and hold on to, but a combination of tech and human solutions is at hand

Ardis Kadiu

Element451

Five tips to enhance your institution’s civic engagement by working with public libraries

Advice to help universities work in partnership with public libraries to reach wider audiences and enhance their civic engagement

Marge Ainsley, Rachel Heydecker

Carnegie UK

Young woman on stage giving a presentation

10 essential tips for your next academic presentation

Using examples and practical tips, Dorsa Amir explains the techniques that ensure your presentation communicates its message effectively – from slide design to structuring your talk

Dorsa Amir

University of California, Berkeley

Allowing unicorn edtech companies to dominate the sector is a negative for universities

Chasing unicorns: can universities shape the edtech space to their advantage?

Staying abreast of developments outside the big players in the fast-moving world of edtech can benefit institutions while also ensuring a healthy marketplace

John Miles

Inkpath

Image of a book to illustrate ways to get published beyond academia

How to get a book published outside academia

Lexi Stadlen shares advice on how to turn your academic research into a commercially published book and reach audiences beyond academia

Lexi Stadlen

Independent academic

Image of refugees walking on their way to Europe

How universities can support refugee students and academics

Afghan Chevening scholar Naimatullah Zafary, who was among the last people to be airlifted to safety from Kabul, explains how institutions can support refugee students and staff who arrive in an unfamiliar country after experiencing perilous journeys and severe trauma

Naimatullah Zafary

University of Sussex

Bridge made of cogs with red connecting section

Blended professionals: how to make the most of ‘third space’ experts

Integrated practitioners – staff who bridge the worlds of academia and professional services – are increasingly important to universities. Here’s why this space matters and how to capitalise on it

Emily McIntosh, Diane Nutt

Middlesex University

Research and business need to go hand in hand in an uncertain future

Three big ideas to ensure research helps shape the future of business

High-quality scientific research and the values it encapsulates, such as a focus on empirical evidence over opinion, must be used to help business for years to come

Andrew Stephen

University of Oxford

Teaching university students proofreading skills can be hugely beneficial for their studies and later careers

Teaching your students proofreading skills brings them huge benefits

Being able to produce error-free written communication helps students project competence in class and beyond, says Stone Meredith

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Image representing innovation involving thinking creatively and taking risks

Five ways to apply a creative mindset to education

Students should be encouraged to create and innovate rather than just accrue knowledge. Alan Morgan shares five approaches to cultivating a creative mindset in class

Alan Morgan

University College Dublin

Eight tips to boost active listening in university students

Active mental engagement enhances students’ understanding and their ability to remember the ideas we teach. These simple tools and skills can help to move students from passive to active modes of listening and keep them there

David Geelan

The University of Notre Dame Australia

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