Feature article

Colonial power led to differentials between the Global North and South that persist to this day and will not be solved by universities' decolonisation efforts

Does decolonisation in the West do anything for the developing world?

Expanded reading lists do little for the student whose visa is denied because there’s not enough money in their parents’ bank account, says Farish A Noor

Farish A. Noor  

University of Malaya

Tips for sharing your research and professional expertise with consumer media

Academics can offer insight based on research and professional experience that is applicable far beyond the scope of academic journals. Samuel Kim Kwong Kwok shares a guide to engaging with the mainstream consumer media

Samuel Kim Kwong Kwok

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

We should create an army of university student volunteers to help with levelling up and social mobility

We need to create a tutoring army to level up education

Getting student volunteers to tutor less-privileged children would boost fundamental education for those who need it most and provide a national social mobility service, says Lee Elliot Major

Lee Elliot Major

The University of Exeter

Image of a student taking part in a live online class

Introducing an activeflex teaching model into pre-existing online courses

Steps for designing and implementing an activeflex model of teaching in pre-existing online courses, shared by Marla Williams

Marla Williams

Athens State University

Mature students and other non-traditional students are often overlooked by university recruitment teams

How to attract and support non-traditional students in higher education

Hurdles and obstacles are created from the outset and then vice-chancellors wonder why their student population is not diverse, says Dilshad Sheikh

Dilshad Sheikh

Arden University

University student staying in bed and disengaging

Are your first-year students disengaging? Here’s how to get them back on board

From creating distinct spaces on your VLE to discuss first-year study to checking in with absentees, Katherine Mansfield provides tips for re-engaging students

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Image showing students learning via online tools

Using remote learning technology  to boost student engagement and interaction

As face-to-face teaching returns, educational technology can be used to boost student engagement in ways that are not possible in a physical classroom. Andreina Parisi-Amon explains how

Andreina Parisi-Amon

Engageli

How I plan to get through REF results day

If the results don’t deliver what we think we’ve earned, it will be a blow, but it won’t change the fact that what we do matters, says John McKendrick

John McKendrick

Glasgow Caledonian University

Why is recruitment and retention in the university sector more difficult than in other sectors?

Attracting and keeping the best people is a perennial issue for higher education institutions. Here, Jonathan Lord looks at how the pandemic impacted staffing and strategies for improving processes

Jonathan Lord

University of Salford

A lecturer taking questions from his students

Rebalancing research and teaching within universities: rethinking recognition and reward

Adrian Lam looks at what changes to recognition and reward in higher education would help academics better balance a focus on research with need for quality teaching

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Image of a university tutor answering a student question during lesson

Writing about the day job: levelling up scholarship across higher education

Tutors with full class schedules have little capacity for research but by focusing on the scholarship of teaching and learning, they can contribute valuable insights supported by their day job, write Russ Woodward and Tim Veal

Russell Woodward, Tim Veal

University Centre Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

Why does open access make publishing more complicated?

The shift towards open-access publishing can leave students and researchers confused. Here, a group of research facilitators answer the most common questions about the new publication landscape – and sum up where we stand

Inma Peral, Maël Guennou

University of Luxembourg

An image representing the possible outcomes from REF: good, bad and mixed

The good, the bad and the way forward: how UK universities should respond to REF results

How should UK universities respond if their REF results are good, bad or offer a mixed picture? New pro vice-chancellor for research Heather Widdows shares her advice

Heather Widdows

University of Birmingham

Image showing co-authors working on a paper

Coordinating co-authors

Co-authoring with other researchers can result in more ambitious and exciting papers than solo endeavours but is also fraught with potential hiccups. Steven Bateman and Jie Zhang share advice on keeping collaborative work on track

Steven Bateman, Jie Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

We must consider the SDGs in local contexts and universities can help

We won’t get anywhere without placing the SDGs in local contexts

Applying the SDGs looks vastly different in a Western city from how it does in a rural Asian village. Su Li Chong explains how universities can help us get past a one-size-fits-all approach

Su Li Chong

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Tips and apps to encourage better interaction with students

Classting and Remind are two lesser-known apps that can aid communication with your class when used effectively

Gloria Anahí Molina Barrón , Dania Arriola Arteaga

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Mind the gap: how to write career breaks into your CV

What counts as a career break, and how much information is too much information? Emma Williams provides strategies for filling in any spaces in your academic work history

Emma Williams

EJW Solutions

Male student choosing a book in his university library

Using digital technology to get student affairs and faculty working together for better results

When student affairs staff and faculty work together, it results in better learning experiences for students. Amy Greenstein and Steven Goss explain how digital tools can be used to support such partnerships

Amy Greenstein, Steven Goss

Manhattan College, Northeastern University

Diversity statements in higher education can embed inequality more deeply

Diversity statements: the good, the bad and the ugly

Diversity statements can be created with good intentions but still manage to perpetuate inequality. Henrika McCoy and Madeline Lee detail what to look out for and suggested action

Henrika McCoy, Madeline Lee

University of Illinois Chicago, California State University San Marcos

Image showing a hand unlocking a door with a giant key to represent how a PhD can unlock students' potential

How humanities and social sciences PhD programmes can adapt to a challenging job landscape

Postgraduate studies in humanities and social sciences help graduates build skills that are applicable across multiple sectors and career paths. Ray Haberski Jr explains how to shape relevant and adaptable PhD programmes in these disciplines

Raymond Haberski Jr

Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

What to do when an academic journal rejects your article

Nobody likes negative feedback but rejection is not all bad. Here is how to see rejection of your article by a peer-reviewed journal as an opportunity

Catherine Léglu

University of Luxembourg

Image of a researcher examining a slide through a microscope

Don’t let the REF tail wag the academic dog

Institutions should resist the temptation to use the REF as a tool for competition and self-promotion and, instead, approach the results in ways that support sector-wide efforts to improve research culture

Marcus Munafò

The University of Bristol

Outside help for local communities can have unintended negative consequences

Is that overseas field trip you’re looking forward to really necessary?

However well-intentioned, outside interventions can have unintended consequences for local communities if carried out without rigorous research, says James Derounian

James Derounian

University of Bolton

Image depicting work to achieve net zero emissions

Tackling climate change requires university, government and industry collaboration – here’s how

Universities must work with government and industry to drive climate action. Anna Skarbek outlines key principles that should shape the approach

Anna Skarbek

Monash University, Climateworks Centre

Tips for writing a PhD dissertation: FAQs answered

From how to choose a topic to writing the abstract and managing work-life balance through the years it takes to complete a doctorate, here we collect expert advice to get you through the PhD writing process

Campus team

Campus

Image representing the role of edtech firms in higher education

Three tips for ‘unbundling’ an aspect of your university services

Building partnerships with ed-tech firms and other providers involves ‘unbundling’ elements of university services to share tasks among all parties. Dawn Gilmore and Chinh Nguyen offer three tips on how to do this successfully

Dawn Gilmore, Chinh Nguyen

RMIT University, Curio

Image showing a researcher writing in a notepad to illustrate advice on using poetry to analyse data

Creating poetry from data to aid analysis

Poetry can be used as a tool to re-analyse and present qualitative data through a new lens, as Sam Illingworth explains

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

Enhancing learning from digital, audio and video resources

Print textbooks have serious competitors from digital texts, podcasts, audiobooks and video. The medium – and how each is used – can affect how much students learn, as Naomi Baron explains

Naomi Baron

American University

A man walks past a colonial-era building in modern-day Malaysia

Can there ever be a neat history of colonialism?

People today seem to want their history to be linear and totalising, but it is only by addressing the messiness of the past that we can understand the present

Farish A. Noor  

University of Malaya

Image depicting plans for a multidisciplinary research centre

The challenges of creating a multidisciplinary research centre and how to overcome them

How to overcome the challenges of setting up a collaborative research centre designed to break down institutional silos and structures

Andrew Tobin, Laura Tyler

University of Glasgow

Using communities of practice to drive teaching innovation

In the lead-up to Digital Universities Week US, we asked four university leaders about the barriers, ambitions and faculty needs when it comes to supporting the adoption of digital teaching methods

Campus team

Campus

Is your education not supported? Incompatibility in tech is a big problem for universities

Is your teaching and learning ‘not supported’?

Are you Google or Microsoft? WhatsApp or Signal? The incompatibility driven by Big Tech obstructs research and teaching, so Europe’s mooted Digital Markets Act may be good news

Andy Farnell

Visiting professor

Image depicting a student sitting on top of a pile of books while working on a computer

Using ‘spaced learning’ to aid students’ retention of new information

Repeating information in chunks with breaks in between improves students’ ability to remember it. Stephen Braybrook explains how to translate this into the classroom

Stephen Braybrook

Brain Move

An image representing good conduct online

Digital citizenship: creating safe and inclusive online learning spaces

Digital citizenship, or the ability to use and connect via technology responsibly, is now a vital life skill that educators must foster among students. Vicki Madden explains how to start by creating respectful online environments

Victoria Madden

The University of Edinburgh

Don’t lose sight of learning outcomes in pursuit of digital innovation, counsels task force

Institutions should also think carefully about what is considered ‘innovative’

Campus team

Campus

Hand holding megaphone to signify academic freedom

Academics must resist the creeping degradation of academic freedom

Unless an academic is exceptionally bloody-minded, they will eventually take the path of least resistance, which is subtle erosion in action, says Arif Ahmed

Arif Ahmed

University of Cambridge

Block teaching: what it is, how to do it and why

With its short, intense courses, is block teaching the way to boost student success and engagement? John Weldon gives seven tips for switching to the block model and examples of what it offers university educators

John Weldon

Victoria University

A student playing the part of a teacher to represent the revolving roles pedagogy

Revolving roles: creating inclusive, engaging, participant-led learning activities

‘Revolving roles’ is a simple, adaptable method for designing learning activities that challenge and change conventional ‘leader’ and ‘participant’ responsibilities, embrace students’ diverse needs, and develop their unique attributes, as Pablo Dalby explains

Pablo Dalby

The University of East Anglia

Educational gag orders threaten the very fabric of US higher education

Educational gag orders could destroy the structure of higher education

Universities and programmes could lose their accreditation and students could lose their financial aid if governors continue signing these legislative restrictions

Jeremy C. Young

PEN America

Image depicting a student sitting on top of a pile of books while working on a computer

Personalised learning in higher education: laying the foundations

A more personalised approach to higher education provision should empower students to learn at their own pace in ways that suit their specific needs, as Chitisha Gunnoo explains

Chitisha Gunnoo

Middlesex University Mauritius

Group of people of various ages and nationalities lean in together

Belonging: why it is the next step on the equity, diversity and inclusion ladder

Belonging feels good, improves student retention rates and supports other EDI efforts. Joanna West offers six ways campuses can foster this intangible essential

Joanna West

University of Luxembourg

Everything you need to know about cyberattacks (but were afraid to ask)

From communication to recovery times, Patrick Bailey provides an insider’s guide to dealing with the havoc wrought by cyberattacks, based on first-hand experience

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University

Image depicting US interstate connections

Developing interstate course sharing to boost graduation rates

Expanding course sharing between higher education institutions in different US states would help students pursue more flexible learning pathways and transfer credits to complete their studies and secure a degree, as Jay Field explains

Jay Field

Quottly

Purpose-driven businesses are leading the way for universities

Universities must follow business and place ‘purpose’ front and centre

More and more businesses are shifting from the short-term myopia of financial self-interest to enduring, aspirational reasons to exist. Universities need to do the same

Victoria Hurth, Iain Stewart

University of Cambridge, University of Plymouth

The cruel optimism of research careers: how to support contract workers

The conversation needs to switch from academic careers being the responsibility of individual researchers to what employers can do to support those in precarious roles

Jess Harris, Simon Bailey, Mhorag Goff, Nerida Spina

The University of Newcastle, Australia, University of Kent, The University of Manchester, Queensland University of Technology

Image depicting a world vision emanating from the pages of a book

Using poetry to solve problems

Grappling with a problem? Try writing a poem about it to aid your subconscious in finding a solution. Sam Illingworth explains how

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

Naming students in online classes helps them connect and feel that their tutor is present

Naming students is even more crucial in online classes

Naming learners fosters a community in which the teacher is clearly all in and focused on individual members in the unique, shared space of the online classroom

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

In-person teaching now needs to be justified

If we applied the same critical lens to in-person learning as we once did to online, rationalising our need for the former, how much better could we make our teaching?

Stephen Dann

Australian National University

Image depicting ways to communicate effectively with students

Beyond the limits of the LMS: ways to communicate effectively with students

How to communicate with students in the online environment in effective and creative ways that go beyond relying on the learning management system, described by Kris Erskine

Kris Erskine

Athens State University

Lifelong learning needs a reboot to help professionals untangle their continuing education options

Lifelong learning needs a reboot – here’s how to do it

Instead of untangling a miscellany of education products, lifelong learners should find the structure and purpose of their degree continues into their professional life

Matt Riley

Blueprint Prep

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