How to advance collaboration across higher education

Collaboration may be a much-mooted aspiration, but to succeed in higher education, a competitive streak is necessary. Whether it’s a fight for research funding, publication, tenure or, for students, to gain a first-class degree, the desire to be top of the class is built into the system. Not to mention that many aspects of academia – writing, reflection, lecturing and much research – are considered solitary pursuits. 

Yet higher education achieves its greatest feats when it is collaborative. International research collaborations enable bigger, more complex challenges to be addressed; interactions between universities and industry result in ground-breaking new products and companies, and educators and students crafting curricula together boosts student engagement and agency.

What lofty ideas about collaboration often overlook are the practicalities of how to make it work. Rather than assuming collaboration will happen when disparate teams are brought together, Campus authors argue that good collaboration rests on specific skills that can be honed. 

This collection looks at collaboration from many angles. In research, how to develop the necessary skills, create inclusive research cultures and work with international partners. In teaching, how to embed teamwork in the classroom and make educating a collaborative practice with students and fellow staff. On an institutional level, find out how partnerships between teams and also those that extend beyond the university walls benefit everyone. 

Research collaboration

The skills and tools that support effective research collaboration

To collaborate well, researchers have to rely on more than the good intentions of everyone involved. They must consider what working together will involve and how different roles will take shape in a new research collaboration. Plan ahead, structure discussions and keep communication consistent, Campus contributors advise. 

Collaboration is a skill – here’s how to master it: With practical tools, early career researchers can build productive partnerships that advance their work and withstand the pressures of shrinking budgets and shifting priorities. Rodrigo Pena of Florida Atlantic University offers advice.

Intent: the key to effective and efficient interdisciplinary collaboration: How to make your collaborative projects run smoothly? Plan for it, writes Alina Zare of the University of Florida.

Academic collaboration isn’t automatic – here’s how to make it work: Effective collaboration in research and teaching practice requires more than goodwill. It depends on clear goals, shared contributions, project management, cultural awareness and space to raise concerns. Jonna Lee of Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities shows how.

How to develop collaborative research cultures

Universities’ research cultures will be judged as a part of the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2029. Find out why interdisciplinarity may be the answer to proving your research team is robust, ethical and inclusive. Collaborative cultures can be built online, too, and extend beyond the academic bubble to technical staff, as described below. 

Interdisciplinary research cultures are inclusive, not competitive: Research that crosses disciplines strengthens networks, diversifies expertise and moves thinking beyond inherited boundaries, but effective interdisciplinarity takes time, curiosity and willingness to tackle cultural and structural obstacles. The University of Southampton’s Valentina Cardo, Claire Clarkin and Ingrid Slade outline how to get started.

How LinkedIn helped me create research collaborations: LinkedIn can help researchers build international collaborations, but only when it is treated as a professional community, not just a digital CV. Follow these tips to grow your profile from Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)’s Julian C. Pena-Bermudez.

Build bridges between disciplines to foster interdisciplinarity: Mayer Cabrera-Flores of CETYS Universidad offers five practical steps to build sustainable interdisciplinary collaboration, informed by first-hand experience of setting up an interdisciplinary research institute. 

What established academics can learn from technical staff: University research runs on the expertise of technicians, research software engineers, data stewards and core‑facility specialists. Treat them as strategic partners and your group’s quality, speed and compliance will improve, writes Ian D. Williams of the University of Southampton.

The secrets of successful international research collaborations

The complex global challenges we face – climate change, inequality, disease – need global solutions. International collaborations are increasing, with 67 per cent of the UK’s papers including international co-authors in 2022, up from 37 per cent in 2012 – and the United States going from 23 per cent to 40 per cent in the same period. Find out how to handle communication across time zones, how to bring a team together on project aims from opposite sides of the world, and how a mix of global perspectives can be a strength. 

Juggling competing priorities in research collaborations: Bringing together cross-disciplinary research teams, government and industry on a single project will need strategic management from the beginning. Xiao-Lin Zhao and Chien-Ming Wang of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University outline how. 

The dos and don’ts of developing an international network in higher education: International collaborations sound impressive on paper – but most fail to move beyond initial enthusiasm and a signed memorandum of understanding. The University of Leicester’s Jeremy Howick shares lessons from building a global network focused on empathy in healthcare.

Collaboration in teaching and learning

Classroom activities to help students develop collaborative skills

Do not assume students know how to effectively collaborate before embarking on group work, our contributors warn. Instead, embed the skill of working together into project work. Avoid students’ tendency to “divide and write”, by intentionally outlining the project’s purpose, roles and communication styles from the start. Here’s how. 

Making group work work: how to enable successful student collaboration: How can we help students collaborate without weighing down staff with extra admin? First-year interdisciplinary research projects could be the answer, according to Jillian Terry of the London School of Economics and Political Science.

A ‘smart’ way to get students working together: Reduce the tendency to “divide and write” with XJTLU’s Ya Zhang and Shuhao Zhang’s five-step process that draws on individual strengths, promotes constructive communication and ensures equal participation.

Five ways to turn students from spectators into collaborators: Find out practical tips from Rafael Núñez of Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE) for transforming traditional assignments, research projects and graduate theses into opportunities to connect students with real-world stakeholders.

The art of co-creation: coming together with students to develop their education

Coming together with students to co-create their education can be transformative by giving them ownership over their learning, yet it can be difficult to put theory into practice. Here’s how small changes can reap benefits and how GenAI can help.

What co-creation taught us about solving university problems together: Small changes to communication can help students, faculty and graduates engage with each other on the issues affecting higher education today, writes Kawtar Abouhazim of Al Akhawayn University.

How GenAI can amplify co-creation in higher education: How to make AI-supported co-creation work while ensuring empathy remains at the heart of the process, with advice from the University of Warwick’s Bo Kelestyn and Jess Humphreys, and Dmytro Chumachenko of Kharkiv Aviation Institute.

Practicalities of co-creation: how to truly engage the student voice: When educators share the design and implementation of course material and assessment rubrics, they give students a stake in their own and their peers’ learning, argues Shuhui Yin of Macau University of Science and Technology.

Teaching as a collaborative practice

As we move away from the dominance of “sage on the stage” lectures, teaching is becoming less of a solitary calling, and support from fellow teachers and course designers can help you develop your curricula, deal with student encounters and find new ways to impart knowledge. 

Find the courage to teach collaboratively: Teaching has never been a solitary endeavour, but it can be lonely. Here’s how to nurture collaborations with your fellow educators that will help everyone grow, as Mark Young and Melissa Jane Megan of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology did. 

Two heads are better than one: a practical guide to co-teaching: Co-teaching can benefit not only students and academics, but administrative staff as well. Here, Nazarbayev University’s Dinara Pisareva and Andrei Semenov explain how to find a compatible partner, plan and navigate when educators’ approaches diverge.

Get yourself a teaching buddy to help you thrive: Rather than struggle through classroom-based problems alone, we should recruit meaningful support by seeking out a colleague to discuss our teaching, says Flower Darby of the University of Missouri.

The five levels of learning designer support: Learning designers and academics may have different expectations when it comes to collaborating on course design. Daniel Searson of Adelaide University shows how a five-point scale can help.

Institutional collaboration

Partnerships that reach beyond the university 

On an institutional level, universities can wield great influence when partnering with industry and government. Read about how to build long-term relationships with local communities, how to uphold academic rigour and how to weave a governmental strand into already-established industry partnerships to enrich students’ learning. 

Four steps to design the perfect business school alliance: Alliances offer business schools a resilient way to expand their global reach. Marion Debruyne of Vlerick Business School demonstrates that by clarifying purpose, building governance structures and defining measurable outputs, leadership teams can turn collaboration into a strategic tool.

Build lasting partnerships with industry, from the ground up: A strong university-industry partnership can transform local communities, building confidence, skills and opportunities. Simay Sali Sevik of the University of Westminster offers four strategies to help those connections thrive.

How to lead industry-focused research without losing academic rigour: Working with industry can increase research impact, but many academics worry about protecting quality and rigour. Here, Glasgow Caledonian University’s Firdous Nazir shares practical lessons on how to collaborate effectively on applied research without compromising academic standards.

Three steps to sustainable university-industry-government alliances: Qiong Ji and Junsong Chen of Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University offer a framework for building robust partnerships that embed real-world experience into the curriculum, moving from single-course innovation to full programme transformation.

Collaboration is a quiet evolution for bold impact: How can universities drive global progress through creative collaboration with private sector partners? Brandy Salmon of Virginia Tech shares lessons for university leaders.

Tips for teaming up across your institution

Within campus walls, find out how to create connections with professional services staff. Up to 40 per cent of total university staff in the UK, and a reported 51 per cent in the US, are made up of non-academics. Here’s how to get the most from their expertise.

Across the divide: reimagining faculty-staff collaboration in higher education: Academic units do best when they harness different viewpoints – from field scientists and curriculum designers to extension professionals – to drive innovation and relevance. Saskia van de Gevel of Virginia Tech offers proactive advice.

Building bridges between academics and professional services: Foteini Springou of the University of York provides five strategic tactics for a seamless collaboration between academics and professional staff in pursuit of a learner-centred education.

Thank you to all Campus contributors who shared their expertise in this guide.

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