Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

The Center for 21st Century Universities (C21U) is Georgia Tech’s living laboratory for fundamental change in higher education. C21U works with campus administrators and faculty to identify, develop and test new educational platforms and techniques.

Triptych of scenes at Georgia Tech's Center for 21st Century Universities

students laughing in class

How to use humour to boost student understanding and foster creativity

Humour is a versatile teaching tool, explains Pete Ludovice. It’s fun, it makes the lecturer seem more approachable, helps make complex concepts relatable, shifts cognitive load, and encourages innovation in the classroom

Peter Ludovice

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Three latina students studying together

Making space for emotions in learning

The trick is to design courses so cognitive and affective learning balance each other in a way that promotes empathy and deeper understanding of the content, writes Carol Subiño Sullivan

Carol Subiño Sullivan

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

online protection

Five ways universities can protect faculty from online harassment

With more online engagement and interaction have come increased threats and attacks against faculty, staff and students. Here are measures institutions can take to raise awareness and provide support

Alexis Martinez

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Career adviser and student

Engaging students with careers resources early and often

Here’s how career centres can reach out to students before they’ve even set foot on campus, and why it matters for their future job search and development

Amaka Nwoko, Widalys Santiago, Davia Woulard

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Diverse group of students in discussion

Four ways to make support for student well-being comprehensive and inclusive

Student well-being is made up of a complex array of elements that include physical, spiritual and emotional wellness as well as mental health. In this video, Luoluo Hong reflects on four ways institutions can make an impact

Luoluo Hong

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Group of multiracial students

A whole-campus approach to boost belonging for student success

Joint efforts among faculty, staff and students themselves can support first-year and transfer scholars to feel included and engaged, write Lorett Swank and Catherine Thomas

Lorett Swank, Catherine Thomas

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

high school student watching remote mathematics lecture on laptop

How to make dual-enrolment programmes work

Dual enrolment can create student pipelines from high school to university, meet community education needs and improve retention and graduation rates. Here, Laura Brown Simmons breaks down the essential elements

Laura Brown Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Universities on Fire climate change podcast

THE podcast: the AI university is coming

AI expert Ashok Goel is back on the podcast to help us understand the implications of ChatGPT for higher education and what will happen next

Ashok Goel

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

origami swan, hummingbird, airplane

How to embrace change as a spectrum

In a complex, ever-evolving environment, faculty may need strategies to navigate their fluctuating comfort levels. Here are ways to lean into change – from reflection and curiosity to active participation

LaTrese Ferguson, Rachel Watts, Bryan Harber, Tim Edmonds-King

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

THE Campus webinar graphic

Campus webinar: Getting digital assessment right

A discussion of the strengths and limitations of digital assessment and how it can best be used in higher education

Christina Agvent , Letizia Gramaglia, James Lamb, Jonna Lee

Colorado State University Global , The University of Warwick, The University of Edinburgh, Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Illustration of man in suit hurdling ahead of robots

Effective assessment practices for a ChatGPT-enabled world

Assessment methods that require students to produce authentic, novel and personalised responses can help educators stay ahead of the uncertainty and workload that AI writers create

Jonna Lee

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

THE Campus webinar graphic

Campus webinar: University admissions: a flawed process?

University admissions experts from Campus+ institutions in the UK, US and Canada discuss where the system is falling short, how to make it fairer for all and how AI is impacting admissions

Rick Clark, Juan Espinoza, Norma Rodenburg, Dilshad Sheikh

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities, Virginia Tech, University of Alberta, Arden University

Group of four multi-racial people holding speech balloons

Small talk: love it or leave it, but teach it to your TAs

Casual conversation fosters a sense of belonging, but it’s not a universal skill. Sarah Kegley details a short workshop that helps international teaching assistants feel at ease making small talk

Sarah Kegley

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Young woman talking into a cell phone

What’s next for university admissions?

With the impact of AI on applications as yet unknown and affirmative action in the US at risk, Rick Clark speculates on the future of college admissions. His hope? That the student voice finds new ways to be heard

Rick Clark

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Woman researcher with pipette wearing protective glasses

How faculty support and entrepreneurial programmes can boost research commercialisation

Universities can support an invention as it moves from the lab to real-world impact through key focus areas such as protecting IP and networking, writes Audrey Calvird

Audrey Calvird

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A sliding scale from happy to unhappy

Questions for thinking about your career vitality

Vitality is at the opposite end of the motivation spectrum from burnout. Where do you sit? Here are 10 questions that university faculty can use to reflect on their experience

Rebecca Pope-Ruark

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Illustration of different aspects of university life

To improve the admission process, get faculty involved

Faculty collaboration with the undergraduate admission team can improve class participation, retention rates, course matches and funding yield – and help reduce misinformation about the process and decisions

Rick Clark

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Book with snowflakes

Cover diversions: what to read over the winter break

Who better to recommend winter reading than university library staff?

Georgia Tech library staff

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Academic integrity concept

Promoting academic integrity in a massive online master’s programme

Understanding why students cheat is key to preventing it. Not only that, but three key tips turn supporting integrity into an opportunity to foster culture rather than dish out punishment

David Joyner

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: is AI in higher education worth the hype?

We may be a long way from understanding exactly how higher education can harness AI and machine learning’s great potential safely, but this episode's guests say that continuing to test and explore it is the only way to make progress

Ashok Goel, John F. Wu

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities, Space Telescope Science Institute, Johns Hopkins University

THE Campus webinar graphic

Strategies for a holistic student experience

Pardis Mahdavi and Loulou Hong discuss the strategies they use to foster a culture of student wellbeing on campus.

Pardis Mahdavi, Luoluo Hong

University of Montana , Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Man playing mandolin

Why my hobbies make me a better scholar

Non-academic skills, both motor and cognitive, can enrich research capabilities in unexpected and often unexamined ways, writes Stephen W. Harmon

Stephen W. Harmon

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

smiley face on head cut-out in hands

In the loop: how formative feedback supports remote teaching

Weekly snapshots of how students see their own progress can help teachers adjust teaching methods in real time. An online tool piloted at Georgia Tech has helped fill a feedback loop lost during the pandemic

Jonna Lee , Meryem Yilmaz Soylu

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities