Europe

Mix technology and personal contact to support students

A sophisticated algorithm and a simple phone call have proved to be a formula for student retention. And it’s not stopping as the pandemic recedes, says Jonathan Powles

Jonathan Powles

University of the West of Scotland

Whole-task learning using real world simulations: a guide

A guide to creating and delivering a whole-task learning model using goal-based scenarios and hybrid simulation, by Michael Daly

Michael Daly

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Young woman holding digital impression of globe

Virtual mobility: a first step to creating global graduates

If universities are serious about creating global graduates, they must explore virtual opportunities to build confidence and enthusiasm for international travel, says Alex Regan

Alex Regan

Coventry University

Home labs and simulations to spark curiosity and exploration

Francesco Fornetti explains how home lab kits and simulation tools can help spark curiosity and exploration among engineering students

Francesco Fornetti

The University of Bristol

When refuge isn’t safe: uncovering real-life stories to shape policy

Human stories that feed into research can be a powerful tool for driving policy change but need careful and sensitive handling, as Lizzie Kirsch explains

Lizzie Kirsch

University of Birmingham, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

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

Universities are policing and surveilling international PGRs

Universities must stop policing and surveilling international PGRs

From controlling travel to failing to provide adequate support, universities’ treatment of international postgrads is harming the research community and the HE sector

Tina Sikka, Heather Proctor

Newcastle 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

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

A man standing browsing papers in a university library

Tips on providing free public access to your university library

A university library should provide a gateway into the institution for surrounding communities, explains Andrew Barker, as he shares advice on creating a ‘library community card’ that provides free and open access to the public

Andrew Barker

Lancaster 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

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

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

Image showing networking and peer support

Three cornerstones of a successful research career

Success in academia requires much more than topical expertise. Jackie Carter shares three vital areas of focus for building a research career

Jackie Carter

The University of Manchester

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

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

Lessons from students in how to adapt teaching to online learning

Embrace the student voice in order to develop and improve your online teaching with varied media and plenty of interactive elements to boost engagement and learning, says Nick Young

Nick Young

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Playful learning: how to get started

Incorporating play into your teaching promotes student engagement and participation, explains Giskin Day and offers tips on how to get started

Giskin Day, Marcus Pedersen

Imperial College London, UCL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Student diaries as a tool to improve the university experience

Do you really know what your students experience during their studies? It is more complex than many surveys suggest. Using student diaries may support deeper understanding to improve student experiences, as Dan Herbert explains

Dan Herbert

University of Birmingham

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

Gender-specific health issues need to be tackled in academia

Breaking barriers for women: closing the gender health gap in academia

In the final part of their ‘breaking barriers for women’ series, eight female academics propose ways to tackle the stigma and career deficits caused by women’s health issues

Nicola Hemmings , Ellie Harrison , Jo L. Fothergill

University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool

Illustration of person pulling a Covid-19 virus

Coping with long Covid: 10 strategies for academics

Long Covid would hit anyone hard, no matter their job – but academia’s culture of high stress, high workloads and high expectations makes the impact greater still. Here, Kerstin Sailer offers advice for scholars living with the condition’s often debilitating symptoms

Kerstin Sailer

UCL

Peer mentoring at university can make a difference to student confidence

As a black, female student, I wish I’d had a peer-mentoring scheme

Asking more experienced students to volunteer to help first-years navigate their university journey can make all the difference in terms of belonging and confidence

Bernadine Idowu

University of West London

Failure is crucial in academia, science and research

Failure can feel hot and shameful, but we must normalise it

Failure is essential in research, so we need to reframe it into an opportunity for learning, says Emma Williams

Emma Williams

EJW Solutions

Strengthen research capacity: how do we do it?

What does ‘strengthen research capacity’ actually mean, and how can we do it?

Leaders of research consortia face a difficult task in carrying out research and improving research capacity, but embedding a specialist team to make recommendations provides great gains

Imelda Bates , Justin Pulford , Lorelei Silvester

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

University-edtech collaboration: how to leverage the best of both worlds

Seven lessons for managing successful university-edtech collaborations that result in innovative new programmes, shared by Mònica Casabayó

Mònica Casabayó

Esade

Covid should have taught us that campus needs to be a treasured space

If we’re to tempt stay-away students back to the physical campus, we must recognise that place and places matter following disasters, say Gemma Ahearne and Treasa Kearney

Gemma Ahearne, Treasa Kearney

University of Liverpool

Bringing in alumni as guest tutors to teach and inspire students

Inviting alumni to contribute to a course can enrich the learning experience for current students. Ellie Devenish-Nelson and Sharron Ogle explain how

Ellie Devenish-Nelson , Sharron Ogle

The University of Edinburgh

How to negotiate the politics of mark agreement between tutors

James Derounian offers thoughts on how we can unravel the tangled and contested arena of mark negotiation between university tutors

James Derounian

University of Bolton

Dos and don’ts for dual teaching: support for lecturers in higher education

Dual teaching, when lecturers host a class with students attending in person and via a screen, requires careful planning to work well. Miriam Firth shares dos and don’ts based on first-hand experience

Miriam Firth

The University of Manchester

Information overload for new university student

Five tips for showing compassion towards and supporting new students

The step up from secondary to tertiary education can be daunting. Katherine Mansfield explains how to arm your students with the knowledge they need to succeed

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Woman taking part in an online teaching workshop

The practicalities of delivering a multi-institutional online workshop

Lessons from planning and delivering a multi-institutional online workshop for university teachers designed to find solutions to common educational challenges

Kelly Edmunds , Richard Bowater

The University of East Anglia

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