Europe

It’s crucial for universities to bridge the ‘town and gown’ divide

James Derounian considers how universities act as good neighbours to their host communities and recommends a simple exercise to break free of the ivory towers

James Derounian

University of Bolton

Get started with virtual reality for learning and teaching

Free, accessible resources are readily available for educators who want to add virtual reality to their teaching tools. Start small, be realistic and persist, says Siân Shaw

Siân Shaw

Anglia Ruskin University

Should we be worried? An educators’ introduction to the metaverse

What is it and what might it mean for the future of education?

Paul Bailey

Jisc

Image showing multiple hands holding up CVs

How to write an academic CV: dos and don'ts

What key information to include on your academic CV and how to present it, alongside some common mistakes to avoid, by Eleanor Hennige

Eleanor Hennige

The University of Edinburgh

Which technology should we delete from universities?

Eliminating harmful digital technologies in universities: a guide

Modern institutions are rife with tech that disenfranchises, dehumanises, excludes and even bullies students and teachers. It’s high time for a rethink, says Andy Farnell

Andy Farnell

Visiting professor

Decolonising the curriculum through collaboration, partnership and dissemination

Tips on how to decolonise curricula through collaboration, partnership and dissemination, from four university educators

Multiple authors

University of Reading

Steps towards open research in higher ed

Open research is a tough nut to crack. Here’s how we can get started

Investment, training and incentives are required if the sector is going to rise to the challenge of truly embracing open research

Marcus Munafò, Neil Jacobs

The University of Bristol, UK Reproducibility Network (UKRN)

Why is digital transformation such a challenge for HE?

Size and legacy approaches are among the barriers universities face when it comes to using technology to improve teaching, learning and research. This six-point plan details what needs to happen

Heidi Fraser-Krauss

Jisc

How to change research cultures to support the well-being of PhD students

From providing mental health champions to simply having honest conversations about expectations and pressure, there’s much that can be done to help students

Imelda Bates

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

Image of a young woman working with school children

Community-engaged learning: a pedagogic approach to civic outreach

Sonia Kumar shares a guide to developing community-engaged learning projects that benefit the student participants and the communities where they work

Sonia Kumar

University of Leeds

My experience of speaking in front of a select committee

Nicola Searle shares lessons for academics on speaking in front of a parliamentary select committee, to provide insight on topics linked to your research

Nicola Searle

Goldsmiths, University of London, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Community projects for students can help with critical thinking

How community projects can promote students’ critical thinking skills

Embedding project-based learning and participatory research in degree courses can provide students with the critical-thinking skills that employers require

Tom Dobson

York St John University

Green gap years can be beneficial for students transitioning to university

Offering students a green gap year has multiple rewards

James Derounian makes the case for a gap year in which school-leavers can engage with university while tackling climate change and helping with community development

James Derounian

University of Bolton

Advice on teaching across different modes

The pros and cons of different teaching modes

The benefits and challenges associated with four key modes of instruction, on-campus, blended, hybrid and fully digital, alongside a framework for ‘e-tivities’, presented by Gilly Salmon

Gilly Salmon

Education Alchemists

A holistic approach to student support

Student support, particularly for care-leavers or estranged students, is vital throughout their university journey – from pre-application to beyond graduation. Here, Fran Hornsby and Rebecca Clark offer tips for demonstrating genuine care as you do it

Fran Hornsby, Rebecca Clark

University of York

Image showing a diverse group of staff in a circle

The 10 steps towards inclusivity in universities

Far more needs to be done to improve equity, diversity and inclusion within universities, writes Tetyana Krupiy as she lists 10 steps that can create more inclusive, supportive workplaces for all staff

Tetyana (Tanya) Krupiy

Newcastle University

Student happiness versus student satisfaction

Should we be aiming for student happiness or student satisfaction?

Happiness and satisfaction are two sides of the same coin, but crucial differences exist between them – and one serves our students far better, says Doug Specht

Doug Specht

University of Westminster

Peer mentoring to support staff well-being: lessons from a pilot

A peer mentoring scheme designed to support staff well-being is being piloted at Staffordshire University. Fiona Cust and Jessica Runacres share lessons on how the initiative has been developed

Fiona Cust, Jessica Runacres

University of Staffordshire

The power of gender-sensitive mentoring

Mentoring is a powerful tool to enhance job satisfaction and work-life balance. This guide aims to help mentors adopt a gender-sensitive approach to support women and people who identify as women in teaching-focused roles

Marion Coderch

Durham University

Bringing confusion into class can actually benefit students

Confusion diffusion: nine ways to prepare students to work with uncertainty

Jenny Moffett explores classroom techniques to help students meet the demands of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

A group of university staff in discussions

Action to improve diversity and inclusion for Black students and staff

Where should action to improve equity, diversity and inclusion within universities be focused in order to have a tangible impact? Christina Dzineku and Patrice Sewou explain

Christina Dzineku, Patrice Seuwou

Leeds Trinity University, University of Northampton

Decolonising learning through access to primary sources

Mathematicians have always looked at old problems in new ways. A database of original sources will give university-level mathematics students a global, historical view of their subject

June Barrow-Green , Brigitte Stenhouse

The Open University

Impostor syndrome is common in higher education

When am I going to be found out? Tackling academic impostor syndrome

Do you find yourself thinking ‘everyone knows more than I do’ or ‘I shouldn’t have got this promotion’? If so, Jo Clift has tips for challenging your impostor syndrome

Jo Clift

Jo Clift Consulting

When to use online laboratories for STEM teaching and why

A guide to help STEM educators understand which aspects of practical laboratory learning can most effectively be delivered online and the benefits of this approach

Helen Lockett

The Open University

Learned words: using poetry to reflect on practices in higher education

Poetry writing can aid reflection on your teaching and learning or research practices, offering a fresh way of organising thoughts, as Sam Illingworth explains

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

Top three teaching and learning tips for higher education

Good teachers need to be good learners

Patrick Bailey draws on four decades of university experience to identify the three things he thinks have the biggest impact on successful teaching and learning

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University

Writing and presenting reports for government: five dos and five don’ts

A guide for academics on the dos and don’ts of writing and presenting research reports designed to inform policymakers

Naresh Pandit

The University of East Anglia, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Knowledge and approaches needed for trauma-informed teaching

What steps can be taken to minimise trauma in the classroom? Marc Mason explains how it works and presents itself

Marc Mason

University of Westminster

Female student writing in the university library

Mini virtual writing retreats to support and connect tutees

A guide to organising mini virtual writing retreats each week to build a supportive scholarly community within a personal tutoring group

Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou

Manchester Metropolitan University

Five steps for engaging policymakers with research

Five steps for engaging policymakers with research

Five pointers to help researchers get policymakers interested in their work, based on a guide co-created by government and academics from the University of Leeds

Ben Walmsley

University of Leeds, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Supporting university students in recovery

Universities must acknowledge the value of students in recovery

University throws up many temptations, but if we offer the right support for addiction we are often rewarded with strong, tenacious students and staff

Simon Lee

University of Sunderland

Does the UK need an observatory for university engagement with policymakers?

Any such project would need to guard against numerous pitfalls, but the benefits in terms of bringing together various initiatives and engendering new skills could be great

Jonathan Breckon , Sarah Chaytor , Kayleigh Renberg-Fawcett

Capabilities in Academic Policy Engagement (CAPE), Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN), UCL

How to encourage women entrepreneurs at universities

How can we help academia produce more women entrepreneurs?

The key change required to help female academics found spin-out companies is rebalancing the gender diversity of the investment community, but universities have a part to play, too

Simonetta Manfredi

Oxford Brookes University

The secrets of supporting successful student start-ups

Guidance to how universities can support student entrepreneurship and successful business creation, shared by John Lonsdale

John Lonsdale

The University of Edinburgh

Creating innovative social media content

Lessons learned in creating and using innovative social media strategies

If we aspire to enabling better educational decision-making, marketers first have to understand how, when and where prospects make those decisions

Simon Pride

Arts University Bournemouth

Image of diverse groups forming supportive circles

How to train university staff to become anti-racist agents of change

Advice on supporting higher education professionals to become anti-racist agents of change, based on Adam Danquah’s experience doing so within his institution

Adam Danquah

The University of Manchester

Achieving PR impact for your university on a budget

How to achieve PR impact with little – or no – budget

With finances squeezed across the sector, building trust and engagement – as well as relationships with partners and journalists – is crucial for PR impact, explains Tanya Wood

Tanya Wood

King’s College London

Three adult students working at a shared desk

A guide to promoting equity in HE for refugees and asylum seekers

Steps that universities can take to help refugees and asylum seekers access and successfully progress through higher education

Yeşim Deveci, Claire Mock-Muñoz de Luna , Jess Oddy

University of East London

Knowledge transfer partnerships a guide to doing them well

Knowledge transfer partnerships: a guide to doing them well

Advice on running a successful knowledge transfer partnership, based on the experience of James Selfe and Jim Richards co-developing a portable rehabilitation device for sports injuries

James Selfe, Jim Richards

Manchester Metropolitan University, University of Central Lancashire

A digital boost to music teaching and performance

Drawing on an audiovisual project to create a virtual studio where researchers and students can test sound in multiple settings, from a cathedral to a cave, William Minty shares lessons on how to manage institution-wide tech developments

William Minty

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM)

Young men need to be involved in research if we're to close the attainment gap

Tips for involving young people in research in meaningful ways

To effect real transformation, research must be carried out with young people, who should be made aware of the key role they play and knowledge they bring to the process

Susan Morgan, Andrew Hamilton, Brian Murphy

Ulster University

Strategies for developing live student-client projects

Projects in which students work in a professional consulting capacity with “client” organisations can bring many benefits for all involved, but need careful set-up and support, as Lyvia Royd-Taylor explains

Lyvia Royd-Taylor

University of Brighton

Sprint to the finish: redesigning university programme validation

Sprint methodology can compress university-wide validation of academic programmes into an intense, hierarchy-free three-day process

Leanne de Main, Sarah Jones

De Montfort University, University of Gloucestershire

How to rethink university comms with student voice at the centre

Tactics for revamping your comms with students front and centre

How can you stay on top of the evolving student voice and ensure it’s at the heart of your communications? Kim Graakjaer shares her thoughts and some takeaway tips

Kim Graakjaer

The University of Manchester

Advice on effective communication for international collaborations

Clear communication as the key to international collaboration

The success of international research collaborations rests upon clear communication, writes Marian Brady as she offers advice on what this involves in practice

Marian Brady

Glasgow Caledonian University

A team of computer scientists in discussion

What is the secret to leading a successful knowledge transfer partnership?

Knowledge transfer partnerships between academics and businesses can result in innovative products and services. Tony Leslie offers 10 pointers on how to increase the likelihood of making these collaborations a success

Tony Leslie

University of the West of Scotland

Hands with 'hello' in many languages in speech bubbles

Welcome events make the transition to hybrid

A hybrid orientation programme can be immersive, flexible, interactive, engaging and fun. These tips offer a path to developing a blended online and on-campus programme that makes students feel they belong

Annabella Stover, Alicia Menendez Tarrazo, Rob Lowney

Dublin City University

Make a difference collaboration and participation in arts-led research

Make a difference: collaboration and participation in arts-led research

Artists can’t solve the world’s problems, but they are well placed to ask questions that enable ideas and creativity to emerge. And the local knowledge of communities holds a wealth of answers, writes Loraine Leeson

Loraine Leeson

Middlesex University

Image representing a global team working together

Helping doctoral students build international connections

PhD students’ learning and research can be greatly enhanced through international collaboration. A team from Imperial College London shares practical tips for supporting these cross-border links between doctoral students

Elena Forasacco, Laura Bulmer, Laura Lane

Imperial College London

Image of someone using a chatbot for advice

Digital first: how to use AI to enhance customer service in universities

Seven points to consider when introducing artificial intelligence to provide front-line customer service support at your institution, by Paul Mahoney

Paul Mahoney

University of Staffordshire

31 32 ...44