Europe

We must help our students make this a ‘summer of self-love’

It would be wise to keep an eye on our students over the coming months, as the period after lockdown typically brings intense emotional responses, says Bertus Jeronimus

Bertus Jeronimus

University of Groningen

Pushing boundaries and having fun can be crucial ways to rediscover the joys of teaching in universities

Want to be a better teacher? My daughter showed me we need to play more

Testing silly ideas and pushing boundaries are crucial − and liberating − but universities must provide digital spaces where we can do so freely, says Andy Farnell

Andy Farnell

Visiting professor

Traditional universities have often been too slow on the digital uptake

Choppy digital waters lie ahead for many storied institutions

Traditional universities are too often led by the interests of lecturers rather than the employment needs of students or recruitment needs of businesses, says Dilshad Sheikh

Dilshad Sheikh

Arden University

Advice on developing an educational app to link students learning to the world around them

Developing an educational app to engage students in the world around them

Niki Vermeulen and Kate Bowell describe a creative approach to place-based learning involving an app that offers educational walking tours linking students’ studies to the world around them

Kate Bowell, Niki Vermeulen

The University of Edinburgh

Three tips for making instructional videos that support better student engagement

Three video techniques for increasing student engagement

Joe Arton shares three evidence-based techniques for creating teaching and learning videos that will improve student engagement and learning outcomes

Joe Arton

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on getting students involved in community projects which boost their learning experience in creative and practical ways

Creative ways to boost student learning through community-based projects

Jamie Darwen explains how community projects offer creative and practical ways to enhance student learning and shares advice on building successful partnerships outside the university

Jamie Darwen

University of the West of England Bristol

Advice on facilitating peer support among students in large online lectures

Embedding peer support among students in large online lectures

David Quinn explains how strategies that work in person to facilitate active participation and peer support among students can be adapted to large online lectures

David Quinn

The University of Edinburgh

Global education. Utilising the capabilities of online and blended learning could make education more accessible for people all over the world

Blended learning should be embraced for the benefit of all

By using online capabilities, higher education could be transformed from a privilege into a basic human right for anyone who wants it, says Sir Tim O’Shea

Tim O'Shea

Kortext

Why getting students' names right is important to creating an inclusive learning environment

Pronouncing students’ names correctly: the whys and hows

Xin Xu, Natasha Robinson and Niall Winters explain why correctly articulating students’ names is so important to an inclusive learning environment, and provide practical tips for pronouncing Chinese names

Xin Xu, Natasha Robinson, Niall Winters

University of Oxford

Advice on successfully scaling up student support services

Scaling up student support services

Suzanne Mitchell advises on how to scale up student support services, using technology that provides multiple communications channels and early warning systems to assist specialist staff teams

Suzanne Mitchell

Arden University

A student asleep on his laptop. Just because someone has logged into a class does not mean they have engaged with that class.

We shouldn’t confuse online engagement with logging in

When assessing the all-important ‘engagement’ metric, the sector often defaults to the crude measurement of attendance − which is clearly flawed, says Chris Headleand

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

Why and how to introduce random error into virtual experiments

Striving for imperfection: introducing randomness into virtual experiments

Rachel Martins explains how she introduced random error into her lab simulations when teaching online physics, to better replicate real-world experiments for her students

Rachel Martins

Leeds International Study Centre

Advice on selecting the right ed-tech tools to support your teaching and learning

Enabling staff-student co-creation of experiential learning at scale

Simon Riley and Gavin McCabe share a reflective learning and assessment framework for staff and students to co-create experiential learning that is scalable and effective

Simon Riley, Gavin McCabe

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on teaching large classes to try and keep all students actively engaged in learning

Teaching at scale: reaching all your students in large classes

Heather McQueen explains how lecturers can fulfil their responsibility to facilitate learning for all students, particularly in large classes where individual student contact is minimal

Heather McQueen

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on creating accessible inclusive reading lists for students

How to develop inclusive reading lists for distance and blended learning

Jude Wilson offers advice on how academics can work with their university library teams to ensure course reading lists are accessible and inclusive for all students

Jude Wilson

Arden University

Advice on creating virtual fieldtrips to complement in-person teaching

Playing the field: how virtual field trips can benefit student learning now and in future

Theresa Mercer and colleagues explain how to develop virtual field trips that support in-person learning, boost accessibility and help future-proof teaching against unforeseen challenges

Theresa Mercer

University of Lincoln

Advice on using the VLE tools to monitor student engagement online and focus support efforts

Monitoring student engagement via online teaching tools

Maurice Kinsella and colleagues offer practical advice on using the virtual learning environment (VLE) tools to monitor student engagement and focus support efforts where they are needed

Maurice Kinsella, Niamh Nestor, John Wyatt

University College Dublin

Is it possible to grapple with big questions in a virtual environment?

Is it possible to think big thoughts virtually?

When discussing complex problems online, without the ability to read the room, the focus often shifts to what can be achieved rather than taking risks, says Donna Murray

Donna Murray

The University of Edinburgh

Whitehall sign. The government needs to step up in the battle for student retention

Government needs to step up in the student retention battle

The higher education sector needs the resources to get better at spotting students at risk of falling behind or dropping out altogether, says John Couperthwaite

John Couperthwaite

Echo360

Collaborating with employers on courses to train work ready graduates

Collaborating with employers to create work-ready graduates

Paula Reilly explains how universities can work with employers and students to shape curricula and courses that better prepare graduates for the future workplace

Paula Reilly

Arden University

Newspaper front covers. The media should work with universities to ease the burden of an already-difficult new academic year

It’s time for the media to work with universities, not against us

The next school year is going to be challenging enough as it is without the skewed and absolutist coverage we’ve seen in the media lately, says Harriet Dunbar-Morris

Harriet Dunbar-Morris

The University of Portsmouth

Advice on designing higher education to make the most out of in-person teaching alongside online instruction

Five shifts to consider for building a better learning environment

Kyriaki Papageorgiou outlines shifts in higher education that should help academics in designing more effective teaching and in recognising what areas need in-person instruction and what can be done online

Kyriaki Papageorgiou

Esade

Advice on developing a strategy for effective civic engagement

How universities can ensure they have a positive impact on local communities

Jane Robinson offers advice on developing effective ‘civic engagement’ strategies to ensure universities have a positive long-term impact on local communities

Jane Robinson

Newcastle University

Step by step advice on embedding public engagement into university research and teaching

How to embed public engagement into your teaching and research activities

Carenza Lewis shares a step-by-step guide for embedding public engagement into your institution’s research and teaching

Carenza Lewis

University of Lincoln

Community outreach can be even better when carried out online

Don’t be fooled – community outreach can be even better online

Covid and the move online made audiences even larger for our student-led social media workshops aimed at local businesses, say Dennis Olsen and Kristin Brewe

Dennis Olsen, Kristin Brewe

University of West London

Advice on leading ambitious university civic engagement projects

Making large-scale civic engagement projects a reality

Matthew Andrews offers advice on how universities should approach ambitious large-scale civic engagement projects to bring plans to fruition

Matthew Andrews

University of Gloucestershire

Advice on implementing rapid response public engagement projects

Three steps to successful rapid-response civic engagement with students

Kathleen Riach outlines key lessons from successfully leading a rapid-response civic engagement project with students to help over 50s gain better digital access

Kathleen Riach

University of Glasgow

Three things to consider ahead of returning to campus

Three things to think about when returning to campus

Emily Walker puts forward three key considerations to help staff mentally prepare themselves for returning to a campus that may have a very different look and feel

Emily Walker

Liverpool John Moores University

Road sign for the north and south of the UK. Regional accent differences can be even harder to familiarise oneself with when being taught online

Dead rank? Non-native speakers losing out on local dialects online

Let’s face it, the virtual classroom isn’t the best environment for international students to get to grips with linguistic diversity, says Andrew Mackenzie

Andrew Mackenzie

British Council

Advice on shaping research around community needs

Directing research to engage and support local communities

How can academics shape their research around key community needs and encourage participation from multidisciplinary faculty, students and local people? Helen Szoor-McElhinney and colleagues offer insight

Helen Szoor-McElhinney, Alette Willis, Liam Gilchrist

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on creating an online course from an instructional designer

Instructional design advice: how to translate your academic knowledge into an effective online course

Instructional designer Marcello Crolla talks through the basics of how to create effective, engaging online courses

Marcello Crolla

The University of Edinburgh

Not all broadband access is created equal and universities must take their student demographics into account when deciding on levels of online teaching

Don’t forget that not all internet access is created equal

Broadband quality, and thus suitability for online tuition, varies greatly depending on where students come from, say Darragh Flannery, Dónal Palcic and John Cullinan

Darragh Flannery, Donal Palcic, John Cullinan

University of Limerick, National University of Ireland Galway

Using university physical and digital spaces to better engage local communities

Open to all? Using our physical and digital spaces to better engage local communities

Richard Calvert explores what role universities’ physical spaces should play in civic engagement and how digital technologies can support this

Richard Calvert

Sheffield Hallam University

Webinar discussion how to reduce student drop out rates in the context of the pandemic and online learning

Campus webinar: Innovative teaching

As we emerge from the pandemic, what innovations in online teaching have come about in the last year? Four experts in digital and teaching innovation from the UK and US discuss effective ways of teaching that harness new technological tools

Sarah Dyer, Dale Johnson, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme, Ian Turner

The University of Exeter, Arizona State University, The Open University, University of Derby

Advice on overcoming barriers to accessibility and inclusivity in digital learning

Overcoming barriers to accessible and inclusive digital learning

Tim Coughlan offers three key strategies that help to make digital learning more accessible and inclusive, each relating to technology, study support and pedagogy

Tim Coughlan

The Open University

A stressed student prepares for an online exam. Assessment online brings a new set of problems for academics to be aware of

Are online exams better for student mental health?

Traditional exams under tightly invigilated conditions are highly stressful for students, but online alternatives bring their own issues, says Michael Priestley

Michael Priestley

Durham University

Text and computer code. We should stop fetishizing high-tech teaching and realise that reading is an optimal means of learning

The joy of text in a world of tech zealotry

Why do we fetishise high-tech teaching while denigrating reading as a second-rate learning style? asks Andy Farnell

Andy Farnell

Campus

Advice on designing online postgraduate courses that intersect the academic and professional worlds

Designing postgraduate education as a means of sharing and developing academic and professional knowledge

Gill Aitken and Tim Fawns explain how to design online postgraduate courses that operate at the boundaries of the academic and professional worlds

Gill Aitken, Tim Fawns

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on using design thinking to engage students in developing real world solutions to sustainability challenges

It’s a game changer: using design thinking to find solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals

Rachel Bickerdike explains how using design thinking to find solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals can open up a new world of social entrepreneurship for students

Rachel Bickerdike

Durham University

Preacher man. Academics need to drop the holier-than-thou attitude and sees themselves in their students when it comes to cheating

Professors, stop pretending that you never cheat

Academics should drop the holier-than-thou attitude and look at cheating from a student’s perspective if we want to understand and eradicate it, says Hamish Binns

Hamish Binns

Saint Louis University

Proactive steps educators should take to better engage students in online learning

It’s not you, it’s me: taking responsibility for student engagement and interaction

Maia Forrester and Ian Lee share lessons in boosting student engagement and interaction when teaching online, based on their experience training medical educators

Maia Forrester, Ian Lee

The University of Edinburgh

A student studies at home in bed. Universities must make their moves towards blended learning open and easy to follow.

How do we rescue the reputation of blended learning?

To convince students and stakeholders that blended learning is worth the full tuition fee, we need to tell them exactly how it will work, says Russell Crawford

Russell Crawford

Falmouth University

Advice on how faculty should be mindful of their attitudes in order to ensure better outcomes or reaction to challenges

How resetting motivations can help faculty achieve better teaching and well-being during challenging times

Faculty members’ personal motivations impacted their attitudes towards meeting the challenges of the pandemic, and in turn, their well-being and teaching quality, research suggests

Martin Daumiller, Raven Rinas, Julia Hein, Stefan Janke, Oliver Dickhäuser, Markus Dresel

University of Augsburg, University of Mannheim

Time pressure. Many in academia are putting in huge numbers of hours that are not rewarded or even recognised

Recognition of academia’s ‘invisible labour’ is long overdue

We must ensure that academic citizenship becomes a key part of our job descriptions, on par with teaching, research and management, say Shari Boodts and Fleur Jongepier

Shari Boodts, Fleur Jongepier

Radboud University

Using self-determination theory to design online courses that boost student motivation

Boosting student motivation through course design

Maurice Kinsella and Niamh Nestor explain how to use self-determination theory as a guide to boost student motivation through careful online course design

Maurice Kinsella, Niamh Nestor, John Wyatt

University College Dublin

Will the shift to hybrid learning signal the end of the sage on the stage?

Moving online could signal the death of pedagogy

Shifting to andragogical learning models is the ideal way to prepare students for independent study, research and the world of work, says Steve Davies

Steve Davies

University of South Wales

Advice for teaching students across Eastern and Western cultural boundaries

When East meets West: improving student engagement in culturally diverse classrooms

TJ Moore offers simple steps that support student engagement across Eastern and Western cultural boundaries, for lecturers teaching at home or overseas

TJ Moore

The University of Edinburgh

Webinar discussion how to reduce student drop out rates in the context of the pandemic and online learning

Harnessing technology to support graduate employability

Academics and graduate recruitment experts discuss how digital education can best be used to support students in gaining the skills they will need in the future workplace

Andy Coxall, Stephen Isherwood, Chris Moule, Paul Marshall, Riddi Viswanathan

Common Purpose Student Experiences, The Institute of Student Employers, Robert Gordon University, University of East London , Generation Purple

Examples of online activities and tools that encourage collaborative learning

Engaging students in collaborative learning tasks online

Diana Laurillard presents ideas and tools for students to create their own digital products as part of a collaborative learning task

Diana Laurillard

UCL

Webinar discussion how to reduce student drop out rates in the context of the pandemic and online learning

Five big questions about the future of digital education

Four leading academics tackle five questions about online education covering assessment, content creation, data protection, digital natives and the future of universities

Ellie Dommett, Rob Freathy, Allison Littlejohn, Tim O'Shea

King’s College London, The University of Exeter, UCL, Kortext

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