Feature article

Illustration of man climbing a mountain of books

What does it mean to ‘make it’ in academia?

The arrival fallacy can eat into scholars’ sense of achievement, reducing milestones to prerequisites for the next step. Here, Rachel Hagan shares ways to redefine success and acknowledge even quiet wins

Rachel Hagan

Liverpool John Moores University

A student slumps over a pile of paperwork

Do students need accommodations for their accommodations?

Students with disabilities need accommodations so they can focus on learning. But when accessing those accommodations requires skills they don’t have, is the system really working?

Riley Pizza, Sara Brownell

Arizona State University

Students working at their laptops in a university classroom

‘Flow’ – not activities – makes experiential learning stick

What happens when we stop stacking activities and start designing experiences? Here are three ways to make experiential learning more intuitive and impactful

Irina Gokh

De Montfort University

Beat GenAI ‘stranger danger’ with staff training

Higher education staff are apprehensive about the new stranger in the room: GenAI. But personalisation and staff development can help alleviate anxiety

Katie Steen

WorkSmart-AI

Black leadership programmes support wider efforts to close HE attainment

Alongside other institutional initiatives, targeted programmes co-created by Black heritage students can improve academic outcomes and the overall student experience, says Faylisha Scott

Faylisha Scott

Nottingham Trent University

Young male and female high school students in a chemistry lab

Why investment earlier in the pipeline would strengthen diversity in STEM

Persistent inequities in uptake of science, engineering, technology and mathematics begin before college. Drawing on evidence from K-12 talent development programmes, Keisha Simmons offers practical guidance to strengthen the STEM pipeline

Keisha Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Boosting gender diversity in male-dominated STEM disciplines

How to address gender disparity in STEM, when so many disciplines are overwhelmingly male-dominated? Here’s how to work towards equality

Rick Cooper

Birkbeck, University of London

Publishing as connection: lessons from developing a university press

By listening to researchers, staying flexible, embracing criticism and collaborating widely, those developing an institutional publishing ecosystem can reflect the values of the communities they serve

Emily Carter

University of Southampton

A group of students in a classroom working on a live brief

From buzzwords to business plans: making the SDGs matter to students

How to help students apply SDG thinking in practical, business-focused ways using local case studies, live briefs, internships and feedback

Robyn Griffiths

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

How to help women thrive in STEM study and beyond

Women must be supported at both the student and staff levels to pursue rewarding careers in STEM, during their degrees as well as in the workforce

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Teach students to think like researchers

Expanding undergraduate research benefits not only the institution, but the students too. Here’s how to embed a research mindset in your undergraduate cohort

Salah Al-Majeed

Al Akhawayn University

Asian man with glasses looking at screen

From mind to market: how young academics can approach research commercialisation

Translating research to real-world impact can be daunting for early career researchers. Here, Tiam Lin Sze offers a road map and why early protection of intellectual property is vital, especially before publication

Tiam Lin Sze

Singapore Management University

Why GenAI helps some students but not others (and what to do about it)

GenAI can boost learning on average, according to research – but individual outcomes vary widely. Here’s how to help every student benefit

Oguz A. Acar

King’s College London

A young family walking through a university building

Stop excluding carers! Eight ways to create an inclusive research culture

Low-cost, practical fixes can build a ‘care aware’ research culture and reduce the mental health strain of combining care and scholarship

Mingzhi Li, Cagla Karatepe, Yanyan Li, Xinran Gao

The University of Warwick

Not just good intentions: how university staff can support genuine racial justice

Practical steps can support racial-minority students, call out bias and make campuses safer at a time when racism in Australian universities is more real than ever, writes Aaron Teo

Aaron Teo

The University of Southern Queensland

What the Baftas incident teaches us about psychological safety in universities

How universities can take a proactive, compassionate approach to psychological safety that supports all students

Nicola Martin

London South Bank University

Young female engineer and older male colleague in a factory

Bridging the academic-commercial divide: a practical guide for university researchers

Industry collaborations demand thoughtful planning and engagement that extend beyond the bench in order to achieve the real-world impact that universities and researchers hope their discoveries will generate. Here are key considerations

Mary Albertson, Kashmira Kulkarni

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A pedagogy of grief: dealing with loss in higher education

What happens when a university educator is grieving a loved one? Here’s how collective loss can shape an institution

Rachelle McKay

Dalhousie University

From library to dance floor: how I created an academic Eurotrance album

Academics can use AI-enabled music platforms to transform complex research into their own singles or albums reaching thousands of listeners. Andrew Hudson-Smith explains how

Andrew Hudson-Smith

UCL

Two female students looking at a flash card

Packed with ethics: using flash cards to spark connection

Ethics is a fundamental skill in accounting, but it is difficult to teach in a way that gives students confidence to use and test frameworks. Here, Catriona Hyde explains how simple flash cards can create curiosity and connection in the classroom

Catriona Hyde

University of Leicester

A woman in a lab coat testing samples in a lab

Inspire the next generation of bioengineering lab technicians

STEM outreach workshops can encourage school students to pursue careers as laboratory research scientists. Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso offers advice on creating memorable and engaging experiences

Nana Asante Asamoah-Danso

Imperial College London

‘Your bot of choice is not a filing cabinet’

With GenAI taking a larger role in research and education, Sorin Krammer looks at the data management habits academics can no longer ignore

Sorin M. S. Krammer

University of Southampton

Be the warrior students want to see at the front of their class

What do your students want from their university educators? Nail these ingredients and effective teaching will follow

David Kirby

Florida State University

Who are we when we teach? Why ESOL educators need space to explore identity

A workshop delved into language teacher identity and how reflecting on it can make English for speakers of other languages sessions more inclusive. Here’s how

Paula Barrowcliffe

University of the West of Scotland

Students huddling between aisles in a library

What happens when we reframe accessibility as belonging?

When we treat accessibility as a core design principle, it strengthens learning for all students and supports staff in creating learning environments where difference is expected rather than managed, writes Angela Fitzgerald

Angela Fitzgerald

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Why turn your thesis into a book?

Publishing a book can boost your profile as a researcher, improve your h-index and increase your competitiveness on the job market. Here, Jessica Gildersleeve walks through the steps from thesis to book

Jessica Gildersleeve

The University of Southern Queensland

The five emotional types of learners on online courses

Online learning is still growing. But to offer personalised support, educators need to understand their students’ emotional type. Find out more here

Panu Erästö

Aalto University School of Business

A professor holding a document in a library

AI governance is a duty of care, not a branding exercise

If governance becomes practical, proportionate and iterative, universities can foster exactly what they claim to value: responsible, creative experimentation, writes Garth Elzerman

Garth Elzerman

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

The path from ‘eureka’ to patent

Early action matters when it comes to protecting and commercialising university innovations. This step-by-step technology transfer process bridges the gap between lab discoveries and real-world impact

Dana Vouglitois

Florida Atlantic University

Two researchers make notes while working

Three ways for universities to collaborate with industry

Find advice on knowledge transfer and working with outside companies to help students gain experience, leverage existing research infrastructure and build solid partnerships

Julian C. Pena-Bermudez

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

When should universities speak up – or shut up?

A principled default of reticence, paired with clear criteria for instances when speaking out, is essential and offers a credible and sustainable path for universities, says Steven G. Poskanzer

Steven G. Poskanzer

Carleton College

Group of professionals seated talking at a networking event

How female academics can turn network awareness into advancement

The ability to map, navigate and capitalise on professional connections – and disconnections – is not gender neutral, as Eric Quintane explains

Eric Quintane

ESMT Berlin

AI won’t replace qualitative researchers – it might help them

Large language models may not simply replicate human analyses of qualitative data; they can offer additional insights and both challenge researchers' assumptions and prompt further reflection on their interpretations

Dimitris Raidos, Sarah Jenner

Ipsos UK, University of Southampton

A university educators’ guide to universal design for learning

What is universal design for learning, what benefits does it offer students and how can you implement it in your classroom? Find out all you need to know

Gustavo Espinoza Ramos , Marta Dermaku Hajdini , Noor Ghumran

University of Westminster

A group of students interacting happily around a laptop

‘Joy doesn’t dilute academic rigour. It sustains it’

By weaving playfulness, humour and authenticity into teaching, research and departmental culture, academics can spark curiosity, strengthen collaboration and tackle difficult conversations, say Alice Wilson and Madeleine Steeds

Alice Wilson, Madeleine Steeds

Manchester Metropolitan University, University College Dublin

More than singing: a university choir as a cultural hub

Flexibility, pedagogical sensitivity, community and well-being – far more than artistic perfection – emerge as strong notes in the process of establishing a university choir

László Matos

Semmelweis University

Students walking through a university library

So you’ve decolonised your reading list – what’s next?

Reframe knowledge, champion transparency and draw on student experiences to create balanced curricula that build belonging and critical thinking, says Patrice Seuwou

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

How business schools can produce globally minded graduates

Make internationalisation a core part of the student experience, rather than an optional extra, by embedding it into the curriculum

Imad Jabbouri

Al Akhawayn University

Mature Asian woman looking at watch with laptop

‘Let’s treat writing as shared infrastructure rather than private struggle’

Academic writing is often framed as something faculty should simply manage better; when they struggle, the blame is put on the individual academic. But this explanation doesn’t hold, as Rachel Gabriele explains

Rachel Gabriele

Virginia Tech

A young woman smiling to camera ourside wearing a t-shirt with a rainbow on it

Practical LGBTQ+ allyship within STEMM

Allyship in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine requires more than symbolic gestures. From inclusive language to visible signals of support, practical action can help create safer, more equitable workplaces for LGBTQ+ colleagues and students

Claire L. Davies, Eleanor M. Townsend, Andrew M. Griffiths

The University of Exeter

A teacher discusses with students in the classroom

Tips on using GenAI to make the university classroom more interactive

Find out how to deploy GenAI tools to increase participation, tailor learning to each student’s needs and foster collaboration across disciplines

Ijeoma (Angel) Ojukwu , Sam Opio

University of Westminster

Balancing use of AI when doing academic writing

Yes, GenAI can make academic writing easier without making us less scholarly

Generative AI does not change scholarship’s foundations of judgement, authorship and care, but it does require academics to apply them more intentionally when writing

Nicole Brownlie

The University of Southern Queensland

A male researcher writing at his laptop surrounded by shelves of books

Can we use AI for academic writing? It depends

How researchers can use AI responsibly, without compromising scholarly rigour or integrity

Marios Kremantzis, Eleonora Pantano

The University of Bristol

How to embed STEM across all disciplines? Start small

Build the STEM skills students will need for the future into your existing courses – with a little-and-often approach. Here’s how

Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

A guide to help journal editorial boards introduce ECRs to academic publishing

Academic publishing can be a harsh landscape. Here, a partnership model offers language and strategies to support new authors as they navigate early submissions and review

Jesper Hansen, Kristy Campbell

UCL, King’s College London

A teacher helping a student with mental health issues

I’m a well-being adviser: here’s how to support students with mental health issues

As students arrive at university with increasingly complex mental health needs, academics are often keen to help but unsure where to start. Tessa Warinner shares practical tips

Tessa Warinner

The University of Edinburgh

A physiotherapist inspects a patient's back

‘It depends’: navigating the uncertainty of reasoning in clinical practice

How can we teach our physiotherapy students to think like professionals when the honest answer is “it depends”? Using case studies could help

Aileen Scully

Singapore Institute of Technology

Exploration of style: practical ways educators can teach academic writing in the sciences

First-year students need to adapt their writing style when transitioning to university. Here’s how educators can support freshmen to develop flexible, analytical and evidence-based writing

Rui Xue Zhang, Xinzhi Li

Macau University of Science and Technology

International study experiences can be great equalisers – but only if diverse students participate

In part two of his series on outbound student mobility, Lucas Lixinski explains why international study experiences can be so powerful in levelling socio-economic inequality in higher education and how institutions can support this

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Young Asian man recording observations in nature

‘The process of writing forces the writer to be present’

Writing is hard and uncomfortable, but the craft of turning thoughts into words should not be lost to the frictionless ease of generative AI, write Jackie Webb and Christina Birnbaum

Jackie Webb, Christina Birnbaum

The University of Southern Queensland

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