Feature article

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 recognising the pros and cons of online teaching and what to bring forward after covid

Pandemic teaching: storm clouds and silver linings

Glenn Geher talks through the highs and lows of teaching during a pandemic and the lessons we can learn from them

Glenn Geher

State University of New York at New Paltz

Advice on methods that help improve group dynamics by encouraging communication

Group work: improving communication, participation and dynamics

Jonathan Sim offers three methods for facilitating effective group work by improving participation and communication between student peers

Jonathan Sim

National University of Singapore

A woman communicates with classmates in a synchronous remote classroom

Funny memes and other ways to encourage students to keep their cameras on

Frank R. Castelli offers advice from his evidenced-based strategy to get students to use their cameras without requiring it

Frank R. Castelli

Cornell University

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 stock footage in instructional videos for teaching

Upgrade your explainer videos with stock footage

Kelvin Ke Jinde offers a step-by-step guide to creating instructional videos to support your teaching with the help of stock footage

Kelvin Ke Jinde

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

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

Advice for welcoming students back to campus

How universities can support students’ return to campus post-pandemic

Danielle McDonald and colleagues share advice on how universities can approach welcoming two student cohorts to campus for the first time, staying mindful of the vastly different attitudes among students relating to the post-pandemic transition

Danielle McDonald, Anita Sahgal, Jennifer DiPrete, Allison Crume

University of South Florida

We must admit that things are and have been bad during the pandemic and realise that people are at different stages of comfort with others

My first post-Covid conference showed me we need to prep for the campus return

At this conference, faculty were like the walking wounded, but we can and should learn from it because our students deserve our best selves, says Flower Darby

Flower Darby

Northern Arizona University

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 how to approach hybrid teaching to overcome key challenges

Three tips for a future of hybrid teaching

Brad Chan offers three tips for making hybrid learning work for all, based on his experience teaching languages

Brad Chan

Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education

Tsinghua University. Chinese universities are on the up, but they have a glass ceiling to break through to become players on the world stage

Chinese universities face a tricky route to the top

China’s institutions are undoubtedly on the up, but they need to smash their glass ceiling to truly register on the world stage, says James Chin

James Chin

University of Tasmania

Universities are creating more of their own online content, but with that comes big questions for the future

Why miss out on revenue when universities can take more blended learning in-house?

Institutions are embracing the opportunity to create and deliver their own online programmes, but they’re realising that means more to think about, says Elliot Felix

Elliot Felix

Brightspot

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

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

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

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

Advice on building meaningful collaborations for better community and civic engagement

How universities can build meaningful collaborations to solve societal challenges

For universities to extend their impact and community engagement, they need to form strong partnerships with external organisations and individuals. Alicia Wilson shares seven guiding principles that support successful collaboration

Alicia Wilson

Johns Hopkins University

This is our chance to create the classroom of the future

This is our chance to create the classroom of the future

We know what works best for learning, and most of it is easier to implement in the online world, says Daphne Koller

Daphne Koller

Stanford University

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

A framework for an equity oriented pedagogy that improves student grades

Equitable teaching that creates pathways to success for all students

Andrew Estrada Phuong and co-authors present a framework for an adaptive equity-oriented pedagogy that helps diverse students achieve better results

Andrew Estrada Phuong, Judy Nguyen, Fabrizio Mejia, Christopher Hunn, Dena Marie

University of California, Berkeley, Stanford University, Orinda Academy

Engaging students in readings and microlectures

Turning a new page: information literacy goes online

Xiaowei Li and Lulu Wang explore how to take an on-campus institution such as a university library online to deliver hands-on information literacy skills to students around the world

Xiaowei Li, Lulu Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Distance learners deserve better than HE’s latest bait and switch

Remote learning is the latest scapegoat being used to justify returning to the ‘normal’ of rising tuition costs and sky-high student debt, says Zachary Michael Jack

Zachary Michael Jack

North Central College

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

The role of the community college should not be underestimated in terms of providing civil discourse and education opportunities

Don’t downplay the role of community colleges in healing a nation

At a time of rampant disinformation, these two-year institutions can be the engines of enquiry and purpose that enable the next generation to rebuild our democracy, says Eduardo Padron

Eduardo Padron

Miami Dade College

An example of how co-creation of curriculum content with students can work

Co-creation of curricula with students: a case study

Eric Tsui outlines a method he uses to enhance student learning through the co-creation of new scenarios for curriculum development in their discipline

Eric Tsui

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Universities are heading for a mental health crisis following the pandemic, so they need to start preparing now

A student mental health crisis awaits. Here’s how we avoid a bad fall

Extra funding should be requested now to staff up wellness centres, counselling centres and campus ministries, says Todd Zakrajsek

Todd Zakrajsek

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Advice on creating new internship opportunities that benefit students and employers

Creating internship opportunities: showing employers the value in humanities and social sciences

Jonathan Sim describes how he engaged with local employers to open internship opportunities to humanities and social sciences students who would not previously have been considered

Jonathan Sim

National University of Singapore

A group of students. We need to move away from designing HE for the idealised 'traditional' student

Returning to ‘normal’ is really a return to ignorance

Covid revealed that students need flexible and inclusive learning opportunities − something that should have been obvious well before the pandemic, says Torrey Trust

Torrey Trust

University of Massachusetts Amherst

A case study on creating a bridging system to help students prepare for STEM courses at university

High tech and high touch: designing a bridging system to help students prepare for STEM studies

Karin Avnit, Victor Wang and Prasad Iyer describe how combining technology-supported learning with targeted face-to-face instruction helps ensure all students start university with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed

Karin Avnit , Victor Wang, Prasad Iyer

Singapore Institute of Technology

The shift online will have positive side effects that we haven't realised yet

The digital shift will have many (positive) side-effects

In the not-so-distant future, we’ll realise the digital transformation has changed higher education for the better, in ways we never expected, say Rick Shangraw and Wayne Bovier

Rick Shangraw, Wayne Bovier

Cintana Education, Higher Digital

Advice on developing effective HyFlex teaching for the longterm

Solving future problems today: Making HyFlex learning work for all

Trent Montgomery shares the key considerations for developing effective hybrid flexible teaching that will boost universities’ educational offering in the long term

Trent Montgomery

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Leadership game of chess king. University leaders have a unique opportunity to lead change in the HE sector

How leaders can seize higher ed’s ‘catalytic moment for change’

Those that lead by example, reward innovative faculty and increase campus-wide buy-in will determine the future of higher education, says Jon McNaughtan

Jon McNaughtan

Texas Tech 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

Advice on setting up a global virtual exchange that enhances your students intercultural knowledge

Global virtual exchange: promoting international learning

Christopher Brighton presents a model of global virtual exchange that could be easily replicated at any institution to enhance its students’ intercultural knowledge and skills

Christopher Brighton

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool 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

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