Feature article

The role of peer mentoring in the design and development of online learning

Peer mentoring is an effective way to support faculty in the development and delivery of quality online courses. Jonathan Muir explains when and how best to use it

Jonathan Muir

University of Leeds

Yes, online learning can teach you to think

The idea that online learning ‘doesn’t teach people to think’, which was suggested by one of our peers recently, is short-sighted and false

Valerie Wood, Laura Shannon

Queen's University

Image showing one person striding off with a crowd following

Build your teaching presence to better engage students

A strong ‘presence’ in the classroom can help imbue students with a passion for your subject and willingness to learn. Catherine Wehlburg explores simple ways to enhance teaching presence

Catherine Wehlburg

Athens State University

Peer review is frustrating and flawed – here’s how we can fix it

What would peer review 2.0 look like? Mark Humphries offers ways to optimise the process for better efficiency and research outcomes

Mark Humphries

University of Nottingham

Academic research and publishing can be difficult to navigate for early career researchers

Are you ready to publish? Top tips on how to prepare your manuscript

From explaining the publishing cycle to outlining what makes a strong manuscript, Jing Tang walks ECRs through key steps when preparing to publish for the first time

Jing Tang

Elsevier

A student watching a lecture online at home

Strategies to motivate students in asynchronous learning

The self-directed nature of asynchronous learning makes it easy for students to disengage. Guhuai Jiang and Jiayu Zhou offer strategies that boost students’ motivation when working on their own

Guhuai Jiang , Jiayu Zhou

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

What is tenure in higher education – and how to get it

For many scholars, permanent employment is the light at the end of a years-long tunnel. Here, Henry Reichman explains the US tenure system and why it is key to protecting academic freedom

Henry Reichman

California State University, East Bay

Russia’s intellectual isolation presents opportunities for Central Asian HE

Major universities in this region are now uniquely positioned to build new international partnerships with academic institutions that have lost access to Russia

Daniel Scarborough

Nazarbayev University

Image of medical students being taught using a mannequin patient

Assessing science students’ practical skills – can we learn from healthcare education?

Healthcare educators have developed effective ways to assess a range of practical skills in their learners. What can other science educators learn from their example?

Derek Scott

University of Aberdeen

The US should admit Ukrainian medical students to help them rebuild their country

A caveat for recipients of such aid would be committing to moving back to Ukraine to practise after they have completed their studies

David Lenihan

Ponce Health Sciences University

Young woman pushing an older woman along in a wheelchair

An invisible minority: what is needed to support students with caring responsibilities

Students with caring responsibilities in the UK have no joined-up support. Jessica Iyamu and Ellie Brown make a call for policies to provide consistent help across all universities for this overlooked group

Jessica Iyamu, Ellie Brown

University Campus North Lincolnshire (UCNL)

socio-emotional learning, juggling emotions

Make social-emotional learning part of teaching: it’s easier than you think

These practical, achievable tips show how to incorporate social-emotional learning into everyday educational practices

Sasha Lynn, Alexandra Osika, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Leverage students' eco-anxiety to drive change

Embrace students’ eco-anxiety to spur critical and systemic climate action

Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio gives tips on how to leverage and assuage your students’ eco-anxiety, using fun games and discussions, in order to drive change

Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Image depicting the use of technology to support teaching strategies

Use technology to hook students’ interest when teaching online

Used strategically, technology can be employed to make teaching more entertaining and engaging. Luqian Huang shares examples of how to use digital tools to support effective pedagogies

Luqian Huang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A human paper chain representing how university leaders must come together to tackle inequity

How leaders can and must work together to address inequity

Leading by example and striking the right balance between competition and collaboration are crucial points for those hoping to lead HE to a more equitable future

Charles Egbu

Leeds Trinity University

Image showing data processing and analytics

Foundations to lay when teaching computational and data skills

Traditional teaching in data analysis focuses on statistics and visualisation but an emphasis on foundational data and computational skills is needed to prepare students to work with real data, explains Philip Leftwich

Philip Leftwich

The University of East Anglia

Business schools must play a part in helping solve the world's most pressing issues

Business schools must play their part in supporting those fleeing Ukraine

As providers of education that sits at the interface of industry and academia, the onus is on business schools to step up during times of crisis

Mary Meaney , Celia Moore , Marina Moncayola Lobato

Imperial College London

Decolonising your learning resources: representation matters

Find out what steps can be taken to review your learning resources from an anti-racism lens and why this is important for both ethnic minority and white students

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Amy McEwan, Emily Calvo-Hobbs

The University of Exeter

Learning can be an emotional roller coaster: how can we help our students (and ourselves) enjoy the ride?

Emotions can help and hinder learning. These practical, evidence-based strategies can help teachers understand and engage student emotions for better outcomes

Stephanie MacMahon, Alexandra Osika, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Say goodbye to bored students

Boredom is the enemy of learning. Educators can minimise it, increase student engagement and allow deep learning to take place with these practical tips

Amanda Bourgeois, Alexandra Osika, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Image showing a woman sitting alone surrounded by chatting groups

What can your university do to combat student loneliness?

Five practical steps universities can take to reduce student loneliness and provide better mental health support

Georgia Wheadon

Umii

Designing activities for hybrid learning can be difficult without following the correct steps

The 7 steps for designing activities in hybrid courses

When planning a hybrid course, a main concern is how to design the activities in this still relatively unfamiliar format

Laura Patricia Zepeda Orantes

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Illustration of heads with lightbulb and leaves, mentorship

Ten platinum rules for PhD supervisors

Is it time to add PhD supervision to your skill set? Tara Brabazon explains the pitfalls, challenges and rewards of this key academic role for the rookie mentor

Tara Brabazon

Flinders University

Original essays written in seconds: how ‘transformers’ will change assessment

Artificial intelligence that generates original text will be both empowering and disruptive for students and higher education at large, say Mike Sharples and Rafael Pérez y Pérez

Mike Sharples , Rafael Pérez y Pérez

The Open University, Metropolitan Autonomous University

Image of teaching staff enjoying a chat over a coffee

How to cultivate learning communities among university teaching staff

Creating a professional learning community among front-line teaching staff can be a big help when implementing new curricula. Adrian Lam presents some ways to do so

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Image of students arm in arm forming a united front

Six steps to improve access to UK higher education for displaced students

People who have fled war and persecution often face barriers to continuing their studies in the UK. Here are six ways universities can help to improve access

Siobhán Coskeran

Student Action for Refugees (STAR)

Living an interesting life over the summer can help teachers be creative in the classroom

The summer life of a teacher can be a boon for creativity in the classroom

For me, what makes a teacher interesting in the classroom is proportional to what interests them outside it, says Zachary Michael Jack

Zachary Michael Jack

North Central College

Woman at a laptop holding temples with stress

Women in academia are doing too much non-promotable work – and that has to stop

The No Club shares advice for women about how to spend their time at work, how to change the environment to stop saddling women with unrewarded work, and prioritise the tasks that get noticed

Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund, Laurie Weingart

Carnegie Mellon University , University of Pittsburgh

A formula one team represents university collaboration to support refugee students

Simple ways universities can collaborate to bring more refugees into higher education

There’s strength in numbers when it comes to meeting the unique learning and support needs of refugee students

Rebecca Granato

Bard College

Helping quiet students find their voice will benefit the entre university class

Getting the quiet students to talk helps everyone

Often the quiet students have the most insightful ideas but won’t share them for fear of speaking in public. Here are some tips on building their confidence and voice

David Cheng

Australian National University

A remote student working in a group with other students via an online meeting

Lessons in helping remote students obtain practical work experience

Universities face obstacles in helping distance learners access practical work experience. Ewout van der Schaft and Alex Mackrell share insight from initiatives at their business school

Ewout van der Schaft, Alex Mackrell

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

The role of complementary higher education pathways for refugees

Education has emerged as a pathway to sustainable resettlement for displaced people but establishing programmes requires leaders to overcome considerable challenges

Manal Stulgaitis , Gül İnanç

UNHCR, The University of Auckland

Running a diverse team is harder work but the rewards are immense

Running a diverse team is harder work – but the rewards are immense

John Womersley managed more than 50 nationalities on a €3 billion science project. Here, he reflects on the experience and gives tips on getting the most out of a diverse team

John Womersley

University of Oxford

Image of two people at a refugee volunteer centre working online

Education for humanity: designing learner-centric solutions for refugee students

Key tenets to successfully, and sustainably, designing university initiatives that support refugee learners around the globe using digital resources, based on five years of running the Education for Humanity initiative at Arizona State University

Nicholas Sabato, Joanna Zimmerman

Arizona State University

Academics must take personal responsibility for closing the awarding gap

Three immediate changes academics can make to close awarding gaps

Tutors have a responsibility to identify and bridge attainment gaps in their programmes and must work proactively to bring about positive impact for their students

Dean Fido, Louise Wallace

University of Derby

Image showing two academics working together on a grant proposal

A guide to writing grant proposals

To write a successful grant proposal, academics need to focus on the relevant details that will help sell their research idea to the reviewer and this requires a shift of mindset, as Kaycie Butler explains

Kaycie Butler

Butler Science Communications

Illustration of online and blended learning

A course design method to aid the transition to quality blended learning

To adapt traditional teaching techniques to a blended learning model educators must apply effective instructional design processes that harness technology to support the pedagogy and access to teaching materials, as Nelcy Natalia Atehortua Sanchez and Juan Sebastian Blandon Luengas explain

Nelcy Natalia Atehortua Sanchez, Juan Sebastian Blandon Luengas

Technological University of Uruguay (UTEC)

Analytics and other similar tools are becoming crucial for teachers

Analytics is quickly becoming a crucial teaching tool

Easily accessible analytics tools can help teachers understand aspects of their classroom they might otherwise overlook

Julián Urrutia , Cynthia López

Tecnológico de Monterrey

How to turn a PhD project into a commercial venture

Transforming a doctoral research project into a commercially viable product requires astute decision-making from the start. Manjinder Kainth and Nicola Wilkin share a beginner’s guide

Manjinder Kainth, Nicola Wilkin

Graide, University of Birmingham

Increasing access to higher education for refugees through digital learning

In Lebanon, a project designed to increase access to higher education for Syrian refugees through digital learning has been piloted with success. Rabih Shibli shares lessons from developing PADILEIA

Rabih Shibli

American University of Beirut

University senior management should employ authentic leadership to advance EDI

Managers are so far from the front line; how can they advance EDI?

Authentic leadership involves being clear about one’s values but taking a step back to allow others the space to develop the scope of projects, says Harriet Dunbar-Morris

Harriet Dunbar-Morris

The University of Portsmouth

We need to identify who is missing from the decision-making table in higher education

We need to notice who is missing from the decision-making table – and act

It’s up to individuals to notice who is not present on committees and up to institutions to ensure that all voices are represented and heard

Jo Cresswell

Dr Joanne Cresswell Coaching

HE-industry partnerships are crucial for students to emerge from university work-ready

Half of students feel they’re not ready for a job – we must solve the HE-industry disconnect

Are localised higher education and industry research partnerships delivering? Salah Al-Majeed reflects on how to bring sometimes disparate organisations closer together

University of Lincoln

Syrian refugees after arriving in Turkey

Helping refugees get their qualifications recognised

Tips for how higher education institutions and accreditation authorities can recognise refugees’ qualifications even when they cannot be fully documented

Sjur Bergan

Council of Europe

From tree rings to tree pose: exploring varied approaches to well-being in universities

Universities should employ a varied range of psychosocial support and well-being therapies to support students with diverse needs and improve mental health literacy, Kathleen Chim and Benjamin Chan write

Kathleen Chim, Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

There are core competencies that anyone can use to research a topic thoroughly

Discover the nine competencies required to become a researcher

What essential skills do researchers need? For those just starting on the road to research, breaking the process down into achievable and measurable milestones can help

Cynthia López

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Universities should not decline working together due to fears that their systems won't cooperate

Playing to our strengths: how HE can benefit from shared edtech

Too many inter-institutional collaborations are derailed due to a false belief that institutions’ tech infrastructures are too dissimilar, says John Miles

John Miles

Inkpath

Diversity statements in higher education can embed inequality more deeply

Embedding equality, diversity and inclusion within public policy training for academics

Steps higher education institutions can take to make their policy engagement training programmes as diverse and inclusive as possible, based on the experience of a UK university

Audrey Tan

UCL

University estates are a key source of carbon that can be reduced by universities

Building futures: how estates directors can deliver net zero

Terry Spraggett discusses the critical role of estate leads, the impact the construction industry can have and the approach that will drive success

Terry Spraggett

Mace

A student writing an essay at their desk

Creating bridges to academic writing for first-year university students

Tutors must help new university students build their skills and understanding of academic writing as part of their broader first-year teaching, as Fiona S. Baker explains

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

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