Higher education pedagogy

Learn more about pedagogy and how different theories of teaching and learning work across higher education. Here, academics offer insights into a variety of pedagogies, drawing on their own teaching experience alongside research, to provide practical advice on what instructional methods work best for different university contexts, disciplines and classes.

Woman with coloured hair in lecture hall

Teaching the professionals: effective strategies for mature learners

Adult students re-enter education with professional knowledge, time constraints and often a need to see direct benefits from their learning. These tips aim to help university teachers give these cohorts an effective experience

Russell Woodward, Ian Rodwell

University Centre Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

How I use AI tools to enhance EFL students’ speaking skills

AI tools can help students of English as a foreign language build confidence in academic speaking by offering structured practice opportunities, personalised feedback and support with idea generation. Ka Ho To explains how

Ka Ho To

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Let’s teach students to see the fingerprints

Does humanities education still have value when machines can generate art at the touch of a button? Yes, if we reframe our thinking, writes Renia Lopez-Ozieblo

Renia Lopez-Ozieblo

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Two designers making a model of a building

Tips for introducing complex design software in the classroom

As design education becomes increasingly digital, educators face the challenge of integrating powerful simulation and modelling software without overwhelming students. Adalberto Tamez Alanis offers guidance

Adalberto Tamez Alanis

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A scientist views a brain scan on a screen

How does the brain learn? And why don’t we teach that way?

Neuroscience shows traditional teaching is not enough. Instead, an experiential approach can return learning to its natural order

Mussab Aswad

Nasser Centre for Science and Technology

Female Asian college student writing in library on a laptop

‘Students don’t have to prove authorship of every word, they show their supervision of AI tools’

When all students are required to use generative AI for every assignment, their practice can be more rigorous, transparent and deeply reflective. Here, Tiatemsu Longkumer explains a rubric

Tiatemsu Longkumer

Royal Thimphu College

Whiteboard with photographs and sticky notes on a magnetic wall

How ‘aesthetic pedagogy’ can get the attention of your Gen Z students

Today’s students need immersive, aesthetic experiences that awaken curiosity, stimulate the senses, and foster critical thinking, says Fabián Bautista

Fabián Bautista Saucedo

CETYS Universidad

Co-creation as an alternative for engaging students

Co-creation through experiential learning outside the classroom space – working abroad, in the field, in a lab – is fantastic but not always feasible. Can’t leave the classroom? Ed Berger explains how educators can still spark engagement

Ed Berger

Virginia Tech

Top down view of students walking between classes

How to model good academic practice

By modelling good practice in your own teaching, you can help students build confidence, work more effectively and set habits that support both academic and personal success. Here’s how

Natalie K. D. Seedan

The University of the West Indies

Sticky labels: why language shapes identity (and how to say better things)

The words we use in creative education – and the ones we don’t – shape how students see themselves. David Thompson explores how labels affect self-image and how university educators can shift language to build creative confidence

David Thompson

University of Lincoln

Four common arguments for acknowledging AI use (and why they are wrong)

Educators may want AI to be used well or to go away entirely, write Chloe Salisbury and Luke Zaphir. Here, they take on a central piece of AI lore and offer ways forward

Chloe Salisbury, Luke Zaphir

The University of Queensland

A practical guide to using games in university teaching

What is game-oriented learning, what criteria must games follow to have true educational value and how to use them in your own teaching? Find out here

Philippe Lepinard

Université Paris-Est Créteil

Three students working together in a library

How to reclaim humanity in the AI classroom

As GenAI changes how students study and complete assessments, higher education educators must focus on metacognition, clarity and connection, says Patrice Seuwou

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Close up of a camera as it films an instructor explaining a medical concept

Use scripted conversations to fill knowledge gaps

How a conversational video that recreates instructor–student dialogues is boosting test scores, confidence and deeper comprehension across engineering cohorts

María Villarreal, Jobish Vallikavungal, Ana Sarmiento, Jonathan Montalvo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Campus talks: how to make co-creation work in your teaching

Find out why and how to collaborate with students to ‘co-create’ elements of their learning, from a leading expert on co-creation in higher education

Catherine Bovill

The University of Edinburgh

A robot in a mortarboard poses with a diploma

A university blueprint for teaching with GenAI

How a human-centred approach to embedding GenAI ensures the tool enhances human reasoning, rather than replacing it, institution-wide

Abderrahim Agnaou

Al Akhawayn University

Students in a lecture, pictured from above

Are we teaching information or developing understanding?

Why we need students to understand concepts rather than simply learn facts – and what pedagogical approaches can help

Maximillian Afnan

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Students talking in class? Teach from the back

Stepping away from the front of the lecture hall renders educators more approachable, and more able to catch the eye of a student looking confused or manage unwarranted chatter

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

How can we embed Global South perspectives in GenAI teaching?

GenAI can accelerate learning, but if we aren’t careful, it can also reinforce colonial assumptions. Jasmine Mohsen explains how to avoid this

Jasmine Mohsen

SP Jain London School of Management

Assessment needs to grow up: what process and imperfection mean for higher education

Rather than railing against AI, educators could see this moment as an overdue correction and redesign assessment around what matters: the process by which humans think, revise and learn

Pontus Wärnestål

Halmstad University

Two heads represented as the puzzle piece missing from the other

The practicalities of co-creation with students

A guide to collaborating with students to shape teaching, curricula and assessments, and support research, based on insights from academics who are successfully using co-creation all over the world

Campus contributors, Laura Duckett

Campus

Teacher guiding a student through an exercies on their laptop

Exercises to strengthen students’ socio-emotional skills

Simple, structured activities can strengthen students’ socio-emotional skills, from active listening to emotional regulation, helping them navigate academic and interpersonal challenges

Tatiana del Pilar Amado Castellanos

The University of Applied and Environmental Sciences (UDCA)

Research culture begins with curiosity in the classroom

Research culture starts in the classroom, where enquiry becomes a habit and curiosity drives learning. Kashan Pirzada offers guidance on small, everyday teaching practices to cultivate it

Kashan Pirzada

Birmingham City University

Embracing co-creation through experiential learning

Co-creation cultivates skills and mindsets that traditional classrooms may not be able to provide. For instructors, sharing control with students can result in a richer, more dynamic educational experience for all, writes Ed Berger

Ed Berger

Virginia Tech

Young woman with a drill assembling a wooden bookcase

‘The arts and humanities celebrate what makes us human’

As deepfakes blur truth and political divides widen, the arts and humanities offer essential skills such as reflection and resilience. And, of course, they provide respite and balance. Patty Raun explains

Patricia Raun

Virginia Tech

Interdisciplinary teaching spotlight graphic

A focus on interdisciplinarity in university teaching

Learn how to break higher education out of its disciplinary silos through course design, assessment and lessons adapted to the real world

Campus contributors

Campus

Campus talks: why teaching with artificial intelligence is ‘like a giant field experiment’

THE Award-winning educationalist Jenny Moffett talks about using AI so it supports learning rather than risks deskilling students, dealing with uncertainty in the classroom and the value of boredom

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

A sound artist surrounded by equipment in a studio

Blend individual and group work to build creative confidence

Combining collaborative accountability with personal ownership helps students take risks, navigate challenges and reflect more deeply, writes Dane Taylor

Dane Taylor

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A smiling woman holds a red, heart-shaped helium balloon

Higher education needs to hold students' hearts, not hands

During times of financial constraint, don’t rush to define kindness to students as an unaffordable luxury. Instead, let’s change the way we think

Rachelle McKay

Dalhousie University

A student leaping from the exam hall into the real world

The evolution of authentic assessment in higher education

Practical advice on assessing students’ skills and application of learning in real-world, professional contexts

Campus contributors

Campus

Employees sitting at a long table in a boardroom

Try a ‘not by the book’ teaching approach for student-centred, industry-focused learning

By replacing classroom work and exams with real-world projects, educators build soft skills and foster industry partnerships that prepare students for dynamic careers

Marie Taillard

ESCP Business School

Use GenAI to slow down and reflect more deeply

University staff are under pressure to produce more with less. But what if, instead of using GenAI to save time, we took a slower approach?

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

Use games to get students back to class

Gamified learning can transform passive teaching into engaging, student-centred experiences. Matthew Jones offers practical advice on creative delivery and scaling up

Matthew Jones

University of Salford

‘Adults bring experience and cognitive strengths to lifelong learning’

The science of adult learning provides a road map for strengths-based, age-inclusive programme design and helps turn classrooms into vibrant hubs of intergenerational learning

Sally Ng Siew Hiang, Adam John Privitera, Annabel Chen Shen-Hsing

Nanyang Technological University

Someone standing at a crossroad, unable to make a decision

Top business graduates lack one key skill – execution

Top-performing graduates often struggle with execution in the workplace. Educators can change that by designing learning exercises that hone decision-making skills and resilience

José Ignacio Sordo Galarza

Tecnológico de Monterrey

What happened to creativity in the classroom?

When generative AI leads 150 students to submit the same ‘creative’ work, something is afoot in arts and humanities education. Here, Leah Henrickson and Luke Zaphir turn insights from cognitive science into ways to use AI to boost students’ creativity

Leah Henrickson, Luke Zaphir

The University of Queensland

Group of happy multiracial university students

Five considerations for effective group work

Why struggle through setting and assessing group tasks when this teaching approach can present considerable challenges around communication and conflict? These insights offer ways to design tasks that will benefit both educators and students

Donna Hurford, Andrew Read

University of Southern Denmark, London South Bank University

Sharpen public administration students’ critical analysis skills with ‘case memos’

Bridge theory and practice while developing students’ critical thinking through structured ‘case memos’ that foster reflection, discussion and theory-informed evaluation of local governance challenges

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

A library with a group of students having a discussion at a table

How to design learning experiences to heal division

How inclusive, collaborative learning can turn classrooms into trusting communities that leverage tension to promote learning and growth

Chiedza Mutsaka Skyum

Independent academic

A team of medics working together on a project

Interprofessional simulation in HE: three tips to help you get it right

Interprofessional simulation enables educators to deliver healthcare teaching and learning in immersive settings beyond the traditional classroom. Here are three ways to make it a success

Jon Newton

University of the West of England Bristol

Can transferable skills be taught in distance learning?

As workplaces are increasingly AI-integrated and hybrid, can teaching transferable skills – including body language – in a virtual learning environment, in some cases, offer a more authentic education experience?

Emilie Rutledge, Jonquil Lowe

The Open University

Beyond learning design: supporting pedagogical innovation in response to AI

To avoid an unwinnable game of catch-up with technology, universities must rethink pedagogical improvement that goes beyond scaling online learning

Charlotte von Essen

Stockholm School of Economics

Five ways to embed anti-racist pedagogy

With the race awarding gap widening, facilitating conversations about race between staff and students is crucial. Embedding anti-racist pedagogy in your classroom can pave the way – here’s how

Yaz Osho, Danielle Chavrimootoo

University of Westminster

Students working on a project together in class

How to test GenAI’s impact on learning

Rather than speculate on GenAI’s promise or peril, Thibault Schrepel suggests simple teaching experiments to uncover its actual effects

Thibault Schrepel

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

From ‘sage on the stage’ to ‘guide on the side’

With GenAI, changing job markets and overprotective parenting shaping today’s learners, higher education must balance knowledge with fostering autonomy – without letting independence go too far, says Daniella Sieukaran

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

Head made of cogs and jigsaw puzzle piece

Assessment tasks that support human skills

Assignments that focus on exploration, analysis and authenticity offer a road map for university assessment that incorporates AI while retaining its rigour and human elements

Amir Ghapanchi, Afrooz Purarjomandlangrudi

Victoria University

How to motivate students and staff in higher education

Advice for faculty to find and maintain the motivation that they, and their students, need to progress in their work and learning

Campus contributors, Eliza Compton

Campus

From clashing egos to compassionate debate in the classroom

By reframing debates as opportunities to build resilience, empathy and self-confidence, educators can help students strengthen relationships and develop lifelong skills for well-being and personal development

Elisa González

CETYS Universidad

Young male teaching assistant with two college students

Motivation by design: faculty-led strategies for learning that matters

Apps or algorithms alone won’t drive the students of the future to learn. Rather, it will be faculty domain expertise that aligns with how they think, work and learn. Margaret Ellis explains how to design learning for student motivation

Margaret Ellis

Virginia Tech

A lecturer speaks to a group wearing a microphone headset

Six thinkers and five tips to reimagine business education

Reach beyond traditional business models and take inspiration from sociology, philosophy and educational theory for a well-rounded, resilient approach to business education

Lakshmi Goel, Yassine El Bouchikhi

Al Akhawayn University

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