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.

Enquiry-based learning in five steps

Enquiry-based learning bridges the gap between theory and practice, enabling students to learn by doing. Nicky Goodall shares five tips for successfully bringing it into your teaching

Nicky Goodall

The Open University

Illustration of man in keyhole-shaped light from hole in wall, escape concept

You wake up in a locked room… Using digital escape rooms to promote student engagement

Game-based learning can unlock students’ motivation to learn and develop skills such as critical-thinking, teamwork and problem-solving, as Steven Montagu-Cairns explains

Steven Montagu-Cairns

University of Leeds

Adults playing with constructing a small wheeled object

More play to engage students and deepen learning

Play is a powerful learning tool that boosts engagement, exploration and community. Here three lecturers outline some of the ways it can best be used

Noelia Dominguez Falcon , Kelly Edmunds , Becky Lewis

The University of East Anglia

Successful group work is all in the selection process

For students, group work can boost learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but the benefits of collaboration may depend on how teachers put individuals together

Temesgen Kifle, Suzanne Bonner

The University of Queensland

Techno-pedagogic design for blended and online courses

Techno-pedagogic design for blended and online courses

Course design for online and blended learning that combines pedagogical know-how with appropriate use of technology. Albert Sangrà presents design models that can help

Albert Sangrà

Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

Robot in thoughtful pose with hand to chin

Re-evaluating natural intelligence in the face of ChatGPT

Generative AI tools mean that our pedagogy, understanding of specialisation and how we value human abilities such as empathy, compassion and critical thinking must change

Elvin Lim , Andrew Koh

Singapore Management University

The power of ‘active feedback’ to prepare students for professional experience

Working with industry clients on real-life challenges is an important component of many university courses. Nick Quinn and Alison Gibb explain how they prepare students for this professional experience using ‘active feedback’

Nick Quinn, Alison Gibb

University of Glasgow

Illustration of man in suit hurdling ahead of robots

Effective assessment practices for a ChatGPT-enabled world

Assessment methods that require students to produce authentic, novel and personalised responses can help educators stay ahead of the uncertainty and workload that AI writers create

Jonna Lee

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Flip the classroom to improve practical skills teaching

How educators can use a flipped classroom approach to aid the teaching of practical skills to a wide range of students

Louise Smith

The University of Manchester

Daisy flower representing resilience among university students

The power of failure: a case study to foster resilience in students

Nici Sweaney offers simple strategies to shift focus from outcomes to learning and discovery, helping research students to embrace risk-taking and learn from setbacks

Nici Sweaney

Australian National University

A student addressing a small group of her classmates

Why students are best placed to help students understand feedback

Tips for combining classroom activities and peer-to-peer dialogue to develop students’ understanding of the language of assessment and feedback

Rebecca Westrup, Callum Perry

The University of East Anglia

Image of paper balls with one emerging as an origami swan

The F-word: how to use failure as a learning tool

Fear of failure impacts student well-being and academic outcomes so educators need to help reframe ‘failure’ as a useful learning tool. Claire Davy-Potts explains how

Claire Davey-Potts

The University of Exeter

Active learning strategies to boost student engagement

Practical advice on implementing active learning strategies in the classroom for enhanced learning outcomes

Ibham Veza, Vorathin Epin

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Field journals: a deceptively simple solution for improving engagement

Sending students into the field armed with journals (and latterly iPads) has provided pedagogical lessons that can be applied far beyond my field of natural history, says Michael Brunson

Michael Brunson

Kansas State University

Spruce up lectures to capture the interest of all students

A guide to making lectures more interactive learning experiences that keep students interested

Vitalia Kinakh

The University of Manchester

Develop the skills of the future through challenge-based learning

Modern employers require a broad suite of skills from graduates; Jorge Membrillo-Hernández outlines how challenge-based learning can help, and how to get started

Jorge Membrillo-Hernández

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Bingo! Try bringing games into your staff training

To engage professional service staff with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a team at the University of Exeter took a novel approach, creating SDG Bingo. Here’s how they did it

Eleanor Cook, Sean Porter

The University of Exeter

Penalising students who struggle with the flipped classroom doesn't help

How to get students to play their part in the flipped classroom

The flipped classroom is the perfect pedagogy for the information age – but our classes must not punish students who struggle to engage when learning independently

Doug Specht, Gunter Saunders

University of Westminster

Group of four multi-racial people holding speech balloons

Small talk: love it or leave it, but teach it to your TAs

Casual conversation fosters a sense of belonging, but it’s not a universal skill. Sarah Kegley details a short workshop that helps international teaching assistants feel at ease making small talk

Sarah Kegley

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A 100-year-old principle for teaching students digital study skills

A guide to helping students improve their digital study skills through experiential learning

Jennie Fox

The University of Exeter

illustration-photo composite of people seated around jigsaw pieces

Phenomenon-based learning: what, why and how

Phenomenon-based learning empowers students to apply disciplinary knowledge to real-world situations. Here, Sue Lee and Kate Cuthbert outline the principles of PhBL and how it can be adopted in higher education

Sue Lee, Kate Cuthbert

University of Staffordshire

Female student working while referring to books

How to manage assessment feedback in large classes? Get students involved

Delivering quality feedback for every individual student in a large class can be challenging. That is where peer feedback can help if structured and guided effectively, write four teaching academics

Steven Bateman, Shi-Min How, Chew Ging Lee , Jie Zhang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University , University of Southampton Malaysia

A play manual for academic development and skills

A three-pronged guide to introducing play into university teaching, based on its successful use in staff training at the University of Exeter

Eleanor Cook, Emma Norman, Tian Yan

The University of Exeter

Image representing AI and teaching and learning

Pedagogic paradigm 4.0: bringing students, educators and AI together

How should universities navigate the emerging triad of students, educators and artificial intelligence-powered applications? Isabel Fischer offers her suggestions

Isabel Fischer

The University of Warwick

Peer review in multilingual classes

Peer review can be a powerful pedagogical tool for developing multilingual students’ essay-writing and communication skills if they are given clear guidance on the process, Andrea Feldman explains

Andrea Feldman

The University of Colorado Boulder

Young woman in black hijab working at laptop

Four ways active learning can transform learning experiences

Edtech has facilitated a teaching approach that ties student success to collaboration, consistency and contribution. Paul Hopkinson breaks down its advantages

Paul Hopkinson

Zayed University

How to start adaptive learning for a large cohort

Seven steps for successfully introducing adaptive learning

A team from Tecnológico de Monterrey presents advice for the implementation of an adaptive learning strategy for large student cohorts

Multiple authors

Tecnológico de Monterrey

The five key steps for getting the best out of a flipped classroom

From planning properly to understanding cognitive load, Aaron Taylor reveals how to engender greater student engagement and motivation through the flipped classroom

Aaron Taylor

Arden University

It takes a village: using a trading game to teach economics

Large-group interactive classroom games can bring learning alive. Here, Suzanne Bonner, K. K. Tang and Terence Yeo share how a scalable trading game uses social interactions to enhance learning

Suzanne Bonner, K. K. Tang, Terence Yeo

The University of Queensland

laptop with images representing e-learning, blended learning

Tips for teachers who are new to blended learning

Blended learning is not going away, so where do educators start when they want to create a blended course? In this video, Carl Sherwood shares tips for best practice

Carl Sherwood, John Raiti

The University of Queensland

Woman taking part in an online class in a library

Five strategies for supporting students with special educational needs online

Five practical tips educators can use when teaching students with special educational needs on an online, blended or hybrid course, shared by Tendai Charles

Tendai Charles

British University in Dubai

A female lecturer addressing a class of students

Introduce coaching principles into your work in four easy steps

Coaching is a popular tool for personal and professional development. Rushana Khusainova discusses how it can be used in higher education

Rushana Khusainova

The University of Bristol

Man doing a back bend while looking at laptop

Making space for innovation: a higher education challenge

Risk, chance and disruption can be paths to innovative teaching practice. Here, Michelle Prawer offers ways to bring more flexibility into the classroom

Michelle Prawer

Victoria University

Three creative ways to use ChatGPT in class

New AI tools such as ChatGPT increase educators’ capabilities, freeing us from fact-gathering to focus on more sophisticated problems and higher-level understanding, writes Esteve Almirall

Esteve Almirall

Esade

Welcome sign for belonging at university

How to advance equitable learning in your classes

We must extend belonging to help students feel they’re cut out for college, lower barriers such as impostor syndrome and ultimately support learning, says Flower Darby

Flower Darby

University of Missouri

A universal design approach to teaching multilingual students

An explanation of how universal design for learning can improve teaching for multilingual international students and domestic students alike

Andrea Feldman

The University of Colorado Boulder

Black student points at a computer screen

Touch is a simple and effective way to manage learners’ cognitive load

Studies from educational psychologist Paul Ginns show that students who point and trace learning material results have greater comprehension and retention

Paul Ginns

University of Sydney

Students comparing notes and work in pairs

ChatGPT as a teaching tool, not a cheating tool

How to use ChatGPT as a tool to spur students’ inner feedback and thus aid their learning and skills development

Jennifer Rose

The University of Manchester

Questions beyond majors: developing mental maturity in students

When undergraduates build their own course plan, reading list and thesis project, the benefits extend beyond the individual student’s mindset to teaching faculty, write Ryan Derby-Talbot and Marjorie Wonham

Ryan Derby-Talbot, Marjorie Wonham

Deep Springs College, Quest University

A woman walking blindfolded along a tightrope

Teaching the unknown: how to prepare students for uncertainty

Five steps that educators can take to teach students to cope with uncertainty and respond effectively to unforeseen events

Glenn-Egil Torgersen

University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)

Autonomy, fun and other benefits of student-centred learning design

Putting students at the core of learning design can bring business and commerce studies to life, writes Guan Wang

Guan Wang

Macau University of Science and Technology

Students responding to a question in the classroom

An examination of student engagement in the classroom

An exploration of what student engagement means for different individuals and how to support and assess it in the classroom

Stephanie Foster, Kirk Ambrose

The University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University

Vintage-style photo of secretary and co-worker

We don’t teach students to use a slide rule in a world of calculators

Accelerating AI capabilities give rise to ethical questions about use, for students and educators. With the technology here to stay, how can universities equip future decision-makers with the skills they will need for the workplace?

Micheal Axelsen, Suzanne Bonner

The University of Queensland

Image of someone picking up a plastic bottle from a beach

From personal to professional: incorporating sustainability into your university work

Practical advice for embedding sustainability issues into broader professional practice, taking lessons from teaching English language that are applicable across other disciplines

Peter Buckley

The University of Edinburgh

A student watching a recorded lecture online

Asynchronous pedagogy to improve student engagement

A guide to designing asynchronous learning materials and activities that boost student engagement

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

Take care over sharing: guiding student teams on collaboration

Effective teamwork requires shared understanding, goals and responsibility over a task. Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng explains how to guide students in working collectively

Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng

Singapore Institute of Technology

Illustration of people assembling large jigsaw pieces

Are block teaching and universal design for learning compatible?

On the face of it, comparing the block teaching planning format with the UDL framework might seem like weighing apples against oranges. In fact, they share six golden links, as Kevin Merry explains

Kevin L. Merry

De Montfort University

Illustration of robot helping man climb a block

How AI will make university teachers’ lives easier

Is artificial intelligence a looming existential threat to higher education? Or is AI technology such as ChatGPT a shot in the arm that teachers can use to improve our productivity?

Jack Wang

The University of Queensland

A group discussions with varied perspectives is welcome unpredictability in teaching

Embrace the unpredictability of teaching in community colleges

A diverse community college classroom is full of opportunities for enriching, student-led discussions, says Dale Schlundt

Dale Schlundt

Palo Alto College

Research and business need to go hand in hand in an uncertain future

Four tips for developing students’ business skills

How to teach skills that bridge the gap between completing an undergraduate business programme and embarking on a successful career, by Qi Li and Rosemary Bai

Rosemary Bai, Qi Li

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

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