Online learning

Online learning has revolutionised university teaching with much higher education now delivered via digital platforms, supported by educational technology (ed-tech) and, increasingly, AI tools. Find out how lecturers can adapt teaching methods to support learning online, build online learning communities and use the latest technology to advance student engagement and flexible, accessible learning.

Young Asian woman gaming with headset on

If games belong in the university curriculum, why are they not in the library?

For many educators, questions about institutional licensing, accessibility and cost end the conversation about digital games before teaching even begins. Here are practical ways to extend availability

Marcus Carter, Jen Scott Curwood, Ben Egliston, Eduardo Velloso

University of Sydney

A female student taking notes from her online class with other students and a teacher appearing in a gallery view on her screen

The power of feedback to build belonging in online learning

Connection in online learning does not happen accidentally; we must design and nurture it through feedback. Because good feedback conveys attention, recognition and care, write María de Lourdes Gómez Calvo and Estefannía Garza Tamez

María de Lourdes Gómez Calvo, Estefannía Garza Tamez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A student watches a teacher lecture on a laptop

Strategies for making online courses more impactful

Here’s how to break the barrier between screen and student and engage with your online cohorts in a personal way

Heather Gass

Colorado State University Global

Build students’ intercultural competence in online classrooms

The ‘global shared learning classroom’ teaches students how to view traits such as leadership through different cultural lenses, better preparing them to thrive in an interconnected world. Learn how

Jorge Alberto Mosqueda Benavides

Tecnológico de Monterrey

An online learner smiling at classmates on his laptop screen

Five design principles for meaningful online global learning

As digital technologies transform access to both information and education, how can universities offer distinctive educational value for professional learners online? Maria Cross offers advice

Maria Cross

UCL

A student taking notes on a notepad while looking at her laptop

How to prevent free riding in online group work

When collaborative assignments lack structured guidance, levels of contribution among team members may vary. Gabriela Espínola offers insight into building community and accountability online

Gabriela Espínola Carballo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Young female student looking confused at laptop

How to turn students’ smartphone confidence into academic digital literacy

Confidence using apps and social media doesn’t always indicate that first-year students can use university systems. Here are four ways how to make sure their practical computing habits are up to scratch

Nassir Ibrahim, Jameson Tucker, Imran Khan

Birmingham City University

A student on a zoom call in her home office

Make tech work in large online courses

Students on large online courses can sometimes feel like a face among the crowd. Keep them engaged with interactive activities such as digital escape rooms or business simulators

Nelly Ramirez Vásquez

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A student wearing headphones speaking to a screen with other students online

How to design an asynchronous COIL project

Intercultural online projects work best when designed around learning journeys with multiple pathways for participation. Read guidance on fostering connection, trust and engagement

Bhawana Shrestha, Chiraz Retimi, Ana Magano

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University , University of Djelfa, Agrupamento de Escolas da Damaia

A student on a Zoom call with other online students

How a studio-based format transforms online teaching

Online teaching works best when teaching, facilitation and technical delivery are treated as complementary professional roles. Read guidance on studio-based delivery

Theresa Mercer , Daniel Evans, Kenisha Garnett, Multiple authors

Cranfield University

How to use AI voice cloning to accelerate online course design

An artificial intelligence voice-cloning feature can make video content production more time efficient, responsive and agile. This guide offers a practical, ethical road map for replicating instructor audio

Ramon Rodriguez, Winston M. King

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Young woman wearing virtual reality headset with globe in background

How to create a virtual field trip

Virtual field trips have the potential to prepare students more thoroughly for experiences on location. Here’s how to put one together

James Allen

University of Southampton

Students in a classroom with an online student appearing on a screen at the end of the table

Give students greater flexibility with HyFlex learning

Designing different routes through the same module so they offer an equivalent learning experience is where the real work begins, writes Stuart Samuels, who offers practical planning advice

Stuart Samuels

Black female student taking notes at laptop

Leveraging student agency in course design

Giving students choice is not about reducing expectations or allowing students to take shortcuts in their study, writes Courtney Kimmel. Here, she explains how course structure can create pathways to deeper learning

Courtney Kimmel

Virginia Tech

Young female Asian student doing an online course

Identifying and addressing accessibility issues in courses that use LaTeX

Learn how to use digital tools to solve accessibility issues with online learning materials at the source. Iliria Stenning and Paul Vrbik discuss a pilot programme to improve accessibility using tools such as Blackboard Ally

Iliria Stenning, Paul Vrbik

The University of Queensland

Adding an E to an MBA: what an ‘executive’ rebrand costs in real terms

Renaming an MBA an EMBA sounds like a branding tweak. It isn’t. Here’s what we learned about stakeholder buy-in, message sequencing and what a single letter can mean

Ekant Veer, Teresa van Dugteren

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Using AI to create the practice opportunities online students need

For disciplines that depend on interpersonal skills such as communication, leadership, negotiation and mediation, AI can provide elusive experiential learning, particularly in asynchronous environments

Kathy Miller Perkins

Virginia Tech

A student wearing earphones on her laptop

How to navigate multilingualism in global online classrooms

Virtual international collaboration can develop intercultural competence and critical thinking skills. Here are strategies that help make these experiences valuable

Francisco Alberto Núñez Tapia

CETYS Universidad

Beyond checkbox training: how to build university faculty’s digital fluency

How can institutions align digital training with the realities of academic work, professional identity and institutional culture? Here, five academics suggest design principles for effective skills development

Multiple authors

University of Chester, Kate Lindsay Consulting Ltd, University of Plymouth, University of Greenwich , Buckinghamshire New University

A student works at a laptop with headphones on

What future-proofing a course really means

Instead of attempting to predict the future, future-proofing online courses is about making them easier to update, more inclusive and more useful to students, even as context changes

Gennadii Miroshnikov

King’s College London

Spotlight guide: How to best serve the covid generation now at university

The post-pandemic university: how to best serve the Covid generation

A guide to how institutions can adapt and shape higher education in order to meet the needs of students whose vital school years were interrupted by pandemic lockdowns

Campus contributors

Campus

How to be present in teaching, even when you’re not physically there

Asynchronous course design has to work for the student logging in alone at 11pm, or it doesn’t work at all. Here’s how to design to make your presence felt, even in absence

Lucy S. Méndez Santiago

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

The case for the omnichannel AI assistant

A virtual assistant can make learning seamless, ubiquitous and scalable while addressing common faculty concerns regarding AI integration. Here’s how

Wai Chi Rodney Chu, Charles Woo

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A university lecturer explaining a concept while sitting amongst students

Five words and a GenAI prompt to spark deeper online learning

A five-stage framework, enhanced by GenAI, can help educators create more interactive, inclusive and responsive online learning experiences that boost student engagement and learning online

María Robertha Leal Isida, Dania Arriola Arteaga

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Man with child on his lap working at computer

It’s time to take the well-being of online postgraduate students seriously

As online taught postgraduate provision expands, programme teams need practical ways to support student well-being at a distance. Julien le Jeune d’Allegeershecque shares five ways educators can make a measurable difference

Julien le Jeune d’Allegeershecque

Imperial College London

Businessman doing online study at laptop while eating takeaway lunch

Why flexibility is now central to student success

Flexible and truly engaging online study are key for students with jobs or caring responsibilities. Pauline Bedford explains how institutions can go with the flow

Pauline Bedford

Walbrook Institute London

Hands type at a laptop, as seen from above

Build the ‘why’ into your online learning instructions

You could be losing your online students earlier than you think. Here’s how to engage them from the moment they encounter a task

Norman B. Mendoza

The Education University of Hong Kong

An illustration of a teacher talking through a screen to students

‘Accessibility is what makes good teaching possible’

What does accessibility mean in principle, and how does it actually look in practice? Find guidance here on engaging students in learning, dealing with sensory issues and how to be flexible with assessment

Dewi Masyithah Darlan

Universitas Sumatera Utara

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 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

Young black male students working outside on laptop

Using technology to support international students

From scalable email systems to database management, universities can leverage specialised technology to support the academic success and career readiness of their international students

Kate Kirk

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Middle Eastern male millennial online student

Seven practical ways to improve student engagement online

Teaching via a screen makes it harder to read student understanding and sustain attention. These practical strategies show how educators can keep online students invested

Eliseo Mendoza Ortiz

CETYS Universidad

How technology can amplify connections in online classrooms

Technology does not replace human connection. Here's how thoughtfully designed digital practices can make student support more accessible and responsive

Bhawana Shrestha

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Connectivity graphic showing different devices

Digital assumptions versus global realities in transnational education

Connectivity and access remain key challenges as universities in the Global North extend provision beyond their borders. Reflective questions about the experience of TNE students and staff can help ensure courses remain relevant and inclusive

Tabetha Newman, Elizabeth Newall

Jisc

A hashtag with students sitting studying on it

The business of online education

Guidance on how to successfully develop and market higher education teaching and learning online to deliver value to students and drive revenue for your institution

Campus contributors

Campus

Participants of a COIL project smiling to camera

Tips for a successful COIL experience

Guidance through four collaboration phases to ensure collaborative online international learning projects offer meaningful, technology-supported exchanges between institutions

Anisa Vahed

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Use GenAI as your personal learner engagement analytics expert

Harness the student data in your virtual learning environment with a few choice prompts for GenAI

Stephen Buckingham

Queen Mary University of London

A illustration of a laptop offering online learning

Design online learning materials to suit everyone

Create interactive webpages and get to know how your students learn in order to improve e-learning materials. Follow this advice to get started

Nguyen Thi Tu Linh, Nguyen Quoc Minh (Harry) Quan, Nah Yong En

Singapore Institute of Technology

An illustration of an AI with glasses, reading a book

Librarians, it’s time to lead the way

When GenAI first landed, many universities scrambled to understand it and how students might be using it. One library team took it upon themselves to adopt a holistic approach

Chris Porter

Birmingham Newman University

Tips for embedding flipped learning at an institutional level

The benefits of flipped learning are clear, but what about scaling it up across an entire university structure? Here are some strategies – and lessons learned

Julia Chen, Wong Chi-ming, Laura Zhou

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A student takes notes during a group Zoom call

How students really feel about collaborative tasks in online learning

Online learning often includes paired or group work, but research has found this can often provoke anxiety in students. Here’s how to listen to what they want and build the skill of collaboration

Poppy Gibson, Sagun Shrestha, Helena Staszkiewicz

The Open University

Virtual fellowships as ‘material solidarity’ against scholasticide, part 2

UK academics are exploring how virtual fellowships can offer practical, sustainable support to Palestinian scholars. Drawing on their pilot scheme, the authors share key lessons on turning statements of solidarity into action

Basma Hajir , Magdy S. Aqel, William W. McInerney

The University of Bristol, Islamic University of Gaza

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 to go beyond scaling online learning

Charlotte von Essen

Stockholm School of Economics

Can you see me? Can you hear me?

With in-person, online and hybrid supervision of master’s dissertations now common, which works best? Here, Alun Epps offers reflections and advice for new supervisors

Alun Epps

University of Reading

A screen with multiple participants on a video call

Virtual fellowships as ‘material solidarity’ against scholasticide, part 1

Gaza virtual research fellows and UK-based scholars share reflections, alongside a practical overview of the design, development and early implementation of a virtual fellowship

Ahmed Kamal Junina, Basma Hajir , Munawwar Najim, William W. McInerney

The University of Bristol, Al-Aqsa University, Islamic University of Gaza

How to boost student motivation and engagement in virtual classrooms

Practical strategies – from clear communication and visual resources to community building and inclusive pedagogy – to help educators foster participation and motivation in digital learning

Adela Vega Guerra, Angeles Carolina Aguirre-Acosta

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Miro and GenAI as drivers of online student engagement

A set of practical strategies for transforming passive online student participation into visible, measurable and purposeful engagement through the use of Miro, enhanced by GenAI

Jaime Eduardo Moncada Garibay

CETYS Universidad

Students working on a COIL project in class

Five tips for running a successful COIL project

Discover ways to encourage collaboration, nurture curiosity and equip students with the skills they need to succeed in collaborative online learning projects

Gareth J. Williams, Glenn A. Williams

Brightly-coloured speech bubbles and avatars

Discussion forums: the key to AI-proof assessment?

Providing a supportive learning culture for students will make them less likely to cheat – and discussion forums, with a few tweaks, may be the way to do it

Edward Palmer

Adelaide University

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