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.

A professor guiding students through a task

Developing a narrative, evidence-based teaching philosophy statement

By grounding your values in concrete examples, writing with clarity and tailoring your statement to its audience, you can create a document that brings your classroom to life. Read about strategies

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

Should I raise my hand? Navigating cultural norms in the classroom

To tap into cultural diversity and enrich teaching environments, Sarah Kegley suggests three strategies: consult class members, be clear about engagement guidelines and make good use of resources

Sarah Kegley

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

He professionals working together on an educational project

Five keys to success in multidisciplinary educational projects

Each team that contributes to educational initiatives has expertise-specific perspectives that influence its approach. Learn how to harness this diversity

Laura Angélica Castillo Lara

Tecnológico de Monterrey

What are students really paying attention to?

If we want to engage students, we must reuse and regenerate their attention rather than take, make and waste it, writes Christine Rivers, who shares advice on how to do this

Christine Rivers

University of Surrey

Student raising their hand to speak in a lecture

The Democracy Lab: how 20 minutes of debate can revive the lecture

By introducing short debate about a current issue or trend tied to that day’s lecture, Theo Koutmeridis discovered a simple way to boost student interest and engagement for the whole two-hour class

Theodore Koutmeridis

University of Glasgow

Young male student raising hand in class

‘Trust in their own judgement is something we cannot teach our students’

Students new to formal finance education need space to make mistakes and a learning environment that includes uncertainty, risk and emotions, writes Manjari Sharma

Manjari Sharma

Christ (Deemed to be University)

A teacher presenting to a class full of students

How to craft an authentic and impactful teaching philosophy statement

Whether using it for career development or writing a statement as a reflective exercise, learn how to identify and showcase the values, beliefs and goals that govern your teaching approach through real examples

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

A lecturer talking to a student about their work.

What ‘learning verification’ means in practice

When a student’s work sparks concerns over AI use, the best approach is to sit down with them and have a conversation to ascertain if they understand what they submitted, explains B. Jean Mandernach, who shares tips for doing this

B. Jean Mandernach

Grand Canyon University

A group of university students sitting around a table having a discussion

How GenAI can amplify co-creation in higher education

How to make AI-supported co-creation work while ensuring empathy remains at the heart of the process

Bo Kelestyn, Jess Humphreys, Dmytro Chumachenko

The University of Warwick, Kharkiv Aviation Institute

A student and their lecturer in conversation.

Stop investigating, start teaching

Trying to detect whether a student has misused AI in their work is a wasted effort, from which no one benefits, writes B. Jean Mandernach. She proposes a different approach focused on finding out what students truly understand

B. Jean Mandernach

Grand Canyon University

Students in class watching a teacher, among them one raises her hand to answer a question

Impactful lessons begin and end with clarity

Common in primary and secondary teaching, starter and plenary activities can get students interested and build knowledge. Paul Demetriou explains how to use them in university teaching

Paul Demetriou

New City College

Female lecturer addresses a group of students

Why universities need shared conversations about ‘good’ teaching

Good teaching cannot be owned or defined by any one person or group, writes David Mather. He calls for more open discussion and exploration of what constitutes quality teaching

David Mather

The University of Portsmouth

How agentic AI brings interactivity to STEM learning

When applied thoughtfully, agentic AI has the potential to turn classrooms into environments where students actively explore complex systems rather than passively absorb information

Gerard Joseph Lim

Nanyang Technological University

Group of multiracial university students in a tutorial

A million more teachers: building human-centric skills in small-group teaching

Small-group discussions and one-to-ones can expand students’ capacity to act, think and communicate, writes Alastair Bonnett. Here, he offers a model for shifting university teaching from macro to micro

Alastair Bonnett

Newcastle University

Asian students articipating in small-group discussion

Practicalities of co-creation: how to truly engage the student voice

When educators share the design and implementation of course material and assessment rubrics, they give students a stake in their own and their peers’ learning

Shuhui Yin

Macau University of Science and Technology

Students in a lecture hall working on essays

Feedback is a skill to be taught, not assumed

Comments such as ‘This is a good essay’ might reassure but won’t help a writer improve. Here’s how to show students what strong and weak peer feedback looks like

Jiashi Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A group of students at a desk working on a project

A ‘smart’ way to get students working together

Reduce the tendency to ‘divide and write’ with a five-step process that draws on individual strengths, promotes constructive communication and ensures equal participation

Ya Zhang, Shuhao Zhang, Yu Liu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Couscous, among other ingredients, in a marketplace

Less beer, more couscous: gamifying supply chain education

Using the Beer Game to teach business students about supply chains may have had its last orders. Switching to couscous changed how one educator’s class thought

Jawad Abrache

Al Akhawayn University

GrimmGPT? Use AI to rewrite fairy tales – and get your students thinking

A simple strategy to help your students question AI tools from a familiar starting point

India Lawton

Southampton Solent 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

Illustration of robot and man on either side of ball of scribble

Faculty must embrace the ‘messy middle’ to guide AI proficiency

The primary source of institutional AI proficiency must be universities themselves, not the technology companies who offer training for their platforms. Without that agency, we risk surrendering educational practice to commercial interests, write Amy Allen and David Hicks

Amy Allen, David Hicks

Virginia Tech

Two students using a map to navigate a digital world

Boosting AI literacy across your institution

AI literacy goes far beyond basic prompt writing. Learn strategies for building understanding of how AI tools work, how to use them effectively to support teaching, learning and research, where their limitations lie and the ethical implications surrounding their use

Campus contributors, Laura Duckett

Campus

Defining and developing students’ critical AI literacy

By the time they arrive at university, most students are using AI. So, with the lines between AI use and original work increasingly blurred, academia now needs to teach them how to use the tools critically

Amy Allen, David Hicks

Virginia Tech

Industrial engineer inspecting a residential construction project with a VR app with a virtualisation of the building's interior

Extend reality to make learning more meaningful

To meet the challenges of the modern workplace, students need to encounter environments that simulate professional scenarios during their studies. Read about how to design extended reality activities that boost a range of discipline-specific skills

Daniel Cantú, Claudia Hernández

Tecnológico de Monterrey

What if the undergraduate journey were a four-year internship?

Treating work placements and co-curricular programmes as optional or supplementary misses deeper questions about whether traditional degrees prepare students for careers. Michelle Seref explains

Michelle Seref

Virginia Tech

How to start reimagining assessments authentically

What does authentic assessment really look like? Through real-world tasks, meaningful application and core knowledge and skills, it supports deeper learning and a more accurate measure of students’ understanding

Karen Bunch Franklin

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Male students presents to his classmates

Think again: reclaiming our ‘cognitive debt’ from AI

GenAI’s insidious impact on human intellectual development calls for a return to the foundations of education – reading, writing and debating, writes Shahriar Akter

Shahriar Akter

University of Wollongong

A student on a field trip in the forest taking notes

The power of place to spark learning and belonging

Four place-based learning practices that can connect students to community, nature and a sense of hope for the future

Douglas Haynes

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh

Close-up of hands flicking through flashcards

Flash cards work, but only when we teach students how to use them

Based on research comparing paper-based and digital tools, William J. Owen and Leah Chambers explain how flash cards can support learning and study skills development

William J. Owen , Leah Chambers

University of Northern British Columbia

How can we embed students’ ‘cultural wealth’ in STEM teaching?

How can educators build on the knowledge, skills and personal assets students bring to the classroom? Sarah Rodriguez offers practical, adaptable strategies

Sarah L. Rodriguez

Virginia Tech

A university professor smiling to camera

You can’t teach ‘affective’ empathy from a case study

If business schools want to produce socially responsible graduates, they must centre lived experience of social disadvantage in their teaching and learning, say Kathy Walsh and Mihajla Gavin

Kathy Walsh, Mihajla Gavin

University of Technology Sydney

A smiling university professor in a campus hallway

Look for research opportunities in everyday teaching

Low-effort ways to conduct pedagogical research that can transform teaching work from routine into discovery, inviting us to question longstanding assumptions, experiment with innovative approaches and contribute meaningful insights

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Man's hands over laptop keyboard with figures and speech bubbles

GenAI has turned teachers into auditors

When educators have to police how students use AI, and gatekeeping adds to the workload and emotional toll, teaching loses its joy, write Meena Jha and Amara Atif. Here are ways to reclaim the role of educator

Meena Jha, Amara Atif

Central Queensland University, University of Technology Sydney

When pedagogy meets extended reality: a quick guide

How to design extended reality experiences with clear pedagogical intent, immersing students in worlds that develop decision-making skills, deepen learning and prepare them for the workplace

Graciela González Valdepeña, Lorena Quilantán García

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Blocks showing man making path between bombs to idea

How to support students to learn from, with, about and beyond AI

Educators should not be competing with chatbots and large language models. Instead, a continuum can help them guide students from passive learning from AI to synthesising information alongside it

Tan Seng Chee

Nanyang Technological University

Educators must model inclusive pedagogy

Belonging is not a by-product of good teaching but an intentional outcome of inclusive practices. These include healthy dialogue, co-creation and reflective practice, says Patrice Seuwou

Patrice Seuwou

University of Northampton

Young female student wearing safety glasses in an organic chemistry lab

Questions that support reflection and sense-making in STEM education

Focusing on the thinking that a lab-class prompt invites – rather than the answer it elicits – allows instructors to create learning experiences that are both rigorous and inclusive

Karen Ho, Douglas B. Clark

Mount Royal University, University of Calgary

Man falling into laptop screen with numbers in cords in background

‘If you like, I can….?’ Why GenAI needs to come with a health warning

Warnings about the dependency-forming tricks of GenAI are unlikely to change student behaviour, even as they fear its effects on learning. Educators need to help students recognise engagement loops for themselves, writes Adrian Wallbank

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

Design students working together in class

‘AI turns the classroom from structured event into improv class’

Rethinking the role of the teacher builds on alternatives to scripted material, such as studio-style sessions, flipped problem-based work, team-based clinics, Socratic debates, in-class case simulations and live data analysis

Dirk Hovy

Bocconi University

Detail of medic drawing a vaccination shot

Inoculating students against AI-generated scientific misinformation

GenAI raises an urgent pedagogical question for universities: how can we train students to evaluate scientific claims critically when the language of scholarship can be so convincingly simulated?

Elissar Gerges

Zayed University

Five university students working on a group project in class

Universal design for learning: a benefit, a challenge and a solution

Discover how to embed choice into learning in a clear, manageable and meaningful way

Pablo Dalby

The University of East Anglia

Statue of Plato in front of Academy of Athens in Athens, Greece

I blame Plato: how ancient thinking still might shape belonging in STEM

The history of mathematics tells a rich story of collective labour, curiosity, dialogue, adventurousness and responsiveness to human questions. Educators have responsibility to tap into this for current and future students, writes Clemency Montelle

Clemency Montelle

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

Students in a boardroom working on a company project

Every AI learning persona needs an origin story

Anna, a fictional social responsibility consultant, mentors students analysing a company in crisis. Her story shows how thoughtfully designed AI personas can turn simple chat interactions into immersive learning experiences

Lorena Quilantán García

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Illustration of faces in blues and greens

Lecture room as tapestry: weaving culture, curiosity and learning together

Culturally inclusive pedagogy asks educators to redesign learning environments that work with, rather than ignore, the diversity in university classrooms. Here, Chipo Simbi offers advice around student engagement, assessment and safe spaces

Chipo Simbi

University of Southampton

How to get students talking in seminar courses

From setting expectations before the course begins to structuring discussion and preparation, these strategies help educators turn hesitant students into confident, collaborative seminar course participants

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

Young Asian woman looking at wall of electronic images

Why critical visual literacy matters in a complex information landscape

Even in teaching materials and trusted sources, images are not neutral. Here, Alexius Chia explains how to guide learners from superficial impressions to being able to critique perspective, power and intent

Alexius Chia

Nanyang Technological University

Details of hands playing different games

A game-making workshop to bring complex systems to life

Board games offer a powerful teaching tool to deepen understanding of complex dynamics such as climate. This analogue group task fosters the skills of systems thinking: setting boundaries, seeing multiple perspectives and holistic analysis

Adam Procter, Matteo Menapace

University of Southampton, Manchester Metropolitan University

A group of students in a classroom working on a live brief

From buzzwords to business plans: making the SDGs matter to students

How to help students apply SDG thinking in practical, business-focused ways using local case studies, live briefs, internships and feedback

Robyn Griffiths

University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Two female students looking at a flash card

Packed with ethics: using flash cards to spark connection

Ethics is a fundamental skill in accounting, but it is difficult to teach in a way that gives students confidence to use and test frameworks. Here, Catriona Hyde explains how simple flash cards can create curiosity and connection in the classroom

Catriona Hyde

University of Leicester

How to embed STEM across all disciplines? Start small

Build the STEM skills students will need for the future into your existing courses – with a little-and-often approach. Here’s how

Kenneth Wai-Ting Leung

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

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