Research distilled

Key questions to help universities measure societal impact

When societal impact has so many definitions, how can higher education institutions measure it without overlap or disengagement? This coordinated approach aims to find accepted, effective common ground

Olga Ryazanova , Peter McNamara , Tatiana Andreeva

Maynooth University

Couple in dual career concept illustration

What can universities do to support academic couples?

What elements can make a university stand out as being partner-friendly? Here are ways for institutions to support academics in dual-career partnerships – and boost their ability to attract and retain the best talent

Torin Monahan, Jill A. Fisher

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Embracing disagreement in research co-production

Co-producing a research project is not all consensus and harmony, so these four tips will guide research collaborators in how to allow and enable disagreements and dissenting voices

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Young woman on couch with pillow looking at phone

How to choose an app that will encourage reporting of sexual violence on campus

Responsible technology can enhance university responses to gender-based violence reports. Here, Heather Flowe and Laura Stevens share what to look for and demand when choosing an app or platform

Heather D. Flowe, Laura M. Stevens

University of Birmingham

multiracial university students sitting outside

Curriculum reform to boost under-represented students’ success in higher education

Large-scale transition from traditional curricula to a block model can have a positive impact on student achievement. Here, Thomas Roche, Erica Wilson and Liz Goode describe five steps to implement whole-institution reform, based on a study of a regional public university in Australia

Thomas Roche, Erica Wilson, Liz Goode

Southern Cross University

How to face adversity and change in higher education with resilience

In times of stress and uncertainty, university leaders must model calmness, clarity and confidence in their ability to respond to and recover from challenges, writes Sonia Alvarez-Robinson. Here, she offers practical strategies based on her own experience

Sonia Alvarez-Robinson

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

‘Strengthening institution-wide commitment to trans inclusion is more important than ever’

Guidance for museums, galleries and heritage has insight for universities as they prepare to bolster freedom of speech, write four academics

Suzanne MacLeod, Richard Sandell , Sharon Cowan, E-J Scott

University of Leicester, The University of Edinburgh, University of the Arts London

Heart skills to future-proof students

These 10 skills might sound as soft as the centre of a Valentine’s Day chocolate, but they are essential for the careers and employability of our students, writes Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Edith Cowan University

The transformative power of mentoring in historically black colleges and universities

HBCUs’ culture of generosity and community has much to offer all colleges and universities, write Marybeth Gasman and Levon T. Esters. Here, they distill their research into four key elements

Marybeth Gasman, Levon T. Esters

Rutgers University, Penn State University

Detail of many drawing circle on screen around icons

HARKing forward: an argument for a polarising research practice

Hypothesising (or proposing) after results are known is seen as going against scientific principles. Here, however, Yehuda Barach argues for its use in the name of unhindered enquiry and discovery when the scholarship is transparent and properly reported

Yehuda Baruch

University of Southampton

The three Cs of the 21st-century workplace: cognition, character and career

Changing skill demands require a lifelong approach to education that prioritises self-efficacy, critical thinking and a growth mindset. Here is how these elements can fit together in learning and career preparation

Vijayakumari Seevaratnam, Russell Manfield

The University of Queensland

Overhead shot of students around a table

What is the cost of students’ social mobility from a community ties perspective?

Personal networking strategies can influence successful academic integration and emotional stability of students from under-represented communities in higher education. Here are ways to support these groups, based an analysis of the egocentric networks of Roma students

Ágnes Lukács J., Beáta Dávid

Semmelweis University

How to make access to doctoral study more equitable

A three-pronged look at how to make access to doctoral study more equitable and remove barriers to entry that disproportionately impact students from ethnic minority backgrounds, based on findings of the Equator Project

Benjamin Fernando, Sam Giles, Natasha Dowey

University of Oxford, University of Birmingham, Sheffield Hallam University

A young woman looking happy as she works at a laptop

A reflexive writing workshop to enhance engagement with learning

Reflexive writing workshops can help boost students’ interest and motivation in relation to their studies. Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou explains how these can work

Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou

Manchester Metropolitan University

Student ambassadors, key players in widening participation

How to design and run an effective student ambassador programme to support widening participation initiatives

Ellie Nik

University of Technology Sydney

Four strategies that rethink whole-group discussions

A guide to organising class discussions in different formats so that all students feel able to participate, based on insight from Harvard educators

Jeremy T. Murphy , Meira Levinson

College of the Holy Cross, Harvard University

A white male academic talking to a young Black female student

Tips and tricks for impactful reverse mentoring

How to structure and manage effective reverse mentoring programmes which can bring benefits for participants and the wider sector

Rachael O’Connor

University of Leeds

Making sustainability part of university DNA

Meaningful change comes from embedding green practices into every aspect, and every member, of the institution, starting from induction training

Thomas Menkhoff, Kevin Cheong

Singapore Management University

University staff member talking to a female student

The case for reverse mentoring in higher education

Reverse mentoring can drive progress on many challenges faced in higher education today, if planned with care, as Rachael O’Connor explains

Rachael O’Connor

University of Leeds

A holographic image of urban development emerging from the tablet

How can students learn to be innovative?

Teaching students innovative thinking through the use of business case studies and ‘learning by doing’, explained by William Cheung and Edward Yiu

William Cheung , Edward Yiu

The University of Auckland

Which specific Covid disruptions impacted motivation and engagement?

Lockdowns, isolation, remote learning and more have impacted various aspects of students’ lives. Knowing what and how puts educators in a better position to offer support

Andrew J. Martin

UNSW Sydney

Sensitive marking and the end of the line for the academic essay

Rather than flagging essays by students with specific learning difficulties for “sensitive” marking, why are universities not rethinking the way they assess to make it more equitable for all students?

Andrew Read, Donna Hurford

University of Southern Denmark, Independent consultant

The flipped classroom: an evidence-based approach

The flipped classroom is most effective when it places active learning at its core, research suggests. A new model for flipped learning, developed by Manu Kapur and colleagues, aims to do just that

Manu Kapur

ETH Zurich

Saying people’s names right: what policymakers can do

How can leaders and policymakers in higher education help staff and students to respect people’s name-based identities? Jane Pilcher and Hannah Deakin-Smith identify steps to take

Jane Pilcher, Hannah Deakin-Smith

Nottingham Trent University

Four people expressing different emotions through large smileys

Negative thinking has a role to play in helping students plan their careers

Three recommendations that balance the power of negative and positive thinking to guide career planning for students

Anna Branford , Harriette Richards , Carolina Quintero Rodriguez

RMIT University

Road towards Aoraki mountain on South Island, New Zealand

Can we really decolonise the university?

To explore what is possible, non-Indigenous scholars Mahdis Azarmandi and Sara Tolbert offer an anticolonial feminist praxis for unsettling settler institutions

Mahdis Azarmandi , Sara Tolbert

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

A diverse team of colleagues in an online meeting

Prioritising equity in higher education: the impact of individual identities

Recommendations for improving equity in higher education, informed by research into the impact of individual identities upon staff experiences of the pandemic

Sam Illingworth, Jamie Zike

Edinburgh Napier University

A university tutor talking to a male student

Five characteristics of effective supervisor training

What constitutes effective training to ensure research supervisors are well equipped to work with doctoral students? Sioux McKenna and Puleng Motshoane share advice based on their research in South Africa

Sioux McKenna, Puleng Motshoane

Rhodes University, University of Johannesburg

American football team starting a new play

Making male athletes key players in preventing sexual assault on campus

Young sportsmen have the influence to shift campus attitudes away from rape culture and misinformation towards accountability and support for survivors. A US-wide programme aims to empower them to do so

Tracey Vitchers

It’s On Us

The image of a community walking group relates to community-based research

The secret to ‘levelling up’ is in cross-sector, community-based research

New research shows the achievements of non-academic partnerships and gives insights into what funding and delivery models can help them flourish

Katy Shaw

Northumbria University

Woman's hands holding a fan colour palette

A simple way to improve navigation in online learning

Five simple steps to use colour to design an engaging menu and navigation system that enhances digital learning environments and platforms

Joskaudė Pakalkaitė

The University of Exeter

Young researchers work together on a green city project

Building blocks of university-industry partnerships for positive change

How universities can develop strategic cross-sector partnerships and trans-disciplinary research in order to boost progress towards the SDGs

Tim Bodley-Scott, Ersel Oymak

UCL

Why it is time to start co-creating professional development with employees

Steps to working with employees to shape and improve professional development programmes

Heather Emerson-Young

Northeastern University

Defining impact: a shift in thinking, acting and being

What is impact? And, more importantly, how do universities foster and measure it? Here is a plan to raise impact awareness, literacy and readiness

Igor Campillo, Glória Nunes, Iñigo Puertas

Enlight European University, Euskampus Fundazioa

Australian aboriginal hands against red dirt road illustrating exchange of Indigenous wisdom

Steps to decolonise higher education: after yourself, change the curriculum

Opening the curriculum to First Nations’ histories and knowledge is a key part of decolonisation, as lisahunter and Karen Lambert explain in this second part of their series

lisahunter, Karen Lambert

Monash University

Hands at laptop surrounded by cloud of tech-related icons

Six ingredients for successful digital transformation

For forward-thinking universities, technology is not an afterthought but a core part of their activities. Here, Nick Skelton distils insight from UK higher education leaders into six components of successful digital integration

Nick Skelton

Jisc

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

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

Image depicting different elements of and outcomes from learning

Show off students’ employability with e-portfolios

Why and how to make e-portfolios a central part of university courses, helping students identify and exhibit skills that will appeal to employers, by Lourdes Guàrdia and Marcelo Maina

Lourdes Guàrdia, Marcelo Maina

Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

Adaptability is different from resilience – and here’s how to nurture it

Identifying what adaptability is and how to boost it can help students make appropriate adjustments to optimise their academic and personal well-being

Andrew J. Martin, Paul Ginns, Rebecca J. Collie

UNSW Sydney, University of Sydney

Arts-based methods to foster participatory and interactive learning

Arts-based methods in university teaching centre individual human values and relationships as key contributors in learning. Anne Pässilä and Allan Owens offer advice on how this can be achieved

Anne Pässilä, Allan Owens

Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology LUT, University of Chester

Image showing someone trapped in a glass jar, trying to be heard

Breaking language barriers: supporting non-native English-speaking students

Steps that tutors can take to better support students who are non-native speakers of English and ensure they feel included and able to play an active role in their university community

Jiajun Liu, Qian Wang , Shuai Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Teach and talk: encouraging student dialogue in class

Dialogic validation is about making students aware of the value their ideas bring to the classroom. Roehl Sybing discusses three simple principles that teachers can adopt to get students talking

Roehl Sybing

Doshisha University

The power of gender-sensitive mentoring

Mentoring is a powerful tool to enhance job satisfaction and work-life balance. This guide aims to help mentors adopt a gender-sensitive approach to support women and people who identify as women in teaching-focused roles

Marion Coderch

Durham University

Learned words: using poetry to reflect on practices in higher education

Poetry writing can aid reflection on your teaching and learning or research practices, offering a fresh way of organising thoughts, as Sam Illingworth explains

Sam Illingworth

Edinburgh Napier University

When refuge isn’t safe: uncovering real-life stories to shape policy

Human stories that feed into research can be a powerful tool for driving policy change but need careful and sensitive handling, as Lizzie Kirsch explains

Lizzie Kirsch

University of Birmingham, Universities Policy Engagement Network (UPEN)

Augmented reality in teaching: key challenges and how to overcome them

Will Shüler identifies three challenges of integrating augmented reality into the classroom and shares advice on how university tutors might navigate them

Will Shüler

Royal Holloway, University of London

Female student reading a book in the university library

If you want students to read more, consider asking them to read less

Students can feel overwhelmed when faced with lengthy academic reading lists so how can educators help them develop their reading skills? Will Mason and Meesha Warmington share five actions to support students in tackling, even enjoying, their course literature

Will Mason , Meesha A Warmington

University of Sheffield

Student diaries as a tool to improve the university experience

Do you really know what your students experience during their studies? It is more complex than many surveys suggest. Using student diaries may support deeper understanding to improve student experiences, as Dan Herbert explains

Dan Herbert

University of Birmingham

How campus layout influences social ties and research exchange

Shorter distances between departments and offices can boost communication and exchange. But proximity is not the only way that campus design influences interactions among the university community

Andres Sevtsuk

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

1 2 3 4