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A man walks past a colonial-era building in modern-day Malaysia

Can there ever be a neat history of colonialism?

People today seem to want their history to be linear and totalising, but it is only by addressing the messiness of the past that we can understand the present

Farish A Noor  

University of Malaya

Is your education not supported? Incompatibility in tech is a big problem for universities

Is your teaching and learning ‘not supported’?

Are you Google or Microsoft? WhatsApp or Signal? The incompatibility driven by Big Tech obstructs research and teaching, so Europe’s mooted Digital Markets Act may be good news

Andy Farnell

Visiting Professor

Hand holding megaphone to signify academic freedom

Academics must resist the creeping degradation of academic freedom

Unless an academic is exceptionally bloody-minded, they will eventually take the path of least resistance, which is subtle erosion in action, says Arif Ahmed

Arif Ahmed

University of Cambridge

Educational gag orders threaten the very fabric of US higher education

Educational gag orders could destroy the structure of higher education

Universities and programmes could lose their accreditation and students could lose their financial aid if governors continue signing these legislative restrictions

Jeremy C. Young

PEN America

Whispering

Everything you need to know about cyberattacks (but were afraid to ask)

From communication to recovery times, Patrick Bailey provides an insider’s guide to dealing with the havoc wrought by cyberattacks, based on first-hand experience

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University

Helping someone up a cliff

The cruel optimism of research careers: how to support contract workers

The conversation needs to switch from academic careers being the responsibility of individual researchers to what employers can do to support those in precarious roles

Jess Harris, Simon Bailey, Mhorag Goff, Nerida Spina

University of Newcastle, Australia, University of Kent, University of Manchester, Queensland University of Technology

Purpose-driven businesses are leading the way for universities

Universities must follow business and place ‘purpose’ front and centre

More and more businesses are shifting from the short-term myopia of financial self-interest to enduring, aspirational reasons to exist. Universities need to do the same

Victoria Hurth, Iain Stewart

University of Cambridge, University of Plymouth

Naming students in online classes helps them connect and feel that their tutor is present

Naming students is even more crucial in online classes

Naming learners fosters a community in which the teacher is clearly all in and focused on individual members in the unique, shared space of the online classroom

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

An arrow made up of a crowd of people

In-person teaching now needs to be justified

If we take the same critical lens to in-person learning as we once did to online, rationalising our need for the former, how much better could we make our teaching?

Stephen Dann

Australian National University

Lifelong learning needs a reboot to help professionals untangle their continuing education options

Lifelong learning needs a reboot – here’s how to do it

Instead of untangling a miscellany of education products, lifelong learners should find the structure and purpose of their degree continues into their professional life

Matt Riley

Blueprint Prep

Think differently. University students bring different things to the table so academics should use differentiated instruction to reach them all

Students are different, so why are you still teaching them all the same way?

We know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t really work. Adriana Plata-Marroquin and Leticia Castaño offer tips on implementing differentiated instruction

Adriana Plata-Marroquin , Leticia Castaño Sánchez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Working back to front, by writing feedback before students have submitted, can help when teaching large cohorts

Why you should write feedback to your students before they’ve submitted

Starting at the end seems counterintuitive, but anticipating student strengths and weaknesses and automating your responses comes into its own for large cohorts

Andy Grayson

Nottingham Trent University

Edtech needs to be chosen and designed by actual educators

It’s time for teachers to assert their professional opinions on learning delivery

Isn’t it odd that teachers are often just passive users of whatever tech product is selected for them rather than designers of and collaborators in edtech adoption?

Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

University staff and leadership should not forget that the academic and the vocational are deeply intertwined

Don’t forget that the ‘academic’ and the ‘vocational’ are deeply intertwined

It’s not enough to focus solely on academic mission, but neither is it enough to think of universities as little more than training schools, says Sir Chris Husbands

Chris Husbands

Sheffield Hallam University

A teenager with street smarts, but university graduates will need to combine practical and academic skills to boost employability

Do our students need to be book smart or street smart? They need to be both

Employers want talent to jump right in and fulfil new tasks without a lot of coaching. Project-based learning will help prepare students for this new way of thinking and working

Lee Ann Walker

Colorado State University Global

Looking to the future of the workforce and universities

The sector must come together when talk turns to promoting economic success

What could be more important than preparing our students for jobs in the local economy and supporting graduates to become the entrepreneurs of the future? asks Sir David Bell

David Bell

University of Sunderland

Social media can make you sad, so here's how to battle the LinkedIn

Does seeing others’ success on LinkedIn make you unhappy?

LinkedIn can help you find a job and promote yourself, but it may also leave you questioning your own career trajectory – here’s how to combat the social media blues

Laura Lavertu, Sebastian Oliver

University of Edinburgh

Smartphone and social media addiction is a real danger - and academics would be complicit if we don't start questioning its use more readily

Why I choose not to teach with social media

If social media is eventually revealed as a grave threat to public health, the academy’s unquestioning adoption of it could make scholars complicit

Zachary Michael Jack

North Central College

LinkedIn is quickly becoming academia’s key tool for career progression

For students and academics alike, it’s becoming hard to ignore LinkedIn’s combination of networking and self-promotional opportunities

Gillian McCurdy

Arden University

Opening the Twitter app on a mobile phone

The 10 commandments of academic Twitter

Lucas Lixinski offers tips on how to engage positively with the social media platform, from ‘honour thy hashtags’ to ‘thou shalt live-tweet at events’

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Using social media data and analytics is key for academics hoping to expand their network

How to use social media analytics to effectively expand your network

Digging deeper into social media, through stats and data, is the key to understanding audience and carving out your niche, says Michael Skiba

Michael Skiba

Colorado State University Global

A female politician gives a speech - academics must tailor their communications with politicians in order to have their research affect policy

Want your research to have an impact on policy? Know your audience

Politicians are novices by design, so tailoring your communications with them gives you the best chance of cutting through, says David R. Garcia

David R. Garcia

Arizona State University

Gun with flowers

What can universities do to protect Russian and Ukrainian academics fighting for truth?

Academics’ struggle is a stirring reminder that the freedom of scholars and students to speak, teach and publish is neither inviolable nor dispensable, says Ron Daniels

Ron Daniels

Johns Hopkins University

A pros and cons list might be useful for academics deciding whether to adopt new edtech

Failing fast: what universities need to consider when adopting edtech

An edtech company might offer an outstanding technology that fits with the ethos and strategic direction of an institution, but that is just the start, says John Miles

John Miles

Inkpath

Propaganda and disinformation are rife on social media and beyond, and in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, universities need to play their part in countering it

Fake news and disinformation abounds, but what can universities do?

Few universities offer courses on countering propaganda, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine brings this weakness of provision into sharp relief, says Paul Baines

Paul Baines

University of Leicester

Fake news and bias can infect social media feeds, so university teachers need to educate students on how to read their platforms critically

Students aren’t giving up social media, so teach them how to question it

Whatever our own opinions on social media, we must educate our students about locating bias and reading their preferred platforms critically, says Stone Meredith

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

A university leader gives a press conference - standing as a bastion for democracy is key for higher education and its leaders

Four key strategies for higher education leaders to advance democracy

University leaders must use their positions to develop citizens and communities that combat tyranny and facilitate democracy – hard work that is done on and off campus

Jon McNaughtan, Alexander W. Wiseman

Texas Tech University

University emoji friends: encouraging students to make friends on social media before starting university is a great idea, as long as there are protections in place

Social media can help new students make friends – but we must regulate it

There’s much to like about employing social media to help nervous students make connections before being dumped on campus, but universities must not overlook their duty of care

Andy Phippen

Bournemouth University

Opening the door to higher education requires a holistic approach for students from disadvantaged backgrounds

Universities must take a more holistic approach to social mobility

Financial support is only part of the equation – human and social capital are also crucial for helping students from disadvantaged backgrounds, says Andrew Burke

Andrew Burke

Trinity College Dublin

Universities need to promote pluralism and thinking across the divide in order to strengthen democracy

Universities must promote pluralism to ward off threats to democracy

Once the moral basis of anyone who disagrees with us is rejected, then democracy inevitably implodes, says Matthew Flinders

Matthew Flinders

University of Sheffield

Universities and higher education institutions need to sever ties with oil companies and get their ethics in order if they want to tackle the SDGs

Universities aren’t walking the walk on sustainability – not even close

While HEIs continue to take tens of millions of pounds from oil companies, their integrity and commitment to the SDGs looks shaky at best, says James Derounian

James Derounian

Visiting Professor

Healthcare professionals need help from universities and higher education when implementing new tech into their practice

Health workers need tech training – for themselves and their patients

There are huge risks involved if current and future healthcare professionals have to take up new forms of practice such as video consultations without sufficient training

Stefan Rennick-Egglestone

University of Nottingham

How to stop unintentionally discriminating against international university students in your classroom through your pedagogy

How to stop unconsciously discriminating against international students

Using enquiry-based learning gives overseas students agency and helps them decide for themselves how they want to be included in the learning process, says Dylan Williams

Dylan Williams

Seoul National University

Cycling, running and other forms of exercise can be encouraged among university students by tutors who offer academic credits for exercise

Want students to exercise more? Make it part of their course

The body hears everything the mind says, so it is said. That is certainly true when teachers offer extra academic credits in return for physical activity, says Roberto Villaseñor-Roldán

Roberto Villaseñor-Roldán

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Sometimes quitting your PhD and leaving academia can be the most rational move for students

Thinking about quitting your PhD? Maybe that’s the right decision

Sometimes not completing a PhD is the rational choice, and having open conversations around it helps stop people feeling isolated and uncertain, says Katherine Firth

Katherine Firth

La Trobe University

Scientists and academics must practise humility and empathy when communicating with the public over issues such as climate change

We’ve forgotten how to communicate science to the public at a crucial time

As we try to tackle climate change, it feels like the pandemic has pushed us back decades to the bad old mode of scientists lecturing the public, says John Womersley

John Womersley

University of Oxford

University teachers must work hard to ensure students become comfortable with the process of peer review

Fostering student collaboration rather than competition using peer review

When students are involved in peer review, they can more easily see the “problems” with classmates’ writing – and this creates opportunities in their own work, too

James Meredith

Colorado State University Global

University libraries and academic publishers need to find a long-term solution to the issue of e-textbooks

We must end the ‘us and them’ standoff between libraries and publishers

University libraries and publishers remain at a damaging impasse over digital textbooks – the solution requires communication, collaboration and openness to big ideas

Libby Homer

Anglia Ruskin University

Black, Latinx and first-generation students need help garnering social capital if their higher education investment is to pay off in terms of a career

If we truly want a level playing field, we must focus on social capital

For minoritised students to really benefit from HE, they need support to understand the world of work, build connections and activate networks

Andy Chan, Kristina Francis

Wake Forest University, JFFLabs

Immediacy cues such as eye contact can be critical tools for professors and lecturers when connecting to higher education students

Immediacy cues are a great starting point for fostering inclusive classes

Both verbal and non-verbal cues, such as pronouncing names correctly, smiling and making eye contact signal to students that they are welcome, respected and valued

Flower Darby

Northern Arizona University

Sessional academics early in their careers should learn how to balance the competing demands of teaching and research

Sessional academics: how to balance the demands of teaching and research

Teaching and research are the pillars of academia, yet these two roles often end up in opposition to one another, says Tara East

Tara East

University of Southern Queensland

Academics looking to move up the higher education career ladder might consider becoming a dean

Who wants to be a dean?

Paul Baines talks through the pros and cons of being a dean, plus the skills you’ll need to display during the recruitment process to get there

Paul Baines

University of Leicester

Arrow leading up steps illustrating article about Wordle, mastery experiences, the power of success

What Wordle teaches us about the power of success

Offering more mastery experiences will greatly reduce the mental and emotional fatigue that permeates so many post-Covid university classrooms

Thomas R. Guskey

University of Kentucky

University admissions policies could be hold back diversity efforts for students wanting to study STEM subjects

Are STEM admissions processes hindering our diversity efforts?

The requirement for potential STEM students to have studied traditionally related subjects such as maths and physics seems outdated and unnecessary, says Judy Raper

Judy Raper

TEDI-London

The university library needs a dramatic pivot to online to help academics and students alike in the new normal

Covid-19 showed that the academic library requires digital evolution

As we face our new reality, library services need a new vision, becoming ubiquitous and available no matter the challenges of time and space

José Vladimir Burgos Aguilar

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Academia showed it can slow down in the early days of the pandemic, so why has higher education gone back to warp speed again now?

Slowing down earlier in the pandemic went well – so why speed back up?

The online tools adopted in the past two years do have positives, but they’ve also created a new kind of pressure – the pressure to be everywhere at once

Shari Boodts, Frederik van Dam

Radboud University

Meritocracy in higher education is not fit for purpose with minorities of all stripes finding an unsafe environment

Meritocracy in the academy isn’t fit for purpose – but we can fix it

Institutions need to think about who they’re picking and foster both literacy and competence around minority issues as the first steps to a true meritocracy

rashné limki

University of Edinburgh

Refugees from Afghanistan are arriving in the US and other nations, and higher education has a huge role to play in the national response

‘Making it’ in the US: education and employment for Afghan refugees

With war and displacement atop most news agendas right now, higher education has a huge part to play in the US’ national response

Emal Dusst, Colleen Thouez

Cintana Education, The New School

Advice on steps universities should take to ensure pandemic doesn't result in a long-term reversal of gender equality work

Urgent steps to prevent the pandemic stalling women’s academic careers

The pandemic put a disproportionate strain on female academics, research suggests, so now universities need to take robust action to ensure these women do not lose out in tenure and promotion decisions, reducing future diversity

Adrian Daub, Alison Dahl Crossley

Stanford University

Steps institutions should take to encourage more mature female students to complete STEM courses

How to support women of all ages in post-secondary science education

Mature female students face barriers to success in STEM subjects, but steps can be taken to address this. Liette Vasseur explains what needs to be done

Liette Vasseur

Brock University

Welcoming international students is increasingly important for universities worldwide

Enrolment throws up issues to be balanced, not problems to be solved

Enrolment managers must realise an increasingly complex landscape doesn’t need a quick fix to a short-term challenge but rather a reasonable strategy for managing long-term tensions

Steve Taylor

Liaison International

International HE collaborations can help progress towards the SDGs in this Decade of Action

International partnerships drive SDG progress – how do we support them?

Diverse partnerships encompassing various sectors and organisations help mobilise resources and encourage collaboration that can address societal challenges more efficiently

Joanna Newman, Maddalaine Ansell

The Association of Commonwealth Universities, British Council

Advice for black and minority ethnic academics who are trying to make their way on the higher education career ladder

Fool’s gold: career advice for young, Black academics

Freshly minted professor Jason Arday provides tips for aspiring Black and ethnic minority academics on how to safeguard themselves on the hazardous journey to the top

Jason Arday

University of Glasgow

Universities can help encourage women into coding by reclaiming this mind-expanding skill from big tech

How do we get more women into coding? Fix how it’s taught and used

It’s time women said to the tech industry: ‘It’s not me, it’s you.’ And universities can help by not confusing the art of computer programming with rather dull ‘careers in coding’

Andy Farnell

Visiting Professor

Early career researchers not let previously invested time and money impact the decision to leave university and research

Is the ‘sunk cost fallacy’ sinking your career?

Making the decision to move away from research can be daunting, but a big dose of rational thinking can help you make the right choice, says Emma Williams

Emma Williams

EJW Solutions

Universal design for learning is a key framework for equity, diversity and inclusion among students in university settings

The case for using universal design for learning at your institution

Universal design for learning can be the answer when searching for true equity in our universities. Jacqui Whittle and Caroline Pike outline the how and why

Jacqui Whittle, Caroline Pike

Arden University

The way university teachers and lecturers speak to first-generation students can make a huge difference to how they get on in higher education

Gatekeepers or greeters? We must demystify university for first-gen students

Stone Meredith gives advice on using positive introductory phrases and how this can help first-generation students navigate university

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Social media influencer or blogger present and review recording or streaming vlog

How to start an academic YouTube channel: tips from a psychology YouTuber

YouTube is a wide-open opportunity for university teachers and researchers to share their knowledge with a broader audience, says Dennis Relojo-Howell

Dennis Relojo-Howell

University of Edinburgh

Universities and society at large must promote female involvement and achievements in STEM

Boosting female representation in STEM is crucial to global innovation

Addressing the gender disparity in STEM isn’t just a question of striving for a fairer society, it’s also fundamental to solving the complex challenges that affect us all

Jennifer Tour Chayes

University of California, Berkeley

Outdated thinking has held back universities and higher education for centuries

We must confront the assumptions that have held back HE for centuries

A transformed system of HE would cast off these outdated assumptions about learning and base educational practices on the best research, says Nobel winner Carl Wieman

Carl Wieman

Stanford University

With the right kind of support, university students with mental disabilities can thrive both on campus and in the workplace

We can help students with intellectual disabilities shatter glass ceilings

With the right approach and a strong institutional commitment, students with intellectual disabilities can thrive at university and in the workplace

Meg Grigal, Ann Werbach

University of Massachusetts Boston, InsideTrack

Returning universities to face-to-face-only experiences would be regressive when online learning has come so far

Let’s not allow tradition to stifle innovation in higher education

The UK education secretary has said there are ‘no excuses’ for online learning at universities – but there are many reasons to persevere, says Lil Bremermann-Richard

Lil Bremermann-Richard

Oxford International Education Group

Academics who practise what they preach will always be more effective in the classroom

Professors who ‘practise what they preach’ help humanise research management

There is a need in academia for professors to match teaching and research with professional practice – and be fairly compensated for it

James Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Extended reality and the metaverse must become a research priority for universities

The metaverse will change everything – including academic research

We must push XR research boundaries if we’re to understand and shape our future reality – here’s how, says Neil McDonnell

Neil McDonnell

University of Glasgow

The stress continuum is a traffic light system that might help university staff and students discuss well-being

Conversations around stress must move beyond ‘I’m fine, how are you?’

Sara Metz offers practical advice on adopting the ‘stress continuum’ – a shared language and system to help staff and students reflect upon and discuss their well-being

Sara Metz

Colorado State University Global

Synchronous or asynchronous university lectures are not the issue if students aren't focusing on either of them particularly well

We need to move beyond the synchronous versus asynchronous debate

Academics are agonising over the wrong elements of online education. They should be thinking about active versus passive learning, says Simon Chesterman

Simon Chesterman

National University of Singapore

Freewriting is a useful exercise for university students to help cure writer's block

Focused freewriting is the cure for students’ writer’s block

Freewriting for five minutes warms up the brain and begins to fill students’ blank screens with material that gets their writing going. Anne Carlisle talks through the process

Anne Carlisle

Colorado State University Global

New rules for lecture subtitles and transcripts are creating huge amounts of extra work for time-poor academics

New rules on lecture transcripts give academics an impossible choice

Higher education leaders must engage on new transcription requirements post-pandemic to ensure academics don’t have to choose between inclusion or increased workload

Emily Nordmann, Wilhelmiina Toivo , Rachel O’Neill

University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh

A war reporter on the BBC, an organisation that opened its outlook to include overseas voices - which higher education also needs to do

I ran the BBC World Service – it showed me how universities can be truly global

Forget our universities’ Brit-centric approach – developing an authentically global experience needs to be at the core of higher education’s digital future

Peter Horrocks

Learna

University academics can be bad communicators - and this can be a problem when trying to engage industry

External engagement in academia: lessons from the business world

Many academics see external engagement as a chore. Others are just unable to appreciate industry perspectives. Both are stifling the contribution of universities

Kumud Wijayaratna , Ed Cottam

Northumbria University

Creating an interdisciplinary team at research universities is just like playing a fantasy role-playing game

Why interdisciplinarity is just like a fantasy role-playing game

Who’s the barbarian? Which one’s the wizard? Lorena Quilantán García offers practical advice on embarking upon your very own interdisciplinary hero quest

Lorena Quilantán García

Monterrey Institute of Technology

How university researchers can say goodbye to the lab and hello to an admin role

Are you a researcher who’s ready to move away from the bench? Here’s how

Deciphering job titles, utilising your network and coming to problems with ‘fresh eyes’ are all crucial for those moving from the lab to an admin role

Lia Paola Zambetti

University of Sydney

University enrolment teams could learn a lot from the lessons of graduate programmes

Graduate programmes have a lot to teach HE about enrolment

Steady increases in graduate enrolments have been one of the precious few bright spots during perhaps the most volatile period for higher education in recent memory

Toby McChesney

Santa Clara University

Rethinking PhDs to create graduates that are both academic and commercial is crucial to bioscience success

We must rethink PhDs to smash barriers and ensure bioscience success

Redesigning PhD training will help develop commercially savvy researchers, address skills gaps in UK bioscience and bolster innovation, say Simon Cook and Derek Jones

Simon Cook, Derek Jones

Babraham Institute, Babraham Research Campus

Australian government has invested heavily in university equity initiatives

Has government investment in higher education equity been worth it?

Evaluating the success of sector-wide initiatives is fraught, but there are some universal truths that should be considered, say Steven Howard and colleagues

Steven Howard, Sarah O'Shea, Kylie Lipscombe, Kellie Buckley-Walker

University of Wollongong

Engaging with LinkedIn is essential for the modern university academic when looking for a new job

Academic snobs can’t afford to ignore LinkedIn any longer

Considering a career move? When asking for a favour, such as info or an introduction, it helps to build a chain of trust. Which is where LinkedIn comes in, says Emma Williams

Emma Williams

EJW Solutions

University academics can take risks to get to the top

I took an alternative route to academic success – and I’m happier than ever

I ignored senior management and marketing departments and experimented with making my work more accessible and interesting – it paid off, says Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson

Regent's University London

Giving university students word puzzles, quizzes and using games can be an excellent way for lecturers to engage them

Why interactive and game-based instruction beats lecturing every time

Going through the motions is easy for experienced lecturers, but we should all go the extra mile to make our classes interactive, challenging and fun, says Nancy Boury

Nancy Boury

Iowa State University

The higher education sector in the US is using an antiquated system of judging student metrics

IPEDS and the trouble with student metrics in the US

The IPEDS education data surveys hold great weight in the HE system, but they are not inclusive enough and thus no longer fit for purpose, says Elizabeth Harris

Elizabeth Harris

Colorado State University Global

We know that university students want to learn together

Let’s harness students’ desire for interaction to define the future of learning

We know that students want to learn together. That information should underpin how we allocate resources to best serve their needs, say Derfel Owen and Ant Bagshaw

Derfel Owen, Ant Bagshaw

University College London, Online Education Services

Even second-generation immigrants are in danger of losing their heritage language, but universities can help

Universities must help their communities preserve heritage languages

Language loss is a real danger among even second-generation migrants – here’s how to help, say Sender Dovchin and Rhonda Oliver

Sender Dovchin, Rhonda Oliver

Curtin University

Too many university academics complain that the leadership talent pool is running dry without making any attempt to reach out to fresh talent

Complaining that the leadership talent pool is running dry? Here’s how to fill it

Abandoning traditional hierarchies and allowing mid- and early-career staff to experience leadership creates a thriving, diverse talent pool, say Jo Cresswell and Peter Hogg

Jo Cresswell, Peter Hogg

Dr Joanne Cresswell Coaching, University of Salford

Working alongside students can have positive impacts on research time and also student outcomes

Research time disappearing before your eyes? Try student collaborations

Working alongside students can help academics to both protect their research time and boost student employability, say Dean Fido and Louise Wallace

Dean Fido, Louise Wallace

University of Derby

Santa goes online. But university students and staff seem to be conflating online and blended learning, when they are two separate entities

My Christmas wish? Wider recognition that blended is different from online

Following two years of disruption and jumping between modes of delivery, many students and staff seem to be – incorrectly – conflating blended with online, says Harriet Dunbar-Morris

Harriet Dunbar-Morris

The University of Portsmouth

Large amounts of data can now be collected on students in order to help improve their learning outcomes

Collecting data on our students is the only way forward

Ubiquitous data collection will give rise to large datasets, which can help improve outcomes for all students – especially those most in need, says Daphne Koller

Daphne Koller

Stanford University

Ransomware and other online dangers can be utilised by hackers to attack universities if they do not have their cybersecurity sorted

Cybersecurity in the HE sector – getting the basics right

Managing security updates, vulnerability reviews, password policies and multi-factor authentication are staple university needs, says Clive Madders

Clive Madders

Cyber Tec Security

A group of university students arguing. We should teach students how to work together as a team

Why do we expect students to work well in groups if we don’t teach them how?

If we’re going to assign team projects, and if we really believe working well in a group is important, we must teach effective group processes, says Todd Zakrajsek

Todd Zakrajsek

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Self-regulation is a vital skill for university students to be taught by their lecturers

Is your curriculum design limiting students’ learning potential?

All too often, insufficient emphasis is placed on development of the self-regulatory skill sets that students need most in order to do well, says Carol Evans

Carol Evans

Cardiff University, University of Southampton

Tips for university academics on how to transition to hybrid teaching

Ten useful tips for teaching a hybrid course for the first time

Laura Patricia Zepeda Orantes shares recommendations for delivering hybrid courses, especially for teachers who are new to this way of working

Laura Patricia Zepeda Orantes

Monterrey Institute of Technology

If universities push staff towards social media, they must protect them, too

At the very least, there should be training on managing online discourse, blocking tools and recognising when ‘robust debate’ becomes abuse or libel, says Andy Phippen

Andy Phippen

Bournemouth University

Perfectionism has long been an affliction in academia for students and faculty alike

It’s time to tackle perfectionism head-on in the classroom

Perfectionism has long been the norm in academia. To combat it, we must offer help before it has to be asked for, say Laura March and Maggie Melo

Laura March, Maggie Melo

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

University researchers are too critical of themselves and others

Researchers are too critical – we need to give ourselves (and others) a break

It doesn’t have to be like this. Critical thinking means looking for the evidence – that is evidence both for and against, says Hugh Kearns

Hugh Kearns

Flinders University

Universities need to make sure their promo materials and slogans are not as bland as blancmange

How to ensure your university’s branding isn’t as bland as blancmange

Universities’ promo materials and slogans play it safe to the point of indolence, says Jonathan Wilson. He explains how to take a leaf from the global brand playbook

Jonathan Wilson

Regent's University London