Lifelong learning

Young man writing resume on laptop

Turning skills into stories: how longitudinal skills portfolios enhance student employability

Universities are adopting reflective digital tools to help students connect their learning to graduate skills. Here’s what they’re doing and why it matters now

Cat Bailey

Jisc

Doctor using laptop

Using small-scale ChatGPT integration to introduce online students to GenAI

Integration of ChatGPT into online learning does not have to be a huge project. A small-scale, flexible writing task can address your students’ needs. But if they are working professionals, you should know their capacity for using technology

Jonathan Zaccarini

Columbia University

Managers work at their computers

The power of short courses in transforming the workplace

What started out as a business research project into low productivity became a commercially successful short course. Perhaps it’s time to think outside the box and respond to what businesses need

Richard Saundry

The University of Westminster

Male mature-age college student

What makes a university extension programme stand out?

A holistic approach to extension courses that includes easy access to information, personalised support, workforce development assistance and end-to-end engagement will help institutions shine in a crowded market

Jaimie Rush

University of La Verne

Rope tying boat to dock

Universities must evolve from degree-granting hubs to social anchors

Higher education institutions can be incubators for ethical leadership, lifelong learning ecosystems and community partnerships, writes Rahim Somani

Rahim Somani

University of Northern British Columbia

Young businesspeople in suits

Should universities meet all industry demands?

With higher education institutions adapting their programmes to prepare students for future jobs, they risk producing corporatised graduates to a detriment of innovation or even business’ best interests, writes Stéphane Bouchonnet

Stéphane Bouchonnet

École Polytechnique

A female academic smiling to camera

How to transition from a student to a researcher mindset

Tips for developing a professional network, building resilience and making a realistic research career plan

Noman Mahtab

London College of Contemporary Arts

Female mature age student at graduation

Imagine an age-inclusive university sector

Age inclusion should be part of universities’ mission, as well as their day-to-day operations. To not support staff and students at all stages of their academic life is an opportunity missed

Paul Harpur, Brooke Szücs, Nancy A. Pachana

The University of Queensland

A tutor helping her postgraduate students

How can we better support our postgraduate students?

The challenges postgraduate taught students face are different from those of their undergraduate counterparts. Here are some ways to help them overcome them

Ellen Bell, Kelly Edmunds

The University of East Anglia

Older students at their desks at a university

How can universities encourage active ageing?

As life expectancies rise, universities must prepare to welcome more older students. Here are some ways to ensure institutions are inclusive spaces for these learners

Husnul Fitri

The University of Indonesia

A student at her laptop with earphones on

Key strategies for successfully marketing an online course

Highlighting multimedia aspects, networking opportunities and the value of your course’s credential value are some of the ways institutions should be marketing their online education offering

Valeria Adriazola

Dalhousie University

Collaboration concept

Joining hands across institutions makes light work

Communities of practice can help overextended faculty and staff maximise programme impact and bandwidth for career practitioners

Karena Nguyen , Paola Cepeda, Anne-Sophie Bohrer, Matthew Warner

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities, Washington University in St Louis, University of Wisconsin–Madison, North Dakota State University

Architects work on a computer programme

How I pioneered a graduate apprenticeship programme in architectural technology

Launching a graduate apprenticeship programme has provided an alternative route to graduate-level education for mature, female and employed students. Here’s how to do it

Suha Jaradat

Edinburgh Napier University

Middle-aged man smiling at laptop

What are students paying for when they learn online?

Understanding the time investment, industry input and subject matter expertise that go into creating quality online content should give learners a sense of confidence, write Mick Grimley and Lisa Burdes

Mick Grimley, Lisa Burdes

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

A woman holds up a bar chart to an iPhone camera

19 ways to promote your online course

In a crowded marketplace, marketing online courses can be challenging. Here are 19 proven strategies to get the word out

Shefa Mostafa Gawish

Dubai Medical University

Lecturer gives a university lecture

How to enhance teaching skills in a multidisciplinary environment

Technical challenges as well as the personal demands that teachers face make support programmes at higher education institutions all the more important. Here’s how self-paced, modular training can boost teacher engagement and student satisfaction

Borbála Kozma

Semmelweis University

A blue set of steps with a white arrow pointing upwards

Teach the skills required for a future we can’t yet imagine

Times are changing too quickly for any of us to accurately predict what the future employment market will look like. But we can still prepare our students. Hajer N. Sheikh advocates for a more agile approach

Hajer N. Sheikh

Dubai Medical University

A woman in a mortarboard, holding a scroll, looks off into the distance

For the future of higher education, we need to educate the whole student

In this extract from his book ‘The Learning-Centered University’, Steven Mintz lays out his vision of higher education’s future, and proposes a new way of learning

Steven Mintz

University of Texas at Austin

Two skyscrapers covered in plants

Let’s give learners on all levels the skills for a green future

To support the switch to a green economy, educators need to update sustainability education programmes to meet learners’ needs. Ethan Chong Yih Tng offers his tips

Ethan Chong Yih Tng

Singapore Institute of Technology

assessment concept

Leverage large language models to assess soft skills in lifelong learning

Leadership and critical-thinking skills are difficult to measure. Here, Jonna Lee offers case studies that test the idea of integrating large language models into assessment practices as a feedback tool to empower both students and instructors

Jonna Lee

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A woman holds a lightbulb with a holographic rendition of a mortarboard,

Seven things driving the evolution of the university in the 21st century

How can we align higher education with the changing demands of society? Urbi Ghosh identifies the seven factors involved in transforming the university

Urbi Ghosh

Colorado State University

A businessman works at a laptop

The three stages of developing a framework to support students of open and distance learning

Open and distance learning may offer a way for graduates to separate themselves from the herd, but some struggle with online learning practices. Cheng Yee Ng details how she developed the framework to address these challenges

Cheng Yee Ng

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

webinar graphic

Campus webinar: How to make lifelong learning a strategic priority

Three lifelong learning experts from Campus+ partner institutions in Asia discuss how universities can embed a culture of continuous education beyond the traditional degree pathway

Aliana Leong, Gary Pan, Forest Tan

Macau University of Science and Technology, Singapore Management University, Singapore Institute of Technology

A student receives an A-graded test

Cut down your marking time by using whole-class feedback

Whole-class feedback offers three advantages – it’s time saving, it encourages self-regulation and will help identify any weaknesses in the rubric. Paul Moss shows how it’s done

Paul Moss

The University of Adelaide

A group of students using smartphones with brightly coloured shells

Make ‘switch your phone on’ a requirement of your lessons

Students are more likely to carry smartphones than pens when they walk into your class, so make use of their potential. Fernando Rosell-Aguilar outlines how to involve your students’ favourite device in active learning experiences

Fernando Rosell-Aguilar

Arden University

Button badges with the Scottish saltire pile up

Every student in Scotland can vote: here’s why that should matter to educators

Teach your students that voting is an investment in the future – and help them build a lifelong habit. Murray Leith offers advice

Murray Leith

University of the West of Scotland

Podcast title card

THE podcast: microcredentials are knocking. Will higher education answer?

Tips from 10 years of Moocs at the University of Edinburgh and a call to arms to embrace technology for greater equity and financial sustainability

Melissa Highton, Michael D. Smith

The University of Edinburgh, Carnegie Mellon University

Group of multiracial mature computing students

What are the key components of an effective lifelong-learning culture?

Continuing engagement with education doesn’t just happen. Universities need to put the right elements in place to support a culture of lifelong learning, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

An illustration of a robot hand reaching towards a butterfly

In the age of AI, teach your students how to be human

Look to the arts to help develop your students’ skills for navigating the real world. Lucy Gill-Simmen proposes her vision of a more well-rounded education

Lucy Gill-Simmen

Royal Holloway, University of London

A group of young people put their hands together

The world isn’t sorted into modules, nor should authentic learning be

Faculty should combine their modules for an interdisciplinary, real-world based approach to learning, argues Angela Ng

Angela Ng

Singapore Institute of Technology

A pawn looks in the mirror and sees a queen

How consensus grading can help build a generation of critical thinkers

Instead of punitive testing and high-stakes exams, consensus grading helps students learn how to critique their own work. James Thompson encourages a real-time reflective approach to assessment

James Thompson

The University of Adelaide

Multiracial mature-age students

What about lifelong learning for international students?

International students might not be comfortable with the student-centred mindset that underpins continuous, self-directed learning. We must prepare them for lifelong learning so they are not left behind, argues Graham Wise

Graham Wise

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Student parent

Childcare remains a barrier for too many learners. Here’s how institutions can help

Universities can design programmes that meet student-parents where they are with their childcare needs – here, Joanitt Montano and Chike Aguh outline three ways

Joanitt Montano , Chike Aguh

College of Health Care Professions, Harvard University

A hand holding up a question mark in front of a world map

Humble enquiry: the transformative benefits of ‘not knowing’ in academia

How academics can embrace ‘not knowing’ as a powerful tool to drive learning, creativity and innovation

Lyn R. Keith

The University of the West Indies

A professional development workshop

When it comes to professional development, let’s not forget part-time lecturers

What could universities do to better support the professional development of part-time teaching staff? Martin W. Andrews and Ruth Lang investigate

Martin W. Andrews, Ruth Lang

The University of Portsmouth, Royal College of Art, London School of Architecture

Young black man studying at home on laptop

Moving microcredentials forward: how universities are incubators and early adopters

Education innovation will transform lifetime learning in two main ways: compacting instruction into digestible bites and standardising how microcredentials are used and delivered in (and beyond) higher education

Jonna Lee , Eric Scott Sembrat

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Aged care worker

Higher apprenticeships reimagined for lifelong learners

If Australia is serious about addressing pressing skills shortages and rapidly changing technology and labour markets, lifelong learning must become a practical reality, not an abstract goal, says Mish Eastman

Mish Eastman

RMIT University

School-age children in a corridor

How to create K-12 programmes to boost belonging and participation

Learning outside the traditional school day can help shape a young person’s lifelong education journey. Here’s how university programmes can establish an environment where they can thrive

Sirocus Barnes

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Engineers working on a drone

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

A middle aged woman working at a laptop

Open educational resources to make lifelong learning accessible to all

How open educational resources can be created and managed to ensure courses and materials that support lifelong learning are accessible to all aspiring students at little or no cost

Fiona Buckland

The University of Edinburgh

Stackable microcredentials for university learners

What’s needed for stackable microcredentials towards a degree?

Forest Tan describes how to begin creating a flexible pathway where learners can accumulate microcredentials aligned to industry that can stack towards a degree

Forest Tan

Singapore Institute of Technology

Online learning in project management

Why we need a new model for professional development credentials

Close collaboration between universities and industry can help higher education address the ‘skills emergency’ and rebuild trust in university qualifications, writes Mick Grimley

Mick Grimley

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

Lifelong learners at university

How to coach in-employment lifelong learners for success

A team from Singapore Institute of Technology offers insights from working with in-employment learners who are seeking to upskill by studying for degrees

Chow Peck Chee , Julian Matius , May Lim

Singapore Institute of Technology

man ticking virtual list on laptop

What makes an effective microcredential programme?

Short, flexible and skills-focused, microcredentials must balance the needs of students and industry. Here are tips on how to develop courses that achieve this

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

Lightbulb learning to learn

Learning to learn: developing students into effective lifelong learners

Kevinia Cheung outlines an institutional approach to developing undergraduates’ ability to ‘learn to learn’

Kevinia Cheung

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Student learning via online instruction

Learning by doing: practical tips from a decade of making Moocs

Lessons gained during a decade of developing and refining massive open online courses from two online learning experts

Stuart Nicol , Fiona Buckland

The University of Edinburgh

CV with microcredentials

How to design and build microcredentials in four steps

A team from Monterrey Institute of Technology explains how to plan, design, deliver and measure microcredentials at your university

Verónica Alejandra Pérez Aguirre , Laura Patricia Aldape , Karla Margarita Banda Martínez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Young woman arrives for a job interview

Alumni as a benchmark of student success

Three focal areas by which universities can track student success by looking at what graduates go on to do after completing their courses

Adeola Matthew

The University of the West Indies

A diverse group of people representing different potential students

Bring your learners to life through personas

Understanding your learners and their needs enables you to develop more engaging courses, and personas are a great tool to help you achieve this, as Andrés Ordorica explains

Andrés Ordorica

The University of Edinburgh

A woman working at her laptop in her kitchen

Free your content! A guide to creating sustainable open licensed media

A guide to creating teaching and learning materials as open educational resources that can be shared and reused by all

Lorna Campbell

The University of Edinburgh