Course design and delivery

How to design in-person, hybrid and online courses that maximise student engagement, inclusion and learning. Here, you can find advice on instructional design including lesson planning, creation and organisation of educational materials and effective use of digital technologies; as well as teaching methods and styles to help you achieve specific learning outcomes.

Obliterating the academic calendar is just the start for universities if they are to best serve their students

Obliterating the academic calendar is the easy part

More money for US community colleges and new thinking on semester lengths must be accompanied by cohesive pathways to degrees, say Karen A. Stout and Tom Shaver

Karen A. Stout, Tom Shaver

Achieving the Dream, Ad Astra Information Systems

Podcast discussing building resilience and protecting well-being among university staff and students

THE podcast: the big ideas behind microcredentials

Two experts in flexible learning programmes discuss the evolution and adoption of alternative teaching models and credentials in higher education

Tim Blackman, Kemi Jona

The Open University, Northeastern University

Advice on how to get business school students engaging with wider societal issues as part of their programmes

Embedding social impact considerations into business programmes

Ridhima Aggarwal shares effective strategies for fostering a deep understanding of how business and society are interlinked and embedding social impact considerations within business school teaching

Ridhima Aggarwal

INSEAD

Figure at the top of a ladder illustrating skills for career progression, online learning

Creating opportunities to enhance student employability online

Working online presents opportunities for students to develop their employability in the digital space. Ruth Donnelly lists how remote programmes can prepare them for the changing workplace

Ruth Donnelly

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on delivering far reaching faculty development training in blended learning

A model for developing global expertise in blended learning

Daniella Bo Ya Hu outlines a framework for building expertise in blended learning using lessons in capacity development, staff incentivisation and leadership learned from an international pilot training programme

Daniella Bo Ya Hu

The Association of Commonwealth Universities

How to use design methods such as scenario building to guide students in tackling real world challenges

Designing back from the future: building scenarios to engage students with global challenges

Anke Schwittay shows how design methods such as scenario building can help students think creatively about diverse challenges and imagine responses to them

Anke Schwittay

University of Sussex

Want to tear students from their phones? Learn their names

Holding students’ attention in a world of digital distractions is tough, but James Lang explains why remembering and using their names can make the task less herculean

James M. Lang

Assumption University

Advice on why and how to use podcasts to supplement your online teaching

Listen to this! Using podcasts for online learning

Emily O’Reilly explains why and how to use educational podcasts to supplement your online teaching

Emily O'Reilly

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on using popular social media platforms to support your university teaching and academic research

Fake news, educated views and how-tos: social media for teaching and research

Terese Bird shares her ideas on how to use some of the most popular social media platforms to support your teaching and research

Terese Bird

University of Leicester

Insight on how global trends will dictate the direction of innovation in transnational education

Innovative approaches to transnational education

Vangelis Tsiligiris outlines the key areas for innovation in the design and delivery of transnational education based on changing needs and developments in the global higher education landscape

Vangelis Tsiligiris

Nottingham Trent University

Advice on setting up and running an effective virtual exchange programme

Top tips for developing an effective virtual exchange programme

Justine Seran and Randall Reinhard offer guidance on building a virtual exchange programme to provide flexible international learning opportunities for students who cannot travel abroad

Justine Seran, Randall Reinhard

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on developing regular quizzes that test students' understanding so they can address any gaps in their knowledge

Designing ‘knowledge checker’ quizzes that motivate students to review feedback and revise learning

Jonathan Sim advises on designing regular quizzes as a tool to ensure students review their assignment feedback and address gaps in their understanding

Jonathan Sim

National University of Singapore

Advice on explaining to students why they should keep their cameras on during online classes

Stay in the frame: how to persuade students to keep cameras on in lessons

Paul Moss shares advice on how to convince students that making themselves visible during online classes is in their own interest and will aid learning outcomes

Paul Moss

The University of Adelaide

A lecturer speaks to university students, but what is the role of the lecture in modern HE?

What is the purpose of a university lecture?

We must continue to question the true role of the lecture and how lecture recordings fit in to the effective delivery of higher education, says Jill MacKay

Jill MacKay

The University of Edinburgh

The word ‘play’ and a downward arrow in neon

Ready, player one? How video games can help engage students

Engaging, rewarding and a great way to encourage active participation, games are a brilliant addition to a teaching and learning environment, says Chris Headleand

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

Advice on running successful tutorials in transnational courses

Running effective tutorials in transnational education

Michael Daw explores the challenges and misconceptions related to running interactive tutorials in joint international courses, based on his experience teaching a UK-China programme in China

Michael Daw

The University of Edinburgh, Zhejiang University

Advice on using lego to support active learning in lectures

Teaching with Lego: using plastic bricks to encourage play and interaction in class

Dan Swanton explains how using Lego to demonstrate and apply lessons in class promotes play and interaction leading to better engagement and peer discussion as part of active learning design

Dan Swanton

The University of Edinburgh

Most students need a helping hand, but giving every student the same thing does not necessarily equate to good support

Do we need equity or equality to make things ‘fair’? Actually, we need both

Fair, to some people, means everyone getting the same thing. But that’s only fair if everyone begins at the same place and needs the same things to succeed, says Todd Zakrajsek

Todd Zakrajsek

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Advice on fostering fruitful relationships between students from all over the world

Relationship building among globally diverse students in a borderless university

Monika Foster offers insights into why and how to encourage relationship-building between global learners by celebrating diversity and encouraging collaboration in teaching, learning and assessment

Monika Foster

University of Sunderland

Advice on how to successfully use your research in your teaching to benefit students and enrich the research

How to refine, enrich and expand research through teaching practices

Adrian Lam offers tips on how academics can use their teaching to refine, enrich and expand their research methods

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

A magnifying glass among scattered letters represents problem solving

Follow the (learning) science and put problem solving at the centre of teaching

Rather than a digital transformation, universities should undergo a learning transformation that supports effective technology and evidence-based teaching, argue Carl Wieman and Bror Saxberg

Carl Wieman , Bror Saxberg

Stanford University

An overview of how cognitive load can be used to determine how challenging your learning content can be before it risks alienating students

How challenging can my content be?

Paul Moss explores the concept of cognitive load as a way to determine how challenging your learning content should be to remain effective

Paul Moss

The University of Adelaide

Three benefits of moving final year assignments online

Virtual classroom connections: enhancing three presence elements via online tools

Nguyen Hoang Thuan and Pham Cong Hiep provide practical tips for enhancing three types of presence – teaching, social and cognitive – in online learning and teaching, based on their research

Nguyen Hoang Thuan, Pham Cong Hiep

RMIT University Vietnam

Advice for designing and building immersive, large-scale teaching experiences in video games

Generating immersive, large-scale teaching experiences in video games

Richard Fitzpatrick and Thomas Little offer insights for designing and developing immersive learning experiences using video games, based on their experience using Minecraft in their teaching

Richard Fitzpatrick, Thomas Little

The University of Edinburgh

Why primary sources are so important as a learning tool

Why are primary sources important in teaching?

Seth Cayley explains why primary sources are important learning tools to help students gain a better understanding of current events and hone critical-thinking skills

Seth Cayley

Gale Primary Sources

A framework for guiding students in effective peer review to boost their learning outcomes

Guiding students to learn from each other through peer feedback

Sam Evans and David Collett share a framework to guide students in effective peer review to boost learning outcomes

Sam Evans, David Collett

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Three benefits of moving final year assignments online

Three lessons from exhibiting final-year projects online

Dechanuchit Katanyutaveetip describes three unexpected benefits he and his students discovered after they were forced to move the exhibition of their final-year projects online

Dechanuchit Katanyutaveetip

Siam University

Student holding a wallet illustrating challenge of buying textbooks, affordability

We need to help students overcome their textbook troubles

As institutions re-examine the costs of attending university, the affordability of course materials is again moving to the centre of the conversation, writes Raj Kaji

Raj Kaji

Akademos

Flexi-learning on a shoestring

Four Australian academics discuss how universities can deliver quality flexible teaching and learning on already stretched budgets

Jane Frost, Garth Maker, Michael Sankey , Amanda White

University of Canberra, Murdoch University, Charles Darwin University, University of Technology Sydney

Advice on why introducing time for reflection deepens undergraduates understanding of research methods

Creating time and space for reflection in undergraduate research methods

Adrian Lam offers insights on how keeping a weekly application diary helps enhance students’ reflections on the power and limits of research methods

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Self-directed learning is becoming overlooked by a sector to keen to talk about asynchronous learning and other buzz terms

Self-directed learning is becoming the forgotten ingredient in HE

In the heady rush to extol the virtues of asynchronous learning, we are watering down the main element of students’ learning experience, says Linda Kaye

Linda Kaye

Edge Hill University

Advice for taking a course like maths requiring detailed step by step instruction online

Taking challenging courses requiring step-by-step instruction online

Pam Benz offers tips for translating challenging courses, which necessitate students seeing problems worked out step by step, to online instruction modes

Pam Benz

University of West Florida

Advice on moving practical application based teaching to online formats

New modes of practicum – synergising online and offline teaching modes

Rohnii Tse provides insight on how teaching the practical application of a subject can be adapted to work via online or remote channels

Rohnii Tse

Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education

Advice on training students in presenting

Make yourself presentable

Richard Gratwick sketches a course designed to develop students’ presentation skills, whether in person or online, using principles that are universal

Richard Gratwick

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on designing university curricula that nurture creativity

How to embed creativity more fully into university curricula

Five key strategies to enhance student creativity through university curricula that encourage exploration and enquiry

Gareth Loudon

Royal College of Art

Guidance on building space into curricula for creative exploration and discussion of topics

Making space for creativity in higher education

Paul Moss explains why and how university tutors should create opportunities for creative exploration among students within their courses

Paul Moss

The University of Adelaide

Blended learning is too bland - universities need to punk it up and improve their content

Blended learning is so bland − we need to punk things up

Just like musicians on tour, we must focus more on delivery and start holding ourselves to the same standards as any broadcaster or media company, says Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson

Regent's University London

Reliability and validity of grading in university courses

Making grading in university courses more reliable

Inconsistent or inaccurate grading can have serious real-world consequences for students. Paige Tsai and Danny Oppenheimer offer tips on how to recognise and fix the problem

Paige Tsai, Danny Oppenheimer

Harvard Business School, Carnegie Mellon University

Advice on designing online courses that spur critical thinking among students

Tips for spurring critical thinking among students online

Michelle Horton shares three online course design strategies that will help students develop their critical thinking skills

Michelle Horton

University of West Florida

Advice on using blogs to showcase and assess students' knowledge

Students as educators: the value of assessed blogs to showcase learning

Assessed blogs can help translate the thrill of interactive learning into tangible outcomes that enrich and showcase students’ knowledge. Here’s how to do it

Matt Davies

University of Chester

Lessons from testing gamification strategies in online teaching

Gamification in the classroom: what have we learned?

Shuhan Li and Olivia Sun share what they learned when testing out gamification strategies and technologies to tackle challenges presented by online learning

Shuhan Li , Olivia Sun

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Creative writing activities that help students develop their critical thinking skills

Creative writing to hone critical thinking

Parag Dandgey shares creative-writing activities designed to improve students’ critical-thinking skills by developing their understanding of multiple perspectives

Parag Dandgey

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Traditional universities have often been too slow on the digital uptake

Choppy digital waters lie ahead for many storied institutions

Traditional universities are too often led by the interests of lecturers rather than the employment needs of students or recruitment needs of businesses, says Dilshad Sheikh

Dilshad Sheikh

Arden University

Advice on developing an educational app to link students learning to the world around them

Developing an educational app to engage students in the world around them

Niki Vermeulen and Kate Bowell describe a creative approach to place-based learning involving an app that offers educational walking tours linking students’ studies to the world around them

Kate Bowell, Niki Vermeulen

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on establishing creative collaborations between students in different disciplines to further their learning

Connecting research and humanities through creative collaborations

Creative collaborations between students in different disciplines can offer opportunities to gain “real world” experience and apply their knowledge in new contexts. Allison Schwartz explains how

Allison Schwartz

University of West Florida

Three tips for making instructional videos that support better student engagement

Three video techniques for increasing student engagement

Joe Arton shares three evidence-based techniques for creating teaching and learning videos that will improve student engagement and learning outcomes

Joe Arton

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on facilitating peer support among students in large online lectures

Embedding peer support among students in large online lectures

David Quinn explains how strategies that work in person to facilitate active participation and peer support among students can be adapted to large online lectures

David Quinn

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on teaching big classes by getting students doing rather than listening

Big-class energy: how to get large groups learning by doing, not just listening

Charlie Reis shares advice on successfully teaching large cohorts by getting students actively involved in learning activities rather than passively listening

Charlie Reis

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice gleaned from a survey of students about what is needed for effective online teaching

What can we learn from students about online education?

Yidan Qin shares some key lessons from a survey of students regarding what is needed to make online teaching effective

Yidan Qin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice on how online review exercises can be used to improve student performance

Online review exercises to improve student performance in large courses

Online review exercises, used in combination with other learning activities, improve student engagement and learning performance in large online courses, Peng Cheng and Rui Ding explain

Peng Cheng, Rui Ding

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

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