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.

Using communication before content to develop cognitive presence

Cognitive presence goes beyond physical presence and enables students to feel comfortable in the learning environment, writes Alison Thirlwall. It puts the educator in students’ minds as a supporter and guide

Alison Thirlwall

University of Wollongong

A shadowy hand casts a vote in a ballot box

How to engage students using public advocacy

Use real-world events to help students join the dots in their learning. Cornelia Koch outlines how

Cornelia Koch

The University of Adelaide

The comfort and joy of flipping the classroom

‘Tis the season to embrace the magic of a flipped classroom. Multidisciplinary educators offer their perspectives

Megan Barker, Diana Bedoya, Sarah Johnson, Danielle Murdoch, Leanne Ramer

Simon Fraser University

A illustration of four robots beating a human in a hurdles race

Go head-to-head with ChatGPT to enhance your students’ personal learning

Pitting yourself against artificial intelligence can enhance your students’ motivation and critical thinking. Eric Tsui shows how

Eric Tsui

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Five figures stand in a line, each wearing an outfit relating to a profession

Leverage careers educators’ academic expertise to improve careers education

Careers-focused learning can benefit when careers educators bring their academic expertise into the equation. Anna Branford and Luella Leon of RMIT explain how

Anna Branford , Luella Leon

RMIT University

Promoting learning with TikTok: 10 tips for engaging students

Leverage TikTok for learning at the university level by using pop culture, investing time in production and encouraging discussions, writes Chris Clarke

Chris Clarke

Washington State University

All’s fair in large-class grading

When courses have so many students that multiple tutors are required for marking, consistency with assessment grading is a key concern. Here, Temesgen Kifle offers ways to support tutors to give fair grades and feedback

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

A good plan is essential to make online international courses a success

How can we ensure teachers and students have positive experiences in online international classrooms? Here, Nelly Ramírez Vásquez and Mariana Estefanía Elizondo García share some tips

Nelly Ramirez Vásquez , Mariana Estefanía Elizondo

Monterrey Institute of Technology

A group of students laugh together while sitting on the floor of a library

Students’ life stories can bridge the gap between theory and practice

Drawing from lived experience can help build students’ self-efficacy and develop learning skills. Ankit Agarwal explains how

Ankit Agarwal

The University of Adelaide

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

Tips on making professional-looking, engaging videos for online courses

Making videos for online classes doesn’t have to be costly. Here are ways to make them look professional on a budget

Geoff Fortescue

The University of Edinburgh

A child in an oversized suit jacket and yellow tie displays a wad of cash

The ‘above average’ illusion: tackling overconfidence in the classroom

Overconfidence among business graduates can result in costly personal and professional mistakes. Ekaterina Ipatova proposes a new approach

Ekaterina Ipatova

University of Roehampton

Students sitting outside Siberrad Student Centre

How pre-arrival courses can support students’ transition into higher education

Dave Briggs explains how a pre-arrival course at the University of Essex is driving engagement and retention and giving students greater confidence

David Briggs

University of Essex

How to co-create learning resources with students

If you want to increase the impact and engagement levels of your learning resources, involve students in every step of the development process, argues Lauren Aspery

Lauren Aspery

Newcastle University

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

A hand adds the final building block to a small tower

How to help students get the best out of blended learning

What are students looking for in their hybrid classrooms? Bavani Divo, Miriam Wun and Eric Chua discuss their recent findings from student focus groups on the subject

Bavani Divo, Eric Chua, Miriam Wun

Singapore Institute of Technology

Embrace the chaos of real-world learning experiences

Unaccompanied student assignments abroad are a terrifying but essential part of the high-fidelity learning mix. Here, Jim Entwistle shares his four key points of assignments beyond the safety net

Jim Entwistle

Teesside University

Campus interview: Laura Allen at Trinity University on connecting student well-being with natural world

Can spending time in natural environments support students’ well-being? Trinity University professor Laura Allen joins this video podcast to tell us more about an innovative course exploring this question with undergraduates that combines research, theory and practice

Laura Allen

Trinity University

A woman sits in front of a laptop with a Zoom meeting taking place onscreen

Want to advance students’ self-learning? Look at your course design

Building self-learning into your blended learning courses will help students grow in confidence. Tan Chin Pei outlines the structures and support needed

Tan Chin Pei

Singapore Institute of Technology

Animating education: a teaching tool that brings learning to life

Through animation, educators can transform complicated or abstract subjects into accessible narratives, facilitating students’ comprehension and enhancing the learning experience, writes Nigel Bairstow

Nigel Bairstow

University of Technology Sydney

Bring the SDGs into the classroom through role play and gamification

A case study showing how simulations, role playing and gamification can develop students’ global citizenship and help grand challenges feel more surmountable

Shelini Surendran, Kat Mack, Anand Mistry

University of Surrey

Nurturing advanced problem-solving skills with integrated projects

Integrated projects can be a powerful tool for bolstering problem-solving capabilities and encouraging students to integrate knowledge from various courses

Man Kee Lam , Yee Ho Chai

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Advice on fostering interdisciplinary learning in large scale doctoral programmes

Fostering interdisciplinary learning in large-scale doctoral programmes

Corina Sas highlights key insights for design and delivery of large-scale doctoral training programmes that foster supportive and cooperative interdisciplinary learning environments

Corina Sas

Lancaster University

Driving change: creating student-NGO partnerships for climate solutions

Luis Ricardo Fernández Carril and Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio reveal how to energise and empower students to take part in the fight against climate change

Luis Ricardo Fernández Carril , Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Eight tips for making teaching and learning more enjoyable for learners

From mixing up the teaching space to drawing on real-life examples, Perçem Arman outlines ways to make lessons more fun and thus increase participation

Perçem Arman

Near East University

Female engineering students working on a robotics project

Transforming the classroom through experiential learning

A pilot programme aims to expand undergraduate students’ access to high-impact learning experiences to strengthen skills such as teamwork and problem-solving. Kate Williams looks at its outcomes

Kate Williams

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

big versus small in the microlearning arena

Using fun and interactive micromodules to energise learning

Lee Chien Ching and Tan Kian Lip Erick share the intricate process of producing a micromodule that attracts students through an enjoyable, interactive learning experience

Tan Kian Lip Erick , Lee Chien Ching

Singapore Institute of Technology

Mastering generative AI: crafting reusable prompts for effective learning design

Richard McInnes and Ajay Kulkarni discuss how to get consistent quality and replicable results when using generative AI to support course design and development

Richard McInnes, Ajay Kulkarni

The University of Adelaide

A plan to prevent disengagement

What educators can do to overcome three common causes of student disengagement with learning

Adeola Matthew

The University of the West Indies

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

Student in her bedroom sitting on the floor on her laptop listening to music

Sparking online joy: five ways to keep students engaged

Five guiding principles to use when designing and developing content for short online courses that will keep students engaged

Andrés Ordorica , Marcello Crolla, Lizzy Garner-Foy

The University of Edinburgh

Why hybrid learning needs hybrid faculties

Online courses should be integrated into everyday faculty functions to improve remote and in-person classes as well as the overall student experience

An Jacobs , Norma Rossi

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Loughborough University, University of St Andrews

Student carrying out an assessment exercise

These are the best practices and most common mistakes in learning assessment

Cecilia Tagliapietra Ovies says that, while there is no single formula for learning assessment, there are certain basic principles institutions can follow to help ensure success

Cecilia Tagliapietra Ovies

CETYS Universidad

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

Teaching how to use numbers as a tool for justice

Statistics are not neutral, writes Wendy Castillo. Here, she explains how to use QuantCrit to show students the effect that historic racism and bias have on data collection and analysis

Wendy Castillo

Princeton University

The power and the peril of virtual reality in HE

From investing in training to identifying educational objectives, Mark Milliron offers advice on fully realising VR’s promise for universities

Mark Milliron

National University

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

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

How humour stimulates critical thinking, creativity and communication skills

After assigning students to write comedy scripts instead of seminar papers, André Martinuzzi and Angelo Spoerk explain how humour has great potential as a learning method

André Martinuzzi, Angelo Spoerk

Vienna University of Economics and Business

University students sitting a written in-person exam

Help your students to become assessment literate

Practical suggestions to address a staff-student disconnect relating to the purpose and practice of assessment and to enhance assessment literacy on your courses

Eleanor Aspey, Gillian Ulph

The University of Manchester

Embracing generative AI as a co-design partner for designing and developing courses

Generative AI is here to stay, so what opportunities are there for educational developers and learning designers to leverage it as a partner when designing courses?

Richard McInnes

The University of Adelaide

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

Seven questions about storytelling in the classroom

Ng Lee Keng explains why and how telling stories in class can transform student engagement and make your lessons more interesting

Ng Lee Keng

Singapore Institute of Technology

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

Using active learning to increase student engagement and understanding

Creating an active learning environment in a large group setting is challenging. Ingrid Sierp shares ways to increase engagement, encourage attendance and gauge understanding in real time

Ingrid Sierp

The University of Adelaide

Using film to prompt discussion in legal studies

Movies and television programmes can challenge students’ perceptions and enrich their understanding of the law. But designing an effective module requires more than a must-watch list, writes Michael Randall

Michael Randall

University of Strathclyde

How ‘service learning’ can improve outcomes for students, educators and local communities

A guide to using service learning, in which students oversee projects in the community, to enhance theoretical classroom teaching

Tachagorn Chansema

Siam University

A look back over 10 years of Moocs

Lessons learned over a decade of developing and delivering massive open online courses (Moocs)

Melissa Highton

The University of Edinburgh

Asian student reading and studying at home for flipped classroom

Show students that the flipped classroom is much more than self-directed learning

Tan Bhing Leet provides three suggestions to help educators maximise the benefits of flipped classrooms

Tan Bhing Leet

Singapore Institute of Technology

Practical tips for designing activities using ChatGPT

Including generative AI in students’ learning is still in its early stages. Agustín Rodríguez Hernández provides general considerations he has picked up thus far

Agustín Rodríguez Hernández

Monterrey Institute of Technology

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