Feature article

Lightbulb moment

Universities and academics need to make space for ‘useless’ research

The academic race for short-term results and practical applications must be balanced with research that can, in due time, become incredibly useful, writes James Derounian

James Derounian

De Montfort University

Mural showing diversity of Australia’s Indigenous people

Recognising First Nations through place: creating an inclusive university environment

Universities, as places of social good and inclusive education, have a responsibility to create environments that nurture and support learning of First Nations people, writes Angela Leitch

Angela Leitch

Queensland University of Technology

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

Student playing a virtual rally

Introducing the ‘virtual rally’ – a strategy for collaborative learning

How to design and implement a virtual rally, which can help increase students’ attention, performance and ability to learn through collaboration

Rebeca Elizabeth Alvarado Ramírez , Dania Arriola Arteaga

Monterrey Institute of Technology

railway lit up at sunset

Illuminating the shadowy path to success in academia

Postdocs and early career researchers, do not believe the myths about the route to a stellar academic career, says Andrew Stapleton. Here are better directions to get you and your work noticed

Andrew Stapleton

Independent academic

Menstruation in higher education

A month of highs and lows: the impact of menstruation on HE

Universities need to better accommodate the challenges faced by menstruating students to promote educational equity, write Mays Imad and Kerri Maron

Mays Imad , Kerri Maron

Connecticut College

A man and a woman expressing shock at something they have seen on their phones

The power of precaution: navigating content warnings in academia

Basic principles to guide the use of content warnings in higher education, based on a student-led day-long workshop which invited input from university staff and students

Andrea Namirembe , Ella Taviner

The University of Exeter

Illustration of human intelligence interacting with artificial intelligence

An introduction to prompting generative AI like ChatGPT for teaching and learning

To fulfil its potential, generative artificial intelligence requires effective instructions. In the first of a five-part series, Seb Dianati and Suman Laudari explain how to craft a useful AI prompt

Seb Dianati, Suman Laudari

Charles Darwin University

high school student watching remote mathematics lecture on laptop

How to make dual-enrolment programmes work

Dual enrolment can create student pipelines from high school to university, meet community education needs and improve retention and graduation rates. Here, Laura Brown Simmons breaks down the essential elements

Laura Brown Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A male student moving into his college bedroom

How to create a home from home for students at university

Supportive steps that a university can take to help students adjust to life away from home

Adeola Matthew , Kerrie-Faun Nathan

The University of the West Indies

Young woman looking at data on a screen

Shifting landscapes of social media data for research

What can researchers do in light of changes to social media platforms’ APIs that reduce and monetise access to data? In this uncharted territory, aspects to watch include new access routes and user protections

Brittany I. Davidson, Joanne Hinds, Daniel Racek

University of Bath, LMU Munich

Higher education crisis management

Navigating crisis communications in HE: strategies for an effective response

Tiffany Beck provides a play-by-play guide to planning a comprehensive communications strategy for when crisis situations strike

Tiffany Beck

PLMR

Diverse student group

The affirmative action ban is not an insurmountable setback for higher education access

As institutions across the US reassess their admissions practices following the ban on affirmative action, the president of Arizona State University Michael Crow points to many other ways institutions can increase the diversity of their students

Michael Crow

Arizona State University

Two students walking down a corridor talking through some notes

Offer students a personal touch through peer support

As universities expand, they will need to take more of a personal approach to higher education – despite the huge cohorts – but how? Emma Norman suggests looking to the students themselves

Emma Norman

The University of Exeter

origami swan, hummingbird, airplane

How to embrace change as a spectrum

In a complex, ever-evolving environment, faculty may need strategies to navigate their fluctuating comfort levels. Here are ways to lean into change – from reflection and curiosity to active participation

LaTrese Ferguson, Rachel Watts, Bryan Harber, Tim Edmonds-King

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Jobs of the future

Training students for jobs that do not exist yet

The rethinking of course materials and programmes to incorporate future trends is a key requirement for all forward-thinking providers, write Aaron Taylor and Victoria Rafferty

Aaron Taylor, Victoria Rafferty

Arden University

Working together

Making the dream work: the ingredients of successful partnerships

John Miles gives advice on helping new partnerships succeed and managing issues when they arise

John Miles

Inkpath

Vintage lock and keys

Is open access tarnished?

As open access terms have split into colour-coded brands, not all allow totally unrestricted access and reuse. Among these, “bronze OA” stands out as a potentially damaging misnomer, writes Steven Vidovic

Steven U. Vidovic

University of Southampton

A group of students sitting in a group talking

Break the ice early to build student belonging

Ice-breaking activities borrowed from the performing arts that can help students form bonds and build belonging from the start of a course

Kelly Edmunds , Leanne Fridd

The University of East Anglia

A construction site in Leeds

Unlocking knowledge within local communities as part of ‘levelling up’

With ‘levelling up‘ and regional prosperity now central to the UK government’s thinking, universities need to transform the way they conduct research to respond to emerging needs and provide solutions to today’s social, economic and environmental issues

Henrietta L. Moore

UCL

Detail of woman being interviewed

Engaging in controversial topics in teaching and research

Sensitive subjects such as trolling and sexual assault require a careful approach at all points – from examining your motivation before you begin and setting up support to sharing findings, writes Ekant Veer

Ekant Veer

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury

People in balance

What can we do about the diversity problem in economics?

A group of economists offer five ideas on how to allow and encourage wider access to economics degrees – which is crucial to making the discipline more effective

Amrit Amirapu, Amanda Gosling, Emma Gorman

University of Kent, The University of Westminster

Environmental considerations for businesses

Accounting for sustainability: we need to change how we teach

Accountants of the future will need to respond to as yet unknown sustainability reporting standards. Freirean dialogic teaching where lecturers learn alongside students through discussion helps build the skills to respond to such change

Jennifer Rose

The University of Manchester

Student struggling with Covid isolation

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

hands using laptop

Digital accessibility is real and tangible

A workshop using real-life examples and first-hand experience of how assistive technology works can result in a deeper understanding of accessibility needs

Tharindu Liyanagunawardena

University of Reading

Amazing university teacher

What is an authentic teacher and how can you become one?

Three tips identified by students that will help you develop an honest, strong relationship with students and become a more authentic teacher

Setenay Dilek Fidler, Gustavo Espinoza Ramos

The University of Westminster

magnet attracting metal ballbearings

What distinguishes a university from a knowledge enterprise?

In this extract, David Staley and Dominic Endicott offer 12 features that characterise institutions committed to attracting talent to their region for economic growth and their own survival

David J. Staley, Dominic D. J. Endicott

Ohio State University, Northstar Ventures

Legal policy document next to official stamp

Writing inclusivity into being: build enabling cultures through policy development

Language is a powerful factor through which inclusive cultures can be cultivated or undermined in higher education institutions. Sue Ann Barratt looks at how putting values down in words can drive positive change

Sue Ann Barratt

The University of the West Indies

Multi-racial students walking arm in arm on graduation day

Supreme Court holds affirmative action unconstitutional, so what’s next?

The Supreme Court’s recent ruling against race-conscious admissions means many US universities must review their policies and practices to avoid further legal action. Audrey J. Anderson offers some useful first steps

Audrey J. Anderson

Bass, Berry & Sims Plc

sustainability

A whole-university road map to sustainability impact

Top-ranked Western Sydney University combines immediate action with long-term planning to drive progress in achieving impact aligned with the SDGs. Here, Deborah Sweeney and Kevin Dunn share insights learned from their institution-wide approach

Deborah Sweeney, Kevin Dunn

Western Sydney University

Teen with fingers on lips indicating a quiet space for autistic students

Five steps to support autistic students on their higher education journey

As we strive to create inclusive environments, it’s essential to implement strategies that assist and cater to the unique challenges faced by autistic students, says Jane Dashwood

Jane Dashwood

The University of Warwick

Darth Vader figurine

The dark side of AI’s promised efficiencies

Artificial intelligence can use data and algorithms in a way that prioritises rationality over values such as fairness and quality of education, writes Vern Glaser

Vern Glaser

University of Alberta

Unlocking padlock and open access publishing

Open access is inevitable – only the ‘how’ remains up for discussion

Scholarly knowledge is produced mainly at taxpayers’ expense. Why they should have to pay again to read it remains a mystery, writes Peter Baldwin

Peter Baldwin

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), New York University

Students chatting to friends outside a university building

Build students’ sense of belonging to build graduate skills

Why a sense of belonging is crucial to learning and how we can rebuild it within universities, following the disruption of the pandemic, in ways that also boost graduate skills

Hilda Mulrooney

Kingston University

Ntarama church massacre memorial in Rwanda

A case for bringing ethics of friendship and care to academic research

Friendship adds ethical and emotional dimensions that can make research equitable, sensitive, responsive and consequential to local communities, writes Noam Schimmel, based on his experiences in Rwanda

Noam Schimmel

University of California, Berkeley

Students sitting a written exam

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

Bernardo Pereira Nunes

Three innovative authentic assessments to encourage soft skill mastery

Students on hard skills-intensive courses such as computer science need to develop effective communication and other soft skills. Bernardo Pereira Nunes offers three assessments to help

Bernardo Pereira Nunes

Australian National University

Young female Asian student holding laptop

Helping students transition to university life

Starting university is a major milestone for new undergraduates. Teachers can offer encouragement, guidance and empathy to help students with practical and emotional challenges, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

An Asian school girl working at a laptop

How can universities reduce stress for students during the application process

Simple steps universities can take to make the applications process less stressful for aspiring students

Rosemary Bai

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen

A multiple choice quiz can be useful for formative assessment

The myriad advantages of using formative assessment

G.K. Suraishkumar looks at ways to assess students’ learning more effectively through formative assessments and argues for basing grades entirely on this method

G K Suraishkumar

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Teacher helping black student in computer class

Co-creation as a liberating activity

How to use student co-creation to bring active participation and collaboration into the learning experience, based on insights from the Liberated Learners open educational resource

Terry Greene

Trent University

Asian students learning

Four directions for assessment redesign in the age of generative AI

The rise of generative AI has led universities to rethink how learning is quantified. Julia Chen offers four options for assessment redesign that can be applied across disciplines

Julia Chen

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A row of students each concentrating on an individual assignment

Are ‘quick wins’ possible in assessment and feedback? Yes, and here’s how

It takes coordination, communication and credibility to implement quick improvements in assessment and feedback, as a team from the University of Exeter explains

Beverley Hawkins, Eleanor Hodgson , Oli Young

The University of Exeter

Depressed young black man on a park bench

Why students and faculty alike need mental health first-aid training

Basic knowledge and skills could empower university communities to promote and destigmatise mental health issues and empower individuals to recognise risks and seek assistance, writes Noam Schimmel

Noam Schimmel

University of California, Berkeley

Conceptual image of someone using AI generated knowledge

How ChatGPT killed my discussion boards and prompted new prompts

Advice on learning and discussion prompts that require students to think beyond the remit of AI responses

Sara Cline

Athens State University

Writing exams need to be rethought

It’s time to radicalise the writing proficiency exam

Written exams should generate writing that vibrates with personality, exploration of ideas and an urge to communicate, says Tyler Thier

Tyler Thier

Hofstra University

Asian male student happy with hands raised

Preparing students to succeed in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world

University campuses can act as an incubator, giving students a secure environment where they feel nurtured and cared for and where they can come to terms with who they are, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

Young doctor talking to a Black patient

Medical teaching resources need to represent all skin colours to enable doctors to serve a diverse population

Medical education must diversify its learning resources away from a focus solely on white patients to prepare students to diagnose and treat patients of all ethnicities, write Musarrat Maisha Reza and Naabil Khan

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Naabil Khan

The University of Exeter

Student names

Useful techniques for remembering students’ names

It’s important – and possible – to remember students’ names at university level, says Ng Lee Keng

Ng Lee Keng

Singapore Institute of Technology

Group of three women talking

Steps to address the operational challenges of widening participation

Well-being assistance, leadership development and mentoring opportunities are key to supporting students from under-represented groups. Here, Angus Howat details a programme for widening participation from a Kiwi perspective

Angus Howat

Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury