How to write better awards entries From conducting in-depth interviews to telling the whole story, Sam Russell provides top tips for crafting a compelling narrative that will appeal to awards panelsSam RussellArden University
What should be inside a teaching toolkit?Teaching practices and student support are highly contextual so how can academic developers create institutional ‘toolkits’ that meet the needs of staff across different schools and departments?Eleanor Cook, Rachel Griffiths , Caitlin KightThe University of Exeter
I’m finally ready to admit that I’m an academic who suffers from depressionI’m opening up because those of us hounded by mental health issues should not have to add fear of job loss and stigmatisation to our list of concerns, says James DerounianJames DerounianUniversity of Bolton
Generation Z presents new challenges for medical educationDigitally savvy and adapted to rapid change, this cohort of future doctors needs emotional support and help managing expectations and setbacksGyörgy PureblSemmelweis University
Steps to building a winning online presence for your universityThe majority of students now research universities online, so this is a vital component of marketing. David Riley lays out the foundations of building a strong online presenceDavid RileyThe University of the West Indies
The four-day week in higher education: can we make it work?With a culture of overwork eroding well-being among UK university staff, could a four-day working week be part of the solution? Rushana Khusainova looks at whether this mode of working is feasible in higher educationRushana KhusainovaThe University of Bristol
Don’t forget online learning in your university marketingUniversity marketing often focuses on the campus experience, so what should institutions do to make prospective students aware of their online course offering?Ari BadlishahThe University of Edinburgh
You’re not alone: tips to help academics avoid social isolationConnections with colleagues matter – without them, support during periods of reappointment, promotion or tenure can feel tenuous. And those unwritten expectations of collegiality become opaque, explains Karen Z. SprolesKaryn Z. Sproles United States Naval Academy
How to run a marketing campaign in a devolved university Advice on co-ordinating a university-wide marketing campaign in a large, devolved organisationHeather MacBainThe University of Edinburgh
How to succeed at policy engagement, part two: mapping the landscapeIn the second part of her series on policy engagement, Jo Clift advises how to build a picture of the policy landscape in your area of interest and establish who to engage withJo CliftJo Clift Consulting
Scales, stars and numbers: the question of evaluationMarking schemes are a recurring source of contention in academic discussions, where the key word is evaluation. Daniel Jutras offers a brief reflection on the art of grading and feedbackDaniel JutrasUniversity of Montreal
University brand communities: building reputation among different audiencesUniversities are complex organisations with multiple audiences and stakeholders. How can fostering a strong brand community help their reputations to stand out from others?Sotiris T. Lalaounis, William S. Harvey , Corinna BoothThe University of Bristol
Tactics for leading and engaging students in research competitionsResearch competitions can motivate, encourage and inspire students, but we must align their expectations and encourage teamwork throughout the project Zheng Pai The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Three features that will make your Mooc stand outLearning designers and educators should focus on creating value for learners that goes beyond Mooc content. In this article, Temesgen Kifle and Ben Cossalter share innovative features that drive belonging and engagementTemesgen Kifle, Ben CossalterThe University of Queensland
Bingo! Try bringing games into your staff trainingTo engage professional service staff with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, a team at the University of Exeter took a novel approach, creating SDG Bingo. Here’s how they did it Eleanor Cook, Sean PorterThe University of Exeter
How to get students to play their part in the flipped classroomThe flipped classroom is the perfect pedagogy for the information age – but our classes must not punish students who struggle to engage when learning independentlyDoug Specht, Gunter SaundersThe University of Westminster
Small talk: love it or leave it, but teach it to your TAsCasual conversation fosters a sense of belonging, but it’s not a universal skill. Sarah Kegley details a short workshop that helps international teaching assistants feel at ease making small talk Sarah KegleyGeorgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities
AI text detectors: a stairway to heaven or hell?The emergence of GPTZero, OpenAI’s text classifier and Turnitin’s AI detector bring a risk of over-reliance on AI classifiers. Are they a solution or a further problem to be solved?Miguel de CarvalhoThe University of Edinburgh
A 100-year-old principle for teaching students digital study skillsA guide to helping students improve their digital study skills through experiential learningJennie FoxThe University of Exeter
Is your university worth the investment for international students? International student concerns have changed in recent years, and traditional study-abroad destinations need to keep upCagri Bagcioglu Cintana Education
Phenomenon-based learning: what, why and howPhenomenon-based learning empowers students to apply disciplinary knowledge to real-world situations. Here, Sue Lee and Kate Cuthbert outline the principles of PhBL and how it can be adopted in higher educationSue Lee, Kate CuthbertUniversity of Staffordshire
Ten actions lecturers can take to boost black students’ belongingA 10-step guide to how lecturers can improve the experience of black students studying in predominantly white institutionsPatrice SeuwouUniversity of Northampton
Five steps for creating the ideal home officeWith more and more academics and staff working from home, Pablo A. Torres outlines some of the areas to consider to make it a comfortable, productive experiencePablo A. TorresMonterrey Institute of Technology
How to manage assessment feedback in large classes? Get students involvedDelivering quality feedback for every individual student in a large class can be challenging. That is where peer feedback can help if structured and guided effectively, write four teaching academicsSteven Bateman, Shi-Min How, Chew Ging Lee , Jie ZhangXi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University , University of Southampton Malaysia
Want students back in the classroom? Don’t give everything away onlineEmpty classrooms are an unfortunate reality of post-pandemic universities. To stop this, we need to explain the fundamentals of learning and tempt students backHarriet Dunbar-MorrisThe University of Portsmouth
So you want to host an international online conference?How hard can it be to stage an online conference? Don’t you just book a whole bunch of Zooms and send out invites? Well, yes and no. Here are five key takeaways from our experience as rookies to conference organisationJohn Weldon, Loretta Konjarski, Bert OraisonVictoria University
The hows and whys of improved interactions with international studentsStrategies for overcoming potential cultural differences and supporting better academic-international student relationshipsLenka Janik BlaskovaThe University of Exeter
We must reverse the rapid erosion of student oracyThe inexorable march of technology is leading to fewer direct conversations in universities – here’s how to help your students improve their oral skillsRichard WillisUniversity of Sussex, University of South Wales
What LGBTQ+ allyship means in academiaBeing a queer person who very much appreciates allyship and who tries to be a good ally to others has taught me a few things, says Lucas LixinskiLucas LixinskiUNSW Sydney
How can we encourage students to seek academic assistance ethically? Following years researching paid academic support methods, Joel Heng Hartse suggests solutions that can help beat “academic help” companies at their own gameJoel Heng HartseSimon Fraser University
Reframing feedback as a valuable learning toolHow to help students appreciate feedback as a useful aid to learning so that they engage with it in a productive wayJoseph TinsleyXi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
A play manual for academic development and skills A three-pronged guide to introducing play into university teaching, based on its successful use in staff training at the University of ExeterEleanor Cook, Emma Norman, Tian YanThe University of Exeter
Towards 2035: a future view of university educationWhat will higher education be like by 2035? Four early-career academics at Australian universities, from different discipline areas, offer a vision of how universities might evolve and adapt to future technologies and workplace demands Isaac Akefe, Lauren Carpenter, Graham Lee, Jessica LeonardThe University of Queensland , Queensland University of Technology
I moved to Sweden as an early career researcher – here’s what I learnedThe pursuit of an academic career can mean moving to a different country. Here, Federica Di Biase shares lessons for early-career researchers who want to move to Sweden or have already done soFederica Di BiaseUniversity of Salerno , University of Naples Federico II
Five key competencies for successful digital teachingFrom energising your class to encouraging collaboration, these tips from Carolina Lara Robles and Cynthia Enciso Centeno will help make your online classes a successCarolina Lara Robles , Cynthia Enciso Centeno Monterrey Institute of Technology
Students learn better on caring campuses – here’s how to create oneTeaching the whole student and promoting authenticity will instil belonging on your campus and combat the social isolation that so many students face, says Kim SamuelKim Samuel University of Oxford
Building resilience in students: give them roots and wingsTeachers can act as their students’ strongest supporters and life coaches, assisting them in acquiring the knowledge, abilities and resilience they need to face life’s challenges Cheong FanMacau University of Science and Technology
On students’ terms: offering options in assessment to empower learning By giving students some control over how they are assessed, educators are likely to see a marked increase in engagement and motivation, writes Paul McFarlanePaul McFarlaneUCL
Seven steps to make an effective course quality evaluation instrumentTools such as rubrics and checklists are increasingly common for monitoring the quality of courses, so how do we choose the best one for our purposes? Richard McInnesThe University of Adelaide
Your starter for 10: how can a TV quiz format help courses avoid extinction?With some courses struggling to recruit, John Warren explains how a University Challenge-style quiz can breathe new life into ailing degrees and empower the student voiceJohn WarrenIndependent academic
How reverse mentoring helps co-create institutional knowledgeReverse mentoring flips traditional power hierarchies, seeks connections across generations and offers opportunities to build relationships between students and faculty. The result boosts leadership skills and institutional knowledgeMonika FosterNorthumbria University
Pedagogic paradigm 4.0: bringing students, educators and AI togetherHow should universities navigate the emerging triad of students, educators and artificial intelligence-powered applications? Isabel Fischer offers her suggestionsIsabel Fischer The University of Warwick
How can we teach and assess with ChatGPT? A guide to designing teaching and assessments that encourage students to learn with and about ChatGPT Soumyadeb Chowdhury , Samuel Fosso WambaTBS Education
Transformative change is needed to deliver Earth-centred educationThe time for incrementalism is over. As responsible humans and academic professionals we must radically rethink the purposes and processes of education and developmentMark FettesSimon Fraser University
Lessons learned from building a new university premisesRick Trainor reflects on the trials and tribulations of constructing a new, multipurpose building from scratch at the University of OxfordRick TrainorUniversity of Oxford
How to succeed at policy engagement, part one: define your purposeIn the first of her series on policy engagement, Jo Clift provides guidance on the importance of knowing what you’re trying to achieve in order to succeedJo CliftJo Clift Consulting
How to use failure to build an academic careerFailure can be a stepping stone on the way to professional success. Here, Beiting He offers tips for finding support through setbacks and cultivating a resilience mindsetBeiting HeMacau University of Science and Technology
Peer review in multilingual classesPeer review can be a powerful pedagogical tool for developing multilingual students’ essay-writing and communication skills if they are given clear guidance on the process, Andrea Feldman explainsAndrea FeldmanThe University of Colorado Boulder
How to set up immersive VR lessons on your campusUsing extended reality can enable students to have experiences that would otherwise be impossible to access. Here’s how to get startedAna Gabriela Rodríguez-Mendoza , Adriana Plata-Marroquin , Brenda Aimé Luis-Chavira Monterrey Institute of Technology
A Spotify model of personalised higher education With technology offering greater potential for a personalised approach to higher education, Michael Rosemann and Martin Betts look at what universities can learn from the ubiquitous music platform SpotifyMichael Rosemann, Martin BettsQueensland University of Technology, HEDx
