Oceania

Podcast starter kit: what you need to get recording and posting now

Podcasting is like chess – easy to begin and hard to master. Here are the basics about equipment, software and hosting sites to get you off to the best possible start

John Weldon

Victoria University

Illustration of student career development and Lego

How block teaching supports students from under-represented groups

Shorter, more immersive units are helping raise attainment and success for students with complex and diverse needs

Thomas Roche, Liz Goode, Erica Wilson

Southern Cross University

Campus webinar: Decolonising the curriculum

A panel of academics from Campus+ institutions in the UK and Australia discuss the what, why and how of decolonising the curriculum

Campus team

Campus

Academics and students should not require rhino-thick skin to succeed

Being inclusive also means remembering not everyone has rhino-thick skin

The way we give feedback, from the undergraduate essay right through to peer review, provides opportunities to unconsciously exclude people, says Hugh Kearns

Hugh Kearns

Flinders University

Using comic books can be a great way to teach complex topics to university students

Picture this! Teaching difficult concepts through comics

David Brown and Mark Giancaspro explain how they use visualisation to maximise engagement and student success when teaching complex topics

Mark Giancaspro , David Brown

The University of Adelaide

socio-emotional learning, juggling emotions

Make social-emotional learning part of teaching: it’s easier than you think

These practical, achievable tips show how to incorporate social-emotional learning into everyday educational practices

Sasha Lynn, Alexandra Osika, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Learning can be an emotional roller coaster: how can we help our students (and ourselves) enjoy the ride?

Emotions can help and hinder learning. These practical, evidence-based strategies can help teachers understand and engage student emotions for better outcomes

Stephanie MacMahon, Alexandra Osika, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Say goodbye to bored students

Boredom is the enemy of learning. Educators can minimise it, increase student engagement and allow deep learning to take place with these practical tips

Amanda Bourgeois, Alexandra Osika, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Illustration of heads with lightbulb and leaves, mentorship

Ten platinum rules for PhD supervisors

Is it time to add PhD supervision to your skill set? Tara Brabazon explains the pitfalls, challenges and rewards of this key academic role for the rookie mentor

Tara Brabazon

Flinders University

The role of complementary higher education pathways for refugees

Education has emerged as a pathway to sustainable resettlement for displaced people but establishing programmes requires leaders to overcome considerable challenges

Manal Stulgaitis , Gül İnanç

UNHCR, The University of Auckland

Young woman recording herself using a mobile phone

How to use Microsoft Flipgrid in university teaching

Video-sharing platforms can increase student engagement and confidence. Here, Seb Dianati shares uses and challenges and offers tips for setting up spaces and topics

Seb Dianati

The University of Queensland

Illustration of people with an oversized stopwatch

Block mode of teaching in higher education: advantages and challenges

Block scheduling may be intense but can also foster student engagement and reduce stress. It needs careful implementation to realise its full benefits

Amir Ghapanchi

Victoria University

You’re a content producer now, part one: how to write articles for a mainstream audience

How does a scholar, trained thoroughly in academic style for academic journals, enter the wider world of general publishing?

John Weldon

Victoria University

Illustration of people around a giant typewriter with the word 'story' on paper

You’re a content producer now, part two: how to craft an article for mainstream media outlets

After you’ve decided your topic and format, it’s time to consider the details of writing the story – from mastering tone, style and point of view to all-important SEO

John Weldon

Victoria University

Partnerships with outside companies can help universities if wielded properly

Could 2022 be the year of partnership models, and should you get involved?

Universities must consider the positives and negatives before jumping into a student support partnership or signing up with an online programme manager

Dawn Gilmore, Chinh Nguyen

RMIT University, Curio

Magnifying-glass-over-scrambled-block-letters

Streamline your research using academic search engines

Specialist search engines can put the most relevant literature at your fingertips, but which is the best one for you, and how can you optimise your searches?

Jack Wang

The University of Queensland

Student motivation and engagement can be about helping university students to untangle difficulties in personal lives

A ‘motivation and engagement wheel’ to keep students on board

The wheel model was designed to help demystify student motivation and provide targeted help where and when necessary, explains Andrew J. Martin

Andrew J. Martin

UNSW Sydney

Eight tips to boost active listening in university students

Active mental engagement enhances students’ understanding and their ability to remember the ideas we teach. These simple tools and skills can help to move students from passive to active modes of listening and keep them there

David Geelan

The University of Notre Dame Australia

Image depicting work to achieve net zero emissions

Tackling climate change requires university, government and industry collaboration – here’s how

Universities must work with government and industry to drive climate action. Anna Skarbek outlines key principles that should shape the approach

Anna Skarbek

Monash University, Climateworks Centre

Recruiting university tutors using an interactive group activity

Hiring candidates with strong academic results may seem like the best way to recruit tutors. But this does not always mean they will have the right attributes to support student learning. In this video, Carl Sherwood explains how and why to use a group interview process to recruit university tutors

Carl Sherwood

The University of Queensland

Image representing the role of edtech firms in higher education

Three tips for ‘unbundling’ an aspect of your university services

Building partnerships with ed-tech firms and other providers involves ‘unbundling’ elements of university services to share tasks among all parties. Dawn Gilmore and Chinh Nguyen offer three tips on how to do this successfully

Dawn Gilmore, Chinh Nguyen

RMIT University, Curio

Block teaching: what it is, how to do it and why

With its short, intense courses, is block teaching the way to boost student success and engagement? John Weldon gives seven tips for switching to the block model and examples of what it offers university educators

John Weldon

Victoria University

The cruel optimism of research careers: how to support contract workers

The conversation needs to switch from academic careers being the responsibility of individual researchers to what employers can do to support those in precarious roles

Jess Harris, Simon Bailey, Mhorag Goff, Nerida Spina

The University of Newcastle, Australia, University of Kent, The University of Manchester, Queensland University of Technology

In-person teaching now needs to be justified

If we take the same critical lens to in-person learning as we once did to online, rationalising our need for the former, how much better could we make our teaching?

Stephen Dann

Australian National University

A lecturer marking dozens of assignments

A step-by-step guide to designing marking rubrics that will save hours of time

Designing marking rubrics that provide guidance but with enough flexibility for students to demonstrate knowledge and skills in multiple ways is a difficult balancing act. Paul Moss explains how it can be done

Paul Moss

The University of Adelaide

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

THE podcast: how to use social media to promote your work

Two scholars who have embraced social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Twitch and podcasts to communicate their research explain how they got started and what works

Simon Clark, Christina Zdenek

Independent academic, The University of Queensland

illustration of woman with wrench watching a practical demonstration on a screen

Using vicarious experiences online to engage and motivate students

Vicarious experiences can be harnessed in remote and blended learning to foster both the ‘skill and the will’ of students. Roma Forbes outlines how to do it

Roma Forbes

The University of Queensland

Building blocks of elements of education

Deep and meaningful learning: taking learning to the next level

Explicitly linking prior knowledge and experience is key in engaging students in deep learning and transitions them away from passivity in learning

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Opening the Twitter app on a mobile phone

The 10 commandments of academic Twitter

Lucas Lixinski offers tips on how to engage positively with the social media platform, from ‘honour thy hashtags’ to ‘thou shalt live-tweet at events’

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Learning challenge and difficulty: calm seas do not make skilful sailors

Five strategies for university teachers to encourage students to use challenge, struggle and safe failure for effective long-term learning

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Advice on developing graphical frameworks to explain your research

How to develop a graphical framework to chart your research

Graphic representations or frameworks can be powerful tools to explain research processes and outcomes. David Waller explains how researchers can develop effective visual models to chart their work

David Waller

University of Technology Sydney

Learning to learn and higher-order thinking: it’s not just what to learn but how to learn

Through deconstructing the thought processes that occur during learning, students understand how they learn and therefore learn more effectively

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Interactive learning: more than teamwork makes the dream work

Educators can engineer, harness and guide social dynamics towards a positive learning experience rather than leaving students’ interaction to chance

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Sometimes quitting your PhD and leaving academia can be the most rational move for students

Thinking about quitting your PhD? Maybe that’s the right decision

Sometimes not completing a PhD is the rational choice, and having open conversations around it helps stop people feeling isolated and uncertain, says Katherine Firth

Katherine Firth

La Trobe University

illustration of outline of heads showing different emotional states, detail, emotions and learning

Emotions and learning: what role do emotions play in how and why students learn?

If educators understand the factors that interplay with emotional states to affect learning, they can work with this to enhance the learning experience. Here are six strategies to manage the role of emotions in learning

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Red squirrel and hazelnut illustrating video about teaching statistics with storytelling

Using storytelling to make introductory statistics less scary: a contextualised approach

Carl Sherwood explains how imaginative, contextualised writing tasks can make mathematical concepts less abstract and more engaging for diverse student groups

Carl Sherwood

The University of Queensland

Sessional academics early in their careers should learn how to balance the competing demands of teaching and research

Sessional academics: how to balance the demands of teaching and research

Teaching and research are the pillars of academia, yet these two roles often end up in opposition to one another, says Tara East

Tara East

The University of Southern Queensland

University admissions policies could be hold back diversity efforts for students wanting to study STEM subjects

Are STEM admissions processes hindering our diversity efforts?

The requirement for potential STEM students to have studied traditionally related subjects such as maths and physics seems outdated and unnecessary, says Judy Raper

Judy Raper

TEDI-London

Young woman works on engineering planning project, contextual learning, HELF

Contextual learning: linking learning to the real world

Experience in the professional world can set your students up for a seamless transfer from higher education to the world of work

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Learning as becoming, lifelong education, holistic approach, HELF framework

Learning as becoming: what do students become as a result of their higher education experience?

A learning framework can help students understand their transition from higher education to the professional world as well as support their holistic experience of university life

Alexandra Osika, Stephanie MacMahon, Jason M. Lodge, Annemaree Carroll

The University of Queensland

Advice on using popular culture to demonstrate concepts to students in relatable ways

Squid pro quo: using Squid Game to engage economics students

Wayne Geerling explains how economics lecturers can draw on popular culture to demonstrate key concepts in a more relatable way that aids understanding, taking ‘Squid Game’ as an example

Wayne Geerling

Monash University

Illustration of hands holding puzzle pieces

Intersectionality and why in 2022 inclusion must allow for multiple identities

University diversity policies must include intersectionality, and now is the time make it happen. Paul Harpur, Dino Willox and Brooke Szucs offer five strategies for using diversity as a source of strength and opportunity

Paul Harpur, Dino Willox, Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

Empty lectern illustrating opinion article about lack of university leadership with visible or stated disability

Where are the leaders with a disability in higher education?

While support is available for people with a disability in universities, this is not translating to senior leadership positions – to the detriment of individuals and the sector as a whole, say Paul Harpur and Brooke Szücs

Paul Harpur, Brooke Szücs

The University of Queensland

Tree growing out of book illustrating storytelling-based assessment task CLEAR-JEs

How to use storytelling-based assessment to increase student confidence

Carl Sherwood explains how to set up an authentic assessment task using students’ own contextualised writing

Carl Sherwood

The University of Queensland

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

THE podcast: ‘Higher Ed Heroes’ and their water-cooler chats about teaching

We speak to the academics behind the podcast ‘Higher Ed Heroes’ about why informal corridor conversations can be the best way for teachers to share classroom tips, advice and success stories

Sebastian Kaempf, Alastair Stark

The University of Queensland

Woman on rock at beach dipping toes in water illustrating work-integrated learning

Helping students to see the future career value of their work-integrated learning

Real-world experience and outputs tailored to industry allow students to see the relevance of what they learn in the classroom

Sabine Matook

The University of Queensland

Noisy big megaphone. Speaker announcing news to target audience, science communication

Get your research out there: 7 strategies for high-impact science communication

From news angles to dealing with trolls, here are seven areas to consider when sharing your findings with the media and wider public

Christina Zdenek

The University of Queensland

How university researchers can say goodbye to the lab and hello to an admin role

Are you a researcher who’s ready to move away from the bench? Here’s how

Deciphering job titles, utilising your network and coming to problems with ‘fresh eyes’ are all crucial for those moving from the lab to an admin role

Lia Paola Zambetti

University of Sydney

Australian government has invested heavily in university equity initiatives

Has government investment in higher education equity been worth it?

Evaluating the success of sector-wide initiatives is fraught, but there are some universal truths that should be considered, say Steven Howard and colleagues

Steven Howard, Sarah O’Shea, Kylie Lipscombe, Kellie Buckley-Walker

University of Wollongong

Even second-generation immigrants are in danger of losing their heritage language, but universities can help

Universities must help their communities preserve heritage languages

Language loss is a real danger among even second-generation migrants – here’s how to help, say Sender Dovchin and Rhonda Oliver

Sender Dovchin, Rhonda Oliver

Curtin University

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