Case studies

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Image showing a young research assistant

Making undergraduate access to research experience transparent and inclusive

A barrier to research careers is accessing the relevant experience. Saloni Krishnan and Nura Sidarus outline a scheme that has helped a wider range of undergraduate students secure research placements

Saloni Krishnan, Nura Sidarus

Royal Holloway, University of London

Man on ball juggling balls in front of a city

How a rich extracurricular campus life nurtures well-rounded individuals

Soft skills such as organisation, communication and networking are often developed outside the classroom. Here’s how universities can help their students learn vital life skills

M. C. Zhang, Aliana Leong

Macau University of Science and Technology

Image representing the uncertainty of the future

How we used a business management theory to help students cope with uncertainty

Uncertainty is a major challenge to mental health so a team at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University used a business management tool to help students cope with worries about the future. Here, they explain how

Zheng Feei Ma, Jian Li Hao, Yu Song, Peng Liu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Eight ways UK academics can help students and researchers from Ukrainian universities

From joining a working group to mentoring and collaborating, UK scholars can support Ukrainian scientists and make a difference, no matter how small

Anna K. Bobak, Valentina Mosienko, Igor Potapov

University of Stirling, The University of Bristol, University of Liverpool

Image showing a box of essential items being handed to two Ukrainian women

How can universities support Ukrainian students? Advice from a Polish institution

Rapid response actions that universities can take to support Ukrainian students and academics, based on the experience of a Polish institution

Paweł Śpiechowicz

University of Lodz

Bridge made of cogs with red connecting section

Blended professionals: how to make the most of ‘third space’ experts

Integrated practitioners – staff who bridge the worlds of academia and professional services – are increasingly important to universities. Here’s why this space matters and how to capitalise on it

Emily McIntosh, Diane Nutt

Middlesex University

Image of refugees walking on their way to Europe

How universities can support refugee students and academics

Afghan Chevening scholar Naimatullah Zafary, who was among the last people to be airlifted to safety from Kabul, explains how institutions can support refugee students and staff who arrive in an unfamiliar country after experiencing perilous journeys and severe trauma

Naimatullah Zafary

University of Sussex

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 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

Image depicting plans for a multidisciplinary research centre

The challenges of creating a multidisciplinary research centre and how to overcome them

How to overcome the challenges of setting up a collaborative research centre designed to break down institutional silos and structures

Andrew Tobin, Laura Tyler

University of Glasgow

A student playing the part of a teacher to represent the revolving roles pedagogy

Revolving roles: creating inclusive, engaging, participant-led learning activities

‘Revolving roles’ is a simple, adaptable method for designing learning activities that challenge and change conventional ‘leader’ and ‘participant’ responsibilities, embrace students’ diverse needs, and develop their unique attributes, as Pablo Dalby explains

Pablo Dalby

The University of East Anglia

Image representing communication between different members of a team

Asynchronous communication strategies for successful learning design partnerships

Asynchronous communication that builds rapport among university course designers and external edtech providers, explained by Rae Mancilla and Nadine Hamman in the first part of a series looking at strategies for successful learning design partnerships

Rae Mancilla , Nadine Hamman

University of Pittsburgh, University of Cape Town

An image representing a faculty member calling for IT support on a technical problem

Developing a faculty-IT partnership for seamless teaching support

A simple way to ensure quicker and more transparent handling of technical hiccups that builds trust between teaching faculty and IT teams, explained by Xin Bi

Xin Bi

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Medical students discuss issues of decolonisation relating to medicine

Decolonising medicine, part two: empowering students

The decolonisation of medicine involves making students active agents of their learning and designing assessments relevant to the skills gained through the process, as Musarrat Maisha Reza explains in her second advice resource on the topic

Musarrat Maisha Reza

The University of Exeter

Image of people learning in different modalities - online, in-person and hybrid learning

The evolution of activeflex learning: why and how

The evolution of activeflex learning as a way to keep students engaged online, and how to overcome problems when using this teaching model, by Mark Gale

Mark Gale

Athens State University

A robot holding tools to illustrate a resource offering advice for universities on using 'bots'

Lessons for universities from using ‘bots’ in the NHS

Advice on how higher education institutions could apply Robotic Process Automation to improve efficiencies, based on lessons from its use in the NHS

Carol Glover

KFM, a subsidiary of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Man working with laptop, pen and paper and coffee, OERs

A guide to using open educational resources: an experiential case study

The benefits of OERs to researchers and students in the Global South affect all levels of scholarship, from teaching to publishing, writes Innocent Chirisa

Innocent Chirisa

The University of Zimbabwe

Advice on developing higher education programmes that meet the skills needs of Gen Z students

Catering to Gen Z’s needs: creating a flexible and adaptable education programme

Universities need to teach broad knowledge and skills that will help graduates adapt in a fast-changing future workplace. Three academics share insights from developing a generalist approach to training business students

Eric Chee, Roy Ying, Winnie Chan

The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Advice on creating opportunities for early career researchers to develop their teaching skills

Mind the gap: creating a pathway for post-doctoral researchers to gain teaching experience

Postdoctoral researchers often struggle to secure teaching experience so institutions need to develop opportunities for these academics to support or lead classes. Ellen Bull explains how this can be done

Ellen Bell

The University of East Anglia

remote ed-tech assistance, students helping educators, graduate employment programme

Students supporting educators: are you harnessing the talent of your own graduates?

Employing students to support educators not only boosts overall digital expertise but elevates graduate employability, course design and the student voice

Lisa Harris, Caitlin Kight

The University of Exeter

Advice on the support needed to get more young women into higher education in sub-Saharan Africa

How to change the default settings that exclude women in sub-Saharan Africa from higher education

Angeline Murimirwa outlines the steps necessary to support young women from marginalised communities in sub-Saharan Africa into and through higher education

Angeline Murimirwa

CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education)

Advice on building a sustainable long-term gender equality action plan to improve female representation at your institution

Embedding gender equality: building momentum for change

Eileen Drew explains how positive leadership, data-informed actions and priorities, mass engagement and collaboration all feed into a successful gender equality initiative

Eileen Drew

Trinity College Dublin

Advice on developing research informed strategies to widen participation in higher education

Widening access to postgraduate studies: from research to strategy to action

Providing equitable access into and through higher education is a constant battle, especially in postgraduate research, but barriers can be addressed when evidence is connected to action, as Diane Gill explains

Diane Gill

The University of Edinburgh

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

Advice on driving institutional action towards net zero

Accelerating towards net zero emissions: how to mobilise your university on climate action

John Madden provides insight on how universities can mobilise their intellectual and institutional capacities to accelerate towards net zero emissions

John Madden

University of British Columbia

Advice on bringing institutions together in international collaborations designed to address the SDGs

‘Embrace messiness’: how to broker global partnerships to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals

Annelise Riles and Meghan Ozaroski share advice on bringing universities around the world together to address global problems, such as climate change, by investing in relationships, thinking long-term and working around inevitable bumps

Annelise Riles, Meghan Ozaroski

Northwestern University

Advice on developing early college programmes which improve higher education outcomes for students from underrepresented group

How to design early college programmes that foster success for under-represented students

David Dugger explains what an early college programme should focus on in order to improve outcomes for students from under-represented groups

David Dugger

Eastern Michigan University

Advice on moving from printed to digital teaching materials to improve student engagement and sustainability

How using digital workbooks can increase student engagement and help institutions go green

How to move from printed to digital workbooks rich with interactive content such as audio, video and quizzes, to improve online learning outcomes while boosting sustainability

Yan Wei, Paul Tuck

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice on collaborating with student activists to improve institutional sustainability

Working with student activists to speed up progress towards a sustainable future

Jaime Toney explains how working with grassroots student activists can help accelerate institutional action towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Jaime Toney

University of Glasgow

Advice on breaking down student anonymity to build relationships when teaching online and in person

Unmasking the scientist: breaking down anonymity to build relationships when teaching online

Simple solutions to link students’ names to faces and build a rapport with individuals in your class when teaching online, by Kelly Edmunds and Bethan Gulliver

Kelly Edmunds , Bethan Gulliver

The University of East Anglia

Advice on using unique datasets in online exams to deter cheating among students

Online exams are growing in popularity: how can they be fair and robust?

Nicholas Harmer and Alison Hill share advice on using unique datasets to deter student collusion in online exams

Nicholas Harmer, Alison Hill

The University of Exeter

Advice on working with students to develop a well-being module that educates them in mental health and self-care

Co-creating an interdisciplinary well-being module for all students

Elena Riva and Wiki Jeglinska explain how academics can work with students to co-create well-being modules that span multiple disciplines and support students’ self-care, drawing on their own experience of collaborating on such a scheme

Elena Riva, Wiki Jeglinska

The University of Warwick

Study trips and experiential learning: from preparation to post-trip reflection

Rebecca Wang outlines the key steps to take before, during and after a successful international field trip

Rebecca Wang

The University of Westminster

Hands locked in a circle illustrating race equality curriculum

Building an inclusive learning community to deliver a race equality curriculum

Ricardo Barker and Syra Shakir reflect on how to set up a curriculum that engages everybody in conversations about race equality

Ricardo Barker , Syra Shakir

Leeds Trinity University

Advice on organising a virtual international student get-together

Lessons from organising a virtual international student camp focused on sustainability

Yhing Sawheny and Ashutosh Mishra offer advice on organising a virtual international event after bringing students together online to hone their leadership skills in sustainability

Yhing Sawheny, Ashutosh Mishra

Siam University

Insight on how community based research projects can motivate students as their apply their learning to real world problems

Using community-based research projects to motivate learning among engineering students

Trithos Kamsuwan explains how community-based research projects can be used to motivate students, creating opportunities to apply principles they have learned in class to solve real-world problems

Trithos Kamsuwan

Siam University

Building equitable scientific research partnerships with the global south requires trust and equality in decisionmaking

Creating equitable research partnerships across continents

Shabbar Jaffar provides tips for successful international collaborations built on trust, appropriate recognition and inclusiveness in decision-making

Shabbar Jaffar

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

Advice on shaping community outreach in order to improve educational outcomes for local communities

Changing lives through community engagement and outreach

Josephine Bleach outlines questions that higher education institutions should ask to help them foster authentic community engagement that improves educational outcomes for children, families and communities

Josephine Bleach

National College of Ireland

20-something woman with hand over mouth illustrating article about addressing taboo subjects

Talking about taboos: how to create an open atmosphere for discussing difficult subjects

Lindsay Morgan offers practical, step-by-step advice for removing barriers to addressing uncomfortable topics such as consent and menstruation

Lindsay Morgan

Edinburgh Napier University

How to revitalise student knowledge exchange with local communities

How co-creating an ‘umbrella’ programme can help institutions innovate student knowledge exchange and improve engagement with local communities and businesses, a team from Queen Mary University of London explain

Patrick McGurk, Joanne Zhang, Fezzan Ahmed, Olivia Reid

Queen Mary University of London

Insight on a new approach to training students in applied learning from the medical school team at NUS

Collaborative learning cases: a fresh approach to applied learning

A group of medical educators introduce a new teaching model being used to improve students’ ability to apply learning in clinical or real-world settings through collaborative work on specific cases

Dujeepa Samarasekera

National University of Singapore

How to ensure online teaching benefits the education of sustainability issues

Engaging students in applied research to tackle Sustainable Development Goals

Jen O’Brien describes a pedagogical project that engages students in applied research carried out in partnership with external organisations, related to the Sustainable Development Goals

Jen O'Brien

The University of Manchester

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

Advice on developing communities of practice to foster virtual collaboration between universities

How a community of practice can foster virtual collaboration

Eugene Schulz and Dagmar Willems share insights and takeaway lessons from creating a community of practice for higher education instructors to develop virtual exchanges with international partners

Eugene Schulz, Dagmar Willems

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

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

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

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

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

Advice on implementing rapid response public engagement projects

Three steps to successful rapid-response civic engagement with students

Kathleen Riach outlines key lessons from successfully leading a rapid-response civic engagement project with students to help over 50s gain better digital access

Kathleen Riach

University of Glasgow

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

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