Collections

Tudor-Series

Tudor Teaser

Supporting students into the creative industries

After more than a decade of arts funding cuts in the UK, a career in the creative industries can feel out of reach for many. Educators play a crucial role in supporting students who choose this path, as effective preparation enhances employability and equips graduates with the tools to navigate the complexities of life in the arts. This collection of resources provides guidance on supporting individuals into creative roles, with tailored advice for neurodivergent and mature students.

Authentic assessment in higher education

Assessing a student’s knowledge and skills in ways that reflect real-world contexts offers dynamic learning experiences and prepares students for future work scenarios. Many argue that this kind of assessment nurtures the transferable skills demanded by employers in a rapidly changing job market. Educators from a range of disciplines now seek innovative ways to incorporate such soft skills into assessment design. This collection reflects those efforts, featuring guidance on getting started with low-stakes assessments, building relationships and collaborating effectively with industry and planning relevant events that engage students.

Election special: how can higher education make its case amid political change?

The aptly labelled ‘year of elections’ rolls on with UK voters going to the polls on 4 July and the French election process concluding soon after. So, how can higher education seize upon these rare moments of political change to canvass greater support for the sector from government? This collection of resources looks at how universities and academics can demonstrate their value to policymakers and work with them to help drive forward regional and national priorities

Cultivate a sense of belonging on campus

A student’s experience of higher education can be greatly enhanced by an institution’s deliberate and considered actions towards building a sense of belonging on campus. But this goal is made that much more difficult in the wake of constant change brought on by industry-disrupting innovations. And with a section of the student body that lives off campus or who have commitments outside their studies, the challenge can sometimes seem almost too great. This collection of resources homes in on what belonging means in higher education, how we can cultivate it and how we can create and protect inclusive spaces for our students.

AI transformers like ChatGPT are here, so what next?

AI writing programmes such as ChatGPT have sent tremors across the higher education sector. Will artificial intelligence free up cognitive space for deeper thinking? Or does its potential for cheating and shortcuts signal the end of critical thinking and academic integrity? This resource collection offers insight into the technology’s potential impact and advice on how educators can use it in work around assessments, academic writing, teaching and lesson planning as well as student support and research. ChatGPT itself even offers suggestions on how to use it in the classroom.

The power of place-based learning

Place-based education can take many forms but all focus on moving learning out of the classroom and into local communities and spaces. This approach to higher education often tasks students with working on or seeking to solve community challenges, enabling them to ‘learn by doing’. It roots knowledge in specific places, immersing students in local cultures, histories and environments. This collection of resources offers examples of successful place-based learning and advice for those who wish to introduce this pedagogy to their courses.

Using data to support student success

Many university activities have switched to digital realms meaning institutions have access to more data, enabling greater insights into students’ learning and well-being. But will greater digitisation of higher education result in better support for students? And does everyone in higher education know how to use data to help students succeed? This collection offers examples of how academics and administrators at institutions around the world are using data responsibly to support student success.

How to promote your research for greater impact

Successfully communicating research findings to relevant audiences is a vital component of academic success. There are many ways of doing this but not all of them come easily to researchers more used to writing for academic journals than newspapers, policymakers, NGOs or social media platforms. This collection of resources offers practical advice on different approaches to getting your research noticed outside of academia and enhancing the impact of your work.

Gender equality in higher education: how to overcome key challenges

Achieving gender equality in higher education remains elusive. In some parts of the world, girls struggle to access post-secondary education and even in countries where many women do embark on academic careers, there is still a marked lack of female representation in leadership roles. However, huge progress has been made through small changes like scheduling teaching hours around childcare needs or big institution-wide reform linked to SDG5: gender equality. In this collection marking International Women’s Day, university leaders and faculty share ways institutions and individuals can tackle the challenges faced by women in academia.