Feature article

Beware the academic undead this Halloween

Fear the zombie student apocalypse

Andy Farnell argues that non-assessed courses could free universities, and the academic undead, from increasing spiritual depletion and a lifeless pursuit of certificates

Andy Farnell

Visiting professor

Online and blended learning must be stepped up to deliver equitable learning as part of the new "metaverse" that university students will come to expect

The educational ‘metaverse’ is coming

The universities best equipped with digital infrastructure and savvy human resources will emerge as the new leaders − no matter where they are, says Kwang Hyung Lee

Kwang Hyung Lee

Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)

Advice on supporting innovation in teaching practices among faculty

How can we support innovation in teaching practices within universities?

As the inaugural director of her university’s ‘education incubator’, Sarah Dyer shares insight on supporting teaching innovation among your faculty

Sarah Dyer

The University of Exeter

Universities are creating pre-prepared, fully complete courses called shells

How I stopped worrying and learned to embrace pre-prepared courses

I was shocked when first told I had to teach a ‘shell’ prepared by a colleague a few years ago, but I’m actually growing from the experience, says George Justice

George Justice

Arizona State University

Megaphone shouting. Researchers at universities must overcome the struggle with self-promotion

Researchers: fight back against your struggle with self-promotion

Postdoc or professor, the self-promotion struggle is real. So, how can we promote ourselves without sounding too ‘sales-y’? Emma Williams has the answers

Emma Williams

EJW Solutions

Advice on getting students thinking about and preparing for their future careers

Preparing students for an uncertain future through career planning

Lessons in engaging students in future career planning and preparation as part of their university studies, shared by Stephen Warrington, Katherine Cameron and Matt Vickers

Stephen Warrington, Katherine Cameron , Matt Vickers

The University of Edinburgh

After spending my entire career climbing the university career ladder, I'm now wondering what's next

I’ve successfully climbed the academic career ladder − now what?

Having spent my entire career trying to get to where I am now, I’m working out how to slow down and seize the opportunities ahead, says Lucas Lixinski

Lucas Lixinski

UNSW Sydney

Advice on teaching trends sparked by the growth of ed-tech

Two ed-tech trends that educators should watch for

The growth of ed-tech has sparked fresh approaches to teaching. Here, Vikas Nand Kumar Batheja shares two teaching trends worthy of educators’ attention

Vikas Nand Kumar Batheja

Capital University College

Tempting back adults who left college early without a degree could be key to higher education's recovery

Re-engaging adult learners is key to a sustainable HE recovery

Winning back those who left college without a degree will be key in reversing the declines of the past year, say Kai Drekmeier and Amanda Winters

Kai Drekmeier, Amanda Winters

InsideTrack, National Governors Association

Advice on how to effectively bring co-creation with students into your teaching practices

Co-creating with students: practical considerations and approaches

Stacy Katz explains how to develop meaningful learning experiences by collaborating with students, rather than determining for them

Stacy Katz

Lehman College CUNY

Mindfulness education at university goes beyond pedagogy

It’s past time for a serious appraisal of mindfulness education

True mindfulness education goes beyond pedagogy and improving learning outcomes – it is a holistic approach for developing students and staff, says Christine Rivers

Christine Rivers

University of Surrey

Sustainability modules can be crucial for universities

The dos and don’ts of creating a large-scale sustainability module

Rachel Lander, Sylvia Snijders and Gustavo Espinoza Ramos discuss lessons learned from creating a sustainability module that’s taken by 600-plus students per year

Rachel Lander, Sylvia Snijders , Gustavo Espinoza Ramos

University of Westminster

Advice on creating short online courses that help drive progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Three steps to designing online learning that supports a sustainable future

Lizzy Garner-Foy offers practical guidance on how to plan, design and develop open, accessible online learning materials that support work towards the SDGs

Lizzy Garner-Foy

The University of Edinburgh

Students are demanding action from higher education universities on climate change now

Students demand action on the climate crisis now – not later

COP26 is the world’s best – and perhaps last – chance to get runaway climate change under control, and to reach net zero HE needs to act swiftly, says Manveer Gill

Manveer Gill

Climate Commission for UK Higher and Further Education

Advice on developing advice resources in the form of short videos for students

Creating advice videos to help students and support your teaching

Nicholas Morton tackles five basic questions about creating advice videos designed to help students easily source guidance and information when they need it

Nicholas Morton

It is incumbent upon university leaders to create diverse and inclusive communities and curricula

Fellow vice-chancellors, we must lead the charge on equality

It’s incumbent on us all to ensure our universities offer inclusive and diverse settings in which anyone, regardless of their background, can flourish, says Craig Mahoney

Craig Mahoney

University of the West of Scotland

Advice on using online tools to teach students about sustainability

Supporting student action on sustainability

Students want opportunities to develop skills and knowledge to address sustainability issues. Matthew Lawson describes how sustainability can be embedded into the student experience

Matthew Lawson

The University of Edinburgh

Lighthouse illustrating thought leadership

How thought leadership can build your institution’s reputation online

Will Harvey explains how institutions can use research proactively to enhance the perception of their capabilities and character

Will Harvey

The University of Exeter

Sustainability needs to be taught but also embraced by universities as students become ever more concerned

Prepare for student sustainability demands to go through the roof

Students will be the driving force behind universities finally being held accountable and made to practise what they preach on climate change, says Andreas Kaplan

Andreas Kaplan

ESCP Business School

Race tends to come behind gender when it comes to university work on equality

Competing hierarchies of oppression: why is race a lower priority?

Gender is often given priority in HE because it’s seen as a universal concern that affects all women, but this ignores racism within gender equality work, says Kalwant Bhopal

Kalwant Bhopal

University of Birmingham

Advice on why and how teaching using your voice only can be effective to reach remote students

How to teach online with voice only

Yutthana Srisavat explains why and how he adapted his teaching to instruct using just his voice via a messenger app, as a way to keep classes accessible to remote students

Yutthana Srisavat

Siam University

International students needs careers advice too

Don’t forget that international students need careers support too

Just 2 per cent of international students find jobs through UK universities’ careers services – a big failure given their economic input, says Alexis Brown

Alexis Brown

Higher Education Policy Institute

Advice on using films to support your teaching

Using films to encourage reflection and critical thinking in your teaching

Noam Schimmel shares advice on how to leverage the pedagogical and emotive power of films to support your teaching

Noam Schimmel

University of California, Berkeley

Research backed advice on managing different national cultures to encourage engagement with learning technology

How does national culture affect the adoption of learning technology?

Na Li, Xiaojun Zhang and Maria Limniou offer tips to counter the hidden cultural and social factors that reduce acceptance of virtual learning environments, based on their research

Na Li, Xiaojun Zhang, Maria Limniou

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Universities should offer master's-level students the opportunity to gain research experience

So you want a novel way to support untapped research talent?

There’s great scope for the sector to offer research development opportunities to taught postgraduate students, says John McKendrick

John McKendrick

Glasgow Caledonian University

Advice on using productive failure to activate deeper learning

Using productive failure to activate deeper learning

Manu Kapur explains how using a flipped-classroom approach, setting students problems that they are unable to tackle properly until they have been taught the associated concepts, deepens their learning through ‘productive failure’

Manu Kapur

ETH Zurich

Community colleges are at the forefront of work-related study

Community colleges are the front line for workforce innovation

As bachelor’s-granting institutions grow ever more focused on employability, there’s much they can learn from community colleges, say Vicki Karolewics and Bharani Rajakumar

Vicki Karolewics , Bharani Rajakumar

Wallace State Community College, TRANSFR

Universities' conventional, top-down approach fails to recognise that working adults often already possess many critical work skills

Now is the time to design a system in which all learning counts

Our conventional, top-down approach fails to recognise that working adults often already possess many critical work skills, say Lisa McIntyre-Hite and Mackenzie Jackson

Lisa McIntyre-Hite, Mackenzie Jackson

Guild Education

Peer to peer feedback, as used by the Bronte Sisters, is a crucial tool for improving writing skills in university students

If peer feedback was good enough for the Brontë sisters, it’s good enough for us

The shift online provides new ways to harness the power of peer feedback to improve writing skills, say Sherry Wynn Perdue, Pam Bromley, Mark Limbach and Jonathan Olshock

Sherry Wynn Perdue, Pam Bromley, Mark Limbach, Jonathan Olshock

Oakland University, Scripps College, Peerceptiv

Stanford University illustrating article about terminology for teaching and research in the US

Coming to terms with terminology: the basics of university teaching and research in the US

Looking to teach or do research in America? Angela Douglas explains the basic terms, acronyms and structures of US academia to ensure everyone is speaking the same language

Angela Douglas

Cornell University

In the new normal we might forget the technology and focus on motivating human beings again

Forget the tech – in the new normal, let’s focus on human beings

The key to making learning effective, now and in the post-pandemic world, is focusing on motivation, says Grace McCarthy

Grace McCarthy

University of Wollongong

UK universities have their heads in the sand when it comes to student addiction and recovery

UK universities have their heads in the sand on student addiction

Isolation and shame pose big risks to recovery from addiction problems, yet on-campus support programmes are rare in the UK, say Suzi Gage and Shahroo Izadi

Suzi Gage, Shahroo Izadi

University of Liverpool

Microsoft Teams can be a useful tool for the modern university academic

Creating a virtual research centre ecosystem using Microsoft Teams

To the busy academic, it may seem like yet another system to learn. But Amy Conley Wright and Betty Luu explain how a team-working platform can aid communication long after the pandemic

Amy Conley Wright, Betty Luu

University of Sydney

The power divide between universities in the Global North and Global South makes equitable partnerships impossible

Equal research partnerships are a myth – but we can change that

The movement for decolonising universities should also be applied to research ‘partnerships’ and their unequal balance of power, say Faith Mkwananzi and Melis Cin

Faith Mkwananzi , Melis Cin

University of the Free State, Lancaster University

The secret to success as a researcher at universities is the ability to manage people

Want to get on in research? You need to manage people effectively

From supervisors to friends and family, the key to success is organising the people around you, says Ellie King

Ellie King

The University of Warwick

Universities and higher education need to do a better job of preparing students for the workplace

How higher education can do better at developing skills for the workplace

Universities must do more to nurture enduring skills that can be transferred across different contexts such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication, says Ben Nelson

Ben Nelson

Zayed University

Chatbots can be vital tools for university careers services, with one-to-one discussions set to become a thing of the past

How AI and chatbots can deliver personalised career planning

The development of careers chatbots could be considered a threat to guidance practitioners, but the reverse is true, says Caroline Tolond

Caroline Tolond

Arden University

Advice on how LEGO can facilitate learning across many disciplines in higher education

Serious play: building knowledge with Lego bricks

Using Lego blocks to aid brainstorming has migrated from boardrooms into university classrooms. This guide explores how to get the most out of it in your teaching – whether virtual or on campus

Caitlin Kight, Holly Henderson

The University of Exeter

Obliterating the academic calendar is just the start for universities if they are to best serve their students

Obliterating the academic calendar is the easy part

More money for US community colleges and new thinking on semester lengths must be accompanied by cohesive pathways to degrees, say Karen A. Stout and Tom Shaver

Karen A. Stout, Tom Shaver

Achieving the Dream, Ad Astra Information Systems

Equality, diversity and inclusion strategies at universities should just be the start of the conversation, not an end in themselves

There are so many reasons why EDI is not the answer

If we wish to transform our institutions, we must see EDI not as an end but as a tool to start recognising the power that feeds oppressive structures, says Manvir Grewal

Manvir Grewal

University of Westminster

Insight on steps to tackle Islamophobia in British universities

Challenging Islamophobia across higher education

Ibtihal Ramadan explains why Islamophobia remains absent from many universities’ efforts to tackle racism and what steps can be taken to address the problem at an institutional and individual level

Ibtihal Ramadan

Swansea University

Advice on how institutions should ensure digital inclusion for all students

There’s no room for complacency: act now to improve digital inclusion

Sue Bennett outlines a call to action for academics and institutions to recognise inequalities in access to, and proficiency with, technology among students and to help extend digital inclusion to all

Sue Bennett

University of Wollongong

Empathy is a big part of authentic leadership, along with open decisionmaking

Authentic leadership isn’t new – but we need it more than ever in higher education

For leadership to be effective, we need to understand our own limitations and listen to others to learn how to overcome them, say Sarah Jones and Alasdair Blair

Sarah Jones, Alasdair Blair

De Montfort University

Advice on how to get business school students engaging with wider societal issues as part of their programmes

Embedding social impact considerations into business programmes

Ridhima Aggarwal shares effective strategies for fostering a deep understanding of how business and society are interlinked and embedding social impact considerations within business school teaching

Ridhima Aggarwal

INSEAD

Randomised control trials are crucial for good science, but we can also improve their ethics

We can make research more ethical without compromising its quality

The debate on the ethics of randomised control trials isn’t getting us anywhere – it’s time for solutions, says Stefano Caria

Stefano Caria

The University of Warwick

A glossary to explain the terminology associated with research impact work

Demystifying impact: a glossary of key terms

The extensive terminology surrounding research ‘impact’ can be confusing for those new to it. To help, Alex Smith and Laura Tucker have compiled a glossary of the most common terms

Alex Smith, Laura Tucker

Vertigo Ventures

Students want feel heard, valued, seen and represented

It’s our duty to teach more inclusively − online, in person or hybrid

Students want to be seen, heard and valued, and there are many ways to include them while fostering equitable learning outcomes, says Flower Darby

Flower Darby

Northern Arizona University

Figure at the top of a ladder illustrating skills for career progression, online learning

Creating opportunities to enhance student employability online

Working online presents opportunities for students to develop their employability in the digital space. Ruth Donnelly lists how remote programmes can prepare them for the changing workplace

Ruth Donnelly

The University of Edinburgh

Online CPD is one pandemic innovation that should stay for universities and the higher education sector

Online CPD is one pandemic innovation worth fighting for

Let’s not waste this opportunity to make development broader and more inclusive using the lessons of the past 18 months, says Chris Headleand

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

Advice for universities on developing their lifelong learning strategies

Developing flexible lifelong learning in line with changing needs and opportunities 

Jonathan Michie shares insight to help institutions develop lifelong learning strategies that meet the need for flexible and relevant educational programmes

Jonathan Michie

University of Oxford

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