Feature article

Self-directed learning is becoming overlooked by a sector to keen to talk about asynchronous learning and other buzz terms

Self-directed learning is becoming the forgotten ingredient in HE

In the heady rush to extol the virtues of asynchronous learning, we are watering down the main element of students’ learning experience, says Linda Kaye

Linda Kaye

Edge Hill University

Advice on why introducing time for reflection deepens undergraduates understanding of research methods

Creating time and space for reflection in undergraduate research methods

Adrian Lam offers insights on how keeping a weekly application diary helps enhance students’ reflections on the power and limits of research methods

Adrian Man-Ho Lam

The University of Hong Kong

Japanese students, as well as the country's institutions, would benefit from greater multiculturalism

How can we solve Japan’s student mobility issues?

Japan struggles with multiculturalism as a concept, let alone a reality, and overseas students can suffer. But online education could offer help, says Haruko Satoh

Haruko Satoh

Osaka University

Advice for taking a course like maths requiring detailed step by step instruction online

Taking challenging courses requiring step-by-step instruction online

Pam Benz offers tips for translating challenging courses, which necessitate students seeing problems worked out step by step, to online instruction modes

Pam Benz

University of West Florida

Advice on moving practical application based teaching to online formats

New modes of practicum – synergising online and offline teaching modes

Rohnii Tse provides insight on how teaching the practical application of a subject can be adapted to work via online or remote channels

Rohnii Tse

Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education

Advice on working with employers and leveraging technology to train students in creative problem solving

Using tech to train students in creative problem-solving 

Alison Watson explains how institutions can guide students in developing creative solutions to real-world problems, better preparing them for the demands of the future workplace

Alison Watson

Arden University

Insight on funding options for arts and humanities research

The arts and humanities have not been forgotten: finding funding post-pandemic

Edward Harcourt on why the arts and humanities are vital to tackling societal challenges and what funding streams are available to research within these disciplines

Edward Harcourt

Arts and Humanities Research Council

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

A laptop, coffee and apple depict an unrealistic working from home set-up

Let’s embrace flexible learning as much as we have flexible working

Much like working from home, remote teaching and learning come with a range of benefits to learners if we just make room for them

Matt Jenner

FutureLearn

Advice on designing university curricula that nurture creativity

How to embed creativity more fully into university curricula

Five key strategies to enhance student creativity through university curricula that encourage exploration and enquiry

Gareth Loudon

Royal College of Art

Guidance on building space into curricula for creative exploration and discussion of topics

Making space for creativity in higher education

Paul Moss explains why and how university tutors should create opportunities for creative exploration among students within their courses

Paul Moss

Adelaide University

Blended learning is too bland - universities need to punk it up and improve their content

Blended learning is so bland − we need to punk things up

Just like musicians on tour, we must focus more on delivery and start holding ourselves to the same standards as any broadcaster or media company, says Jonathan Wilson

Jonathan Wilson

Regent’s University London

Advice on what to put in place to remotely guide and monitor students in work placements

How to support students in work placements remotely

Duminda Jayaranjan and Maruj Limpawattana explain what institutions need to put in place to remotely guide and monitor students on work placements via digital channels

Duminda Jayaranjan, Maruj Limpawattana

Siam University

Advice on designing online courses that spur critical thinking among students

Tips for spurring critical thinking among students online

Michelle Horton shares three online course design strategies that will help students develop their critical thinking skills

Michelle Horton

University of West Florida

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 distilling the lessons of the last 18 months to inform future strategic plans

Don’t lose the lesson: planning design to future-proof higher education

Patrick Sanaghan explains how universities can distil the lessons of the past 18 months of crisis to inform strategic future plans

Patrick Sanaghan

The Sanaghan Group

Lessons from testing gamification strategies in online teaching

Gamification in the classroom: what have we learned?

Shuhan Li and Olivia Sun share what they learned when testing out gamification strategies and technologies to tackle challenges presented by online learning

Shuhan Li , Olivia Sun

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

We must help our students make this a ‘summer of self-love’

It would be wise to keep an eye on our students over the coming months, as the period after lockdown typically brings intense emotional responses, says Bertus Jeronimus

Bertus Jeronimus

University of Groningen

Pushing boundaries and having fun can be crucial ways to rediscover the joys of teaching in universities

Want to be a better teacher? My daughter showed me we need to play more

Testing silly ideas and pushing boundaries are crucial − and liberating − but universities must provide digital spaces where we can do so freely, says Andy Farnell

Andy Farnell

Visiting professor

Creative writing activities that help students develop their critical thinking skills

Creative writing to hone critical thinking

Parag Dandgey shares creative-writing activities designed to improve students’ critical-thinking skills by developing their understanding of multiple perspectives

Parag Dandgey

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice on how to put the basic tech tools in place to support online learning

Building a tech toolkit to solve online teaching challenges

Duminda Jayaranjan and Kanthima Kongsathitsuwan outline how to build a basic tech toolkit that will support effective online teaching

Duminda Jayaranjan, Kanthima Kongsathitsuwan

Siam University

Traditional universities have often been too slow on the digital uptake

Choppy digital waters lie ahead for many storied institutions

Traditional universities are too often led by the interests of lecturers rather than the employment needs of students or recruitment needs of businesses, says Dilshad Sheikh

Dilshad Sheikh

Arden University

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

Advice on establishing creative collaborations between students in different disciplines to further their learning

Connecting research and humanities through creative collaborations

Creative collaborations between students in different disciplines can offer opportunities to gain “real world” experience and apply their knowledge in new contexts. Allison Schwartz explains how

Allison Schwartz

University of West Florida

Indian students on campus. It seems unlikely that online or blended learning would find an environment to thrive in India

Is blended learning just a pipe dream for Indian HE?

It’s unlikely we are ready for a seismic shift while simultaneously trying to improve the quality of university education in general, say Gunjan Rajput and Swapnarag Swain

Gunjan Rajput , Swapnarag Swain

Rishihood University, International Management Institute Kolkata

Three tips for making instructional videos that support better student engagement

Three video techniques for increasing student engagement

Joe Arton shares three evidence-based techniques for creating teaching and learning videos that will improve student engagement and learning outcomes

Joe Arton

The University of Edinburgh

Construction workers huddled over plans represent universities laying foundational steps for online learning

The foundational steps needed to advance online higher education post-Covid

The will to evolve is essential, followed by a technology-led approach to pedagogy, student engagement and interactivity, says Steve Davies

Steve Davies

University of South Wales, Learna

Advice on getting students involved in community projects which boost their learning experience in creative and practical ways

Creative ways to boost student learning through community-based projects

Jamie Darwen explains how community projects offer creative and practical ways to enhance student learning and shares advice on building successful partnerships outside the university

Jamie Darwen

University of the West of England Bristol

Advice on facilitating peer support among students in large online lectures

Embedding peer support among students in large online lectures

David Quinn explains how strategies that work in person to facilitate active participation and peer support among students can be adapted to large online lectures

David Quinn

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on teaching big classes by getting students doing rather than listening

Big-class energy: how to get large groups learning by doing, not just listening

Charlie Reis shares advice on successfully teaching large cohorts by getting students actively involved in learning activities rather than passively listening

Charlie Reis

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice gleaned from a survey of students about what is needed for effective online teaching

What can we learn from students about online education?

Yidan Qin shares some key lessons from a survey of students regarding what is needed to make online teaching effective

Yidan Qin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice on selecting the right ed-tech tools to support your teaching and learning

A guide to selecting the right ed-tech tools for your university 

Vikas Nand Kumar Batheja presents the key considerations and questions to ask when selecting new technological tools to support your teaching and university support services

Vikas Nand Kumar Batheja

Capital University College

Advice on how online review exercises can be used to improve student performance

Online review exercises to improve student performance in large courses

Online review exercises, used in combination with other learning activities, improve student engagement and learning performance in large online courses, Peng Cheng and Rui Ding explain

Peng Cheng, Rui Ding

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Global education. Utilising the capabilities of online and blended learning could make education more accessible for people all over the world

Blended learning should be embraced for the benefit of all

By using online capabilities, higher education could be transformed from a privilege into a basic human right for anyone who wants it, says Sir Tim O’Shea

Tim O'Shea

Kortext

Why getting students' names right is important to creating an inclusive learning environment

Pronouncing students’ names correctly: the whys and hows

Xin Xu, Natasha Robinson and Niall Winters explain why correctly articulating students’ names is so important to an inclusive learning environment, and provide practical tips for pronouncing Chinese names

Xin Xu, Natasha Robinson, Niall Winters

University of Oxford

Advice on successfully scaling up student support services

Scaling up student support services

Suzanne Mitchell advises on how to scale up student support services, using technology that provides multiple communications channels and early warning systems to assist specialist staff teams

Suzanne Mitchell

Arden University

A student asleep on his laptop. Just because someone has logged into a class does not mean they have engaged with that class.

We shouldn’t confuse online engagement with logging in

When assessing the all-important ‘engagement’ metric, the sector often defaults to the crude measurement of attendance − which is clearly flawed, says Chris Headleand

Chris Headleand

University of Lincoln

Why and how to introduce random error into virtual experiments

Striving for imperfection: introducing randomness into virtual experiments

Rachel Martins explains how she introduced random error into her lab simulations when teaching online physics, to better replicate real-world experiments for her students

Rachel Martins

Leeds International Study Centre

Advice on selecting the right ed-tech tools to support your teaching and learning

Enabling staff-student co-creation of experiential learning at scale

Simon Riley and Gavin McCabe share a reflective learning and assessment framework for staff and students to co-create experiential learning that is scalable and effective

Simon Riley, Gavin McCabe

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on teaching large classes to try and keep all students actively engaged in learning

Teaching at scale: reaching all your students in large classes

Heather McQueen explains how lecturers can fulfil their responsibility to facilitate learning for all students, particularly in large classes where individual student contact is minimal

Heather McQueen

The University of Edinburgh

Advice on recognising the pros and cons of online teaching and what to bring forward after covid

Pandemic teaching: storm clouds and silver linings

Glenn Geher talks through the highs and lows of teaching during a pandemic and the lessons we can learn from them

Glenn Geher

State University of New York at New Paltz

Advice on methods that help improve group dynamics by encouraging communication

Group work: improving communication, participation and dynamics

Improving participation and communication among student peers facilitates more effective group work. Jonathan Sim offers three methods

Jonathan Sim

National University of Singapore

A woman communicates with classmates in a synchronous remote classroom

Funny memes and other ways to encourage students to keep their cameras on

Frank R. Castelli offers advice from his evidenced-based strategy to get students to use their cameras without requiring it

Frank R. Castelli

Cornell University

Advice on creating accessible inclusive reading lists for students

How to develop inclusive reading lists for distance and blended learning

Jude Wilson offers advice on how academics can work with their university library teams to ensure course reading lists are accessible and inclusive for all students

Jude Wilson

Arden University

Advice on creating virtual fieldtrips to complement in-person teaching

Playing the field: how virtual field trips can benefit student learning now and in future

Theresa Mercer and colleagues explain how to develop virtual field trips that support in-person learning, boost accessibility and help future-proof teaching against unforeseen challenges

Theresa Mercer

University of Lincoln

Advice on using stock footage in instructional videos for teaching

Upgrade your explainer videos with stock footage

Kelvin Ke Jinde offers a step-by-step guide to creating instructional videos to support your teaching with the help of stock footage

Kelvin Ke Jinde

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Advice on using the VLE tools to monitor student engagement online and focus support efforts

Monitoring student engagement via online teaching tools

Maurice Kinsella and colleagues offer practical advice on using the virtual learning environment (VLE) tools to monitor student engagement and focus support efforts where they are needed

Maurice Kinsella, Niamh Nestor, John Wyatt

University College Dublin

Is it possible to grapple with big questions in a virtual environment?

Is it possible to think big thoughts virtually?

When discussing complex problems online, without the ability to read the room, the focus often shifts to what can be achieved rather than taking risks, says Donna Murray

Donna Murray

The University of Edinburgh

Whitehall sign. The government needs to step up in the battle for student retention

Government needs to step up in the student retention battle

The higher education sector needs the resources to get better at spotting students at risk of falling behind or dropping out altogether, says John Couperthwaite

John Couperthwaite

Echo360

Advice for welcoming students back to campus

How universities can support students’ return to campus post-pandemic

Danielle McDonald and colleagues share advice on how universities can approach welcoming two student cohorts to campus for the first time, staying mindful of the vastly different attitudes among students relating to the post-pandemic transition

Danielle McDonald, Anita Sahgal, Jennifer DiPrete, Allison Crume

University of South Florida

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