Higher education pedagogy

Learn more about pedagogy and how different theories of teaching and learning work across higher education. Here, academics offer insights into a variety of pedagogies, drawing on their own teaching experience alongside research, to provide practical advice on what instructional methods work best for different university contexts, disciplines and classes.

Female student examining a computer chip with a magnifying glass

What is authentic about ‘authentic learning’?

The catch-all term ‘authentic’ can distinguish certain teaching, practical and assessment tasks as being more valuable than others, but educators need to ask what assumptions underpin the label, writes J. Patrick Williams

J. Patrick Williams

Nanyang Technological University

‘Belonging should not mean only that students feel welcome’

Universal design for learning ensures students are not only present but able to participate. Taking her cue from a South Korean television series, Sunah Cho uses three questions to address the ‘kkakdugi’ problem in higher education

Sunah Cho

University of British Columbia

A university teacher answering a student's question

Multilingualism is a strength in teaching

Language proficiency does not equal professional competence. Here’s how to use linguistic skills to teach and rethink what makes a good teacher

Yanyan Li

The University of Warwick

Teaching AI use in music for intercultural perspectives

One way to navigate the tension between fear of AI’s impact on creativity and using it to enhance these processes is to take a human-centred approach to its use. Hyesoo Yoo explains

Hyesoo Yoo

Virginia Tech

Young male student looking at phone while putting off study

To stop students procrastinating, collaborate with them

To help students start academic work on time, educators can use an approach that both guides them and pushes them to manage their own journeys

Itamar Shatz

University of Cambridge

female mature-age online student working at laptop

‘What I learned from being a university student again’

If educators want to understand student confidence, inclusivity, belonging and engagement, they could consider returning to the classroom as a learner

Marianne Savory, Beka Kimberley, Laura Oxley, Afua Kudom

University of Leeds, Graduate Futures Institute

University students having a discussion about climate change while one presents a poster titled "Save the planet"

Simple ways to bring climate education into every classroom

Strategies to empower students to engage with climate issues in ways that are relevant to their discipline, their futures and the world they are entering

Brittany Vermeulen , Ümit Kennedy

Western Sydney University

‘You can’t just lecture students any more’

GenAI does not make lecturers redundant, but it does weaken one-way content delivery as a reason to bring students together, writes Debra Page. She shares four practical shifts to teaching in the age of AI

Debra Page

University of Reading

Students concentrate on writing in class

A four-step writing protocol to teach students how to practise attention

Harness writing and composition teaching to help students develop their capacity for sustained attention. A simple classroom activity can get you started

Leonard Nalencz

University of Mount Saint Vincent

Daniel Guberman is this week's podcast guest

Campus Talks: Backwards course design – from learning outcomes to assessment to activities

An expert in student-centred instructional design talks through the process of creating effective university courses, including the potential of artificial intelligence to support feedback and revision

Daniel Guberman, Eliza Compton

Purdue University

Digital heart among locks, ones and zeros on keyboard

‘Higher education needs more of the empathetic mindset’

Empathy, listening and imagination must remain central to how we educate future leaders, writes Lu Liu. The human qualities that make innovation meaningful are at risk when universities over-emphasise technical capability

Lu Liu

Virginia Tech

A woman walking up a leafy green structure extending up into the sky

Why AI makes a growth mindset fundamental for university students

How to encourage students to use AI as a reflective learning partner to strengthen weaknesses and respond to instructor feedback

Ana Li Zhong

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Black university teacher calling on a student in class

Teaching is a verb: what sets good teachers apart

Reflection is what moves teaching beyond performance and towards continuous improvement, writes William Owen

William J. Owen

University of Northern British Columbia

Students sitting together in the library

Rethinking critical thinking in the age of algorithms

How to help students build a three-stage daily habit that interrogates both online sources and the systems that surface them

Temi Odusanya

Robert Gordon University

Using AI to create the practice opportunities online students need

For disciplines that depend on interpersonal skills such as communication, leadership, negotiation and mediation, AI can provide elusive experiential learning, particularly in asynchronous environments

Kathy Miller Perkins

Virginia Tech

Retro style poster for space tours to Mars

Does student attention have a half-life?

Can a theatrical approach to teaching a dry subject free up brain space? Chris Jones uses cognitive load theory to manage when students’ attention drifts

Chris Jones

Regent’s University London

Why a unity lens is crucial in higher education

When institutions highlight that commitment to learning, research and service to the broader public good is shared across campus, they help students and educators see themselves as part of a collective endeavour rather than isolated participants

Katerina Standish

University of Northern British Columbia

Five ways to turn students from spectators into collaborators

Practical tips for transforming traditional assignments, research projects and graduate theses into opportunities to connect students with real-world stakeholders

Rafael Núñez

Universidad del Caribe (UNICARIBE)

A group of seated pharmacology students laughing together

Why I use a dating analogy to teach complex pharmacology

Pharmacodynamics is one of the more difficult topics when educating students about the complexities of prescribing medicines. But parallels with sexual attraction and rivalry offer a low-tech way to ease learning apprehension

Louise Grisedale

The University of East Anglia

Spotlight guide: How to best serve the covid generation now at university

The post-pandemic university: how to best serve the Covid generation

A guide to how institutions can adapt and shape higher education in order to meet the needs of students whose vital school years were interrupted by pandemic lockdowns

Campus contributors

Campus

Jose Eos Trinidad teaching at the University of California, Berkeley

How I used chalk and paper to win back students’ attention

It’s not just about kicking AI and other technology out of the university classroom. A return to analogue teaching methods requires preparation in order to reap the benefits of deeper learning and engagement, writes Jose Eos Trinidad

Jose Eos Trinidad

University of California, Berkeley

A female university student reading a newspaper

A philosophical approach can help media students understand complex terms

Students need to do more than memorise definitions of complex terms. Learn how a classroom activity based on analytic philosophy makes abstract concepts more tangible

Tuğba Gülal

Istanbul Aydin University

A group of multicultural students in the classroom

Help students become language mediators to bridge knowledge gaps

How mediation, translanguaging and a class contract can develop understanding, prevent clashes and promote appreciation for diversity in multilingual classrooms

Mazal Oaknín

UCL

Students gather around a table to work together

Creating empathetic graduates requires us to go beyond exams

Drawing on self-determination theory and using immersion technology can help educators shape civic-minded, people-focused students. Find out how

Angel Lai

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A ‘buffet’ model of faculty development to support evolving use of AI

A flexible, agile approach to AI skills development allows faculty and students to choose the guidance, resources and learning opportunities that best fit their roles and contexts

Ben Kei Daniel

University of Northern British Columbia

When teacher training mirrors the classroom we want to build

How to deliver large-cohort teaching development programmes that help postgraduate students see educating as a professional practice, rather than an imposed obligation

Ka Yan So

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Campus Talks podcast interview with Anwei Feng

Campus Talks: The strengths that multilingualism brings to universities

An expert on multilingual education in China explains how to capitalise on the cultural and learning benefits of multilingualism for higher education, and shares strategies for supporting language diversity in the classroom

Anwei Feng, Eliza Compton

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China

Two female college students discussing something in class

Navigating students’ AI concerns through improv and theatre techniques

Technical competency is far from the only aspect of preparing students for an AI-driven world. Ethics also deserves attention, writes Jon Catherwood-Ginn. He uses applied theatre to help students cultivate judgement, communication and decision-making skills

Jon Catherwood-Ginn

Virginia Tech

‘AI raises the premium on empathy-driven engineering’

As knowledge becomes increasingly accessible, engineering students will need deep understanding and intrapersonal intelligence to make product-design decisions with end users in mind

Andrew Koh

Singapore Management University

A professor guiding students through a task

Developing a narrative, evidence-based teaching philosophy statement

By grounding your values in concrete examples, writing with clarity and tailoring your statement to its audience, you can create a document that brings your classroom to life. Read about strategies

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

Should I raise my hand? Navigating cultural norms in the classroom

To tap into cultural diversity and enrich teaching environments, Sarah Kegley suggests three strategies: consult class members, be clear about engagement guidelines and make good use of resources

Sarah Kegley

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

He professionals working together on an educational project

Five keys to success in multidisciplinary educational projects

Each team that contributes to educational initiatives has expertise-specific perspectives that influence its approach. Learn how to harness this diversity

Laura Angélica Castillo Lara

Tecnológico de Monterrey

What are students really paying attention to?

If we want to engage students, we must reuse and regenerate their attention rather than take, make and waste it, writes Christine Rivers, who shares advice on how to do this

Christine Rivers

University of Surrey

Student raising their hand to speak in a lecture

The Democracy Lab: how 20 minutes of debate can revive the lecture

By introducing short debate about a current issue or trend tied to that day’s lecture, Theo Koutmeridis discovered a simple way to boost student interest and engagement for the whole two-hour class

Theodore Koutmeridis

University of Glasgow

Young male student raising hand in class

‘Trust in their own judgement is something we cannot teach our students’

Students new to formal finance education need space to make mistakes and a learning environment that includes uncertainty, risk and emotions, writes Manjari Sharma

Manjari Sharma

Christ (Deemed to be University)

A teacher presenting to a class full of students

How to craft an authentic and impactful teaching philosophy statement

Whether using it for career development or writing a statement as a reflective exercise, learn how to identify and showcase the values, beliefs and goals that govern your teaching approach through real examples

Daniella Sieukaran

Dalhousie University

A lecturer talking to a student about their work.

What ‘learning verification’ means in practice

When a student’s work sparks concerns over AI use, the best approach is to sit down with them and have a conversation to ascertain if they understand what they submitted, explains B. Jean Mandernach, who shares tips for doing this

B. Jean Mandernach

Grand Canyon University

A group of university students sitting around a table having a discussion

How GenAI can amplify co-creation in higher education

How to make AI-supported co-creation work while ensuring empathy remains at the heart of the process

Bo Kelestyn, Jess Humphreys, Dmytro Chumachenko

The University of Warwick, Kharkiv Aviation Institute

A student and their lecturer in conversation.

Stop investigating, start teaching

Trying to detect whether a student has misused AI in their work is a wasted effort, from which no one benefits, writes B. Jean Mandernach. She proposes a different approach focused on finding out what students truly understand

B. Jean Mandernach

Grand Canyon University

Students in class watching a teacher, among them one raises her hand to answer a question

Impactful lessons begin and end with clarity

Common in primary and secondary teaching, starter and plenary activities can get students interested and build knowledge. Paul Demetriou explains how to use them in university teaching

Paul Demetriou

New City College

Female lecturer addresses a group of students

Why universities need shared conversations about ‘good’ teaching

Good teaching cannot be owned or defined by any one person or group, writes David Mather. He calls for more open discussion and exploration of what constitutes quality teaching

David Mather

The University of Portsmouth

How agentic AI brings interactivity to STEM learning

When applied thoughtfully, agentic AI has the potential to turn classrooms into environments where students actively explore complex systems rather than passively absorb information

Gerard Joseph Lim

Nanyang Technological University

Group of multiracial university students in a tutorial

A million more teachers: building human-centric skills in small-group teaching

Small-group discussions and one-to-ones can expand students’ capacity to act, think and communicate, writes Alastair Bonnett. Here, he offers a model for shifting university teaching from macro to micro

Alastair Bonnett

Newcastle University

Asian students articipating in small-group discussion

Practicalities of co-creation: how to truly engage the student voice

When educators share the design and implementation of course material and assessment rubrics, they give students a stake in their own and their peers’ learning

Shuhui Yin

Macau University of Science and Technology

Students in a lecture hall working on essays

Feedback is a skill to be taught, not assumed

Comments such as ‘This is a good essay’ might reassure but won’t help a writer improve. Here’s how to show students what strong and weak peer feedback looks like

Jiashi Wang

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

A group of students at a desk working on a project

A ‘smart’ way to get students working together

Reduce the tendency to ‘divide and write’ with a five-step process that draws on individual strengths, promotes constructive communication and ensures equal participation

Ya Zhang, Shuhao Zhang, Yu Liu

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Couscous, among other ingredients, in a marketplace

Less beer, more couscous: gamifying supply chain education

Using the Beer Game to teach business students about supply chains may have had its last orders. Switching to couscous changed how one educator’s class thought

Jawad Abrache

Al Akhawayn University

GrimmGPT? Use AI to rewrite fairy tales – and get your students thinking

A simple strategy to help your students question AI tools from a familiar starting point

India Lawton

Southampton Solent University

A university lecturer explaining a concept while sitting amongst students

Five words and a GenAI prompt to spark deeper online learning

A five-stage framework, enhanced by GenAI, can help educators create more interactive, inclusive and responsive online learning experiences that boost student engagement and learning online

María Robertha Leal Isida, Dania Arriola Arteaga

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Illustration of robot and man on either side of ball of scribble

Faculty must embrace the ‘messy middle’ to guide AI proficiency

The primary source of institutional AI proficiency must be universities themselves, not the technology companies who offer training for their platforms. Without that agency, we risk surrendering educational practice to commercial interests, write Amy Allen and David Hicks

Amy Allen, David Hicks

Virginia Tech

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