Case studies

By miranda.prynne, 28 October, 2020
Series Type
Series
Teaser
First-hand accounts of successful projects within institutions which offer lessons on enhancing higher education
Resource
By Eliza.Compton, 10 December, 2024

What skills does the 21st-century medical educator need?

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Medical students
A faculty development programme for instructors must facilitate more than efficient knowledge transfer. Incorporating pedagogical innovation, digital proficiency and emotional intelligence will ensure the well-being of educators and students
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 9 December, 2024

Dreaming of tuī returning to campus

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Close-up portrait of Tui - Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae - a famous New Zealand endemic honeyeater with yellow pollen on the forehead, in a blurred green background, in New Zealand
Collaboration between community groups, local government and university students has improved bird nest survival rates exponentially as part of a broader biodiversity plan. Here is how one university is bringing native fauna back to campus
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 5 December, 2024

Time to write is a necessity, not a nice-to-have

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Hands of black woman typing on laptop
How a project for academics to carve out writing time has grown from ‘power hours’ to writing retreats, community, increased well-being and higher-quality papers
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 3 December, 2024

Walls into walkways

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Young student smiling with laptop
Access to library spaces in preparation for exams is helping Dublin secondary school students find a pathway into university. Here’s how DCU Library has made them feel welcome
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 28 November, 2024

A toolkit for working with students as partners

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Hands holding books, illustration, diversify reading lists concept
Bringing the student voice into the creation of a toolkit to decolonise and diversify university reading lists was a key purpose of a library project at the University of Chester
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 5 November, 2024

How to include student voices in green campus initiatives

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A student presenting a green initiative in front of an audience
As centres of knowledge and innovation, higher education institutions have a unique opportunity – and responsibility – to lead by example in promoting sustainability and environmental awareness. Here are ways to do it
Reading time
4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 31 October, 2024

Using GenAI tools to refine EAP assessment

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Students working at their laptops in class
There are several tools available to help English for academic purposes assess students’ writing skills. Here is some guidance on how to use a selection of them
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4minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 29 October, 2024

Using emotions to boost learning

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A student smiling in class
A professor explains how he leverages emotions to enhance students’ learning, using an approach called ‘mastering emotions in entrepreneurship education’
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 24 October, 2024

School Tasking: forget explosions, it’s all about the skills

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Children participating in outreach programme School Tasking
Successful university outreach doesn’t always have to involve awe-inspiring explosions and colour-changing chemical reactions, but it should seek to hone key skills through dynamic and interactive activities that enable all children to shine
By Eliza.Compton, 11 October, 2024

Where there’s WIL, there’s risk

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Student on a healthcare placement looking at x-ray
As demand for universities to support work-integrated learning rises, so does exposure to potential pitfalls such as personal injury and reputational harm. What can higher education institutions do to mitigate the risks?
By kiera.obrien, 8 October, 2024

To demystify AI for your students, use performance

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An audience in a darkened lecture hall
Updating Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein for the AI era helped students to understand the opportunities and limitations of the tool, in an engaging way. Here’s how to use performance as pedagogy
Reading time
5minutes
By Laura.Duckett, 4 October, 2024

Closing the digital divide in higher education

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A sign saying "digital literacy" hung up on a shelf with books behind it
A one-size-fits-all approach to digital literacy training simply won’t cut it; institutions need to tailor programmes to the varying needs of their staff
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5minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 1 October, 2024

Students as co-creators in online learning

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Group of four racially diverse women
Offering students paid opportunities to be involved in generating and modifying online learning content could deliver novel experiences for learners, reduce academic workload and help close the awarding gap
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 15 August, 2024

How Mozart and the arts can help students feel less awkward

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Etching of an couple doing a minuet
Music and dance give the post-Covid cohort low-stress opportunities to face each other in potentially antagonising – even agonising – set-ups. Here’s how a multisensory curriculum helps students combat feelings of isolation and impostor syndrome
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 6 August, 2024

How to enhance teaching skills in a multidisciplinary environment

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Lecturer gives a university lecture
Technical challenges as well as the personal demands that teachers face make support programmes at higher education institutions all the more important. Here’s how self-paced, modular training can boost teacher engagement and student satisfaction
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 30 July, 2024

A framework to develop communities of practice

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Community of practice concept illustration
Supporting communities of practice across an organisation can provide extraordinary benefits. Drawn from the author’s experience, these tips aim to build connection and engagement through a formalised framework and senior leader sponsorship
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 19 July, 2024

Can AI offer everyone a personal tutor 24/7?

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AI tutor concept
Generative artificial intelligence can trigger a certain amount of angst, but AI’s potential to support student learning should be explored, write Steve Hill and Quintus Stierstorfer
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 25 June, 2024

RIP assessment?

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Illustration of human and robot in an arm wrestle
How can educators make learning and human intelligence visible in the age of GenAI? Abby Osborne and Christopher Bonfield outline a model to rethink assessment and reward non-AI knowledge and understanding
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 10 June, 2024

What does it take to encourage students to use their voice?

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Woman choosing between chocolate and apple
The National Student Survey tells us students want their voices heard, but what if they don’t take up opportunities for feedback? Sam Perry looks at challenges of integrating student input (and wonders if chocolate is the answer)
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 31 May, 2024

Hybrid learning through podcasts: a practical approach

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Young woman podcaster
Adapting practice-based learning to a blend of synchronous and asynchronous delivery gives learners more control and creates opportunities for real-world learning of skills such as podcast production, writes Catherine Chambers
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 26 April, 2024

How to train world-champion cardiologists

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Doctors performing heart surgery
Competition, cooperation and continuity in talent support play integral roles in training and preparing medical professionals, and improving patient care, write three cardiologists
By Eliza.Compton, 22 April, 2024

A framework to teach library research skills

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Student in library stacks
Embedding library skills within disciplines allows teachers and students to link them to learning outcomes and research requirements. Here, a team of engagement librarians explain how to put a map in place
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 17 April, 2024

Going for gold: how to craft a winning TEF submission

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Hand holding three gold medals
Teaching excellence rests on clear principles and agile strategy, collaboration with students and a frank approach to educational gain, write Emily Pollinger and Julian Chaudhuri. Here, they share tips for maintaining and evidencing success
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 4 April, 2024

Creating an impactful social group for neurodivergent students

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students playing a board game
Meet-ups can support neurodivergent students (mostly those with autism and ADHD) to navigate the social complexities of student life and the workplace. Here, Brooke Szücs and Ben Roden-Cohen share tips for creating inclusive neurodivergent settings, based on their experience
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 11 March, 2024

Sharing qualitative research through open access

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hands typing on a laptop, open research concept
Traditional open access repositories are designed for sharing quantitative data. But what about qualitative data – non-numeric information and concepts such as case studies or interview transcripts? That’s where the Qualitative Data Repository comes in
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 18 March, 2024

Using storybooks to share research with a wider audience

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Row of children reading colourful books
Storybooks offer a collegial method of sharing research findings beyond the peer-reviewed journals of academia – and putting it in the hands of the people who can best use the information, write Dominic Petronzi, Dean Fido and Rebecca Petronzi
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 21 February, 2024

Making higher education accessible for students with unmet financial need

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US notes and coins
Rising costs of college leave many students struggling to afford higher education. And we know that enhancing the affordability of going to university is critical for realising students’ potential and elevating lives and livelihoods for generations to come, writes Matt Holt
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 19 January, 2024

Fostering student co-creation to give back to the community

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Pottery wheel
Engaging in local civic projects offers students meaningful learning opportunities, fosters co-creation and supports the community at large. Here, Martha Sullivan outlines the benefits based on working with the Empty Bowls project
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 7 December, 2023

Community organising: a case study in parent engagement

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Community meeting
Widening participation in higher education and improving the education journeys of young people cannot happen in isolation, writes Michael Bennett. Here, he outlines a programme that connects parents, community groups and the university
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 5 December, 2023

Designing 24/7 hubs for students

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Students sitting together against a wall
What does it mean to create student-centric support? Here, Kieron Broadhead outlines the process and challenges in re-imagining a 24-hour student administration system
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 4 December, 2023

Using partnerships to establish and build on project success

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Sheet music lying on moss
From listening to the student voice to creating joined-up partnerships, success on major capital works depends on teamwork. Here, Dominic Wood outlines key elements to ensure project delivery and reap long-term benefits
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 27 November, 2023

Embrace the chaos of real-world learning experiences

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Young male journalism student
Unaccompanied student assignments abroad are a terrifying but essential part of the high-fidelity learning mix. Here, Jim Entwistle shares his four key points of assignments beyond the safety net
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 26 October, 2023

Dealing with abuse after public commentary

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Fingers on keyboard, trolling concept
Communicating to the public can result in abuse of academics. Here, University of Southampton staff describe their experiences and provide tips on anticipating and dealing with trolling
By Eliza.Compton, 24 October, 2023

Messy decisions and creative science in the classroom

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Student in chemistry lab
How can we teach students other than those studying for healthcare or other vocational qualifications to work across disciplinary boundaries and make scientific decisions in a creative – and enjoyable – manner? Here’s what we learned from running a data-driven drug-discovery scenario
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 17 October, 2023

Transforming the classroom through experiential learning

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Female engineering students working on a robotics project
A pilot programme aims to expand undergraduate students’ access to high-impact learning experiences to strengthen skills such as teamwork and problem-solving. Kate Williams looks at its outcomes
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 11 October, 2023

How to combat the mental health crisis on campus

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Therapy dog
From staff training to nap pods and on-campus emotional support animals, universities have well-established and novel ways to help students to better mental health and well-being
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 2 October, 2023

A case study in developing the next STEM generation

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High school students in lab
University ‘taster days’ can introduce teenagers to what global health research and advocacy might be like as a future career. Here four academics describe a pilot training session and what they learned from it
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 25 August, 2023

Using film to prompt discussion in legal studies

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Vintage movie projector
Movies and television programmes can challenge students’ perceptions and enrich their understanding of the law. But designing an effective module requires more than a must-watch list, writes Michael Randall
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 22 August, 2023

How supported social groups create safe spaces

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Group of students in discussion
Connecting students who share a lived experience such as bereavement, family estrangement or loneliness can help to foster a sense of community and belonging at university, explains Hannah Moore
Reading time
5minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 21 August, 2023

A practical approach to tackling eco-anxiety

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Young women campaigning for more action on climate change
We induce eco-anxiety by teaching students about climate change, so training them in practical and achievable solutions to it are needed, too, write Helen Hicks and Dawn Lees

Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 16 August, 2023

Nudge technology can help students re-engage

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young smiling woman using laptop
Early-intervention initiatives to tackle student disengagement can be challenging to implement. A centralised, targeted approach using a communication nudge can encourage students to re-engage with online learning
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3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 7 August, 2023

How to make dual-enrolment programmes work

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high school student watching remote mathematics lecture on laptop
Dual enrolment can create student pipelines from high school to university, meet community education needs and improve retention and graduation rates. Here, Laura Brown Simmons breaks down the essential elements
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3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 21 July, 2023

Co-creation as a liberating activity

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Teacher helping black student in computer class
How to use student co-creation to bring active participation and collaboration into the learning experience, based on insights from the Liberated Learners open educational resource
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 12 July, 2023

Grow your own accessibility allies

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Watering can with daisies
The steps to making learning content accessible include identifying areas that need attention, overcoming barriers and recruiting allies to get the job done, writes Luke Searle
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 3 July, 2023

What is authentic enquiry learning?

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Three architecture students and an instructor work on a project
When students work in teams to examine a real-world problem, the result offers a means to bring teaching and research together. Here, Kate Black and Jonny Hall explain how this pedagogy benefits students, academics and society
By Eliza.Compton, 9 June, 2023

Charting a shared path to net zero universities

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row of seedlings with arrow to plant-covered globe
What’s been lacking in the decarbonisation journey is the ability to bring universities together to share best practices, resources and tools, so that pioneers in the area can assist those just starting out. Now there’s a toolkit
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 7 June, 2023

Creating a reusable takeout dish programme on campus

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multiracial group of students eating burgers outside
Want to reduce single-use waste at your university? In this guide for students and administrators, Rojine McVea offers tips for how to set up a reusable dish service based on her own experience
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 10 May, 2023

Advice for lecturers on how to keep students’ attention

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Male healthcare working giving a presentation
Psychology-based rhetoric training is a way to help lecturers counteract the fall in students’ active attention span. This programme aims to give them speaking skills and confidence that will enhance their effectiveness as educators
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 21 April, 2023

How to support students considering self-employment

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Young male entrepreneur working in a cafe with coffee and laptop
Not all students want – nor can they find in a challenging employment market – graduate jobs after university. Victoria Prince looks at what more faculties can do to support students in creating their own business opportunities
By Eliza.Compton, 14 April, 2023

Restructuring a university, part one

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Summit of Ha Ling Mountain with Rundle Range and Banff National Park, Alberta, Canadian Rockies in the background
When Bill Flanagan took the helm, the University of Alberta was facing a $222 million funding cut – 20 per cent of the university’s operating budget. In this two-part article, he explains how the university undertook a historic overhaul
Reading time
5minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 14 April, 2023

Restructuring a university, part two

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illustration of a man climbing a mountain with flag on top
When funding pressures made it clear that the University of Alberta had to change, it overhauled its entire way of working. Here, president Bill Flanagan explains how they did it
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 14 April, 2023

How to write better awards entries

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How to write more compelling awards entries
From conducting in-depth interviews to telling the whole story, Sam Russell provides top tips for crafting a compelling narrative that will appeal to awards panels
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 7 April, 2023

Using gamification as an incentive for revision

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Young Asian woman in red top happy in front of laptop
Novelty, competition and engagement give gamification an edge when it comes to getting students to revise. Here, Teegan Green, Iliria Stenning and Rasheda Keane explain how they use The Chase from H5P in a hybrid course
By Eliza.Compton, 31 March, 2023

Phenomenon-based learning: what, why and how

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illustration-photo composite of people seated around jigsaw pieces
Phenomenon-based learning empowers students to apply disciplinary knowledge to real-world situations. Here, Sue Lee and Kate Cuthbert outline the principles of PhBL and how it can be adopted in higher education
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 16 March, 2023

AI or VR? Matching emerging tech to real-world learning

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Student immersed in a hospital VR setting in the FMH Media Lab at University of Sydney
Defining the problem can determine the best tech to deliver realistic training environments. Here is how one media lab demystifies technology-enabled learning experiences and empowers educators to develop their own
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 27 February, 2023

Supporting LGBTQ+ aspiring leaders in universities

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two young women walk up a rainbow-coloured footpath
LGBTQ+ staff bring to campus qualities such as courage and sensitivity that are key to leadership. Now a UK programme aims to develop those strengths in future academic and professional services leaders
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 23 February, 2023

Can online oral exams prevent cheating?

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illustration of laptop with speech bubbles oral examinations
Online checking tools often flag non-suspicious behaviour along with suspected academic misconduct. Here, educators share lessons learned from using an online oral exam to check students’ understanding
By Miranda Prynne, 22 February, 2023

A help desk to protect intellectual property

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A patent document being stamped
How an intellectual property help desk set up by a university library team is helping inventors protect their work, with lessons on what has proven most effective
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4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 15 February, 2023

A tool to navigate information overload

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A light guiding the way along a winding road
Shonagh Douglas shares a tool that directs students to the specific advice they need when searching through online resources and offers lessons in how to recreate similar aids elsewhere
By Eliza.Compton, 18 January, 2023

To improve the admission process, get faculty involved

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Illustration of different aspects of university life
Faculty collaboration with the undergraduate admission team can improve class participation, retention rates, course matches and funding yield – and help reduce misinformation about the process and decisions
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 12 January, 2023

The power of events to build belonging among students

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Students enjoying an informal get together over coffee
XJTLU’s new Entrepreneur College had to work fast to build a sense of belonging among its first student cohorts, and one way it did this was by hosting a series of events. Xiaotong Lu shares the strategies adopted
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 8 December, 2022

A holistic approach to student support

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Student support
Student support, particularly for care-leavers or estranged students, is vital throughout their university journey – from pre-application to beyond graduation. Here, Fran Hornsby and Rebecca Clark offer tips for demonstrating genuine care as you do it
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4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 21 November, 2022

A model for deploying AI across a university and region

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Image of a digital brain representing AI
A new supercomputer, new faculty and partnerships with higher education and industry leaders helped the University of Florida transform itself into an AI powerhouse, creating a blueprint for other institutions to follow
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 26 October, 2022

Collective voices, zero tolerance

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Women posting anti-harassment posters
Universities can use their ability to engage with students to effect cultural change, as the Bystander Intervention initiative to combat sexual abuse has shown. Louise Crowley explains how they did it
By Miranda Prynne, 12 October, 2022

Counter-mapping as a pedagogical tool

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Student exploring a city using a map
Engaging students with urban spaces can contextualise and deepen learning and bring in inclusive perspectives. Daniel Gutiérrez-Ujaque and Dharman Jeyasingham explain how counter-mapping can be used as a pedagogical tool
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3minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 24 August, 2022

How to develop a code of conduct for ethical research fieldwork

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Image of a researcher conducting fieldwork
A code of conduct for ethical research fieldwork developed by two researchers at the University of Oxford has been taken up by departments across the institution and beyond. The code authors, Catherine Fallon Grasham and Laura Picot, share lessons they learned along the way
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 2 August, 2022

Creative projects as a way of bringing students together

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Image representing creative inspiration
An institution-wide creative project is an opportunity for students to make friends and learn from one another, writes Karen Amanda Harris. Here, she shares tips for developing an extracurricular language-art project
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4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 23 June, 2022

How to turn a PhD project into a commercial venture

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University tutor marking assessments
Transforming a doctoral research project into a commercially viable product requires astute decision-making from the start. Manjinder Kainth and Nicola Wilkin share a beginner’s guide
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 18 May, 2022

How universities can support refugee students and academics

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Image of refugees walking on their way to Europe
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
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4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 6 May, 2022

Recruiting university tutors using an interactive group activity

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Candidates waiting for a job interview
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
By Miranda Prynne, 14 April, 2022

Decolonising medicine, part two: empowering students

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Medical students discuss issues of decolonisation relating to medicine
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
Reading time
3minutes
By miranda.prynne, 13 August, 2021

Make yourself presentable

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Advice on training students in presenting
Richard Gratwick sketches a course designed to develop students’ presentation skills, whether in person or online, using principles that are universal

By miranda.prynne, 16 April, 2021

Greener assessment: transitioning to online marking

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Move marking online to reduce waste paper at your university
Universities should lead by example on sustainability issues, looking at what they can do to shrink their environmental impact. Here, Ling Xia and Yao Wu outline a project that could herald a major reduction in their institution’s paper consumption
By miranda.prynne, 12 March, 2021

Sparking entrepreneurship online

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How to support entrepreneurship among students via digital channels
Laura-Jane Silverman describes how LSE’s entrepreneurship centre created continued opportunity for innovation, collaboration and personal development among students after moving online
By miranda.prynne, 20 January, 2021

Innovative approaches to moving practical learning online

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Approaches to moving practical courses to more remote learning
A major challenge of the move to remote learning has been how to teach practical subjects. Here, Lesley Saunders and Lucy Kirkham discuss how they adopted a combination of online, blended and socially distanced teaching for a large nursing course