THE Awards 2021: Learn from the best in UK and Irish HE

Lessons on teaching and research from shortlisted candidates at this year’s Times Higher Education awards

Advice from talented academics and institutions in UK and Irish higher education who have been shortlisted for the 2021 THE Awards

Times Higher Education’s annual celebration of the best in UK and Irish higher education showcases the wealth of talent in universities across the British Isles. In this special spotlight, find advice and insight from some of our shortlisted nominees. These impressive individuals and institutions have not just weathered the Covid storm, but have excelled, exploring and innovating to enhance their work in teaching, student support, community engagement and research during the most challenging of years.

By Miranda Prynne, 29 October, 2023

Fostering interdisciplinary learning in large-scale doctoral programmes

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Corina Sas highlights key insights for design and delivery of large-scale doctoral training programmes that foster supportive and cooperative interdisciplinary learning environments

Teaching tips

Resources

By Miranda Prynne, 17 November, 2021

Co-creation and empowerment: pathways to better student engagement

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Advice on creating equitable pathways to better engage all students regardless of background or prior knowledge

Effective approaches universities can take to promote equity and improve student learning outcomes and employability, shared by a team from the University of Salford

By Miranda Prynne, 18 November, 2021

Developing a growth mindset and experimenting for better teaching outcomes

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Advice on how developing a growth mindset and experimenting can result in better teaching

Catherine Seeds explains how a growth mindset and willingness to experiment should be embraced as powerful teaching tools

By Eliza.Compton, 9 November, 2021

Teaching visually impaired students – and making class materials more accessible for everyone at the same time

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Hannah Thompson, a partially blind academic, offers six tips for ensuring an inclusive learning environment

Working with industry

By Miranda Prynne, 12 November, 2021

Hosting industry professionals: embedding vocational skill-building into higher education

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Advice on inviting industry professionals to share their expertise with students

Liam Jarvis sets out three common pitfalls and three points of advice for facilitating productive encounters between students and industry professionals in higher education

By dene.mullen, 11 November, 2021

Four practical tips for bringing students and businesses together

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New approaches to bringing students and businesses together can help address employability issues after university

New approaches to student and employer “matchmaking” can help address graduate underemployment – and bring enjoyment for both sides, says Adele Browne

Working with external partners

Resources

By Miranda Prynne, 19 November, 2021

In this together: developing meaningful community engagement

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Advice on shaping meaningful community engagement through research projects

Anna Walas offers advice for facilitating community engagement with research by considering ways in which effective engagement design can help overcome common barriers

By Miranda Prynne, 18 November, 2021

How to develop partnerships that offer students real-world learning experiences

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Advice on developing external partnerships which create opportunities for real world learning

Rhianedd Smith shares insight on how to collaboratively create real-world learning experiences for students with professional partners

By Miranda Prynne, 16 November, 2021

Changing lives through community engagement and outreach

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Advice on shaping community outreach in order to improve educational outcomes for local communities

Josephine Bleach outlines questions that higher education institutions should ask to help them foster authentic community engagement that improves educational outcomes for children, families and communities

Doctoral guidance

Advice on effective research supervision

By Miranda Prynne, 11 November, 2021

Lessons from students on effective research supervision

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Advice on what matters most to students in effective research supervision

Richard Godwin shares lessons in effective research supervision based on his former students’ feedback

By Eliza.Compton, 10 November, 2021

Research supervision: working with the individual in front of you

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Yellow butterfly in a group of blue butterflies

Lorraine Hope explains how to mitigate student anxiety and avoid toxic competition with a person-centred approach to supervision

Good research practices

Resources

By dene.mullen, 15 November, 2021

How to create an overnight scientific success (in 20 years)

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How to have an "overnight" scientific success in 20 years

Inspirational moments don’t usually happen by chance. Instead, many enabling factors must be put in place over the course of a career, say Peter Hogg and Jo Cresswell

By dene.mullen, 19 November, 2021

Creating equitable research partnerships across continents

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Building equitable scientific research partnerships with the global south requires trust and equality in decisionmaking

Shabbar Jaffar provides tips for successful international collaborations built on trust, appropriate recognition and inclusiveness in decision-making

By Eliza.Compton, 19 October, 2021

How thought leadership can build your institution’s reputation online

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Lighthouse illustrating thought leadership

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

Effective and open communication

Advice on open communications to encourage discussion on difficult topics for students and staff

By Eliza.Compton, 18 November, 2021

How to be comfortable with uncomfortable conversations

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Ruth Woodfield outlines steps that academics, students and university staff can take to support and work through the discomfort of difficult discussions

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 10 November, 2021

Talking about taboos: how to create an open atmosphere for discussing difficult subjects

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20-something woman with hand over mouth illustrating article about addressing taboo subjects

Lindsay Morgan offers practical, step-by-step advice for removing barriers to addressing uncomfortable topics such as consent and menstruation

Reading time

4minutes

Supporting early career researchers

Resources

By Eliza.Compton, 16 November, 2021

Fostering freedom in PhD students: how supervisors can shape accessible paths for doctoral research

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paper boats illustrating different pathways to PhD

Clive Palmer looks at alternative approaches to PhDs that open postgraduate research to more candidates – for professional development, career change or just love of learning

By dene.mullen, 22 November, 2021

Lessons learned from supervising more than 150 researchers

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The relationship between supervisor and early career researcher is crucial

The transition from PhD candidate to ECR is when the relationship between researcher and supervisor comes to the fore, say Tara Moore and Louise Robertson

By Eliza.Compton, 15 November, 2021

Strangers in a strange land: how supervisors can support international research students

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Woman explaining to student pointing to a computer screen

Ravinder Anand-Ivell explains how early investment of time and empathy can help international postgraduate research students adapt to a new environment

Tech-enhanced teaching

Advice on using technology to support teaching in higher education

By dene.mullen, 16 November, 2021

Immersive tech in teaching and learning: first steps into the metaverse

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Virtual and augmented reality can provide powerful experiences for university students, and they are probably not as hard to create as you think

Virtual, augmented and mixed reality can provide powerful experiences for students, and it’s probably not as difficult as you think. Neil McDonnell provides simple, practical advice

By dene.mullen, 22 November, 2021

How to deliver healthcare education in a hybrid world

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Medical training has had to adapt quickly to the shift online

Hannah McGee explores solutions to address the unique challenges that universities face in preparing healthcare students for frontline roles