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Professional insight from University of Southampton

The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. Through our high-quality education, we help students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential.

How to make enterprise activities enjoyable and impactful

Incorporating knowledge exchange and enterprise activities into demanding academic schedules can be a challenge but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Here are ways to make it enjoyable, rewarding and impactful

Larisa Yarovaya , Jeni Giambona

University of Southampton

Embracing disagreement in research co-production

Co-producing a research project is not all consensus and harmony, so these four tips will guide research collaborators in how to allow and enable disagreements and dissenting voices

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Making sport accessible to everyone on campus

Fitness and sport programmes are not only for elite athletes. Here, Phil Malatesta offers advice for how to maximise students’ opportunities for movement and physical activity

Phil Malatesta

University of Southampton

Woman choosing between chocolate and apple

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

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)

Sam Perry

University of Southampton

Group of professional people in a meeting

Confessions of an Athena Swan chair

Serving on an EDI or gender-equity committee can be not only rewarding but strategic for the advancement of your professional journey, writes Jana Sadeh. Here’s how to do it well, based on her experience

Jana Sadeh

University of Southampton

Using reflective practice to support postgraduate studies in the biosciences

Small-group workshops create space for postgraduate researchers to share ways to manage stress, impostor syndrome, feelings of isolation and student-supervisor relationships. Here’s how to set up a programme

Jo Haszczyn , Johanna Fish , Jennifer Tullet

University of Southampton, University of Kent

A framework to teach library research skills

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

Anna Hvass, Karen Rolfe, Siân Furmage , Michael Latham

University of Southampton

How to incorporate fintech and Web3 into university curricula

In bringing financial technology and cryptocurrency into university courses, educators must cover regulatory uncertainty, cybercrime risks and asset bubbles while keeping up with developments. Larisa Yarovaya provides insights

Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

How to make public engagement work for early career academics

Academics need to be able to translate what they research to engage a wide range of audiences. But to do that, scientists must first find the public engagement shape that fits them and their schedule. Here’s advice for getting started

Sien van der Plank, John Duncan, Yanna Fidai

University of Southampton, The University of Western Australia, Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Two medical researchers looking at data on a screen

Evidence synthesis: what every student (and researcher) should know

The ability to collect, summarise and analyse data is especially vital for students and researchers in medical and healthcare-related fields, writes Alessio Bellato. Here, he explains what it is and how to access training

Alessio Bellato

University of Southampton

How to manage parental leave for university staff

Parental leave presents challenges for the parent and the workplace, writes Judith Lock. Here are some dos and don’ts for before, during and after the leave period that aim to smooth the return to work and fix academia’s leaky pipeline

Judith Lock

University of Southampton

Campus talks: what is open access?

Experts demystify what open access and open research are, tips for best practice, and where the movement and research culture are heading

Heather Joseph, Steven U. Vidovic

Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, University of Southampton

Man in light from lightbulb-shaped hole in the wall, open research

Open research: what is it, really?

Open research principles aim to foster openness, transparency, replicability and accountability, writes Steven Vidovic. Here, he offers a fresh perspective along with practices to establish trust in research and foster collaborations and future opportunities

Steven U. Vidovic

University of Southampton

Unwrapping discovery: the importance of institutional repositories

Self-archiving in university repositories is an alternative academic publishing route to gold open access that can boost citations and diversify users accessing scholarly content, writes Nicki Clarkson

Nicki Clarkson

University of Southampton

How can we embed inclusion in our research culture for postgraduate researchers?

Small, systemic changes can help universities make their research community more welcoming and collaborative. Here, Maisha Islam looks at four actions to consider – from PGR surveys to widening access

Maisha Islam

University of Southampton

What underpins effective patient and public involvement in health and social care research?

Is it rules or values? The two key ways to approach the art of PPI in healthcare research should come together in process, procedures and culture, writes Gary Hickey

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Nudge your way up the NSS ladder

Small module changes based on behavioural insights into human flaws can help students collaborate more and procrastinate less – and boost engagement outcomes in your classes, writes Jana Sadeh

Jana Sadeh

University of Southampton

The double-edged sword of open access publishing

Inclusivity is seen as a benefit of open access publishing, but is this an illusion? Here, William E. Donald asks questions about who pays and what counts, and offers scenarios for a fairer journal model

William E. Donald

University of Southampton

The language of inclusivity is not inclusive

Terms such as equity, diversity and inclusion give the impression that they are dealing with what is present. In fact, EDI work deals with what is absent, writes Pascal Matthias. He offers ways to think, speak and write differently

Pascal Matthias

University of Southampton

Embedding lean practices in higher education

How can university processes be more efficient and sustainable? Here’s how one continuous improvement team took a viral approach to efficiency through lean thinking, lean leadership and lean toolkits

Tammi Sinha, Pete Rykowski , Michael Shaw

University of Southampton

Driving change through knowledge: how to increase policy impact

Academic research is invaluable in informing governments and leaders so they can make decisions that affect us all. Here, Yaryna Basystyuk offers advice on how to make your research count in the policy world

Yaryna Basystyuk

University of Southampton

In-person events are still necessary

Should academics be travelling to events that could be done virtually? Drawing on her experiences at COP28, Denise Baden shares tips on how to make the most of these events – and why a chance to form alliances, learn from each other and share ideas for action make it worth being present

Denise Baden

University of Southampton

Group of three multiracial people talking

Building trust in research: how effective patient and public involvement can help

Involving patients and the public in research results in more relevant outcomes and gathers insight into what issues affect and are of importance to them and their communities, writes Gary Hickey

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Students sitting together against a wall

Designing 24/7 hubs for students

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

Kieron Broadhead

University of Southampton

Small business owner working in inventory

Teaching business students how to prepare sustainability reports for SMEs

In engaging with small and medium-sized enterprises, universities can raise SMEs’ awareness of their own climate impacts. Here, Ven Tauringana shares a model for teaching accounting students how to produce sustainability reports

Ven Tauringana

University of Southampton

How to engage your staff in just 15 minutes

You need to get updates and other messages to faculty and staff, but they don’t have much time for internal communications. Here, Kelly Hibbs offers tips to reach a busy audience in a quick, engaging, accessible way

Kelly Hibbs

University of Southampton

Learning the machine: shaping the future of creative education

Educators should engage with artificial intelligence and other technologies not just as users but as influencers, write Ed D’Souza and Sunil Manghani

Ed D'Souza, Sunil Manghani

University of Southampton

Detail of many drawing circle on screen around icons

HARKing forward: an argument for a polarising research practice

Hypothesising (or proposing) after results are known is seen as going against scientific principles. Here, however, Yehuda Barach argues for its use in the name of unhindered enquiry and discovery when the scholarship is transparent and properly reported

Yehuda Baruch

University of Southampton

Book with tree and compass green concept

How storytelling boosts environmental impact and engagement

Presenting sustainability research in a story – with a protagonist, goal and resolution – can bridge the gap between complex theory and real-world results for wider audiences and policymakers alike

Denise Baden

University of Southampton

Advice for university staff on working successfully with HR

How can faculty ensure that all the touch points they have with human resources within their employee lifecycle are efficient, transparent and the best experience they can be?

Lisa Smith

University of Southampton

Dealing with abuse after public commentary

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

Michael Head, Larisa Yarovaya , Ashton Kingdon , Millie Downer

University of Southampton

Why buttons press our buttons

A design system can underpin consistency and content standards in university website and digital services, but it does not replace good design decisions. Here, Ayala Gordon offers guidance to content design teams

Ayala Gordon

University of Southampton

How do you leap from research lab to Silicon Valley start-up?

The good news is that times of turmoil are ideal for innovation – and far more skills are transferable from bench to IPO than you might imagine. Here are eight actions that will get your start-up off the ground

Ben Clark

University of Southampton

Making conferences more inclusive: opportunities, barriers and lessons learned

Caroline Green and William E. Donald share their experience of organising a one-day conference with inclusivity at its core

Caroline Green, William E. Donald

The Talent Cycle, University of Southampton, Ronin Institute

Devolved research funding in universities – a counter-narrative

Unfunded research could paradoxically add value to an institution’s output, profile and impact. Rosalind Edwards asks what lessons European initiatives can offer

Rosalind Edwards

University of Southampton

Female vision-impaired student using laptop

How do we write alternative text for images in education?

Descriptions of images in online documents help all readers – not just those with vision impairment – to fully understand the photograph, chart or graph and make the information accessible

Matthew Deeprose

University of Southampton

Long covid academic while working from home

How to be an ally and support colleagues suffering from long Covid

Universities and employees are still learning about long Covid and how to deal with it, meaning it’s even more important to offer help and reasonable adjustments

Damien Ridge, Ana Leite, Nisreen Alwan

University of Westminster, Durham University , University of Southampton

Campus webinar: Student support and wellness strategies for a new term

Academics from Campus+ partner institutions discuss effective ways to support students’ mental health, well-being and more

Helen Rowland, György Purebl, Kevin Friese

University of Southampton, Semmelweis University , University of Alberta

A case study in developing the next STEM generation

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

Michael Head, Jessica Boxall, Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi, Kathryn Woods-Townsend

University of Southampton

Asian man concentrating on writing at a computer

Authenticity sells because it matters

Written communication – whether that’s a press release or IT guidelines – should be clear, sincere and accessible. Here, Mike Brown offers ways to help colleagues build the confidence and skills to tell their stories in an authentic way

Mike Brown

University of Southampton

How to teach creative writing even if you’ve never done any yourself

A successful writing workshop depends on respect, which is a two-way street, observes Toby Litt. Refrain from sneering at bad writing and offer praise to offset the critiques

Toby LItt

University of Southampton

Illustration of penguin ballooning over sharks, risk and uncertainty concept

An academic’s advice for navigating risk

From publication to grant applications, the rites of academia come with unfavourable odds. Yet researchers are rarely taught how to deal with uncertainty. Here, Yaniv Hanoch offers mitigation strategies

Yaniv Hanoch

University of Southampton

Using co-creation to make young people equal research partners

Based on her experience developing a youth panel, Kathryn Woods-Townsend explains how her team collaborated with, employed and learned from the teenagers who are their lived-experience experts

Kathryn Woods-Townsend

University of Southampton

Is open access tarnished?

As open access terms have split into colour-coded brands, not all allow totally unrestricted access and reuse. Among these, “bronze OA” stands out as a potentially damaging misnomer, writes Steven Vidovic

Steven U. Vidovic

University of Southampton

Grow your own accessibility allies

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

Luke Searle

University of Southampton

Decolonising interview methods: a call to look to the moon

The interview process often rests on colonial perceptions of what counts as knowledge, how knowledge is generated and who ‘owns’ it. But researchers can use orienting questions to reflect upon and decentre this approach

Rosalind Edwards, Teah Carlson , Rachel Liebert

University of Southampton, Massey University, University of East London

Apply the social model of disability to HE: viewing inclusion as a social good

William E. Donald and Marius Frank present 10 benefits to applying a disability framework that empowers individuals to create a more inclusive society

William E. Donald, Marius Frank

University of Southampton, Ronin Institute, Microlink

“Feedback” appears in white text with a yellow background, with a contrast ratio of 1.7:1. The image has a reflection of an open window on it, making the text much harder to read. In some places the contrast of the text is as low as 1.0001:1

A colour matrix to make visual content more accessible

Accessible content is better content. One way to boost accessibility in visual materials is paying attention to colour contrast during the design process. Here’s a tool to make that simpler

Matthew Deeprose

University of Southampton

A bridge between academics and communications staff

Science communication in a post-Covid world calls for a new way to span the gap between researchers and university comms teams – and a new skill set, as Michael Head explains

Michael Head

University of Southampton

Illustration of young woman with tangled arrows representing decisions above her head

One thing at a time: tips for making decisions

Academic life is rife with everyday choices that can sap your bandwidth. Here’s why this is exhausting and how to ease the load

Yaniv Hanoch

University of Southampton

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