Feature article

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

Setting scenarios for a university adapted to climate change

In the second part of their series, Rob Wilby and Shona Smith explain how running institutional plans through different scenarios can help improve a university’s resilience to future challenges relating to climate change

Robert Wilby, Shona Smith

Loughborough University, University of Leeds

A tale of two models: rethinking shared governance

Ryan Litsey and Jon McNaughtan discuss how the growth of faculty-turned-administrators has complicated the traditional view and execution of shared governance

Ryan Litsey, Jon McNaughtan

Texas Tech University

Assessment tasks that minimise students’ motivation to cheat

Academic dishonesty occurs for reasons that include students’ fear of missing deadlines, being overwhelmed and lack of language skills. Here are ways to reframe assessment

Temesgen Kifle

The University of Queensland

Two hands, one offering up a tree growing out of the earth, the other offering up a high-rise city

Decolonisation as a driver for the Sustainable Development Goals

How decolonial approaches can underpin and drive work to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals across higher education

Sean Porter, Eleanor Cook

The University of Exeter

Written feedback for students – keep it clear, constructive and to the point

James Derounian offers tips for giving compassionate feedback that will enable students to understand where their work went right and wrong

James Derounian

De Montfort University

An introduction to the global classroom: benefits, challenges and value added

Eric Tsui explains how to intensify internationalisation-at-home efforts, bringing many benefits to students and institutions alike, such as the sharing of transcultural knowledge

Eric Tsui

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

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

The top three ways to support international graduate employability

Building effective partnerships with employers and using feedback to shape curricula and careers services will boost outcomes for students, universities and industry alike

Eric Huang

University of East London

A student raising a hand with a question in class

Want to know how your class is going? Ask your students

A guide to what, when and how to ask your students for feedback on your course in order to inform improvements to your teaching

Stephanie Foster, Kalpana Gupta

The University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University

Making an inclusive ‘unconference’

Many people in minority communities within our universities do not have enough opportunities to be platformed or validated, or to share their lived expertise within our institutions. An ‘unconference’ could cultivate these voices for positive impact

Brooke Szücs, Joanne Walmsley

The University of Queensland

A racing driver and his co-pilot in a simulation

Co-pilots: a new way of improving hybrid teaching for everyone

Bringing in a ‘co-pilot’ instructor to support the running of hybrid classes can improve the teaching and learning experience for students and their lecturers, write Omar Merlo and James Eteen

Omar Merlo , James Eteen

Imperial College London

Darwin and teaching originality in university

Teaching originality: an essential skill in the age of ChatGPT

Academic originality is not about chance, genius or magic. It is about engagement and a clear sense of scholarly contribution. And it can be taught, writes Alastair Bonnett

Alastair Bonnett

Newcastle University

A woman logging onto her laptop while eating lunch

A quick guide to designing and delivering effective bite-sized learning

A beginner’s guide to creating content, using the relevant tech tools and fostering active engagement through bite-sized learning

Patrina Law

The Open University

Female Asian students studying for an exam

Exam skills instruction: fostering a sense of self-efficacy

Practice, regular feedback and opportunities to experience mastery can help students develop sound exam technique and improve their performance, writes Cheong Fan

Cheong Fan

Macau University of Science and Technology

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

Four people expressing different emotions through large smileys

Negative thinking has a role to play in helping students plan their careers

Three recommendations that balance the power of negative and positive thinking to guide career planning for students

Anna Branford , Harriette Richards , Carolina Quintero Rodriguez

RMIT University

“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

An old map of Africa showing countries as former British and French colonies

Bring staff and students together to decolonise in seven steps

Seven stages to decolonising a curriculum, drawing lessons from a staff-student collaboration to decolonise the teaching of geography

Caitlin Kight, Eleanor Cook

The University of Exeter

Introducing microcredentials: a guide for educators and students

May Lim provides insight on how to design effective microcredentials that provide tangible benefits for students’ job function and career aspirations

May Lim

Singapore Institute of Technology

How to enhance recruitment and retention at your university

Gareth Morris and Junhua Mo outline ways to address the twin critical factors of motivation for new employment and boosting job satisfaction

Gareth Morris, Junhua Mo

The University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Soochow University

Struggle, strength and growth: preparing students for the changing future

Struggle, strength and growth: preparing students for the changing future

How to emotionally prepare students for uncertainty and complexity in their future lives by helping them recognise their strengths and embrace change

Kathleen Chim, Lai Tsz Chui, Benjamin Tak Yuen Chan

Hong Kong Metropolitan University

Dos and don’ts for welcoming military in the college classroom

We need to be prepared for the specific needs of active military, veterans and their affiliates and know how to work with them in appropriate, thoughtful ways, says Stone Meredith

Stone Meredith

Colorado State University Global

Three architecture students and an instructor work on a project

What is authentic enquiry learning?

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

Kate Black, Jonny Hall

Northumbria University

Pride in HE: how to create an inclusive community online

With more university education now being delivered digitally, Richard Senese offers advice on how leaders can make sure they are building an LGBTQ+ inclusive community online

Richard Senese

Capella University

A young woman expressing disappointment over her work

Six steps to overcoming setbacks and rejection

Rejection is an inevitable part of being an academic, so it is vital to develop strategies to cope with and learn from setbacks in order to succeed in the longer term. Paul A. Walcott shares six such strategies

Paul A. Walcott

The University of the West Indies

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

A person using artificial intelligence tools in their work

Useful applications of AI in higher education – for which no specialist tech knowledge is needed

The rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence has left users struggling to keep up. Cato Rolea explores practical applications of these tools in higher education

Cato Rolea

Nottingham Trent University

Key knowledge to be a good manager in higher education

Academics are the most important asset for any university, though they are often the most neglected, making it even more vital to be a good manager, says Şerife Eyüpoğlu

Şerife Eyüpoğlu

Near East University

I’d tell my younger self that my chequered past would be my strength

With the benefit of hindsight, Anson Mackay re-examines their career path to see lessons in self-compassion and being their authentic self in collaboration and the classroom

Anson W. Mackay

UCL

A model for maximising the impact of small research units

Qingyan Chen explains how adopting a quasi-centralised management approach can help stimulate large-scale research

Qingyan Chen

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Road towards Aoraki mountain on South Island, New Zealand

Can we really decolonise the university?

To explore what is possible, non-Indigenous scholars Mahdis Azarmandi and Sara Tolbert offer an anticolonial feminist praxis for unsettling settler institutions

Mahdis Azarmandi , Sara Tolbert

University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha

What I’ve learned from a decade of working with a disability in academia

Meredith Wilkinson gives her younger self advice on climbing the academic ladder in an able-bodied world, but also calls for greater support for academics with disabilities

Meredith Wilkinson

De Montfort University

ADHD in the head of a university student

ADHD in higher education: is digital learning making it worse?

Hopping between multiple apps and platforms can easily overwhelm students with ADHD – we must be alert to the effects of too much digital multitasking, says Adrian J. Wallbank

Adrian J. Wallbank

Oxford Brookes University

A young Black female engineer looks up in a satellite manufacturing facility

What are the barriers to success for under-represented early career researchers in maths, physics, computer science and engineering?

Recommendations for improving equity, diversity and inclusion in maths, physics, computer science and engineering, based on research into the barriers faced by ECRs from under-represented groups in these disciplines

Lucy Yeomans, Daniela Fernandez, Lauren Stentiford

The University of Exeter

A university tutor gives students feedback

What students told us ‘good’ feedback means to them

Asking students what they need from our feedback and responding to their answers makes them active partners in their learning process

David Waller, Kaye Chan, Geetanjali Saluja

University of Technology Sydney

Three The Thinker statues around a laptop

Is critical thinking the answer to generative AI?

Designing assessment that tests critical thinking has value and practicality, so the challenge is figuring out questions that flummox the AI without creating wildly difficult problems for students, write Luke Zaphir and Jason M. Lodge

Luke Zaphir , Jason M. Lodge

The University of Queensland

Lots to unpack: tips for those considering visiting positions abroad

Having worked in numerous countries across different continents, Farish A. Noor gives advice on what to look out for when potentially moving overseas

Farish A. Noor  

University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

How to win at the part-time ‘game’ in academia

Higher education might be more accommodating of part-time employment than many private sector organisations, but working part-time comes with challenges. So how can you make a success of part-time working in academia?

Multiple authors

The University of Bristol, University of Bedfordshire, Bath Spa University, Women Space

How to give meaningful feedback to university students

A simple feedback strategy centred on a pedagogy of care

Lucy Gill-Simmen shares the template she’s designed to give meaningful feedback and opportunities for student development

Lucy Gill-Simmen

Royal Holloway, University of London

Power and possibility: the role of universities in decolonisation

The question of decolonisation has grown in prominence in higher education in the past decade. Foluke Adebisi looks at why the concept is so often misinterpreted – and what is needed for universities to do it well

Foluke Adebisi

The University of Bristol

Group of four multiracial young people in a meeting

A DIY guide to starting your own journal

An antidote to frustrations with traditional academic publishing might be to launch a grass-roots open access journal. Here are the steps to consider

Judith Johnson

University of Leeds

University students belonging, on a city walk

Build community into the curriculum to improve in-person attendance

If the lecture theatre is empty, it’s time to get more innovative in our delivery, says Gemma Ahearne. Here, she offers approaches that show students the value of attending

Gemma Ahearne

University of Liverpool

A team of colleagues in discussion in a meeting

Building bridges between academics and professional services

Five strategic tactics for a seamless collaboration between academics and professional staff in pursuit of a learner-centred education

Foteini Springou

University of York

Focus on hands of man presenting at conference

Tips for sharing research findings with diverse audiences

Research impact depends on researchers’ ability to reach the right ears and present content in the right format. Here’s how to tailor your communication – whether for policymakers, peers or the general public

Mohammed Al-Bahrani

Al-Mustaqbal University

Five tips for building healthy academic collaborations

Collaboration is a key skill in academia, but nobody is ever taught how to do it effectively. Martyna Śliwa gives advice on how to work well with others

Martyna Śliwa

Durham University

A diverse team of colleagues in an online meeting

Prioritising equity in higher education: the impact of individual identities

Recommendations for improving equity in higher education, informed by research into the impact of individual identities upon staff experiences of the pandemic

Sam Illingworth, Jamie Zike

Edinburgh Napier University

Students mixing and experiencing flexible lectures

Ever wished lectures could be more flexible? Introducing the ‘flecture’

Does the design of lecture theatres actually hinder knowledge dissemination? Richard Layzell discusses his experiments in shifting the norms of education delivery

Richard Layzell

University of Kent

The how and why of building a network in higher education

Sandy Jones gives advice to her 22-year-old self on the value of networking and how to get started – despite not owning a single high heel

Sandy Jones

Colorado State University Global

Quality assurance of online transnational higher education

Online and hybrid degrees are booming, but work needs to be done to maintain the reputation of Australian online university degrees in the transnational education space, writes Fion Lim

Fion Choon Boey Lim

University of Technology Sydney

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