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.

Teaching with empathy: a practical guide for university educators

By making consistent efforts to understand and support students, university teachers create a learning environment where they feel capable and appreciated, writes Dianne Stratton-Maher

Dianne Stratton-Maher

The University of Southern Queensland

A man takes notes as he watches an online lecture on his laptop

Tips for fostering student engagement in blended learning

Students can often feel disengaged in a blended learning environment. Here’s how to spark their curiosity and give them ownership of their learning journey

Ching Yee Pua, Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng , Oran Devilly, Shermain Puah

Singapore Institute of Technology

Assessing the GenAI process, not the output

A framework for building AI literacy in a literature-review-type assessment

Paul McDermott, Leoni Palmer , Rosemary Norton

The University of East Anglia

Class exercises that use ChatGPT to strengthen students’ learning

To foster engagement, comprehension and knowledge retention in the classroom, educators should find a balance between leveraging AI tools such as GenAI to strengthen learning while also preserving their own guiding role

Nikolas Dietis

University of Cyprus

‘Students need to take responsibility for class participation’

Questions to encourage undergraduates to contribute to class content or in discussion help them develop skills for academia and the workplace. Mariano Carrera shares his experience from teaching in Thailand

Mariano Carrera

King Mongkut’s University of Technology North Bangkok

Medical professional talking to a female patient

Yes, empathy can be taught – here’s how

Find out how evidence-based methods can be used to provide empathy training, bringing huge potential benefits for healthcare outcomes and busting the myth that it can’t be taught

Jeremy Howick

University of Leicester

GenAI can help literature students think more critically

Is ChatGPT destroying critical thinking, or is it allowing us to reconsider how we teach it? This resource explores some ways to empower literature students to use it to deepen their understanding

Shuri Mariasih Gietty Tambunan

The University of Indonesia

A pair of legs following an arrow on asphalt

Using directional reflection to stimulate students’ evaluative thinking

Many students struggle to understand and engage with the concepts and practices associated with reflection. This is where directional reflection comes in

Simon Brownhill

The University of Bristol

Can non-assessed creative play help students develop confidence and critical thinking?

Supporting and enhancing students’ drawing skills improves not only their visual communication but also their mental health and well-being. Chris Wright and Zoë Allman offer low-stakes ways to use creativity to build community

Chris Wright, Zoë Allman

De Montfort University

Creativity and innovation are the keys to reshaping learning

To keep education relevant and students engaged, classrooms have to move with the times. Here are several ways to keep pace with technological change

Lim Jun Wei , Ho Yeek Chia, Boredi Silas Chidi

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) , Cape Peninsula University of Technology

A toy robot observes a laptop screen, filled with books

Three ways to develop students’ AI literacy

Is higher education prepared for a future defined by AI, or do we need to do more to align education with technology’s changing landscape? Here are three ways to get your students to engage with it critically

Chahna Gonsalves , Sam Illingworth

King’s College London, Edinburgh Napier University

A robot wears a mortarboard and rests upon an open book

How to align AI tools with teaching philosophies: a practical guide

Lucy Gill-Simmen provides a practical framework for integrating AI into teaching, while remaining true to your pedagogical principles

Lucy Gill-Simmen

Royal Holloway, University of London

‘Creativity is a practice, not an astonishing stroke of good luck’

Screenwriter and playwright Stephen Sewell shares practical insights into fostering students’ mental flexibility and resilience from research into unlocking creativity

Stephen Sewell

Australian National University

An educator comforts a distressed student

Let’s embrace compassionate pedagogy for a more humane academy

How can we bridge the compassion gaps in the day-to-day experiences of students and staff in higher education? Kathryn Waddington and Bryan Bonaparte offer their solutions – and warn of the challenges we’re still facing

Kathryn Waddington, Bryan Bonaparte

University of Westminster

Create engaging educational video content using these cognitive theories

The power of video content to engage an audience is widely known, but creating effective videos requires a considered approach. Here are 15 principles to bear in mind

FA Triatmoko HS

The University of Indonesia

Multiracial group of three people looking at a computer

Inclusive co-teaching can draw on educators’ lived experience

Joint teaching between academic faculty and experts by experience offers not only professional development for future teachers, but benefits student understanding as well. Here’s how to put it into practice

Pablo Rodríguez Herrero

Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

‘What artists do is say the quiet bits out loud’

As teachers, we know our students will face the harsh demands of creativity and problem-solving in their daily professional lives – and we need to help them tap into deeper places that lead to novel solutions to intractable problems

Stephen Sewell

Australian National University

A woman working at a desk, viewed from above

Portfolio assessment may be the key to deeper learning

Portfolio assessment has proved to be an innovative way to track students' progress in economics classes, making learning deeper and more meaningful. Here’s how to do it

Belén Pagone, Cecilia Primogerio

Universidad Austral

Image representing an understanding of multiple viewpoints and perspectives

Encourage intellectual development in students to improve work readiness

By supporting students to become independent thinkers who can evaluate different viewpoints within specific contexts, educators better prepare them for employment, argue Jennifer Rose and Bill Moore

Jennifer Rose, Bill Moore

The University of Manchester, The Perry Institute

Preparing students for careers in the creative industries

How interdisciplinary and experiential learning that is integrated into inclusive curricula can equip students for their future creative careers

Miaomiao Jia

The University of Bristol

A woman works on an essay, using her laptop and several books

The renaissance of the essay starts here

In the age of AI, has long-form writing in higher education reached a dead end? Martin Compton and Claire Gordon discuss the unique aspects of the essay and introduce a manifesto to revitalise it

Claire Gordon , Martin Compton

The London School of Economics and Political Science, King’s College London

Business students chatting in a classroom

Cultivating emotional intelligence in business education

Four strategies for fostering emotional intelligence in business students and preparing them for the workplace

Cecilia Primogerio , Camila del Carril

Universidad Austral

Campus webinar: The art of bringing creativity and fun into the classroom

Learn how to get creative with your teaching and inject a sense of fun into the classroom for better student outcomes, from experienced educators at Campus+ partner universities in the UK

Simon Brownhill, Gary Burnett, Kelly Edmunds

The University of Bristol, Loughborough University, The University of East Anglia

A teacher reads a story to her primary school class

An on-campus primary school helped to enrich the community and embed social responsibility

Establishing a university primary school made a difference in the local area and sparked a sense of social responsibility in students. Andrew Lenehan explains how he did it

Andrew Lenehan

Manchester Metropolitan University

An illustration of a man holding an umbrella while emotions rain down upon him

Psychological safety can be a positive, powerful influence on learning environments

In order for students to feel confident speaking up in class and flexing their creative muscles, educators must create a sense of psychological safety. Here are eight tips to do so

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

Strategies to enhance your online course

Read about some strategies to make your online courses more engaging

Sara Camacho

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Students working on a project together in class

Essential GenAI skills for marketing students

How students can use AI to generate promotional copy, conduct market research and identify biases, among other applications

Rushana Khusainova, Eleonora Pantano, Esther Kang

The University of Bristol

Using emotions to boost learning

A professor explains how he leverages emotions to enhance students’ learning, using an approach called ‘mastering emotions in entrepreneurship education’

Vik Perez

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Question marks against a yellow background

Let students know they don’t know

Overconfidence often prevents students from being able to identify areas of weakness. As teachers, we must help them realise what they are

Tony So

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Student speaking to a teacher in front of laptop

Using philosophy to enhance online students’ critical thinking skills

Online courses often lack the kind of spontaneity that builds critical thinking skills. So how can we make up for this?

Garth Elzerman

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Student testing out a wind turbine model

Critical approaches to incorporating the SDGs into curricula

Mapping curricula against the SDGs has become a key objective for education institutions aiming to showcase their commitment to sustainability. But we must do this through a critical lens

Sean Porter

The University of Exeter

To demystify AI for your students, use performance

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

Will Shüler, Chris Hogg, Karim Shohdy

Royal Holloway, University of London

Mature age female student with hand up in lecture theatre

Why your students aren’t speaking up in lectures

When the risk of putting their hand up and giving an answer is greater than the benefit, students will remain silent. Here are strategies to encourage them to participate in class

Jade Garratt

Psych Safety

A student raises his hand in a lecture hall

Branch out to boost student engagement in flipped learning

When using a flipped learning method, it’s crucial that students engage with the pre-class content. Here’s how to make sure they do

John Warren

Loughborough University

Student sitting at her desk in front of a computer

AI-aware pedagogy for business courses

AI-aware pedagogy integrates an understanding of specific AI technology relevant to specific courses

Rohini Rao

Manipal Academy of Higher Education

Black female student doing online education

Blended learning is the short-term fix that turned into a long-term stay

Yes, the transition between online and in-person methods can make blended delivery challenging for students and educators alike, but keeping students engaged and sustaining their learning is worth the effort

Nisha Detchprohm

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A teacher giving a lecture at the front of class

A new way of designing learning outcomes in line with future skills

How to design learning outcomes that balance traditional academic skills with the human abilities students need to thrive in the workplace

Kay Harrison

The University of Auckland

Using AI to create engaging educational games for humanities students

Combine AI with gamification and storytelling activities to enhance student engagement

Dania Arriola Arteaga , Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán

Tecnológico de Monterrey

How to capture the attention of new generations of dentistry students

From traditional lectures to seminar-based group work, the evolution over 20 years of a dentistry course shows how course design and pedagogy can adapt to students’ expectations and learning styles

Máté Jász, Szilvia Ambrus , Péter Schmidt , Péter Hermann, Szandra Körmendi

Semmelweis University

Ten tips when instigating an assessment transformation programme

Higher education is facing pressure to reform assessment. But how to get started? Steve Briggs offers 10 tips

Steve Briggs

University of Bedfordshire

angel fish jumping from small to bigger bowl

Why university-wide curriculum transformation is a leap of faith

Overhauling an institution’s entire education curriculum is a silo-busting undertaking. Here’s what one university, now in its second year of implementation, has learned

Marion Harney, Julian Chaudhuri

University of Bath

Active learning: what can we learn from secondary teaching?

A great deal of teaching in higher education appears to be inactive, despite the proven benefits of active learning. Here are some practical active learning strategies

Sarah Shaw

University of Chester

A group of four students working on a project

Use student-centred learning strategies to motivate international business students

Support your international students by incorporating strategies that promote student-centred learning into your teaching

Giselle Bate

University of Chester

Lessons in chemistry: widening university students’ participation through storytelling

Storytelling can bridge the gap between complex STEM content and student engagement – it gives learners a discovery-based approach and educators an inclusive teaching tool and means of assessment

Karen Ho

Mount Royal University

Student outside holding a notepad while thinking deeply

Want to increase student satisfaction? Activate higher-order thinking skills

Activating students’ higher-order thinking skills enhances student satisfaction, research shows. Here are some examples of ways to do it

Irina Shcheglova

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Teaching international students about academic integrity

Cultural misunderstandings can lead to international students being referred for academic misconduct. An answer for university educators can be to tailor course content to bridge gaps in your students‘ understanding

Julija Jones

University of Southampton

Professor at the front of a class full of students

Four things you can do right now to improve your teaching

Want to improve your teaching but not sure where to start? Rebecca Wakelin offers quick practical strategies that will kickstart efforts to enhance your teaching practice

Rebecca Wakelin

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

Rhizocrit: Rhizomatic learning and critical digital pedagogy in the post-digital age

Higher education needs transformative practices to respond to the challenges of the 21st century. Combining expansive, organic learning with active, critical use of technology could be the way forward

Daniel Gutiérrez-Ujaque

University of Lleida

Harness the power of ‘I wonder’ in your teaching

By embracing the power of ‘I wonder’, we can transform our physical and virtual classrooms into dynamic spaces for exploration and discovery, creating a more inclusive and responsive educational atmosphere

Lauren Flannery

The University of East Anglia

A teacher addresses a classroom of students

Conjure the magic of learning with facilitation

When facilitating learning, planning and versatility are key. Here’s how to balance the two

Tan Chin Pei

Singapore Institute of Technology

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