University course design and delivery

How to design in-person, hybrid and online courses that maximise student engagement, inclusion and learning. Here, you can find advice on instructional design including lesson planning, creation and organisation of educational materials and effective use of digital technologies; as well as teaching methods and styles to help you achieve specific learning outcomes.

Scientist in yellow lab coat using pipette

How medical education can benefit from global challenges

Worldwide crises, such as a pandemic or healthcare costs in ageing Western societies, often centre on medical education and require it to adapt quickly. So, what can a university learn from such situations?

Béla Merkely

Semmelweis University

Online class asynchronous or synchronous

Synchronous or asynchronous? When to use which when teaching online

Eunice Costilla Cruz and Elizabeth Marcial Morales examine the right time to make use of synchronous moments in virtual courses, and when asynchronous ones are more suitable

Eunice Costilla Cruz , Elizabeth Marcial Morales

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Male healthcare working giving a presentation

Advice for lecturers on how to keep students’ attention

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

Kinga Györffy, András Matolcsy

Semmelweis University

Woman's hands holding a fan colour palette

A simple way to improve navigation in online learning

Five simple steps to use colour to design an engaging menu and navigation system that enhances digital learning environments and platforms

Joskaudė Pakalkaitė

The University of Exeter

Tips for adopting the right technology for blended learning

Start simple, practise and consider what IT support is available when choosing online tools for blended courses, advise Carl Sherwood and John Raiti, among other aspects to consider

John Raiti, Carl Sherwood

The University of Queensland

Man speaking through a megaphone while his shadow is urging silence

Unearthing the hidden curriculum in international classrooms

How educators can help international students navigate the unspoken assumptions, expectations and norms of US higher education

Andrea Feldman

The University of Colorado Boulder

Tips for universities on delivering effective EDI degree programmes

Workplace demand for EDI expertise is growing, and numerous universities are now offering full degree programmes in this area. Eli Joseph offers starting points for doing it well

Eli Joseph

Columbia University

Group of young people in a circle all joining hands in the centre

Why we start undergraduate transdisciplinary research from day one

Hands-on knowledge discovery can give students the chance to put learning into action from the beginning of their studies, write Gray Kochhar-Lindgren and Julian Tanner

Gray Kochhar-Lindgren, Julian Tanner

The University of Hong Kong

ChatGPT and AI can be used to aid university assessment

How ChatGPT can help disrupt assessment overload

Advances in AI are not necessarily the enemy – in fact, they should prompt long overdue consideration of assessment types and frequency, says David Carless

David Carless

The University of Hong Kong

Spruce up lectures to capture the interest of all students

A guide to making lectures more interactive learning experiences that keep students interested

Vitalia Kinakh

The University of Manchester

What should be inside a teaching toolkit?

Teaching practices and student support are highly contextual so how can academic developers create institutional ‘toolkits’ that meet the needs of staff across different schools and departments?

Eleanor Cook, Rachel Griffiths , Caitlin Kight

The University of Exeter

A 100-year-old principle for teaching students digital study skills

A guide to helping students improve their digital study skills through experiential learning

Jennie Fox

The University of Exeter

illustration-photo composite of people seated around jigsaw pieces

Phenomenon-based learning: what, why and how

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

Sue Lee, Kate Cuthbert

University of Staffordshire

Giving away all content online does not encourage student attendance

Want students back in the classroom? Don’t give everything away online

Empty classrooms are an unfortunate reality of post-pandemic universities. To stop this, we need to explain the fundamentals of learning and tempt students back

Harriet Dunbar-Morris

The University of Portsmouth

Black university student making his voice heard

We must reverse the rapid erosion of student oracy

The inexorable march of technology is leading to fewer direct conversations in universities – here’s how to help your students improve their oral skills

Richard Willis

University of Sussex, University of South Wales

Online teaching competencies to get started

Five key competencies for successful digital teaching

From energising your class to encouraging collaboration, these tips from Carolina Lara Robles and Cynthia Enciso Centeno will help make your online classes a success

Carolina Lara Robles , Cynthia Enciso Centeno

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Image showing someone forging their own path, off the main road

On students’ terms: offering options in assessment to empower learning

By giving students some control over how they are assessed, educators are likely to see a marked increase in engagement and motivation, writes Paul McFarlane

Paul McFarlane

UCL

Checklists and other course quality evaluation tools

Seven steps to make an effective course quality evaluation instrument

Tools such as rubrics and checklists are increasingly common for monitoring the quality of courses, so how do we choose the best one for our purposes?

Richard McInnes

Adelaide University

Student considering a question at their laptop

How can we teach and assess with ChatGPT?

A guide to designing teaching and assessments that encourage students to learn with and about ChatGPT

Soumyadeb Chowdhury , Samuel Fosso Wamba

TBS Education

A young woman walking down the street in headphones, reading from her phone

A Spotify model of personalised higher education

With technology offering greater potential for a personalised approach to higher education, Michael Rosemann and Martin Betts look at what universities can learn from the ubiquitous music platform Spotify

Michael Rosemann, Martin Betts

Queensland University of Technology, HEDx

The demand for online education is still growing, so how can we meet it?

Practical strategies for institutional centres of teaching and learning to help faculty meet the increased demand for online education, by LeRoy Hill

LeRoy Hill

The University of the West Indies

Student immersed in a hospital VR setting in the FMH Media Lab at University of Sydney

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

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

Martin Brown , Philip Poronnik, Claudio Corvalan-Diaz, William Havellas

University of Sydney

How to start adaptive learning for a large cohort

Seven steps for successfully introducing adaptive learning

A team from Tecnológico de Monterrey presents advice for the implementation of an adaptive learning strategy for large student cohorts

Multiple authors

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Five common misconceptions on writing feedback

Misapprehensions about responding to and grading writing can prevent educators using writing as an effective pedagogical tool. Rolf Norgaard and Stephanie Foster set out to dispel them

Rolf Norgaard, Stephanie Foster

The University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University

Managing cognitive load for EAL – and all – students

Extraneous cognitive load weighs especially heavily on students who have English as an additional language. Kate Power shares four ways in which you can support them while benefiting all students

Kate Power

The University of Queensland

Student cheating using their mobile phone during an exam

Keep calm and carry on: ChatGPT doesn’t change a thing for academic integrity

ChatGPT is a technological advancement on an already present risk of academic integrity, therefore the same careful approach to assessment design is required to minimise cheating, write Patrick Harte and Fawad Khaleel

Patrick Harte , Fawad Khaleel

Edinburgh Napier University

It takes a village: using a trading game to teach economics

Large-group interactive classroom games can bring learning alive. Here, Suzanne Bonner, K. K. Tang and Terence Yeo share how a scalable trading game uses social interactions to enhance learning

Suzanne Bonner, K. K. Tang, Terence Yeo

The University of Queensland

laptop with images representing e-learning, blended learning

Tips for teachers who are new to blended learning

Blended learning is not going away, so where do educators start when they want to create a blended course? In this video, Carl Sherwood shares tips for best practice

Carl Sherwood, John Raiti

The University of Queensland

Encourage students to turn on their cameras

Cameras on: how to overcome a key challenge in digital courses

Promoting a good relationship between teachers and students is crucial in digital courses. Gabriela Espínola Carballo shares tips for encouraging virtual presence in your courses

Gabriela Espínola Carballo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Four Asian students on a bench looking at a laptop

Design a student-centred curriculum for dynamic learning

Student-centred learning design promotes engagement, critical thinking and problem-solving, which leads to enhanced real-world skills. M. C. Zhang and Aliana Leong share their strategies

M. C. Zhang, Aliana Leong

Macau University of Science and Technology

A female lecturer addressing a class of students

Introduce coaching principles into your work in four easy steps

Coaching is a popular tool for personal and professional development. Rushana Khusainova discusses how it can be used in higher education

Rushana Khusainova

The University of Bristol

In image showing two model businessmen following arrows on a page

Don’t forget the history when teaching business cases

David Waller explains why and how to give case studies a historical context to deepen students’ understanding of why certain decisions are made

David Waller

University of Technology Sydney

Man doing a back bend while looking at laptop

Making space for innovation: a higher education challenge

Risk, chance and disruption can be paths to innovative teaching practice. Here, Michelle Prawer offers ways to bring more flexibility into the classroom

Michelle Prawer

Victoria University

Three creative ways to use ChatGPT in class

New AI tools such as ChatGPT increase educators’ capabilities, freeing us from fact-gathering to focus on more sophisticated problems and higher-level understanding, writes Esteve Almirall

Esteve Almirall

Esade

illustration of laptop with speech bubbles oral examinations

Can online oral exams prevent cheating?

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

Temesgen Kifle, Anthony Jacobs

The University of Queensland

Students comparing notes and work in pairs

ChatGPT as a teaching tool, not a cheating tool

How to use ChatGPT as a tool to spur students’ inner feedback and thus aid their learning and skills development

Jennifer Rose

The University of Manchester

Questions beyond majors: developing mental maturity in students

When undergraduates build their own course plan, reading list and thesis project, the benefits extend beyond the individual student’s mindset to teaching faculty, write Ryan Derby-Talbot and Marjorie Wonham

Ryan Derby-Talbot, Marjorie Wonham

Deep Springs College, Quest University

A woman walking blindfolded along a tightrope

Teaching the unknown: how to prepare students for uncertainty

Five steps that educators can take to teach students to cope with uncertainty and respond effectively to unforeseen events

Glenn-Egil Torgersen

University of South-Eastern Norway (USN)

Neuroeducation can help students learn better at university

Five ways to use neuroeducation to improve student learning

Understanding what happens in the brain when it learns can help teachers plan their lessons, attitudes and words for maximum learning impact

José Alberto Herrera Bernal

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A robot assistant carrying a pile of books

ChatGPT and learning design: what online content creation opportunities does it offer?

A guide to how ChatGPT and other AI writers can be used to help learning designers and faculty create course content more efficiently

Dawn Gilmore, Anitra Nottingham, Marcelo Zerwes

RMIT University

Tips from university students on filming videos to keep them engaged

Tips from students on how to film videos that keep them engaged

A discussion thread on making videos became Keith Pressey’s most successful post in 13 years of teaching – here he shares the key takeaways from the exercise

Keith Pressey

Colorado State University Global

Tips on boosting academic integrity at university

Strengthening academic integrity requires action from students and teachers alike

Eunice Costilla Cruz offers recommendations for promoting academic integrity in your students and how to deal with an offence

Eunice Costilla Cruz

Tecnológico de Monterrey

A student watching a recorded lecture online

Asynchronous pedagogy to improve student engagement

A guide to designing asynchronous learning materials and activities that boost student engagement

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

Young woman and older man adult students lifelong learning

Challenges and opportunities of the 60-year curriculum

Lifelong learning for a post-digital-transformation, post-Covid world will need a degree of intention, design and flexibility universities do not yet offer, writes Jeff Grabill

Jeffrey Grabill

University of Leeds

Everything you always wanted to know about open-book exams – but were afraid to ask

Creatively constructed open-book assessments are increasingly relevant. Preeti Aghalayam offers advice on how to design them for best effect

Preeti Aghalayam

The Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Take care over sharing: guiding student teams on collaboration

Effective teamwork requires shared understanding, goals and responsibility over a task. Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng explains how to guide students in working collectively

Kenan Kok Xiao-Feng

Singapore Institute of Technology

Illustration of people assembling large jigsaw pieces

Are block teaching and universal design for learning compatible?

On the face of it, comparing the block teaching planning format with the UDL framework might seem like weighing apples against oranges. In fact, they share six golden links, as Kevin Merry explains

Kevin L. Merry

De Montfort University

Using ChatGPT to plug the gap in student attainment and the awarding gap

How to use ChatGPT to help close the awarding gap

Academics must put their fears of AI aside and understand how it can be employed to bridge attainment gaps in their programmes, say Dean Fido and Craig Harper

Dean Fido, Craig Harper

University of Derby, Nottingham Trent University

Spreading academic integrity starts at the root of the problem

When promoting academic integrity, start at the root of the problem

Ethical behaviour can be promoted by raising awareness of what constitutes bad practice, enforcing harsh penalties and placing cheating in a wider context

Victor Markus

Near East University

Forms of assessment and how to use them in university classes

Formative, summative or diagnostic assessment? A guide

An introduction to three of the key forms of assessment along with how they can be applied in the classroom

Alejandra Govea Garza, Adriana González Nava , Paulo Mendoza Rivera

Tecnológico de Monterrey

6 7 8 9 10 11 ...19