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.

Image of a person hidden behind a large question mark

My teacher’s a robot: beating negative perceptions when teaching online

Students on online courses complain of a lack of interaction, motivation and familiarity with teachers, research shows. Wendy Cowan looks at how to build ‘instructor presence’ into online courses

Wendy Cowan

Athens State University

Blocks in the air with a yellow one in the middle

New views on the block: schedule or philosophy?

Colorado College founded its Block Plan in the heady, revolutionary late 1960s. What can a look back over 50 years teach us about the future of compressed and modular modes of curriculum delivery?

Steven Hayward

Colorado College

Using ChatGPT in your university classes and lectures right now

So, you want to use ChatGPT in the classroom?

If you’re unsure about ChatGPT but would like to start incorporating it in your classes, Ben Swift outlines methods and things to think about

Ben Swift

Australian National University

Cheating at university and how to stop it

Five tips for creating cheat-proof classes

Claudia Danelia Chamorro Urroz has implemented five simple practices into her teaching that have all but eradicated cheating. Here, she shares the secrets of her success

Claudia Danelia Chamorro Urroz

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Inter-faculty working brings students together

Building the future: the case for inter-faculty learning

Launching an innovative inter-faculty way of working has brought great benefit to students, especially in the post-Covid period, say Gemma Ahearne and Matt Murphy

Gemma Ahearne, Matt Murphy

University of Liverpool

How to shift the power dynamic between lecturer and students

Calling all authoritarians: how to shift the power dynamic in your classes

Using the empowerment framework helps build shared purpose, meaning and respect between professors and students, leading to reciprocal growth and learning

Catherine Whaley, Jon McNaughtan

Texas Tech University

We cannot lose touch with touch

Classroom delivery is evolving alongside new technologies such as VR and the metaverse, yet students are still excited by the touch and feel of things. Here are suggestions for instructors to bring the tactile back to teaching

Aravind Reghunathan

Bournemouth University

The history versus fiction debate revisited (again) thanks to ‘The Crown’

In the wake of the notorious television series it feels more crucial than ever that faculty reiterate to students the difference between historical fact and fiction

Farish A. Noor  

University of Malaya

ChatGPT has arrived – and nothing has changed

ChatGPT may make it a little easier for students to cheat, but the best ways of thwarting cheating have never been focused on policing and enforcement, says Danny Oppenheimer

Danny Oppenheimer

Carnegie Mellon University

The basics of building engagement and motivation for learning online

The fundamentals of effective course development and communication when teaching predominantly online, shared by Hasti Abbasi

Hasti Abbasi

La Trobe University

Illustration of people doing different activities with cogs and ladders

A teaching-research nexus to guide your course development

Three steps to create a map of a university programme’s teaching-research integration, in order to identify weaknesses and strengths and inform course development

Nikolas Dietis

University of Cyprus

Full circle: using the cycle of teaching, module design and research

How research, module design and classroom delivery in creative fields inform one another in circular and essential practices. Glenn Fosbraey shares his own teaching as a case study

Glenn Fosbraey

University of Winchester

Arts-based methods to foster participatory and interactive learning

Arts-based methods in university teaching centre individual human values and relationships as key contributors in learning. Anne Pässilä and Allan Owens offer advice on how this can be achieved

Anne Pässilä, Allan Owens

Lappeenranta–Lahti University of Technology LUT, University of Chester

Matching technology training to industry needs: a case study

Professional development courses, especially in rapidly developing technologies, must evolve to meet industry needs. Here, Daniel Garrote explains how his institution created a master’s in the Internet of Things

Daniel Garrote

Nuclio Digital School

Female student looking distracted from her work

Compassionate teaching for students with ADHD

Small but considered adaptations to teaching can support students with ADHD to succeed at university. Fiona S. Baker lists modifications that can make all the difference

Fiona S. Baker

Durham University

How to decolonise initial teacher education: start with yourself

Decolonisation has the potential to rattle higher education’s sandstones and ivory towers, yet many struggle to know where to start. Karen Lambert and lisahunter use the context of initial teacher education in Australia to explain that it starts with you

Karen Lambert, lisahunter

Monash University

Image of a light blub with a professors hat on

What higher education can learn from school and further education teaching

As universities strive to improve teaching, they should look to schools and further education colleges for lessons in effective pedagogy and student engagement, write Russ Woodward, Tim Veal and Nicola Pattinson

Russell Woodward, Tim Veal, Nicola Pattinson

University Centre Grimsby: The TEC Partnership

Get started with virtual reality for learning and teaching

Free, accessible resources are readily available for educators who want to add virtual reality to their teaching tools. Start small, be realistic and persist, says Siân Shaw

Siân Shaw

Anglia Ruskin University

Matching students with college programmes improves employability

In the rush to meet labour market needs, universities can’t forget the human element

Understanding that students are people first, with lived experiences that influence their choice of college and career, will help position graduates for success

Steven Johnson

National University

What AI-generated lesson plans might mean for educators

Educators can use the issues, challenges and opportunities brought by artificial intelligence to think about teaching in terms of design and process rather than outcomes

Nick Kelly, Kelli McGraw

Queensland University of Technology

Community projects for students can help with critical thinking

How community projects can promote students’ critical thinking skills

Embedding project-based learning and participatory research in degree courses can provide students with the critical-thinking skills that employers require

Tom Dobson

York St John University

Advice on teaching across different modes

The pros and cons of different teaching modes

The benefits and challenges associated with four key modes of instruction, on-campus, blended, hybrid and fully digital, alongside a framework for ‘e-tivities’, presented by Gilly Salmon

Gilly Salmon

Education Alchemists

Hacking their hack: how embracing online summaries revolutionised my classes

With students struggling to focus on and comprehend assignments, summaries can take some of the leg work out of learning and allow students to come to class ready to connect

Catherine Ross

University of Texas at Tyler

Teach and talk: encouraging student dialogue in class

Dialogic validation is about making students aware of the value their ideas bring to the classroom. Roehl Sybing discusses three simple principles that teachers can adopt to get students talking

Roehl Sybing

Doshisha University

Five key elements that drive student online engagement

A framework that links social, cognitive, emotional, collaborative and behavioural motivators can help educators promote student engagement

Jay Cohen, Alice Brown, Petrea Redmond

La Trobe University, The University of Southern Queensland

Helping students to reference external ideas

Tips for designing activities that tackle cheating in digital environments

Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán provides suggestions on how to help students who struggle with recognising the use of external ideas

Bárbara Regina Granados Guzmán

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Bringing confusion into class can actually benefit students

Confusion diffusion: nine ways to prepare students to work with uncertainty

Jenny Moffett explores classroom techniques to help students meet the demands of an increasingly complex and rapidly changing society

Jenny Moffett

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

student on a pile of books with calculations on the wall concept

How to spice up a lecture

Simple exercises can make reading-based university classes more engaging and interactive, says Amjed Majeed. In this video, he offers four ways to break up the vocabulary, text, comprehension routine

Amjed Hameed Majeed

Al-Mustaqbal University

An introduction to microlearning

Dulce Julissa Salas Benavides and Jesús Alejandro Salas Benavides explain the basics of microlearning, from how it works to benefits and key features

Dulce Julissa Salas Benavides , Jesús Alejandro Salas Benavides

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Top three teaching and learning tips for higher education

Good teachers need to be good learners

Patrick Bailey draws on four decades of university experience to identify the three things he thinks have the biggest impact on successful teaching and learning

Patrick Bailey

London South Bank University

Female student writing in the university library

Mini virtual writing retreats to support and connect tutees

A guide to organising mini virtual writing retreats each week to build a supportive scholarly community within a personal tutoring group

Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou

Manchester Metropolitan University

Promoting academic integrity in a massive online master’s programme

Understanding why students cheat is key to preventing it. Not only that, but three key tips turn supporting integrity into an opportunity to foster culture rather than dish out punishment

David Joyner

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Lesson plans – a blueprint for success

Think of your lesson as a story and your lesson plan as its script. And remember that a good plan considers the people involved in the lesson, not just the activities

John Weldon

Victoria University

Group of students taking part in a classroom debate

Successful classroom discussions begin long before anyone speaks

Classroom discussions help engagement and learning so find out how instructors can get started in facilitating respectful debate among students using a simple framework

Mylien Duong, Jacob Fay

Constructive Dialogue Institute

Strategies for developing live student-client projects

Projects in which students work in a professional consulting capacity with “client” organisations can bring many benefits for all involved, but need careful set-up and support, as Lyvia Royd-Taylor explains

Lyvia Royd-Taylor

University of Brighton

Sprint to the finish: redesigning university programme validation

Sprint methodology can compress university-wide validation of academic programmes into an intense, hierarchy-free three-day process

Leanne de Main, Sarah Jones

De Montfort University, University of Gloucestershire

Students working together to solve a problem

A framework for teaching work integrated learning projects

A framework for structuring work integrated learning (WIL) projects to train students in problem solving and creative thinking, from Nguyen Hoang Thuan and Pedro Antunes, based on their research and lecturing experience

Nguyen Hoang Thuan, Pedro Antunes

RMIT University Vietnam, University of Lisbon

TikTok can be a great instructional tool for engaged educators

What I learned from spending three years researching TikTok

Far from being an attention span wasteland, the popular social media platform has great instructional potential for engaged and experimental academics, says Elizabeth Losh

Elizabeth Losh

William & Mary

Female student reading a book in the university library

If you want students to read more, consider asking them to read less

Students can feel overwhelmed when faced with lengthy academic reading lists so how can educators help them develop their reading skills? Will Mason and Meesha Warmington share five actions to support students in tackling, even enjoying, their course literature

Will Mason , Meesha A Warmington

University of Sheffield

How to design low-stakes authentic assessment that promotes academic integrity

Robust assessment design is more important than ever in the battle to maintain academic integrity, say Nguyen Bui and Simon Feros

Nguyen Bui , Simon Feros

Australian National University

Enable learners to become confident digital explorers

Universities must help students develop digital skills and competencies that will set them up for successful lives after they graduate

Mike Cooray, Rikke Duus

Hult International Business School (Ashridge), UCL

Enrich your online evaluation practices with this quick guide

A group of academics from Tecnológico de Monterrey present a series of recommendations for designing and implementing online assessment

Graciela González-Valdepeña, Adriana Plata-Marroquin , Gabriela Sánchez Castillo

Tecnológico de Monterrey

Lessons from students in how to adapt teaching to online learning

Embrace the student voice in order to develop and improve your online teaching with varied media and plenty of interactive elements to boost engagement and learning, says Nick Young

Nick Young

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Ungrading in universities is not being carried out effectively

The problem with ungrading? Everyone’s doing it wrong

The vast majority of applications of what is referred to as ungrading rely on rubrics, stated learning outcomes and grades by other names, says Sean Michael Morris

Sean Michael Morris

Course Hero

Intended learning outcomes (ILOs): from sideshow to teaching tool

Used effectively, intended learning outcomes (ILOs) can provide a useful tool to drive student engagement and encourage learners to take responsibility for their education, as Amit Jinabhai explains

Amit Navin Jinabhai

The University of Manchester

International perspectives on teaching and learning forged during Covid

Academics from around the globe share practical advice and lessons learned for those teaching online now or in future turbulent times

Katherine Mansfield

University of Westminster

Illustration of professionals crossing a book bridge

Tips for teaching MBA students

MBA students come to class with high expectations and present distinct teaching challenges. In this video, Carl Sherwood explains why a holistic approach and using students’ own professional experience in content and assessment design lead to success

Carl Sherwood

The University of Queensland

Exams must be used correctly in modern university teaching

Traditional exams aren’t dead – they just need to be used correctly

Knowing when to utilise traditional v authentic assessment methods – and the modern tools to build them – is a crucial part of the teacher’s role in 2022 and beyond

Beatriz Murillo Pancardo , Pedro de Jesús García Reza , Mariano Garay Peña

Tecnológico de Monterrey

To block or not to block? How time affects learning in higher education

From intensive block plans to open-ended study programmes, the ideal length for a unit of study is under interrogation. Jason M. Lodge considers the evidence

Jason M. Lodge

The University of Queensland

Assessment and feedback as a participatory dialogue

Assessment and feedback as an active dialogue between tutors and students

Seven steps towards enhancing assessment and feedback as a participatory, social process that supports deeper learning, by Neil Lent, Tina Harrison and Sabine Rolle

Neil Lent, Tina Harrison, Sabine Rolle

The University of Edinburgh

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