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By miranda.prynne, 7 April, 2021
Series Type
Series
Teaser
Comment and opinion on key challenges in higher education and potential solutions
Resource
By Eliza.Compton, 13 December, 2024

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

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subconscious mind concept
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
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 6 December, 2024

It’s time to turn the tide on our clean energy ambitions

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Woman in VR headset against image of wind farm
Universities have a pivotal role to play in inspiring the next generation to find sustainable energy solutions, from uniting researchers with business to translating innovation into practice to growing the future workforce, writes Deborah Greaves
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 29 November, 2024

Creating flexible learning pathways for business students

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African American student studying online
Digital transformation isn’t about technology – it’s about people, writes Steve Hill. Learning experiences must fit into students’ lives rather than forcing them to fit their lives around institutions
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 18 September, 2024

Academics can (and should) be idiots

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Microphone on stage in club
The comedy stage can be a place for academics to be silly and let it all hang out. Chris Pahlow explores why humour is effective for scholars and the people they’re trying to communicate with about their research
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 6 September, 2024

Is it worth paying for GenAI?

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Robot with people rolling coins, AI subscription
How useful is artificial intelligence for syllabus design? A law lecturer compared the free and subscription versions of three generative AI platforms, with surprising results
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 29 August, 2024

Five strategies to cultivate university reputation

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illustration of hand and five stars, reputation concept
The reputational crisis of many universities is a crisis of identity, writes Santiago Fernández-Gubieda. Here, he explains that reputation starts within the organisation, and offers five actions to foster public trust in universities
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 28 August, 2024

Supporting parent academics through staff networks

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working mother at laptop with toddler
The power of a combined voice can make working life easier for university faculty and staff with children. Here, Judith Lock lays out the challenges of mixing parenthood with academia and how networks lead to more family-friendly campuses
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 12 July, 2024

Why I ban AI use for writing assignments

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Illustration ban AI concept
Students may see handwriting essays in class as a needlessly time-consuming approach to assignments, but I want them to learn how to engage with arguments, develop their own views and convey them effectively, writes James Stacey Taylor
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 4 July, 2024

What does it mean for students to be AI-ready?

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Black man looking at computer screen
Not everyone wants to be a computer scientist, a software engineer or a machine learning developer. We owe it to our students to prepare them with a full range of AI skills for the world they will graduate into, writes David Joyner
By Eliza.Compton, 28 June, 2024

Higher education needs a united approach to AI

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Laptop with warning sign
If universities’ response to AI and education is as fractured as the sector’s adoption of blended learning, we may well find ourselves in a similar position in 20 years’ time with duplicated costs and missed research opportunities, writes Sara de Freitas
By Eliza.Compton, 27 June, 2024

Why visible senior leadership in sustainability matters

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Compass pointing to sustainability
Successful or sustainable? Is this the biggest challenge that universities face when striving to reduce their carbon footprint? Jan Evans-Freeman explains where leadership fits into the equation
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 17 June, 2024

Informal networking and how to meet people on campus

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Young Asian woman greeting friend at cafe
Belonging is not just a result of being in a place – nor it is the sole preserve of students. For university faculty, it comes from chance encounters, small gestures and stepping outside your comfort zone, writes Glenn Fosbraey
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 3 June, 2024

Talking to students about AI

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robot tin can telephone
Socio-economic, cultural, geographic and other factors mean that some students know more about AI than others, and we can’t have an effective discussion about AI and academic integrity until we all know what we’re talking about, writes John Weldon
By Eliza.Compton, 17 May, 2024

The (AI) sky isn’t falling

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Robot hand typing
Students using generative AI to write their essays is a problem, but it isn’t a crisis, writes Christopher Hallenbrook. We have the tools to tackle the issue of artificial intelligence
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 16 May, 2024

Why I invite a creationist to my evolutionary biology class

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Detail of Michelangelo's Creation of Adam
The encounter gives students a chance to apply newly gained knowledge to a real-world situation and, perhaps more importantly, it models productive discussion among people who disagree with one another, writes Curt Stager
Reading time
4minutes
By kiera.obrien, 30 April, 2024

Is it time to turn off AI detectors?

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A robot drops papers as it's caught in a flashlight beam
In this extract from their new book, ‘Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning’, José Antonio Bowen and C. Edward Watson discuss the reliability of AI detection tools and how to combat cheating without them
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 23 April, 2024

AI can help fix student evaluations

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filling out form on laptop
With large language models to provide reports and analysis, educators can make use of generative AI to improve the process of student evaluations, writes Adnan Ajšić
By Eliza.Compton, 12 April, 2024

Harnessing the humanities for transformative tech leadership

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Illustration of people in silhouette with cityscape
Amid a growing awareness that humanities students and faculty need data literacy, Rishi Jaitly, a longstanding champion of the humanities in technology, explains why data and technology leaders also need an education in the liberal arts
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 9 April, 2024

How authentic stories can empower the ‘unheard voices’

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what's your story speech bubble
Storytelling can be a powerful change agent. When proposing change – such as the digital transformation in universities – leadership needs to communicate in ways that cut through the noise and inspire action, write three digital adopters
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 5 April, 2024

Collaboration requires more than not stepping on toes

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Colleagues collaborating around a table
To get things done in universities, do we need to embrace conflict or find new ways to work together? Here, three digital adopters explain why collaboration isn’t the same as hoping not to annoy anyone
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 22 March, 2024

Humans develop humans

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College professor talking to students
Even small interactions with lecturers, tutors and peers offer opportunities for students to develop interpersonal skills, so it’s important we recognise and value these to ensure they are not lost, writes Marianne Savory
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 28 February, 2024

Get real about hiring people with disabilities

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job interview candidate in wheelchair
For too long ‘lived experience’ has been an inadequate requirement for jobs that make decisions for people with disabilities, and recruitment practices need to change, write Paul Harpur and Brooke Szücs
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 23 January, 2024

The language of inclusivity is not inclusive

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Diverse speech concept
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
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 16 January, 2024

Why press releases are a waste of your comms team’s time

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Communication concept
Most universities will track press release output as part of overall communications metrics – but, asks Kylie Ahern, have you considered other ways to generate media coverage, awareness of your brand or better relationships with journalists?
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 5 January, 2024

In-person events are still necessary

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Tree-in-hand sculpture in Dubai
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
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 4 January, 2024

Students see the benefits of AI-generated learning content

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human hands using laptop with robot hand emerging from screen
Students might already show a preference for AI-generated online learning content, so academic colleagues and institutions need to capitalise on this to improve resource management and staff well-being, write Dean Fido and Gary F. Fisher
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 11 December, 2023

How can universities increase diversity in spin-out founders?

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Women in a meeting
Ensuring that all talented researchers can participate in spin-out leadership is core to translating world-leading discoveries into innovative and impactful businesses, writes Simonetta Manfredi in her response to the UK spin-outs review
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 6 November, 2023

Using primary sources to tell queer histories

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Asian woman holding vintage video camera
Public records and private lives? In uncovering LGBTQ+ stories in personal archives and impersonal documents, historians should ask questions about how each source engages with gender and sexuality, writes Isabell Dahms
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 27 October, 2023

What about lifelong learning for international students?

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Multiracial mature-age students
International students might not be comfortable with the student-centred mindset that underpins continuous, self-directed learning. We must prepare them for lifelong learning so they are not left behind, argues Graham Wise
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 28 September, 2023

Why hybrid learning needs hybrid faculties

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Team looking happy around a table
Online courses should be integrated into everyday faculty functions to improve remote and in-person classes as well as the overall student experience
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 28 September, 2023

We need to bang the drum for music degrees

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Music students
Music degrees aren’t as valued as they should be. Universities can do much more to make them attractive to students and parents, argues Sam Walton
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 21 September, 2023

Making space for emotions in learning

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Three latina students studying together
The trick is to design courses so cognitive and affective learning balance each other in a way that promotes empathy and deeper understanding of the content, writes Carol Subiño Sullivan
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 12 September, 2023

An academic’s advice for navigating risk

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Illustration of penguin ballooning over sharks, risk and uncertainty concept
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
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 6 September, 2023

Universities, AI and the common good

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Robot and human connecting over light globe
Higher education must find paths for meaningful engagement with artificial intelligence, to leverage its potential, explain the problems and mitigate the hazards, writes Rajani Naidoo
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 4 August, 2023

Shifting landscapes of social media data for research

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Young woman looking at data on a screen
What can researchers do in light of changes to social media platforms’ APIs that reduce and monetise access to data? In this uncharted territory, aspects to watch include new access routes and user protections
Reading time
3minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 3 August, 2023

Offer students a personal touch through peer support

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Two students walking down a corridor talking through some notes
As universities expand, they will need to take more of a personal approach to higher education – despite the huge cohorts – but how? Emma Norman suggests looking to the students themselves
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 2 August, 2023

Is open access tarnished?

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Vintage lock and keys
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
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 31 July, 2023

Digital accessibility is real and tangible

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hands using laptop
A workshop using real-life examples and first-hand experience of how assistive technology works can result in a deeper understanding of accessibility needs
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 26 July, 2023

The dark side of AI’s promised efficiencies

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Darth Vader figurine
Artificial intelligence can use data and algorithms in a way that prioritises rationality over values such as fairness and quality of education, writes Vern Glaser
Reading time
3minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 27 June, 2023

Is critical thinking the answer to generative AI?

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Three The Thinker statues around a laptop
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
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 8 June, 2023

How universities can help rebuild trust in science

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car tyre in snow
The crisis of confidence in science has deep origins. The answer to regaining traction is compelling stories and the skills to tell them beyond the academy, writes Bartłomiej Knosala
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 3 May, 2023

How to advance equity-informed leadership in universities

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red arrow through a wall of wooden blocks
Increasing diversity at universities requires more than raising aspirations and enrolment among Indigenous and other under-represented students. Braden Hill offers seven ways leaders can address barriers to equity
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 2 May, 2023

A holistic blueprint for sustainability

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Hands holding seedling surrounded by sustainability icons
Instead of compartmentalising decisions about infrastructure or resource allocation, universities need a whole-system approach to sustainability that shifts attitudes and behaviour, writes Lily Kong
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 1 May, 2023

A vision for graduate supervision

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A man standing on a rock, staring out into the distance
Supervising graduate students is a responsibility and skill that goes far beyond the mere transmission of knowledge, as Daniel Jutras explains
Reading time
3minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 12 April, 2023

The four-day week in higher education: can we make it work?

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A young woman exploring a forest
With a culture of overwork eroding well-being among UK university staff, could a four-day working week be part of the solution? Rushana Khusainova looks at whether this mode of working is feasible in higher education
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 28 March, 2023

What LGBTQ+ allyship means in academia

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Allyship for LGBTQ+ in academia and universities
Being a queer person who very much appreciates allyship and who tries to be a good ally to others has taught me a few things, says Lucas Lixinski
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 27 March, 2023

Towards 2035: a future view of university education

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Young woman looks to horizon with binoculars
What will higher education be like by 2035? Four early-career academics at Australian universities, from different discipline areas, offer a vision of how universities might evolve and adapt to future technologies and workplace demands
By Eliza.Compton, 6 March, 2023

Being elitist about sci-comms damages science

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Man speaking jargon to confused man and woman
Scientists, if you communicate only with people at your own level of expertise, how will you recruit the best and brightest, engage the public and change the world? Kylie Ahern takes ‘dumbing down’ to task
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 23 February, 2023

Where’s our Black bereavement leave?

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Black bereavement leave in higher education
Higher education routinely ignores the emotional needs of Black faculty and staff, particularly after traumatic events, and it’s time for that to change, says Angel Jones
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 22 February, 2023

What’s next for university admissions?

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Young woman talking into a cell phone
With the impact of AI on applications as yet unknown and affirmative action in the US at risk, Rick Clark speculates on the future of college admissions. His hope? That the student voice finds new ways to be heard
By Eliza.Compton, 27 January, 2023

New views on the block: schedule or philosophy?

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Blocks in the air with a yellow one in the middle
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?
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 17 January, 2023

ChatGPT has arrived – and nothing has changed

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Back to the future
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

Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 10 January, 2023

Don’t jettison traditional academic writing just yet

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Alternative forms. of writing
Academic writing is transforming – into comics, podcasts, installations – but that doesn’t mean bog-standard peer-reviewed papers are less key to institutional status or individual promotion, writes Pat Thomson
Reading time
3minutes
By dene.mullen, 29 November, 2022

Good teachers need to be good learners

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Top three teaching and learning tips for higher education
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
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 10 November, 2022

You can have it all, just not all at once

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Work-life balance in academia can be achieved, but it's not easy
It might just be possible to achieve a good work-life balance in academia, but it requires focusing on certain areas of your life and career at certain times, says Lucas Lixinski
Reading time
5minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 1 November, 2022

Transformative not transmissive education for sustainability

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Image of a sustainable city
The teaching of sustainability and the SDGs needs to equip graduates with the skills to bring about transformative change for a better future. Jen Dollin, Brittany Hardiman and Susan Germein explore what this means for universities
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 18 October, 2022

It’s high time we rethought policy impact

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Knocking down the house of policy impact in higher education
The frameworks currently in use for rewarding policy impact are peppered with problems and pitfalls – here’s how to fix them, says Christina Boswell
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 17 October, 2022

To offset or not to offset – that is the question

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The different steps to improved sustainability
Carbon offsetting is a hotly debated issue, with critics positing that it distracts from real efforts to reduce emissions. David Duncan explains why a compromise position in which offsetting is used to complement focused efforts at carbon reduction may be needed
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 7 October, 2022

Flipping the university admissions process on its head

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Female athlete performing a backflip outdoors
Why should it always be students who seek out their ‘best fit’ campus? It’s time for universities to rethink how they manage traditional admissions – and boost enrolment and diversity as they go, says Joe Morrison
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 29 September, 2022

For the common good: why we need ecological universities

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Green shoots
Higher education has become too aligned to specific economic interests and needs to be redirected to focus on regenerative values for the common good, argue Richard Hil, Kristen Lyons and Fern Thompsett
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 16 September, 2022

Why my hobbies make me a better scholar

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Man playing mandolin
Non-academic skills, both motor and cognitive, can enrich research capabilities in unexpected and often unexamined ways, writes Stephen W. Harmon
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 11 August, 2022

Is it possible to decolonise the business curriculum?

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Black female student takes notes
Untangling business studies from the discipline’s imperial origins might seem an insurmountable task, but it’s up to university leaders to take the lead on this complex challenge, reflects Bobby Banerjee
By Miranda Prynne, 8 August, 2022

Why online learning must remain part of the education toolkit

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Picture of a student watching a tutorial online
Critics of online learning often blame the medium itself rather than ineffective instruction, when the focus should be on how to deliver the best teaching possible using all available tools and formats, writes Andreina Parisi-Amon
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 28 July, 2022

It is time to bring back peace studies

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Image showing an anti-war poster
Recent world events point towards the need for a commitment to peace at every level of society, writes Annelise Riles, as she explains how universities can promote peace-making and related skills through teaching, research and collaboration
Reading time
4minutes
By Eliza.Compton, 19 July, 2022

The rise and rise of the lecture-tainer

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Fire-eater
Falling class attendance and shorter student attention spans present challenges for university teachers. Sandi Mann offers advice for tackling the boredom conundrum
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 12 May, 2022

How I plan to get through REF results day

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A confused signpost
If the results don’t deliver what we think we’ve earned, it will be a blow, but it won’t change the fact that what we do matters, says John McKendrick
Reading time
4minutes
By Miranda Prynne, 6 May, 2022

Don’t let the REF tail wag the academic dog

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Image of a researcher examining a slide through a microscope
Institutions should resist the temptation to use the REF as a tool for competition and self-promotion and, instead, approach the results in ways that support sector-wide efforts to improve research culture
Reading time
3minutes
By dene.mullen, 3 May, 2022

Is your teaching and learning ‘not supported’?

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Is your education not supported? Incompatibility in tech is a big problem for universities
Are you Google or Microsoft? WhatsApp or Signal? The incompatibility driven by Big Tech obstructs research and teaching, so Europe’s mooted Digital Markets Act may be good news
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 26 April, 2022

In-person teaching now needs to be justified

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An arrow made up of a crowd of people
If we take the same critical lens to in-person learning as we once did to online, rationalising our need for the former, how much better could we make our teaching?
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 6 April, 2022

Why I choose not to teach with social media

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Smartphone and social media addiction is a real danger - and academics would be complicit if we don't start questioning its use more readily
If social media is eventually revealed as a grave threat to public health, the academy’s unquestioning adoption of it could make scholars complicit
Reading time
3minutes
By dene.mullen, 5 April, 2022

The 10 commandments of academic Twitter

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Opening the Twitter app on a mobile phone
Lucas Lixinski offers tips on how to engage positively with the social media platform, from ‘honour thy hashtags’ to ‘thou shalt live-tweet at events’
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 9 March, 2022

How to become a dean

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Academics looking to move up the higher education career ladder might consider becoming a dean
Paul Baines talks through the pros and cons of being a dean, plus the skills you’ll need to display during the recruitment process to get there
Reading time
4minutes
By dene.mullen, 3 December, 2021

What can universities learn from Amazon?

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Universities can learn a great deal from the way Amazon embraced digital tech and constantly evolves
From putting the customer first to the buzzword that is ‘fulfilment’, there’s much to be gleaned from the way Amazon and its ilk embraced digital technology, says Peter Vervest
By Eliza.Compton, 29 October, 2021

Fear the zombie student apocalypse

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Beware the academic undead this Halloween
Andy Farnell argues that non-assessed courses could free universities, and the academic undead, from increasing spiritual depletion and a lifeless pursuit of certificates
By dene.mullen, 27 August, 2021

Early career researchers can say no, too

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Early career researchers must master the art of saying no and not be too eager to please
Coming up with a series of questions for ECRs about each ‘opportunity’ as it arises can help them decide what is worthy of their time, says Lucas Lixinski
By dene.mullen, 7 May, 2024

What is student engagement?

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Head in the clouds. Student engagement is used almost universally in HE, but no one seems to agree on what it actually means.
The move online compounded matters, but even before that, nobody could agree on what student engagement was – and that needs to change, says Chris Headleand
By dene.mullen, 29 October, 2021

The educational ‘metaverse’ is coming

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Online and blended learning must be stepped up to deliver equitable learning as part of the new "metaverse" that university students will come to expect
The universities best equipped with digital infrastructure and savvy human resources will emerge as the new leaders − no matter where they are, says Kwang Hyung Lee
By dene.mullen, 19 April, 2021

The campus is dead, long live the campus

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The campus of the future will need to take into account the likely use of hyflex pedagogy
Potential post-Covid changes to campus design will slide along a spectrum from optimising space to rethinking academic structures, says Jay Deshmukh
Reading time
3minutes