Course design and delivery

A yellow toy robot waves hello

How hard can it be? Testing the dependability of AI detection tools

Students are using artificial intelligence to write essays and other assessment tasks, but can they fool the AI detection tools? Daniel Lee and Edward Palmer put a few to the test

Edward Palmer, Daniel Lee

The University of Adelaide

Engineering student

Nurturing advanced problem-solving skills with integrated projects

Integrated projects can be a powerful tool for bolstering problem-solving capabilities and encouraging students to integrate knowledge from various courses

Man Kee Lam , Yee Ho Chai

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

Students versus climate change

Driving change: creating student-NGO partnerships for climate solutions

Luis Ricardo Fernández Carril and Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio reveal how to energise and empower students to take part in the fight against climate change

Luis Ricardo Fernández Carril , Luis Gerardo Rojas Solorio

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Happy students learning outside

Eight tips for making teaching and learning more enjoyable for learners

From mixing up the teaching space to drawing on real-life examples, Perçem Arman outlines ways to make lessons more fun and thus increase participation

Perçem Arman

Near East University

Female engineering students working on a robotics project

Transforming the classroom through experiential learning

A pilot programme aims to expand undergraduate students’ access to high-impact learning experiences to strengthen skills such as teamwork and problem-solving. Kate Williams looks at its outcomes

Kate Williams

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

big versus small in the microlearning arena

Using fun and interactive micromodules to energise learning

Lee Chien Ching and Tan Kian Lip Erick share the intricate process of producing a micromodule that attracts students through an enjoyable, interactive learning experience

Tan Kian Lip Erick , Lee Chien Ching

Singapore Institute of Technology

A bored looking student in a lecture

A plan to prevent disengagement

What educators can do to overcome three common causes of student disengagement with learning

Adeola Matthew

The University of the West Indies

Young black man studying at home on laptop

Moving microcredentials forward: how universities are incubators and early adopters

Education innovation will transform lifetime learning in two main ways: compacting instruction into digestible bites and standardising how microcredentials are used and delivered in (and beyond) higher education

Jonna Lee , Eric Scott Sembrat

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Student in her bedroom sitting on the floor on her laptop listening to music

Sparking online joy: five ways to keep students engaged

Five guiding principles to use when designing and developing content for short online courses that will keep students engaged

Andrés Ordorica , Marcello Crolla, Lizzy Garner-Foy

The University of Edinburgh

Team looking happy around a table

Why hybrid learning needs hybrid faculties

Online courses should be integrated into everyday faculty functions to improve remote and in-person classes as well as the overall student experience

An Jacobs , Norma Rossi

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Loughborough University, University of St Andrews

Student carrying out an assessment exercise

These are the best practices and most common mistakes in learning assessment

Cecilia Tagliapietra Ovies says that, while there is no single formula for learning assessment, there are certain basic principles institutions can follow to help ensure success

Cecilia Tagliapietra Ovies

CETYS Universidad

Blocks showing scales of justice

Teaching how to use numbers as a tool for justice

Statistics are not neutral, writes Wendy Castillo. Here, she explains how to use QuantCrit to show students the effect that historic racism and bias have on data collection and analysis

Wendy Castillo

Princeton University

Virtual reality in HE

The power and the peril of virtual reality in HE

From investing in training to identifying educational objectives, Mark Milliron offers advice on fully realising VR’s promise for universities

Mark Milliron

National University

Student learning via online instruction

Learning by doing: practical tips from a decade of making Moocs

Two online learning experts share lessons gained during a decade of developing and refining massive open online courses (Moocs)

Stuart Nicol , Fiona Buckland

The University of Edinburgh

CV with microcredentials

How to design and build microcredentials in four steps

A team from Monterrey Institute of Technology explains how to plan, design, deliver and measure microcredentials at your university

Verónica Alejandra Pérez Aguirre , Laura Patricia Aldape , Karla Margarita Banda Martínez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Students laughing in seminar

How humour stimulates critical thinking, creativity and communication skills

After assigning students to write comedy scripts instead of seminar papers, André Martinuzzi and Angelo Spoerk explain how humour has great potential as a learning method

André Martinuzzi, Angelo Spoerk

Vienna University of Economics and Business

University students sitting a written in-person exam

Help your students to become assessment literate

Practical suggestions to address a staff-student disconnect relating to the purpose and practice of assessment and to enhance assessment literacy on your courses

Eleanor Aspey, Gillian Ulph

University of Manchester

ChatGPT for course design

Embracing generative AI as a co-design partner for designing and developing courses

Generative AI is here to stay, so what opportunities are there for educational developers and learning designers to leverage it as a partner when designing courses?

Richard McInnes

The University of Adelaide

A young woman looking happy as she works at a laptop

A reflexive writing workshop to enhance engagement with learning

Reflexive writing workshops can help boost students’ interest and motivation in relation to their studies. Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou explains how these can work

Aspasia Eleni Paltoglou

Manchester Metropolitan University

Class engaged by story

Seven questions about storytelling in the classroom

Ng Lee Keng explains why and how telling stories in class can transform student engagement and make your lessons more interesting

Ng Lee Keng

Singapore Institute of Technology

A diverse group of people representing different potential students

Bring your learners to life through personas

Understanding your learners and their needs enables you to develop more engaging courses, and personas are a great tool to help you achieve this, as Andrés Ordorica explains

Andrés Ordorica

The University of Edinburgh

Group discussion

Using active learning to increase student engagement and understanding

Creating an active learning environment in a large group setting is challenging. Ingrid Sierp shares ways to increase engagement, encourage attendance and gauge understanding in real time

Ingrid Sierp

The University of Adelaide

Vintage movie projector

Using film to prompt discussion in legal studies

Movies and television programmes can challenge students’ perceptions and enrich their understanding of the law. But designing an effective module requires more than a must-watch list, writes Michael Randall

Michael Randall

University of Strathclyde

Thai students exploring Bangkok

How ‘service learning’ can improve outcomes for students, educators and local communities

A guide to using service learning, in which students oversee projects in the community, to enhance theoretical classroom teaching

Tachagorn Chansema

Siam University

A woman studying online

A look back over 10 years of Moocs

Lessons learned over a decade of developing and delivering massive open online courses (Moocs)

Melissa Highton

The University of Edinburgh

Asian student reading and studying at home for flipped classroom

Show students that the flipped classroom is much more than self-directed learning

Tan Bhing Leet provides three suggestions to help educators maximise the benefits of flipped classrooms

Tan Bhing Leet

Singapore Institute of Technology

ChatGPT in university

Practical tips to remember when designing activities utilising ChatGPT

Including generative AI in students’ learning is still in its early stages. Agustín Rodríguez Hernández provides some general considerations he has picked up thus far

Agustín Rodríguez Hernández

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Medical student in virtual reality headset

Using VR to change medical students’ attitudes towards older patients

A five-minute virtual reality exercise has the power to dramatically shift students’ understanding of and empathy for dementia patients’ experience

János Kollár

Semmelweis University

Teaching guides ADHD students in digital learning

With the right support, students with ADHD can thrive in digital learning environments

Don’t generalise about digital learning being problematic for students with ADHD. Rather, find the digital tools that develop their unique talents, argues Dustin Hosseini

Dustin Hosseini

University of Glasgow

Jobs of the future

Training students for jobs that do not exist yet

The rethinking of course materials and programmes to incorporate future trends is a key requirement for all forward-thinking providers, write Aaron Taylor and Victoria Rafferty

Aaron Taylor, Victoria Rafferty

Arden University

A group of students sitting in a group talking

Break the ice early to build student belonging

Ice-breaking activities borrowed from the performing arts that can help students form bonds and build belonging from the start of a course

Kelly Edmunds , Leanne Fridd

University of East Anglia

A multiple choice quiz can be useful for formative assessment

The myriad advantages of using formative assessment

G.K. Suraishkumar looks at ways to assess students’ learning more effectively through formative assessments and argues for basing grades entirely on this method

G K Suraishkumar

Indian Institute of Technology Madras

Teacher helping black student in computer class

Co-creation as a liberating activity

How to use student co-creation to bring active participation and collaboration into the learning experience, based on insights from the Liberated Learners open educational resource

Terry Greene

Trent University

Conceptual image of someone using AI generated knowledge

How ChatGPT killed my discussion boards and prompted new prompts

Advice on learning and discussion prompts that require students to think beyond the remit of AI responses

Sara Cline

Athens State University

Students applauding their professor

An evidence-based approach to flipped learning

Flipped learning is most effective when it places active learning at its core, research suggests. A new model for flipped learning, developed by Manu Kapur and colleagues, aims to do just that

Manu Kapur

ETH Zurich

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

University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University

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

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

Mixed age classroom at university

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

Student feedback on course design

Four steps to design a course that motivates students and consolidates learning

Yolanda Domínguez Medina, Mayela Beatriz Rodríguez Romo and Martha Fabiola Espinosa Mata outline the key stages for designing engaging courses

Yolanda Domínguez Medina, Mayela Beatriz Rodríguez Romo , Martha Fabiola Espinosa Mata

Monterrey Institute of Technology

Students asleep in class

What to do when your students don’t seem to care

Ayten Ordu outlines some of the strategies available to academics when students have lost their enthusiasm for lessons and lectures

Ayten Ordu

Near East University

Spice up your lectures

Spice up your lectures: engagement strategies for higher education

Ibham Veza and Davannendran Chandran provide an exhaustive checklist of practical strategies for captivating students and retaining their attention

Ibham Veza, Davannendran Chandran

Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP)

university students working in a group

Successful group work is all in the selection process

For students, group work can boost learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, but the benefits of collaboration may depend on how teachers put individuals together

Temesgen Kifle, Suzanne Bonner

The University of Queensland

Learning design illustration of computer screen, light bulb, pencil and books

Learning designer may be the best job you’ve never heard of

This role is the bridge between students and academia – and makes use of many transferable skills you may already have in your toolkit

Vanessa Jefferson

Online Education Services

Techno-pedagogic design for blended and online courses

Techno-pedagogic design for blended and online courses

Course design for online and blended learning that combines pedagogical know-how with appropriate use of technology. Albert Sangrà presents design models that can help

Albert Sangrà

Open University of Catalonia (UOC)

A group of aspiring business people

How to train entrepreneurs in five steps

What training is needed to help aspiring entrepreneurs develop the skills they will need? George Chondrakis shares five vital steps

George Chondrakis

Esade

University lecturer being an LGBTQ+ ally

How can we make LGBTQ+ students feel welcome through our teaching?

Practise inclusivity, speak out against harmful behaviour in your classroom and, most importantly, continue to learn, says Chris Pearce

Chris Pearce

UNSW Sydney

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

Monterrey Institute of Technology

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