Behaviour change in higher education: how to drive progress across campus

Encouraging behaviour change on campus and beyond

How universities can foster changes in attitudes and approaches in order to advance social justice, sustainability and knowledge

Advice on how universities can encourage behaviour change to advance social justice, sustainability and innovations in teaching and learning

Universities should play a leading role in progressing social justice, sustainability, knowledge and skills. So how can higher education institutions ensure their students and faculty remain at the forefront of rapid social, technological and cultural advances? This collection of resources looks at how to foster changes in attitudes and approaches to teaching, research, well-being and more in order to build equitable, green and well-informed communities on campus and beyond.

By Miranda Prynne, 23 February, 2022

Learning the craft of using your research to engage in policy

Advice on using your research to inform and impact policy decisions

David Garcia explains how academics can get their research noticed by politicians in order to inform and impact policy decisions

Driving sustainability efforts

Resources

By Miranda Prynne, 11 February, 2022

Accelerating towards net zero emissions: how to mobilise your university on climate action

Advice on driving institutional action towards net zero

John Madden provides insight on how universities can mobilise their intellectual and institutional capacities to accelerate towards net zero emissions

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 18 February, 2022

‘Embrace messiness’: how to broker global partnerships to tackle the Sustainable Development Goals

Advice on bringing institutions together in international collaborations designed to address the SDGs

Annelise Riles and Meghan Ozaroski share advice on bringing universities around the world together to address global problems, such as climate change, by investing in relationships, thinking long-term and working around inevitable bumps

By Miranda Prynne, 23 February, 2022

Working with student activists to speed up progress towards a sustainable future

Advice on collaborating with student activists to improve institutional sustainability

Jaime Toney explains how working with grassroots student activists can help accelerate institutional action towards the Sustainable Development Goals

Advice on adapting higher education to capitalise on advancing technology

By dene.mullen, 7 February, 2022

The metaverse will change everything – including academic research

Extended reality and the metaverse must become a research priority for universities

We must push XR research boundaries if we’re to understand and shape our future reality – here’s how, says Neil McDonnell

By dene.mullen, 15 March, 2022

We must end the ‘us and them’ standoff between libraries and publishers

University libraries and academic publishers need to find a long-term solution to the issue of e-textbooks

University libraries and publishers remain at a damaging impasse over digital textbooks – the solution requires communication, collaboration and openness to big ideas

Reading time

4minutes

Engaging everyone in efforts to improve equity, diversity and inclusion

Resources

By Miranda Prynne, 21 March, 2022

Rekindling passion for equality, diversity and inclusion work

Equity, diversity and inclusion work: Advice on sparking renewed enthusiasm among faculty and university staff

Equality, diversity and inclusion work is too often dogged by scepticism and dismissed as a tick-box exercise. So how can institutional leaders rekindle enthusiasm and belief in the work? Rajani Naidoo shares her top recommendations

Reading time

3minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 14 March, 2022

Questions you should ask yourself about your role in institutional racism

Questions to ask to examine your own role in perpetuating racism in higher education and what steps to take

Questions individuals working in academia should ask themselves to gain an honest appraisal of their role in institutional racism and take active steps to counteract it, by Henrika McCoy and Madeline Y. Lee

Reading time

3minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 23 March, 2022

Making space for academic colleagues to think about race as part of pedagogy

Advice on supporting academics to engage with equity and diversity issues as part of their teaching

Kevin Brazant shares tips on how to use digital content creation to deconstruct themes of equality, diversity and inclusion with colleagues and inform their learning and teaching practice

Reading time

4minutes

Advice on how to get students moving and exercising more both inside and outside the classroom

By dene.mullen, 18 March, 2022

Want students to exercise more? Make it part of their course

Cycling, running and other forms of exercise can be encouraged among university students by tutors who offer academic credits for exercise

The body hears everything the mind says, so it is said. That is certainly true when teachers offer extra academic credits in return for physical activity, says Roberto Villaseñor-Roldán

Reading time

3minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 22 March, 2022

Why and how to bring physical movement into the classroom

Advice on why and how to bring movement into your classes to improve learning outcomes

There are multiple benefits to bringing regular movement into the classroom, research shows. Stephen Braybrook lists the concerns that prevent educators from doing so, and offers guidance to overcome them

Reading time

3minutes

Improving research management

Resources

By dene.mullen, 9 February, 2022

Professors who ‘practise what they preach’ help humanise research management

Academics who practise what they preach will always be more effective in the classroom

There is a need in academia for professors to match teaching and research with professional practice – and be fairly compensated for it

By Miranda Prynne, 3 February, 2022

Managing individual research productivity in academic organisations: seven key insights

Steps that institutions can take to increase the research productivity and impact of their academic staff

Advice on steps institutions can take to boost the productivity and impact of researchers, based on a study by Olga Ryazanova and Jolanta Jaskiene

By Eliza.Compton, 9 February, 2022

Get your research out there: 7 strategies for high-impact science communication

Noisy big megaphone. Speaker announcing news to target audience, science communication

From news angles to dealing with trolls, here are seven areas to consider when sharing your findings with the media and wider public

Reducing the environmental impact of your teaching and research

By Eliza.Compton, 17 March, 2022

Greener life science labs: the challenge to save energy and reduce waste

seedling in test tube illustrating resource about greener life science labs

How to decrease the environmental footprint of a life science research centre? Annegrät Daujeumont shares how following a certification programme can help labs embrace sustainability and eco-friendly practices

Reading time

5minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 17 March, 2022

How using digital workbooks can increase student engagement and help institutions go green

Advice on moving from printed to digital teaching materials to improve student engagement and sustainability

How to move from printed to digital workbooks rich with interactive content such as audio, video and quizzes, to improve online learning outcomes while boosting sustainability

Reading time

3minutes

Technology-enhanced teaching

Resources

By Eliza.Compton, 17 February, 2022

Using the right technology at the right time in the flipped classroom

Laptop and glowing light bulb illustrating resource about matching tech to learning outcomes

Course design that matches ed-tech with learning outcomes can allow students to learn from their mistakes and develop resilience

By dene.mullen, 22 March, 2022

Things to consider when designing a self-directed course model

More university students require or prefer self-directed learning, and academics must be ready to provide it

With increasing numbers of students learning remotely and showing high levels of independence, the ability to offer self-directed courses is more important than ever

Reading time

3minutes

By dene.mullen, 3 February, 2022

We need to move beyond the synchronous versus asynchronous debate

Synchronous or asynchronous university lectures are not the issue if students aren't focusing on either of them particularly well

Academics are agonising over the wrong elements of online education. They should be thinking about active versus passive learning, says Simon Chesterman

Advice on encouraging university students to collaborate to aid learning rather than compete

By dene.mullen, 16 March, 2022

Fostering student collaboration rather than competition using peer review

University teachers must work hard to ensure students become comfortable with the process of peer review

When students are involved in peer review, they can more easily see the “problems” with classmates’ writing – and this creates opportunities in their own work, too

Reading time

3minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 8 February, 2022

How to enhance students’ participation in teamwork that is not assessed

International team of people sitting around table, putting colourful puzzles together

Rebecca Wang outlines a learning structure that supports students who are new to team-based research projects

A holistic approach to mental health in higher education

Resources

By dene.mullen, 4 February, 2022

Conversations around stress must move beyond ‘I’m fine, how are you?’

The stress continuum is a traffic light system that might help university staff and students discuss well-being

Sara Metz offers practical advice on adopting the ‘stress continuum’ – a shared language and system to help staff and students reflect upon and discuss their well-being

By Miranda Prynne, 10 March, 2022

A trauma-sensitive approach to teaching and learning

Advice on taking a trauma sensitive approach to teaching

A four-step framework for taking a trauma-sensitive approach to teaching in universities, explained by Kitty Wheater

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 22 October, 2021

It’s past time for a serious appraisal of mindfulness education

Mindfulness education at university goes beyond pedagogy

True mindfulness education goes beyond pedagogy and improving learning outcomes – it is a holistic approach for developing students and staff, says Christine Rivers