Digital strategy

Black female student using tablet

The scroll, the soundbite and the seminar: where media habits meet teaching

Students are raised in a world of algorithms, scrolls and screens. This means educators have to meet them on their terms: visually, aurally and interactively. Cayce Myers explains

Cayce Myers

Virginia Tech

A toy robot stands on a shelf

Ready your teaching for the AI era with this six-part framework

AI can help educators reclaim what they love most about teaching – but they need to approach it with an intentional mindset. The six steps of the THRIVE framework can guide the way

Patrick Lynch

Hult International Business School (Ashridge)

Colleagues laugh together over a laptop

Eight ways to embrace AI’s flexibility to bring different teams together

AI has rapidly moved from the domain of computer science into the daily lives of university staff and academics, but are we joining up the changes happening across higher education? Find out how to use it to break down boundaries between teams

Lakshmi Goel, Yassine Benrqya

Al Akhawayn University

A library book being removed from a shelf

Roles in higher education libraries: an explainer

Libraries are changing with the times – and so is the librarian’s role. Here’s how librarians are specialising in the digital era

Chris Chan

Hong Kong Baptist University

Cybersecurity, hacker concept

How not to fall victim to a cyberattack

Where is your university vulnerable to ransomware or access via a third-party provider? Here are ways to reduce risk and maintain security across your IT network

Nicole Stewart

Jisc

An illustration of various employees tapping into AI

A four-part framework to categorise AI tools for research

How to use AI tools to assist in research, for each phase of the process

Eric Tsui

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A virtual illustration of a book guides a student working on a laptop

What do students want from AI-assisted teaching?

In an age of AI, educators and students need ways to ensure the technology complements learning rather than detracts from or homogenises it

Omar Merlo , Nai Li

Imperial College London

A robot hand types at a laptop

What happens when AI writes the appeal

As students increasingly use generative AI to craft assessment appeals, university staff face new challenges in maintaining the integrity of academic feedback. Here’s how we can adapt to preserve meaningful learning relationships in the face of optimisation

Jonathan Boymal

RMIT University

Artificial intelligence in the university library

AI skills for tomorrow’s university librarians

University librarians need to understand how to guide students and faculty in using AI tools ethically and effectively. In the future, they will be not only information experts but also AI facilitators. Yinlin Chen offers advice on laying the groundwork

Yinlin Chen

Virginia Tech

A student filming herself on her phone

The dos and don’ts of bite-sized social media content

Learn how to create honest and authentic content that showcases community and creates a sense of belonging – invaluable for both prospective and current students

Amy Edwards, Sarah Markillie

University of Chester

Young scholar working in library

University libraries’ modern role in supporting faculty and graduate research

When research is increasingly computational, interdisciplinary and comprised of multi-institutional teams who frequently collaborate virtually, university libraries must keep pace to support faculty and graduate students, as Tyler Walters explains

Tyler Walters

Virginia Tech

Spotlight guide: AI and assessment

AI and assessment in higher education

Threat or opportunity? Advice for using, managing and embedding artificial intelligence in university assessment, skills development and task design

Campus contributors

Campus

Student with headphones preparing food

Bluetooth for better health: using tech to support student well-being

Students can self-regulate their learning and improve their well-being by spending less time at their desks and more time moving – thanks to Bluetooth headsets

Michelle Civile, Julie Pepper

The University of Exeter

Male student studying at laptop

How to overcome ‘forum fatigue’ with activities that students enjoy

While online forums have been shown to boost learning and retention, if ‘forum fatigue’ sets in, students disengage. Here, Emilie Rutledge proposes a way to design activities that are most likely to elicit student participation

Emilie Rutledge

The Open University

A robot arms paints a portrait

‘What I learned when students walked out of my AI class’

Chris Hogg found the question of using AI to create art troubled his students deeply. Here’s how the moment led to deeper understanding for both student and educator

Chris Hogg

Royal Holloway, University of London

A robot types on a laptop while a bored student slumps beside it

In the AI era, how do we battle cognitive laziness in students?

With the latest AI technology now able to handle complex problem-solving processes, will students risk losing their own cognitive engagement? Metacognitive scaffolding could be the answer, writes Sean McMinn

Sean McMinn

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

A phone screen with several different GenAI apps displayed

Can we use GenAI to subvert the neoliberal university?

Generative AI can be a tool of resistance against the corporatisation of higher education – or it can be just another distraction to make us ‘zombies in the loop’ of the system. Here is how we can choose the former

Richard McInnes

The University of Adelaide

Astronauts on the moon

How combining VR with cultural identity can make interdisciplinary learning more impactful

A project that involved students designing human settlements on the Moon shows how combining cultural identity with VR technology can unite learners across disciplines and campuses to imagine and shape the future

Rubén Vázquez, Antonio Juárez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

An illustration of hands putting together a jigsaw puzzle

A step-by-step guide to developing a high-impact online course

Want to design an online course that your students engage with, that supports diverse learning styles and is seamless to navigate for both educator and student? Here’s how to structure the process

Michael Okrent , Susan Weese

Colorado State University Global

Doctor using laptop

Using small-scale ChatGPT integration to introduce online students to GenAI

Integration of ChatGPT into online learning does not have to be a huge project. A small-scale, flexible writing task can address your students’ needs. But if they are working professionals, you should know their capacity for using technology

Jonathan Zaccarini

Columbia University

A woman sits in a beanbag chair with a laptop

How to spark student start-ups

Universities are the ideal environment to turn ideas into businesses. Here’s how to encourage entrepreneurship and foster a start-up dynamic in your students

Robert Crammond, William Shepherd

University of the West of Scotland

A futuristic digital classroom in the metaverse where students, represented as diverse avatars, engage in an interactive lesson. A teacher, using holographic AI tools, guides them through immersive learning experiences. Floating virtual screens display storytelling prompts, character designs, and business concepts. The background features a blend of virtual reality elements

Use AI and the metaverse to keep your students engaged online

AI and virtual reality technology enables diverse learning experiences for online students. Discover how by applying universal design for learning principles

Angeles Carolina Aguirre-Acosta , Gloria Anahí Molina Barrón , Rebeca Elizabeth Alvarado Ramírez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

A laptop screen with many different storage drawers opening

Is collaboration the key to digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility is ethically important, and a legal requirement, but it’s also a lot of work. Here’s how universities can collaborate and pool their expertise to make higher education accessible for all

Sal Jarvis, George Rhodes

The University of Westminster

Bridge concept

The impact of business relationship managers in higher education

The role that bridges the gap between digital transformation and the wider university is often misunderstood. Here, Bhupinder Siran explains what a business relationship manager does, and the position’s challenges and rewards

Bhupinder Siran

University of Southampton

A young woman works intently on a laptop

How industry certification can energise learning

With the IT sector changing too rapidly for traditional university teaching to keep up, why not try industry-aligned certifications? Find out how they can help students meet the demands of the workplace

Amine Abouaomar

Al Akhawayn University

A laptop screen shows a cursor hovering above copy and paste options

Copy, paste, learn: lessons from code programmers for the AI-enhanced classroom

Copying and pasting can be a powerful learning tool, whether it involves mindless copying or mindful reuse. Here’s how to use it without compromising academic integrity

Xiangen Hu

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A toy robot stands on a book shelf

Eight ways to use AI in active learning – and four challenges it brings

Use AI in active learning by deploying these eight strategies to integrate tools in your teaching. Plus, how to address four challenges when doing so

Tab Betts, Shelini Surendran, Martin Hawes

University of Surrey, University of Sussex

Circle of connected coloured ropes

Is a ‘co-opetition’ model the way to safeguard higher education for future generations?

Shared support functions don’t mean the end of competition among institutions, writes Mark Thompson. Instead, collective thinking could focus effort on universities’ strengths and potentially rescue the sector from ‘an unsustainable race to the bottom’

Mark Thompson

The University of Exeter

A catoon image of a robot and human arm wrestling

Ensure AI serves institutions, not the other way around

We’d all prefer that AI tools helped us to do research and grade papers rather than take over campuses. Here’s how to develop AI tools for your institution responsibly

Craig J. Ramlal

The University of the West Indies

A young woman sits in front of a laptop, holding a smartphone and making notes on a pad

Rethink authentic assessment for the generative AI era

How can we integrate AI into authentic assessment? Consider inspiring a collaborative spirit, aligning technology with pedagogy and modelling a new mindset for your students

Nadya Shaznay Patel

Singapore Institute of Technology

Hands type on a laptop with "AI" on the screen

Let’s look at AI as a reasoning partner, not a shortcut

The latest reasoning AI models, such as DeepSeek, offer an opportunity for universities to strengthen critical thinking in the next generation of workers

Xiangen Hu

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

A group of students on their laptops in the library

Digital humanities 101

What makes ‘digital humanities’ different from ‘traditional humanities’, and how could it make your classroom more collaborative and creative?

Sarah Ketchley

University of Washington, University of Maryland Global Campus

Young black student in headphones at laptop

Tips for successful asynchronous teaching: creating engaging content, part one

Despite its flexibility and ability to reach across distance and time zones, asynchronous teaching is still seen as subpar when compared with in-person or even synchronous online courses. However, done well, it offers surprising advantages, as Figen Mekik explains

Figen Mekik

Grand Valley State University

An illustration of people working with a giant book

Six reasons why open institutional publishing matters

A new wave of institutional publishers is changing the way we think about academic publishing. Here’s why they’re worth watching

Philippa Grand, Suzanne Tatham

The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Southampton

A robot holds up an AI chip to plug the gap between a businessman and his target

Six ways to integrate AI for business school accreditation

Streamline the process of accreditation, create multi-modal communications and effectively manage data by harnessing the power of generative AI

Yassine Benrqya, Lakshmi Goel, Isabelle Fagnot

Al Akhawayn University, Kedge Business School

A woman writing in a journal on some steps

Using AI to foster self-directed learning

You can promote self-directed learning by breaking down tasks and integrating an AI chatbot into your course management system. Here’s how

Ying Shao, Xue Yao

Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University

An illustration of a bot taking a human through a reasoning process

Beyond the black box: how DeepSeek could transform higher education

DeepSeek’s transparent reasoning process, accessibility, affordability and open-source model could have significant implications for higher education. Simon Wang explains how

Simon Wang

Hong Kong Baptist University

An illustration of a university

How to reimagine an existing subject

Immersive technology and student co-creation allowed educators to revamp a general education course. Here’s how they did it

Kai Pan Mark, Wai Chi Rodney Chu

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Close up of a microphone

Make your annual report sing

An annual report is a useful tool for promoting your institution’s work. Here’s how to coordinate its publication and get it seen

Ana Fuster , Perla Téllez

Monterrey Institute of Technology

A collection of tools

An AI toolkit for all aspects of academic life

Harness the power of technology to reshape the tasks that make up your day. Here are the best AI tools to use in higher education

Urbi Ghosh

Colorado State University Global

A robot hand ticking check boxes on a piece of paper

Get students on board with AI for marking and feedback

AI can potentially augment feedback and marking, but we need to trial it first. Here is a blueprint for using enhanced feedback generation systems and gaining trust

Isabel Fischer

The University of Warwick

A phone screen with several different GenAI apps displayed

DeepSeek and shallow moats: what does it mean for higher education?

DeepSeek’s arrival may have spooked the markets, but what does it mean for the research and development of LLMs? Higher education should avoid putting all its eggs in one GenAI basket, writes Ben Swift

Ben Swift

Australian National University

Filing cabinet drawers open

Tap the mine of library data to help enhance your courses

University libraries offer a rich well of data for course enhancement teams, on everything from student engagement to which resources they’re using most. Here’s how to make the most of it

Steve Briggs, Carly Ramirez-Herelle , Jo Myhill

University of Bedfordshire

A robot hand reaches out to a butterfly

How a liberal arts college can embrace AI tools

Lingnan University president Joe Qin offers advice on using generative AI, building up the science side of liberal arts education and how to encourage staff to share their ideas

Joe Qin

Lingnan University

An illustration of a robot hand supporting a human brain

How to integrate AI into strategy and business education

Incorporate AI into your teaching or ignore it and hope it fades from view? Let’s balance these two attitudes by raising our expectations of students

Guillaume Carton , Julia Parigot

EMLyon Business School, Institut Supérieur de Gestion

AI guidelines and policy concept

How to create a higher education AI policy

A successful university AI policy guides internal innovation and usage, directs resources and identifies key contacts for emergent needs. Here are the steps and considerations for writing guidelines

Eric Scott Sembrat

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

A small toy robot works at a notebook with a laptop open

The evolution of assignments in the age of generative AI

Instead of cracking down on AI use for written assignments, we just need to make our assessment smarter

Miriam Wun

Singapore Institute of Technology

A young woman uses a laptop happily

An insider’s guide to how students use GenAI tools

There’s no doubt students are using GenAI in their assignments – but how? Miriam Wun and Nah Yong En talked to students to find out

Miriam Wun, Nah Yong En

Singapore Institute of Technology

Two toy robots network

Five key stages when embedding AI networking tools

The Ask an Alum AI tool is helping current students connect with alumni, develop networks and benefit from career advice. Here’s how to embed a digital networking tool

Wallis Spence

The London School of Economics and Political Science

A magic lamp with a speech bubble

The AI genie is out of the bottle – now what?

Generative AI is here to stay, so let’s build AI literacy, incorporate AI into assessment and craft solid policies for its use

Aida Nuranova, Timothy Wawn

Nazarbayev University