Teaching and learning

The switch to online has hastened the move to high-quality, internationally relevant blended teaching and interactive learning

Bavaria’s rules to keep university tutors on precarious contracts unfairly penalise those who want to work, says a lecturer caught out by red tape

University teaching will change as a result of the forced switch to online, but in-person interactions will still have enduring value, argues Rebecca Blank

Though it’s tiring and challenging, some scholars believe their time in online teaching may make them better university educators, reports Jack Grove

The pandemic has shown how public investment in research and healthcare pays off, argues Ana Mari Cauce

Advocates for virtual labs finding chance to show cost and equity benefits of online experimentation

Group of prominent UK scientists warns that the risk of infection is too high for in-person teaching

THE survey of Covid-19 safety rules finds most UK campuses will require wearing of face coverings, often during teaching, with some universities providing transparent visors for lecturers

The loss of international income makes the improvement of universities’ online offerings all the more urgent

With the Covid-19 pandemic likely to prolong the need for mass online learning for some time, we seek the experts’ advice on how to do it well – from designing courses and maintaining engagement to choosing applications and carrying out experiments remotely

Sustainable changes in digital learning will result from best practice alongside bold experimentation, say Friedrich Hesse, Volker Meyer-Guckel, Bitange Ndemo, Alexandros Papaspyridis, Rahim Rajan and Suzanne Walsh

Polytechnic pilots curriculum, rebuilt from scratch to develop flexible graduates, that principal says could be tailor-made for post-Covid world

Big Ten collaboration, while limited, reflects growing pressure to cut costs

The virtual reality technology market is booming thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. Jack Grove asks whether it might finally catch on in higher education

Stilted and unengaging Zoom lectures must not be allowed to become the new normal, says Nuria López

Authors Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West put the case for scepticism at a time when science has become deeply polarising

Hepi report says universities need to move past the idea that decolonisation is merely an equality and diversity issue

Rather than simply endorsing complaints from the most vocal students and staff, we must react rigorously to curricular exclusions of all kinds, says Steven Greer

Office for Students says results are ‘remarkably positive’ for cohort of students affected by Covid-19 and industrial action

Survey of 4,000 faculty shows first-timers struggling with student engagement

Never assume, never dominate the conversation and always have a Plan B are three of the lessons learned by Milena Head and Michael Hartmann

New intervention by the Copyright Licensing Agency may offer hope to universities struggling to access essential texts

Legal challenges may succeed, but US universities must plan how to maintain physical classes come what may to avoid mass deportations, says Brian Wong

Self-congratulatory messages about online teaching may belie failures to meet learning outcomes, warns Nabil Ghantous

Survey suggests most undergraduates expect limitations on their interaction with classmates next year

Online lectures may enable applicants to broaden their horizons, predicts consultant

Even before coronavirus hit, Hong Kong was investing in new types of online education that challenge teaching conventions

Short courses to be bankrolled through flexibly applied institutional funding ‘envelopes’

As universities accept that online learning is here to stay, we hear from three experts how to ensure students are able to effectively engage with remote teaching

Fee and subsidy reshuffle curbs universities’ capacity to support their research, but proposed funds could help bridge the gap

But local experts lament that recommendations in the US-produced document may be easier said than done   

Institution’s efforts to make teaching more coronavirus-resilient could mean research-led teaching is ‘jettisoned’, critics claim

With Covid-19 imposing huge strain on universities’ digital course development, collaboration is the obvious solution, says Alexandra Mihai

Reform-minded Arizona State University president shares vision for a successful university model in wake of pandemic, saying institutions have done an ‘inadequate job of social empowerment’

Australian university directs academics to spend up to 80 per cent of their time teaching, despite relatively healthy financial position

Exploring the often unsavoury history behind many significant advances can be enlightening and empowering for students, argues Daniel Akinbosede

Guidance confirms most planning blended teaching approach from autumn, but specifics will vary based on location, size and type of university

Model of student-driven flexibility and sharing could aid all institutions, course organisers say

Schools of government have traditionally employed a technocratic approach to preparing public officials. But with polarisation straining political systems to breaking point, Paul Basken reports on calls in the US for more aggressive approaches, while Karthik Ramanna sets out how his Oxford programme attempts to repair the fractures

The secretary of higher education for the state of New Jersey talks about her path to a career in policy, family history and handling racist attitudes at college

Without face-to-face interaction, new students could struggle to make friends and adapt to university study, leading to dropouts later, institutions fear

THE snapshot survey finds most institutions will deliver mix of face-to-face and online courses, with social distancing measures in the early planning stages

Improving remote learning may be smartest move universities can make, quality chief advises

As after the 2008 financial crisis, Swedes have responded to the coronavirus-induced downturn by making plans to return to university

Maastricht University’s cross-syllabus approach could point the way forward, say Herco Fonteijn and Teun Dekker

Video conferencing is a reasonable substitute for lectures, but that is where it must end, say Robert Zaretsky and George Alliger

Anticipating a renewed coronavirus outbreak, California State University plans for semester online

The querulous minority are unlikely to mend their ways even in their own bedrooms, predicts Helen Soteriou

Filling the gaps between disciplines and between science and technology could lead to greater progress than AI, says Jinghai Li 

Student wariness may deliver final blow to crisis-weakened institutions

Sir Keith Burnett is relieved to find that through online platforms, teachers can still connect with students and can give ideas life

While overhauls of workforce and institutional architecture beckon, Australian report predicts esteem for expertise in post-pandemic world

McGraw-Hill and Cengage abandon union after government demands heavy culling

Students in the Netherlands are resisting use of software to stop cheating on exams, citing concerns about consent, intrusion and security of personal data

Survey results show online switch ‘going better than expected’, says union. But students at universities of applied sciences appear harder hit

Frustrated final year students could drop out within sight of the finishing line, Australian report warns

Inter-university collaboration to develop core online curricula may be the only way to preserve quality, says Matt Jenner 

Change borne of necessity could usher in major benefits in flexibility, retention, student success and cost savings, pioneers suggest

Switching towards peer-to-peer assessment makes sense for distance learning but a longer-term transformation would benefit students, says David Carless

Governments are prioritising reopening schools and businesses over campuses. But some academics fear the impact on disadvantaged students – and on their teaching