University teaching has always been a multifaceted ask. Long focused on deep subject knowledge, the role also demands that educators design courses, mentor, keep up with tech advances, provide pastoral care for students, support colleagues and lead. As a profession, it is intellectually and emotionally demanding. Teachers aiming to produce graduates who are independent thinkers and work-ready must be adaptive, curious, clear communicators, authentic, cognitively present in class, and time efficient.
Small wonder, then, that teaching is increasingly recognised in the academy. Better supported education pathways, as well as more training and development opportunities, celebrate teaching as a professional identity in its own right, rather than an activity required between research and service.
Teachers also tap into advances in neuroscience and educational psychology to guide and enrich their practice. Today, it is understood that effective teaching goes beyond delivering content; a student-centred approach is interactive and inclusive.
This collection shares advice for educators looking to develop their skills for more effective outcomes in the classroom as well as build a career based on teaching excellence. It includes guidance for professional development, tips for embedding students’ foundational skills, boosting instructor presence, time management and navigating part-time work, as well as ways to maintain that crucial passion for imparting knowledge.
Who you are as a teacher: shaping professional identity
With AI able to serve up and analyse information at the tap of a keyboard, the value of teaching is human presence. And this gives educators a chance to showcase their authentic experience and thought processes. So, who you are when you lecture, lead discussions, manage fieldwork and support your students matters, as these articles explain.
Who are you when you teach? Teaching isn’t just about activities and assessments – it’s about how we fill the different roles the job requires. Elysia Sokolenko and Matthew Arnold from Adelaide University explain how to shape your educator identity.
What sets great teachers apart? A great teacher inspires students not through theatrics of personality but because of a burning love of their subject, writes Steve Lambert from the University of Chester.
How can you become an authentic teacher? Setenay Dilek Fidler and Gustavo Espinoza Ramos from the University of Westminster share three tips that will help you develop an honest, strong relationship with students.
Using communication before content to develop cognitive presence: Cognitive presence enables students to feel comfortable in the learning environment, writes Alison Thirlwall from the University of Wollongong.
How blepharospasm made me a better teacher: Here, Bhawana Shrestha from Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University explains how her eye condition helped her build emotional resilience and create a more inclusive classroom environment.
Developing a narrative, evidence-based teaching philosophy statement: By writing with clarity and tailoring your statement to its audience, you can create a document that brings your classroom to life. Daniella Sieukaran from Dalhousie University shares strategies.
Advice for new teachers
Starting out as a university educator can be daunting, but experienced colleagues can be deep wells of information and insight. In these articles, teachers share the building blocks of good teaching as well as how to make use of feedback, develop a student-centred approach and ease self-doubt.
The building blocks of effective teaching: The best teachers genuinely care about their students but build that care upon a solid structural foundation. Karen Yu Ka Man from the Education University of Hong Kong offers advice on making good teaching a habit.
What new lecturers need to develop their teaching: Dialogic, developmental feedback can accelerate new lecturers’ confidence, pedagogic judgement and professional growth. Academics from the University of Westminster explain how.
Want to improve your teaching? Ask a teacher: Schoolteachers-turned-lecturers have a wealth of pedagogical knowledge, says Gordon Baillie from the University of Chester. Here, he outlines reasons why university educators should be tapping into it.
Let’s get professional: No matter if you’re a just-minted postdoc or transferring from industry to academia, a professional approach will give your new teaching career a solid foundation. In this video, Carl Sherwood from the University of Queensland shares top tips.
Take these seven steps to be a great teacher: The distinction between being a good teacher and a remarkable one transcends mere transmission of knowledge, writes Gabriela Espínola Carballo from Tecnológico de Monterrey.
How to get through your first year of teaching: For any new teacher, standing in front of a class is a professional and emotional challenge. Beiting He from Macau University of Science and Technology offers advice to help you prepare and conquer nerves and self-doubt.
Strategies to maintain your passion for teaching and learning
Teaching is a process of continual improvement. Educators must stay abreast of technology and advances in their discipline, so their lessons connect with each new cohort of incoming students. This offers both a path to renewal but also a potential recipe for burnout. Here, experienced educators share insight – from recording reflections in a teaching journal or returning to the classroom themselves to connecting learning with real-world events – that help them keep up without burning out.
‘You can’t just lecture students any more’: GenAI does not make lecturers redundant, but it does weaken one-way content delivery as a reason to bring students together, writes Debra Page from the University of Reading. She shares four shifts to teaching in the age of AI.
Teaching is a verb: Reflection is what moves teaching beyond performance and towards continuous improvement, writes William Owen from the University of Northern British Columbia.
Training tomorrow’s citizen scientists in introductory science courses: Faculty who teach large introductory STEM courses often experience burnout, writes Michael Evans from Georgia Tech. Thinking of yourself as a trainer of citizen scientists can keep teaching fresh.
‘What I learned from being a university student again’: If educators want to understand student confidence and engagement, they could consider returning to the classroom as a learner, write experts from the University of Leeds and the Graduate Futures Institute.
‘Great teaching does not mean more work. It means better choices’: Effective teachers connect students to the ideas that matter to them. Urbi Ghosh from Colorado State University Global explains how educators can interrupt their own practices when autopilot has kicked in.
How to build a teaching-focused career
Teaching excellence can be a building block to an education-focused career pathway. Read on for ways to extend skills in the classroom into leadership, networking and impact.
The ‘third way’ academic – becoming an education-focused professor: Career development tips for an education-focused pathway, shared by experts from the universities of Bristol and Exeter, Aston University and King’s College London.
It’s time to fully support promotions on the education pathway: Specialist teaching roles such as librarians and learning designers may not map perfectly on to criteria for professorial posts, but they should be rewarded for their contributions to the student experience, argues Harriet Dunbar-Morris.
Support for part-time educators
Teaching-only roles are more likely to be part-time – 64 per cent of positions, according to UK figures for 2024-25 – and fixed-term. As such, these positions offer fewer pathways to seniority, so teachers looking to advance their careers will need to be intentional, as these articles explain.
How part-time lecturers can protect their professional identity: You can teach and support hundreds of students, yet still feel like a visitor in your own institution. Academics from the University of Westminster discuss how to establish a sense of belonging.
When it comes to professional development, let’s not forget part-time lecturers: What could universities do to better support part-time teaching staff? Martin W. Andrews from the University of Portsmouth and Ruth Lang from the London School of Architecture investigate.
Time management tips to protect your space and well-being
Marking, responding to student emails and paperwork all devour time. So, part of being a better teacher is ensuring that the balance between those tasks and the work that enriches teaching, such as planning and reflection, is sustainable. Find practical tips here.
How to turn your most aggravating student emails into a chance to spread joy: Faced with a flurry of grade complaints at the end of each semester, Danny Oppenheimer of Carnegie Mellon University found a way to respond that generated positivity for students and himself.
From grading grind to peace of mind: preventing midterm marking meltdown: With focused feedback and smart use of technology, educators can make their marking more efficient and impactful for students. Daniella Sieukaran from Dalhousie University explains.
Around or against the clock: time management tips for higher education teachers: Careful lesson planning, understanding your universities’ support services and accepting mistakes will all save you time, writes John Weldon from Victoria University.
Advice for creating a classroom where all students feel welcome
A beautifully delivered lecture or clear materials don’t always translate to student understanding, as these articles explain. Effective teachers ensure the classroom is a safe space for participation and make multiple points – from introductions to assessment – to check for learning and student confidence.
‘Belonging should not mean only that students feel welcome’: Universal design for learning ensures students are not only present but able to participate. Sunah Cho from the University of British Columbia starts with three questions.
How to become a better teacher: In this video, Anggi Maisarah from Universitas Sumatera Utara explains what she’s learned from her students about encouraging participation.
Teaching that helps students develop foundational skills
When students can find answers at the speed of a prompt, the need for foundational skills such as critical thinking and communication skyrockets. Effective teachers capitalise on what they bring that AI tools cannot, such as knowing how to break down a task to its constituent parts as well as nurture community and leadership.
Great teachers simplify before they complicate: Students often overcomplicate challenging concepts, so educators should break complexities into parts and introduce uncertainty to simulate industry environments, writes Jeff Warfford from Virginia Tech.
For impactful teaching, remove barriers to learning – one decision at a time: Instructors provide something worth coming into the classroom for: meaningful relationships, authentic context and shared experiences. Matt Nowinski of Virginia Tech explains.
To AI or not to AI? That is the question: Educators should embrace their role as advocates for critical thinking skills, argues Sarah Birrell Ivory. In this video, she shares a classroom exercise that compares the learning benefits of a written source with generative AI.
Lessons in teaching excellence drawn from leading a marching band: The football field can foster teaching excellence as much as the classroom. Polly Middleton from Virginia Tech offers five ways to build a culture where students learn to work together and lead.
Thank you to all Campus contributors who shared their expertise in this guide.
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