University course design and delivery

How to design in-person, hybrid and online courses that maximise student engagement, inclusion and learning. Here, you can find advice on instructional design including lesson planning, creation and organisation of educational materials and effective use of digital technologies; as well as teaching methods and styles to help you achieve specific learning outcomes.

By Miranda Prynne, 9 August, 2022

Curriculum design in biosciences: setting up first-year students for success

Young female scientist examining a sample through a microscrope

Transferable skills and employability are more important than ever, and students arrive at university with a widening diversity of backgrounds. So, how should we prioritise what to teach in the first year of a biosciences degree?

Reading time

3minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 8 August, 2022

Why online learning must remain part of the education toolkit

Picture of a student watching a tutorial online

Critics of online learning often blame the medium itself rather than ineffective instruction, when the focus should be on how to deliver the best teaching possible using all available tools and formats, writes Andreina Parisi-Amon

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 3 August, 2022

Inclusion of thought v inclusion of feelings: a showdown

In the pursuit of inclusivity, should we adjust what we teach to include students’ sensitivities or expose them to the full range of serious ideas? asks Arif Ahmed

Reading time

4minutes

By Miranda Prynne, 2 August, 2022

Creative projects as a way of bringing students together

An institution-wide creative project is an opportunity for students to make friends and learn from one another, writes Karen Amanda Harris. Here, she shares tips for developing an extracurricular language-art project

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 2 August, 2022

A step-by-step guide to implementing an agile curriculum

Flexible, innovative and creative, agile curricula offer many advantages over traditional approaches – here’s how to get started, says Olufunke Aluko-Daniels

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 1 August, 2022

Tips for new lecturers on the human elements that make students feel included

There are many simple, free tools in a lecturer's arsenal for making lectures more inclusive

Forget constructive alignment and instructional scaffolding, things like saying ‘hello’ and being encouraging are the real key to good, inclusive lectures, says Andy Grayson

Reading time

4minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 29 July, 2022

Block to the future: why block scheduling has taken so long to catch on

Block teaching has been around since the mid-noughties, but those short-lived early trials were ahead of the curve. Simon Thomson and Carl Flattery explore why block planning might finally be having its day

Reading time

5minutes

By Eliza.Compton, 28 July, 2022

How block teaching supports students from under-represented groups

Illustration of student career development and Lego

Shorter, more immersive units are helping raise attainment and success for students with complex and diverse needs

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 27 July, 2022

Beware the pitfalls of making lectures ‘interesting’ and focus on curiosity instead

Academics and lecturers should not conflate interesting with entertaining

Conflating ‘interesting’ with ‘entertaining’ and getting caught in a never-ending loop of shinier and shinier edutainment should be shunned in favour of cultivating sustained interest

Reading time

4minutes

By dene.mullen, 26 July, 2022

Next level? The pros and cons of game-based learning

Gamification brings great benefit to online university classes but has negatives too

Using gamification in the classroom can work wonders for engagement, but does it come at too great a cost to deep thinking, asks Frederik van Dam

Reading time

4minutes

University course design and delivery