Prioritising wellbeing in higher education: strategies for improving students’ mental health

July 27, 2022

That increasing numbers of students are experiencing mental health problems isn’t news; it’s an escalating trend that was extensively documented even before the Covid-19 pandemic, as HE providers reported unprecedented demands for access to their health and welfare support services prior to the 2020 crisis.

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Diversification: the key to unlocking new higher education revenue streams

July 27, 2022

The recent global crisis has highlighted a long-standing need for revenue diversification in the higher education sector.

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The same but different: improving fairness of access, participation, and outcomes in higher education

July 27, 2022

Fairness lies at the heart of modern higher education – in principle, at least. That everyone – regardless of social or economic background – can aspire to study for a globally acknowledged qualification, opening doors to greater education and employment opportunities, has been a cornerstone of HE provision for decades. But equality only works if everyone’s starting point is the same and, as societal divisions widen, universities must do more to level the pitch.

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Optimising the digital higher education experience: delivering outstanding support for online learners

July 27, 2022

The higher education sector is experiencing a period of rapid transformation. With demand for more flexible access options catalysing significant growth in online, hybrid and blended delivery models, universities must not only design new, more adaptable, degree programmes, but must also review and strengthen the support services that are essential to sustain a student body that’s more diverse – and dispersed – than ever before.

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Hybrid and blended learning: the flexible future of higher education?

July 27, 2022

After the restrictions of the last two years, the fact that university campuses everywhere are once again buzzing with students feels like a cause for optimism.

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Transforming higher education for the long term

July 22, 2022

For those in the world’s wealthiest countries, tertiary education has now become the norm – especially among the 18-34-year-old demographic.

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Automation in online education

Technology is fundamental in addressing one of the biggest challenges in education – how to continue to increase scale on decreasing budgets?

July 22, 2022

Online delivery is rightly seen as a valid approach. However, we must consider the students’ consumer expectations for educational experiences that are as good as experiences in other sectors, such as retail or online services, along with the goal of ensuring students are treated as individuals. Automation is key to meeting these challenges.

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Motivating online students to support each other

Clear intentions, guiding principles, well-chosen, and well-instructed activities greatly increase students’ participation in peer learning

July 22, 2022

There are a variety of strategies to help students feel engaged and motivated to participate in online distance learning (ODL) programmes, but perhaps none are more powerful than finding ways to motivate students to interact with their peers.

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Effective peer learning in online courses

How to motivate students to participate and genuinely benefit from learning from their peers

July 22, 2022

Well-designed online learning can be highly engaging, motivating, and enjoyable. Historically though, distance learning, both pre-web and in early online courses, suffered from poor retention – students found it difficult to study on their own.

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The future of work: how universities can prepare students for an uncertain future

April 25, 2022

More people than ever are going to university. In the UK, well over a third of all 18-year-olds (37.8 percent) enrolled on a full-time undergraduate course last year, according to UCAS. And, while some students are drawn to higher education to increase their academic knowledge and enjoy the university experience, most will also be looking to improve their employment and earning prospects. Government figures for 2020 show a graduate employment rate of 86.4 percent, with median graduate earnings standing at £35,000 (£9,500 more than their non-graduate counterparts).

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Creating a rich social and cultural experience for online degree learners

April 25, 2022

Much of the discussion around the recent global shift from campus-based to remote-learning models has centred on the quality of online programmes of study – more particularly on how universities can effectively motivate, support, and assess individuals as part of a dispersed student population.

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Breaking the bias: addressing the higher education gender pay gap

April 12, 2022

As participation continues to widen in the UK’s higher education sector with increasing numbers of applications from previously underrepresented sectors, many gender-based anomalies remain. For example, while women are much more likely to go to university than men (as well as to complete their studies and to achieve a good degree), figures show that women graduates cede their professional advantage in a matter of months.

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