How should the role of academics evolve to ensure students receive the high quality teaching they deserve?
The move to online teaching has highlighted a lack of basic pedagogical knowledge among many academics who have, mostly, been focused on career progression that has been propelled much more by their research citations than teaching kudos.
But should there be more focus on professional development and training among faculty to enhance their understanding of pedagogical principles and improve teaching in higher education? And how should teaching responsibilities be weighed against research commitments? With universities facing uncertain financial futures, will a greater focus on teaching and the student experience become more essential?
Join THE's Sara Custer and Miranda Prynne as they discuss these questions with Brian Schmidt, Nobel Laureate in Physics and vice-chancellor and president of the Australian National University and Alexandra Mihai, learning designer at University College London.
Immersive technology expert Monica Arés explains how the combination of artificial intelligence and extended reality in education has the potential to unlock curiosity and learning, the costs that come with these tools and what she thinks teaching technology will look like in 2034.
Academic, practitioner and policy commentator Mark Thompson shares his concern that UK higher education is drifting from its true north of research, teaching and impact in the wake of complex digital change and the prisoner’s dilemma of whole-sector transformation
Two Australian academics take on the role of person-to-person contact in student success and well-being in higher education – whether that’s the benefits of in-person teaching or the effects of using AI for academic work
Experts demystify what open access and open research are, tips for best practice, and where the movement and research culture are heading.