Professional insight from University of Southampton

The University of Southampton drives original thinking, turns knowledge into action and impact, and creates solutions to the world’s challenges. Through our high-quality education, we help students on a journey of discovery to realise their potential.

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Teachers discuss ideas

It’s good to talk: the power of action learning sets in educator development

Protected time for peer questioning can help educators rethink teaching challenges, build collegial relationships and develop inclusive practice. Find out how to embed action learning sets in academic development

Vanessa Mar-Molinero

University of Southampton

Mallard duck on the edge of a pond

Ducking out of the algorithm: how observing nature develops students’ sustained focus

Could asking politics students to watch ducks and squirrels help them resist screens and extend their attention? Eloise Harding used a fieldwork-based assessment that drew on their curiosity and critical thinking skills to find out

Eloise Harding

University of Southampton

A patient group is engaged in discussion

Four ways to create more inclusive patient and public involvement in research

Relying on established patient groups or advertising in the same way for public contribution often means research can suffer from blind spots. Here’s how to spread your reach for a more diverse cohort – and ultimately, more relevant work

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

An academic laughs in a meeting

Make your higher education meetings neurodivergent-friendly

For neurodivergent staff, meetings can be something to dread. Here’s how to make them feel comfortable and get the best out of them

Jamie Wilde

University of Southampton

Young woman wearing virtual reality headset with globe in background

How to create a virtual field trip

Virtual field trips have the potential to prepare students more thoroughly for experiences on location. Here’s how to put one together

James Allen

University of Southampton

Close up of wolf

Why the ‘lone wolf’ principal investigator no longer works in modern academia

Teams that integrate clinical insight and academic enquiry result in better academic outputs, increased researcher well-being and a sense of community and shared ownership

Zoë Walters, Tim Underwood

University of Southampton

Researchers in a laboratory

What established academics can learn from technical staff

University research runs on the expertise of technicians, research software engineers, data stewards and core‑facility specialists. Treat them as strategic partners and your group’s quality, speed and compliance will improve

Ian D. Williams

University of Southampton

Muslim college-age female students in discussion

Rethinking how researchers can deliver preventive healthcare outreach

For community outreach to be effective, researchers need to listen to the target group, build trust and connect the health information they share to participants’ daily lives

Nadera Assim

University of Southampton

Actors rehearsing a scene

Storytelling and theatre techniques to take research to general audiences

Researchers often believe that science communication requires them to abandon depth. Storytelling, however, can provide a structure through which complex ideas become more accessible without losing academic rigour

Michelle Smith

Theatre for Life, University of Southampton

Health worker talks to a patient

Rethinking the process of patient and public involvement

To get a full picture of the impact of PPI, would it be better to focus on improving the process of involving people in health research as well as measuring outcomes?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Group of international students in a lecture all

Why ethical internationalisation starts with listening

If the UK higher education sector wants its transnational education partnerships to be socially responsible, academically rigorous and politically resilient, universities must prioritise co-creation and cultural literacy, writes Valentina Cardo

Valentina Cardo

University of Southampton

Group of colleagues around a table

Interdisciplinary research cultures are inclusive, not competitive

Research that crosses disciplines strengthens networks, diversifies expertise and moves thinking beyond inherited boundaries, but effective interdisciplinarity takes time, curiosity and willingness to tackle cultural and structural obstacles

Valentina Cardo, Claire Clarkin , Ingrid Slade

University of Southampton

Happy students on campus

How to build inclusion into a transnational campus from day one

While robust EDI policies are essential, equity, diversity and inclusion efforts become truly meaningful when visible representation and everyday interactions are prioritised across the institution

Anupama Saini

University of Southampton

Loading illustration leading to lightbulb on yellow background

‘The first step is to understand what supervisors and students need’

Many academics have limited access to structured training in doctoral supervision. Here, Paul Clarkson and Tahrima Hossain offer takeaways from designing a supervisor development programme

Paul Clarkson, Tahrima Hossain

University of Southampton

Teen boy in a science lab

Opening doors: how to make work experience work for scientists and school students alike

Giving more secondary school students opportunities to experience working in a research lab means addressing faculty capacity

Kathryn Woods-Townsend, Kate Bartlett

University of Southampton

Hand stopping a line of dominoes falling

When the business plan becomes a performance

Under conventional assessment models in entrepreneurship, continuation of a venture is rewarded and optimism reads as competence, write Ian Solway and Jolyon Nott. But students should be required to demonstrate judgement, not projected success

Ian Solway, Jolyon Nott

University of Southampton

Research students having coffee

Four ways to strengthen the PGR community and sense of belonging

The doctoral experience doesn’t have to be isolated. Here, Maisha Islam and Natasha Palmer share four recommendations to enable an inclusive, collaborative research culture and communities for postgraduate researchers

Maisha Islam , Natasha Palmer

University of Southampton

Male South Asian student in university library

When a university TNE library is as much diplomat as database

On a transnational university campus, the library can be a space that encourages intellectual risk-taking, engagement with equality, diversity and inclusion objectives, and collaboration on global challenges such as the climate crisis

Anupama Saini

University of Southampton

Woman in a meeting

Why universities should rethink line management before they rethink learning

Strong line management leads to higher staff engagement and retention, supports healthier research environments, reduces conflict and enables smoother adoption of change, writes Annie Owen. Here are ways universities can foster it

Annie Owen

University of Southampton

Money and a calculator on a table

Beyond mission statements: financially literate academics make better career choices

The most valuable research you do this year will not be for your next paper but into your employer and yourself, writes Tom Chapman. Here, he outlines findings from his analysis of university financial statements, offering insight into what to expect when planning a move

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

red paper airplane leaving line of white paper airplanes

Academia can never be ‘just a job’ (and why that is OK)

The uncomfortable truth is that academia doesn’t conform to the regular nine-to-five, and pretending otherwise will not fix working conditions that are broken, argues Sorin Krammer

Sorin M. S. Krammer

University of Southampton

Illustration of faces in blues and greens

Lecture room as tapestry: weaving culture, curiosity and learning together

Culturally inclusive pedagogy asks educators to redesign learning environments that work with, rather than ignore, the diversity in university classrooms. Here, Chipo Simbi offers advice around student engagement, assessment and safe spaces

Chipo Simbi

University of Southampton

Details of hands playing different games

A game-making workshop to bring complex systems to life

Board games offer a powerful teaching tool to deepen understanding of complex dynamics such as climate. This analogue group task fosters the skills of systems thinking: setting boundaries, seeing multiple perspectives and holistic analysis

Adam Procter, Matteo Menapace

University of Southampton, Manchester Metropolitan University

Book, scales, gavel, fuzzy globe, environmental justice concept

Teaching ethics and sustainability through fiction

A novel offers practical ways for students to consider how theory and practice can come together in addressing climate challenges. Here, Denise Baden offers exercises across humanities and social sciences disciplines

Denise Baden

University of Southampton

reverse mentoring

What established academics can learn from ECRs

Professors can gain immediate, practical benefits if they listen to early career researchers, through inter-generational exchanges such as reverse mentoring. Here, Ian Williams offers five capabilities that ECRs can offer more seasoned scholars

Ian D. Williams

University of Southampton

Connection concept

Publishing as connection: lessons from developing a university press

By listening to researchers, staying flexible, embracing criticism and collaborating widely, those developing an institutional publishing ecosystem can reflect the values of the communities they serve

Emily Carter

University of Southampton

Empty drawer

‘Your bot of choice is not a filing cabinet’

With GenAI taking a larger role in research and education, Sorin Krammer looks at the data management habits academics can no longer ignore

Sorin M. S. Krammer

University of Southampton

Robot doing jigsaw

AI won’t replace qualitative researchers – it might help them

Large language models may not simply replicate human analyses of qualitative data; they can offer additional insights and both challenge researchers' assumptions and prompt further reflection on their interpretations

Dimitris Raidos, Sarah Jenner

Ipsos UK, University of Southampton

AI governance concept

Pluralistic idealism alone won’t govern the future

AI governance is treated as an ethics problem, when it is increasingly a question of control, authority and speed. As AI systems reshape admissions, assessment and student support, universities need to govern what is live, not what looks good on paper

Alistair Sackley

University of Southampton

Digital accessibility

Why digital accessibility is now a leadership issue for universities

The question for university decision-makers is whether to settle for the minimum accessibility required by international regulation or to embed it as a marker of institutional excellence across teaching, research and civic mission

Ayala Gordon, Sarah Lewthwaite

Independent academic, University of Southampton

University teacher helping two multiracial students

What I wish I’d known before becoming a programme leader

Becoming a programme leader means learning to lead without line management, protecting your boundaries, and playing the long game. Here, Tom Chapman reflects on what he’s learned during two decades in the role

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

International law concept, globe, gavel

Developing a Kantian transnational clinical legal education programme

Enabling students to engage in supervised cross-border legal work bridges theory and practice while equipping them for a globalised landscape. Omar Madhloom and Martin Sticker outline the benefits, challenges and pathways forward

Omar Madhloom, Martin Sticker

University of Southampton, The University of Bristol

Graduate ambassadors can support student employability

Alumna, alumnus, alumni: how can graduates influence current and future students?

Are universities mobilising one of their most impactful tools to boost student recruitment, improve graduate employability and strengthen the student experience: the alumni community?

Nicole Chapman, Jessica Boxall

University of Southampton

Child's hands holding Lego bricks

Doing outreach with children? Start with bricks, questions and storytelling

When the climate crisis dominates headlines but often feels too large for meaningful action, how can university researchers invite the next generation to engage, imagine and lead? Here, Nadera Assim shares insights from a workshop on composting

Nadera Assim

University of Southampton

Women footballers celebrating victory

Measuring the value of movement: how universities can capture the benefits of sport and physical activity

With robust, quantitative data, the higher education sector can show how its sporting activities and facilities contribute to both student and staff well-being and national health goals while strengthening the case for future investment

Phil Malatesta

University of Southampton

Trout in a river

Looking for our environmental future in the poetic past

How can studying a poem or writing a story give students the skills to imagine a healthy planetary future? Stephanie Jones explains the link between literature and environmental literacy

Stephanie Jones

University of Southampton

Group in discussion

Creating a safe space for patients and public in research

How can healthcare researchers ensure that non-researchers feel comfortable to share opinions or ask questions during project meetings?

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Two black men shaking hands and smiling

Can peer mentoring support under-represented students into postgraduate research?

Mentoring is often seen as a silver bullet for tackling complex challenges such as unequal access to postgraduate research opportunities. So, can a peer-to-peer scheme support under-represented students into PhD study?

Maisha Islam

University of Southampton

Young female manager in a meeting

Why university leaders must listen differently in one-to-ones

Talk less and listen more should be a mantra for leaders and managers. When they acknowledge diverse perspectives, avoid dominating discussions and reflect what they have heard, it sets the tone for more inclusive, respectful dialogue

Annie Owen

University of Southampton

Are academics becoming overexposed on LinkedIn?

Social media is key to building an academic network but what about the darker side of putting your professional life on global display? Larisa Yarovaya explores the balance between polished presence and oversharing

Larisa Yarovaya

University of Southampton

Young woman looking thoughtful

Mapping employability skills across curricula

A mandatory university-wide initiative shows how mapping professional skills against all programmes can tailor students’ work readiness no matter their career path

Katy Gordon

University of Southampton

AI assistance concept illustration

AI as an access tool for neurodiverse and international staff

Used transparently and ethically, GenAI can level the playing field and lower the cognitive load of repetitive tasks for admin staff, student support and teachers

Vanessa Mar-Molinero

University of Southampton

Focus on programme leaders in higher education

Overworked and undervalued: how can we empower programme leaders in higher education?

Programme leaders are an often-undervalued part of the student learning experience. Here, Neil Ford shares advice on how peer networks and communities of practice can support programme leaders’ development and recognition

Neil Ford

University of Southampton

Female scientific researcher in wheelchair in lab

‘Think of inclusivity as the rule rather than the exception’

Cultivating an inclusivity mindset can help university researchers demystify and embrace reasonable adjustments as part of everyday practice

Jamie Wilde

University of Southampton

Teams that include AI agents and humans

How should universities teach leadership now that teams include humans and autonomous AI agents?

Trust and leadership style are emerging as key aspects of teambuilding in the age of AI. Here are ways to integrate these considerations with technology in teaching

Alex Zarifis

University of Southampton

Two employes chatting in an office

Managing upwards in higher education, part 2: relational and personal boundary skills

The second in a two-part series focuses on protecting your integrity, building goodwill across your institution and setting boundaries around your time and availability to create sustainable, constructive relationships with your manager

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

A chess player moving a rook across the board

Managing upwards in higher education, part 1: structural and political skills

Strategies for academics on working effectively with managers while protecting their time, integrity and career trajectory

Tom Chapman

University of Southampton

Woman getting out of car

Why parents and carers networks matter to university staff

Advocacy, activities, peer support and safe spaces are among the reasons to institute a network for university faculty and staff with caring responsibilities

Claire Partridge

University of Southampton

Young person using social media

Using social media to connect cohorts

A digital poster competition that encouraged comments on social media can spark conversations between under- and postgraduate students. Here’s how it works

Sam Perry , Robert Clarke, Lucy Mannie

University of Southampton

Blocks showing two-way communication

Cut through the noise with impactful internal communications

Internal messaging needs to reach the right people and inspire action – whether that’s getting responses to a staff survey or changing recycling behaviour. Here, Kelly Hibbs explores practical strategies to build trust and clarity

Kelly Hibbs

University of Southampton