STEM

Resources and advice for academics and students in the fields of science, technology, engineering and maths

Welcome back to the office

How to manage parental leave for university staff

Parental leave presents challenges for the parent and the workplace, writes Judith Lock. Here are some dos and don’ts for before, during and after the leave period that aim to smooth the return to work and fix academia’s leaky pipeline

Judith Lock

University of Southampton

Three young engineers in hazard gear

Steps to adapt engineering education to changing skills demands

Context-based learning, teamwork and creativity are all elements that could help engineering training respond more effectively to the needs of complex workplaces, writes Parakram Pyakurel

Parakram Pyakurel

New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering

Diverse students in lecture hall

Diversity in the classroom as an advantage for learning

Cultural diversity can have practical benefits in the university classroom if we reflect on it from a culture-sensitive perspective, writes Attila Dobos. It can enhance the quality of discussions and lead to a deeper understanding between teacher and students

Attila Dobos

Semmelweis University

Woman signing document

Pledges and charters in medical schools: catalysts for change or performative promises?

Pledges demonstrating support in addressing issues such as racism and misogyny will often garner interest and may even attract pockets of funding. But they also risk oversimplifying complex problems, writes Lois Haruna-Cooper

Lois Haruna-Cooper

University College London

Black female engineer working on a drone

How to help young women see themselves as coders, inventors and engineers

Female students can be overlooked in STEM fields. Janille Smith-Colin shares four ways to empower tomorrow’s engineering leaders to find their voice and the determination to use it

Janille Smith-Colin

SMU Lyle School of Engineering

Healthcare researcher with patient

What underpins effective patient and public involvement in health and social care research?

Is it rules or values? The two key ways to approach the art of PPI in healthcare research should come together in process, procedures and culture, writes Gary Hickey

Gary Hickey

University of Southampton

Film set

Film storytelling can enhance learning in STEM subjects

In the era of social technologies, authentic storytelling becomes a powerful tool for cultural and social change, a fundamental role of higher education, writes Arijit Mukhopadhyay

Arijit Mukhopadhyay

University of Salford

Students in an anatomy class at Semmelweis University

How practical education and talent management support medical students

A practice-oriented focus together with personalised talent support lead to success in medical education for local and international students. Here, Alán Alpár explains why teaching, science and patient care must go hand in hand

Alán Alpár

Semmelweis University

Mike Ibba

Campus interview: Mike Ibba of Chapman University on mentorship and the future of US science

In this video podcast Mike Ibba, dean of Schmid College of Science and Technology at Chapman University, talks about undergraduate research, what philosophers and scientists can learn from each other and the state of US federal funding for science and technology research

Mike Ibba

Chapman University

Podcast title card

THE podcast: how to do public engagement

What is best practice for universities’ public engagement? How do you enlist the public in your research? And how do you keep them interested in the long term? Two 2022 THE Awards winners share their insights – from their experiences tracking Covid and decoding Dickens

Tanya Wood, Hugo Bowles

King’s College London, University of Buckingham

College success

One write way to student success in mathematics

A detailed conversation and a letter begin a support process that can take students from repeated course failure to success and confidence. Here, Eric Grinberg explains how it works

Eric L. Grinberg

University of Massachusetts Boston

Student in chemistry lab

Messy decisions and creative science in the classroom

How can we teach students other than those studying for healthcare or other vocational qualifications to work across disciplinary boundaries and make scientific decisions in a creative – and enjoyable – manner? Here’s what we learned from running a data-driven drug-discovery scenario

Charlotte Dodson, Steve Flower

University of Bath

Student doctors practising clinical skills on a plush bear

How to teach clinical communication skills in a foreign language from scratch

This hands-on approach to clinical practice integrates content and language and enables both local and international students to acquire communication skills and vocabulary alongside activities relevant to medical practice

Katalin Fogarasi, Judit Császár

Semmelweis University

High school students in lab

A case study in developing the next STEM generation

University ‘taster days’ can introduce teenagers to what global health research and advocacy might be like as a future career. Here four academics describe a pilot training session and what they learned from it

Michael Head, Jessica Boxall, Winfred Dotse-Gborgbortsi, Kathryn Woods-Townsend

University of Southampton

students laughing in class

How to use humour to boost student understanding and foster creativity

Humour is a versatile teaching tool, explains Pete Ludovice. It’s fun, it makes the lecturer seem more approachable, helps make complex concepts relatable, shifts cognitive load, and encourages innovation in the classroom

Peter Ludovice

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Female doctor checks a woman's thyroid

A checklist for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in medical sciences and education, part two

Three questions that medical sciences lecturers should ask when revising curricula to promote ethical considerations, an understanding of health inequities and diverse perspectives

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Mia-Rose Gillison

University of Exeter

Dentistry procedure

Lessons learned from a fellowship year as a dentist and early career researcher

Winning a fellowship as a dentist and spending a year in Graz as an international scholar not only taught me about the profession but also fostered my self-awareness, writes Dániel Végh

Dániel Végh

Semmelweis University

School girls take part in activities at the Digital Divas conference

What is needed to run a successful outreach programme?

Lessons on running a successful outreach programme designed to spark school pupils’ interest in university, based on a 13-year project focused on getting more girls studying STEM

Bia Hamed

Eastern Michigan University

A diverse group of medics sitting through a seminar

A checklist for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in medical sciences and education, part one

Three questions that lecturers in medical sciences should ask when revising their curricula to promote diverse representation and health equity

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Mia-Rose Gillison

University of Exeter

virtual mentoring

How mentor and mentee can help each other

Mentorship is a symbiotic relationship. Here, two scientists look at steps in the meeting process and benefits from both sides

Greta Faccio, Maria Koumouri

Independent academic, University of Cyprus

Statue of Isaac Newton

Inclusivity versus devotion to the cult of STEM

Is an underlying global STEM culture of devotion getting in the way of a more inclusive academy, asks Andrew Pye

Andrew Pye

University of Exeter

Young woman studying

How to promote primary interest in basic medical education at the undergraduate level

A major challenge for educators is to present the theoretical beauty of medicine to students who have a broad spectrum of prior experience, ability and motivation – whether their interest is clinical or theoretical

Attila Mócsai

Semmelweis University

high school student watching remote mathematics lecture on laptop

How to make dual-enrolment programmes work

Dual enrolment can create student pipelines from high school to university, meet community education needs and improve retention and graduation rates. Here, Laura Brown Simmons breaks down the essential elements

Laura Brown Simmons

Georgia Tech’s Center for 21st Century Universities

Young doctor talking to a Black patient

Medical teaching resources need to represent all skin colours to enable doctors to serve a diverse population

Medical education must diversify its learning resources away from a focus solely on white patients to prepare students to diagnose and treat patients of all ethnicities, write Musarrat Maisha Reza and Naabil Khan

Musarrat Maisha Reza, Naabil Khan

University of Exeter

A young Black female engineer looks up in a satellite manufacturing facility

What are the barriers to success for underrepresented ECRs in maths, physics, computer science and engineering?

Recommendations for improving equity, diversity and inclusion in maths, physics, computer science and engineering, based on research into the barriers faced by early career researchers from underrepresented groups in these disciplines

Lucy Yeomans, Daniela Fernandez, Lauren Stentiford

University of Exeter

Group of chemistry students

Ways to improve the equitable inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in research and higher education

A summary of actions universities and research bodies should take to create truly equitable, inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ staff and students

Alfredo Carpineti, Matthew Young, Craig Poku

Pride in STEM, Nottingham Trent University

Female medical student examining slide

Unifying theoretical and clinical education in a medical curriculum

A focus on practical competences comes with the risk that theoretical knowledge will be sidelined during the clinical years. However, two-way vertical integration of medical training can provide a more balanced strategy for learning

László Köles

Semmelweis University

A group of medical students stand around a patient in bed

Social justice as part of medical education

Five strategies universities can adopt to aid medical students’ understanding of and engagement with social justice principles as part of healthcare training

Priya Harindranathan

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Scientist in yellow lab coat using pipette

How medical education can benefit from global challenges

Worldwide crises, such as a pandemic or healthcare costs in ageing Western societies, often centre on medical education and require it to adapt quickly. So, what can a university learn from such situations?

Béla Merkely

Semmelweis University

THE podcast graphic

THE Podcast: when pop culture meets academia

Can superheroes teach us about physics? What can studying Kylie Minogue tell us about gender politics? Two academics talk about the intersection of popular culture and higher education

Michael Dennin, Liz Giuffre

University of California, Irvine, University of Technology Sydney

Depressed student hiding face on arms in front of laptop

Generation Z presents new challenges for medical education

Digitally savvy and adapted to rapid change, this cohort of future doctors needs emotional support and help managing expectations and setbacks

György Purebl

Semmelweis University

Man speaking jargon to confused man and woman

Being elitist about sci-comms damages science

Scientists, if you communicate only with people at your own level of expertise, how will you recruit the best and brightest, engage the public and change the world? Kylie Ahern takes ‘dumbing down’ to task

Kylie Ahern

STEM Matters

A woman writing out equations on a glass screen

The House Cup: promoting qualitative grading in mathematics

Using qualitative instead of numerical grading in mathematics supports meaningful feedback that helps students improve the quality of their work, Jean-Baptiste Gramain explains

Jean-Baptiste Gramain

University of Aberdeen

Researchers discussing their work

What does a 21st-century research and science system look like?

Jim Metson explores what is needed from universities and government to create a transformative research, science and innovation sector in New Zealand

Jim Metson

University of Auckland

A female doctor talking to a woman

A robust complaints process for students working in NHS placements

Students training as health and social care workers must be supported to speak up about complaints or concerns from practice settings. Helen Carr outlines a clear process

Helen Carr

Canterbury Christ Church University

A man doing calculations at his computer

A unique approach to designing robust, calculation-based online assessments

Designing open-book, online assessments for subjects relying on calculation poses a challenge to educators. Amit Navin Jinabhai presents a model he has successfully applied to minimise student collusion

Amit Navin Jinabhai

University of Manchester

history of mathematics concept

Decolonising learning through access to primary sources

Mathematicians have always looked at old problems in new ways. A database of original sources will give university-level mathematics students a global, historical view of their subject

June Barrow-Green , Brigitte Stenhouse

The Open University

Electron microscope image

When to use online laboratories for STEM teaching and why

A guide to help STEM educators understand which aspects of practical laboratory learning can most effectively be delivered online and the benefits of this approach

Helen Lockett

The Open University

How to encourage women entrepreneurs at universities

How can we help academia produce more women entrepreneurs?

The key change required to help female academics found spin-out companies is rebalancing the gender diversity of the investment community, but universities have a part to play, too

Simonetta Manfredi

Oxford Brookes University

A virtual reality classroom

Teaching within virtual reality worlds: what, why and when

Gary Burnett offers five pointers on when and how teaching in virtual reality worlds can successfully enhance learning

Gary Burnett

University of Nottingham

Student in a role play simulation

Whole-task learning using real world simulations: a guide

A guide to creating and delivering a whole-task learning model using goal-based scenarios and hybrid simulation, by Michael Daly

Michael Daly

RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

A man building a machine on his desk

Home labs and simulations to spark curiosity and exploration

Francesco Fornetti explains how home lab kits and simulation tools can help spark curiosity and exploration among engineering students

Francesco Fornetti

University of Bristol

Image of a DNA strand

Helping students see biology within a broader context

Should educators help students understand their chosen subjects within a broader context of learning? Mark Coleman has been experimenting with this in his biology course and shares his findings so far

Mark Coleman

University of East Anglia

Image of a young black woman scientist

Address STEM inequality by reconceiving merit

The cultural yardsticks used to measure merit in STEM are warped with bias and often devalue women, people of colour and LGBTQ+ scientists with records equal to white heterosexual male peers. To fix STEM inequality, academia must reconceive merit

Mary Blair-Loy , Erin A. Cech

University of California San Diego , University of Michigan

Image showing data processing and analytics

Foundations to lay when teaching computational and data skills

Traditional teaching in data analysis focuses on statistics and visualisation but an emphasis on foundational data and computational skills is needed to prepare students to work with real data, explains Philip Leftwich

Philip Leftwich

University of East Anglia

Running a diverse team is harder work but the rewards are immense

Running a diverse team is harder work – but the rewards are immense

John Womersley managed more than 50 nationalities on a €3 billion science project. Here, he reflects on the experience and gives tips on getting the most out of a diverse team

John Womersley

University of Oxford

Image showing researcher studying plants

Helping students tackle terminology barriers

Lots of new terminology can leave students feeling overwhelmed. Sonja Dunbar shares one way to build student confidence when encountering discipline-specific terms

Sonja Dunbar

University of Cambridge

Image depicting the study of bioscience

Creating a bioscience toolkit for first year students

Chinedu Agwu shares advice on supporting first-year students to develop the core skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a bioscience course

Chinedu Agwu

University of Hertfordshire

Gender equality

Ten ways universities can tackle gender inequality

Ellie Bothwell outlines recommendations from THE’s recent report on how universities around the world are performing on gender equality

Ellie Bothwell

Times Higher Education

A healthcare professional assisting a male patient

Why and how to build awareness of cultural sensitivity in healthcare curricula

Why and how to adjust curricula to take account of cultural sensitivities relating to the discipline being taught, taking healthcare as an example

Craig Jackson

Loma Linda University