Category: Blog

  • WEEKEND READING The art of reimagining universities: a vision for higher education

    WEEKEND READING The art of reimagining universities: a vision for higher education

    Join HEPI for a webinar on Thursday 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am to discuss how universities can strengthen the student voice in governance to mark the launch of our upcoming report, Rethinking the Student Voice. Sign up now to hear our speakers explore the key questions.

    This blog was kindly authored by Professor Rathna Ramanathan, Provost, Central Saint Martins; Executive Dean for Global Affairs and Professor of Design and Intercultural Communication, University of the Arts London.

    The structure of our universities is stuck in the past. The recent post-16 education and skills white paper praises our universities as globally excellent institutions but calls for a reorientation towards national priorities and greater efficiency. As academics and creatives functioning as outsiders, we can use this position productively to define future pathways.

    We’re living through multiple crises at once – climate emergency, polarization, AI disruption – yet most universities still organize themselves around departments created decades ago. Institutions talk endlessly about ‘interdisciplinary collaboration’ and ‘preparing students for the future’, yet their actual structures often make both nearly impossible.

    At Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, we have tried something different. We have redesigned the College by rethinking what an art and design college should focus on and how it can work, guided by shared principles that emerged from asking: ‘What does it look like when we work together at our best?’

    The real question

    We ask students to be creative, adaptive, bold. To embrace complexity and imagine different futures. What could our universities achieve if we reorganised ourselves with the same creativity we demand from students?

    The institutions that thrive in the coming decades won’t be those defending traditions most fiercely. They will be those with the courage to redesign themselves for the world emerging, not the one they were built for. That’s uncomfortable. Structural change is difficult and uncertain. Letting go of familiar categories and hierarchies requires trust. Building new collaborative cultures alongside new organisational structures demands sustained effort. This discomfort might be precisely the point. If universities can’t model the adaptive, experimental, principles-led thinking we claim to teach, why should anyone trust us to prepare the next generation for an uncertain future? More bluntly, if we don’t practice what we teach, do we deserve to thrive?

    The problem: structure shapes everything

    For over a century, universities have organised themselves into disciplinary silos. This made sense when knowledge was more stable, and career paths were more predictable. But today’s urgent challenges  don’t heed disciplinary boundaries and require insights from science, policy, economics, ethics, design, and creative practice simultaneously.

    Most universities recognise this. They create joint programmes and support cross-department initiatives. Yet the fundamental architecture remains unchanged: separate budgets, isolated governance structures, academic staff working within disciplinary lanes. It’s like trying to renovate a house by rearranging the furniture while leaving the walls intact.

    For students, this disconnect is glaring. They see interconnected problems everywhere, yet are asked to choose a single discipline and stay within it. They want to learn how to think, not just master a predetermined skill set. Traditional university structures also inadvertently reinforce whose knowledge counts and whose doesn’t, often privileging Western over non-Western perspectives, theory over practice, and individual achievement over collective wisdom. In an era demanding intercultural, community-centred, and future-focused approaches, these inherited biases have become institutional liabilities.

    The experiment: principles before structure

    Central Saint Martins’ transformation began with a fundamental question: ‘What does it look like when we work together at our best?’ From this inquiry emerged five core principles that now guide decision-making at College level: address shared conditions that transcend disciplines; seek common ground through equitable collaboration; treat the whole life of the College as creative material; bring practice to every space; and deepen connections with communities beyond our walls. These aren’t aspirational statements. They’re operational principles that inform the creation of a new structure: ‘Schools of Thought’.

    Three schools of thought: foundations, not hierarchies

    Most university ‘schools’ function as management layers above departments with administrative structures for top-down control. At Central Saint Martins, we are inverting this model. Our Schools of Thought establish shared foundations beneath courses and programmes, creating common ground where disciplines naturally converge.

    Each school aims to be transdisciplinary (integrating ways of thinking), not merely multidisciplinary (putting disciplines side-by-side). They’re collective, not just collaborative. The naming strategy – C + S + M = CSM – emphasises the whole over parts. Rather than reinforcing disciplinary boundaries, they create space for working across schools while adapting to changing conditions.


    C School [Culture]     explores culture as a vital form of enquiry and expression, developing thinking and practice across art, performance and curation. It recognises culture in the immediate world around us, understanding it as a sense-making activity.


    S School [Systems]     explores how different forms of designing allow us to understand and intervene in the complex human systems shaping our world through graphic communication, product and industrial design, architecture, business innovation, and creative enterprise.


    M School [Materials]     investigates radical approaches to materials, making, and meaning-making through fashion, textiles, and jewellery to digital interaction, scientific innovation, and multi-species regeneration.

    Why principles matter more than plans

    What makes this transformation different from typical restructuring is its foundation in shared principles rather than predetermined outcomes. The principles emerged from collective reflection on the College’s actual lived experience, examining when authentic collaboration and meaningful impact happen. They aim to capture the heart of the College’s culture rather than imposing an abstract ideal. They create coherence without rigidity, alignment without conformity.

    Schools of Thought are not viewed as resolved but as vehicles for ongoing transformation. They provide low-walled frameworks for continuous evolution, adapting to changing conditions while staying true to core values. As communities and conversations develop, the schools themselves will transform, shaped by the very practices they enable.

    The deeper shift: embedding justice and sustainability

    Traditionally, art and design education has reinforced colonial perspectives, unsustainable production and cultural hierarchies; biases that reproduce invisibly through inherited disciplinary structures. The principle of ‘addressing shared conditions’ makes complicity in global crises unavoidable rather than optional, preventing justice and sustainability from being relegated to elective courses or diversity initiatives.

    ‘Seeking common ground’” creates space for marginalised knowledge systems, while ‘taking the whole life of the College as material’ reveals institutional truths through the lived experiences of our staff and our students rather than stated values alone.

    We can’t truly prepare students for the climate crisis, technological disruption, or polarisation by adding modules to unchanged systems. The structure needs to embody the values and capacities these challenges demand.

    What creativity teaches

    Creative education isn’t primarily about self-expression or beautiful objects. But approached as Central Saint Martins has, creativity becomes a methodology for engaging with uncertainty as traditional certainties collapse.

    ‘Bring practice to every space’ makes thinking-in-formation visible, cultivating comfort with ambiguity and the capacity to learn from failure—all critical for navigating unpredictable futures. “Deepen external connections” recognises that knowledge develops through genuine dialogue with communities beyond institutional walls, not expert pronouncements.

    These approaches value prototyping and iteration over perfect solutions, holding contradictory ideas simultaneously, collaborating across difference, and making abstract possibilities tangible. We want to apply creative principles to institutional transformation, treating the restructuring as an experimental, collaborative, and iterative process rather than a top-down plan.

    Lessons for all higher education

    Although rooted in creative arts, the principles-led approach transfers across sectors. Imperial College London’s recently launched Schools of Convergence Science reflects similar recognition that traditional structures no longer serve contemporary challenges. Structural change requires more than new organisational charts. It requires:

    • Culture shifts embedded in governance: Principles that guide decision-making at every level, ensuring new structures don’t simply replicate old patterns.
    • Foundation-level transformation: Creating common ground where collaboration becomes natural rather than requiring special initiatives.
    • Recognition of complicity: Acknowledging how inherited structures perpetuate problems, then actively working to transform those conditions.
    • Treating institutional structure as material: Applying the same creative, experimental, iterative approaches we teach students.
    • Making the whole life of the institution visible: Valuing informal experience alongside formal roles, practice alongside theory, collective wisdom alongside individual expertise.

    Any university can ask itself: What principles characterise when we work at our best? How could we design structures that enable rather than constrain that work? What would it mean to organise around shared conditions rather than inherited categories?

    As higher education gets increasingly othered in new policies, outsiders can provide the breakthroughs needed by taking a fresh perspective. As ‘The genius of the amateur’ points out, outsiders often succeed because progress is about generating models which we then test, apply and refine. We can’t do this alone at Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, we need to do this collectively: to genuinely practice for ourselves what we teach and to create a space which isn’t about silos or othering but where all of us are welcome.

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  • Bridging further education and higher education: A practical agenda for the post-16 reforms

    Bridging further education and higher education: A practical agenda for the post-16 reforms

    Author:
    Imran Mir

    Published:

    Join HEPI for a webinar on Thursday 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am to discuss how universities can strengthen the student voice in governance to mark the launch of our upcoming report, Rethinking the Student Voice. Sign up now to hear our speakers explore the key questions.

    This guest blog was kindly authored by Imran Mir, Campus Head and Programme Lead at Apex College Leicester.

    The embedding of the further education and higher education sectors has been a longstanding policy goal, but recent reforms have caused an urgent need than ever. The UK government has set the ambitious goal of having at least two-thirds of young people go on to higher-level learning by age 25, with at least 10% of them pursuing higher technical education or apprenticeships. While such targets can be seen as overly ambitious, they will only come to fruition if the gap between further education and higher education is efficiently bridged. Without this, there is a risk of losing students during the transition from one educational stage to the next. These government ambitions highlight why bridging further education and higher education is so important. Aligning both sectors is essential to turning these national policy goals into real progress for learners.

    The persistent progression problem

    Although there has been some growth in participation in higher education, disparities remain. Students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are four times less likely to have access to high-tariff universities. Whilst UCAS data for 2024 has shown growth in learner acceptances, this is largely down to an increase in the number of 18-year-olds, rather than a reduction in gaps between the most and least advantaged students. Further education is vital for social mobility; however, too many learners face major barriers when trying to transition into the higher education institutions of their choice.

    Five key levers to improve bridging

    1. Align curriculum and assessment
      When transitioning from further education to higher education, students will face a contrast in learning expectations. In the former, through A-Levels and vocational qualifications, assessments are exam-focused and often high-stakes. In comparison, higher education has a variety of assessment types, including coursework, presentations, and exams. These assessments are often less frequent, and a student’s grade is not as reliant on a single, high-stakes exam. To make this transition process smoother, higher education providers and further education providers should collaborate to co-design first-year assessments that look to integrate a blend of authentic tasks, ranging from portfolios to presentations. This would allow better preparation for students to progress into higher education while aligning expectations between further and higher education. This approach is supported by the Foundation Year Fee Cap Guidance, which explains the importance of curricula that support progression into higher-level study while avoiding the repetition of Level 3 content.
    2. Use admissions to recognise potential
      A large number of further education students, particularly those without access to enrichment activities, find it difficult to reach their potential, something which is not always recognised in higher education admissions. Many of these learners focus on technical or applied qualifications such as T Levels and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), which develop valuable practical and professional skills. However, because these programmes may not include the same kinds of enrichment activities often valued in traditional academic routes, their achievements are sometimes overlooked in admissions decisions. Universities should value T Levels, Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs), and other applied learning pathways. These routes must be recognised by universities. They must provide clear pathways showing how credits earned in further education can be transferred to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE). This would result in the system being more inclusive for students who come from non-traditional routes into higher education..
    3. Share data and pastoral insight
      The lack of continued student support is another barrier. Colleges and universities must work together in creating a standardised set of transition data that includes information on curriculum, assessment types, and available support measures. For example, shared data could help universities identify where incoming students may need additional academic or well-being support. To enable a smooth transition, both sectors need to agree on how to share this information. The OfS Regulatory Framework promotes transparency in data sharing to ensure positive student outcomes.
    4. Co-deliver first-year teaching
      In certain subjects, co-delivering first-year content between FE and HE providers could help students with transitioning from further education. Modules on study skills, digital literacy, and professional competencies could be delivered jointly; this approach would particularly benefit students who work or commute. This method aligns with the OfS Strategy 2025–2030 Guide, which clearly stresses student success and sector resilience as a major priority.  
    5. Make the LLE a ladder, not a maze
      The LLE offers an opportunity for modular, credit-bearing study across a lifetime. For this vision to come to fruition, higher education institutions must look to implement clear credit transfer rules, transparent pricing, and clear pathways for learners to progress from Level 4 to full degrees. By having routes which are clearly mapped out, students will be better able to understand how to continue their education without getting lost in a complex system. The House of Commons Library LLE Briefing outlines how this could be achieved.

    Reflecting on the recent Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper (DfE, 2025), there is clear intent to have a more connected tertiary system through plans such as the Lifelong Learning Entitlement and stronger employer-education partnerships. The proposal clearly acknowledges many of the issues outlined above, especially the need for smoother progression routes and credit transfer between further and higher education. However, questions will remain on how effectively these ambitions are going to be implemented. Without unified collaboration from both sides, clear accountability, and investment in teaching capacity and resources across both sectors, the reforms risk reinforcing the existing divides rather than bridging the gap.

    The prize

    For the government to achieve its goal of equity, further education students must not just enter higher education but also succeed once there. The reforms present an opportunity; they must be matched with the practical changes in how we align assessment, recognise technical routes in admissions, share data, work together where possible, and make the LLE more navigable. By taking these actions, policy ambitions can be translated into real-world success for students.   

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  • From detection to development: how universities are ethically embedding AI-for-learning

    From detection to development: how universities are ethically embedding AI-for-learning

    Author:
    Mike Larsen

    Published:

    • HEPI Director Nick Hillman’s verdict on the Budget can be found on the Times Higher website here.
    • Today’s blog was kindly authored by Mike Larsen, Chief Executive Officer at Studiosity, a HEPI Partner.

    The future of UK higher education rests upon the assurance of student learning outcomes. While GenAI presents the sector with immense opportunities for advancement and efficiency, the sector is constrained by an anachronistic model of plagiarism detection rooted in adversarialism. I believe the ‘Police and Punish’ model must now be replaced by ‘Support and Validate’.

    A reliance upon detection was perhaps once a necessary evil but it has never aligned with the fundamental values of higher education. The assumption that policing student behaviour is the only way to safeguard standards no longer applies.

    Such a punitive policy model has become increasingly untenable, consuming valuable university resources in unviable investigations and distracting from universities’ core mission. I believe there is a compelling alternative.

    As assessment methods undergo necessary change, higher education institutions must consciously evaluate the risks inherent in abandoning proven means of developing durable critical thinking and communication skills, such as academic writing. New learning and assessment methodologies are required but must be embraced via evidence and concurrently protect the core promise of higher education.

    An emerging policy framework for consideration and research is ‘support and validate’ which pairs timely, evidence-based academic support with student self-validation of authorship and learning.

    Building capability, confidence and competence provides the ideal preparation for graduates to embrace current and future technology in both the workplace and society.

    The combination of established and immediate academic writing feedback systems with advanced authorship and learning validation capabilities creates a robust and multi-layered solution capable of ensuring quality at scale.

    This is an approach built upon detecting learning, not cheating. Higher education leaders may recognise this integrated approach empowers learners and unburdens educators, without compromising quality. It ensures the capabilities uniquely developed by higher education, now needed more than ever, are extended and amplified rather than replaced by techno-solutionism.

    We must build a future where assessment security explicitly prioritises learning, not policing. For UK higher education, a pivot from punishment to capability-building and validation may be the only sustainable way to safeguard the value of the degree qualification.

    Studiosity’s AI-for-Learning platform scales student success at hundreds of universities across five continents, with research-backed evidence of impact. Studiosity has recently acquired Norvalid, a world leader in tech-enabled student self-validation of authorship and authentic learning, shifting how higher education approaches assessment security and learning.

     

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  • Convert More Inquiries Into Enrollments in 2025

    Convert More Inquiries Into Enrollments in 2025

    Reading Time: 14 minutes

    Turning inquiries into enrollments is where real growth happens. In today’s competitive education market, generating leads is just the beginning. The bigger challenge? Guiding prospective students through the decision-making journey thoughtfully, strategically, and at scale.

    That’s where lead nurturing in education comes in.

    Done right, lead nurturing builds trust over time. It moves beyond one-off follow-ups or generic emails, instead delivering timely and relevant touchpoints that support prospects at each stage of their journey. For schools and universities, it’s one of the most powerful levers for boosting application and enrollment rates.

    This post breaks down how educational institutions worldwide are evolving their lead nurturing strategies for 2025. We’ll cover actionable techniques like segmenting by intent, building automation that feels personal, and aligning communication with what Gen Alpha expects. Along the way, we’ll share real-life examples to illustrate how schools are implementing this in practice.

    Are you looking for education marketing services?

    Our expert digital marketing services can help you attract and enroll more students!

    Changing Student Expectations in 2025 (Gen Z and Gen Alpha)

    Why is fast response time so important in student lead nurturing? Today’s prospective students, spanning late Gen Z and the emerging Generation Alpha, expect immediacy and personalization. These digital natives grew up with instant streaming, smart devices, and AI assistants. When they reach out to schools, they expect the same level of responsiveness. In fact, most prospective students enroll at the first institution that replies. That first-touch speed is no longer a bonus; it’s the baseline.

    This shift has raised the bar for student engagement. When a teen submits an inquiry at 8 p.m. or a parent messages on Sunday morning, they want a prompt reply. Waiting days for an email or being stuck in a voicemail loop is a fast track to lost leads. Live chat, chatbots, text messaging, and fast email responses have become expected, not exceptional.

    Example: To meet these expectations, the University of Johannesburg implemented MoUJi, an AI-powered chatbot on their website and messaging platforms to provide instant 24/7 answers to prospective student inquiries. This chatbot handles common admissions questions (e.g. application status, program info) and syncs with student records, significantly improving first-response times for Gen Z/Gen Alpha prospects. UJ’s always-on approach has led to faster conversions, as more than half of students now enroll at the first institution to reply, making immediacy the new baseline.

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    Source: UJ News

    Of course, speed alone isn’t enough. Students also expect relevance. A student asking about health sciences should not receive a generic welcome packet. Provide tailored content, whether it’s a program-specific brochure, alumni video, or next steps based on where they are in the enrollment process.

    Tone and channel matter too. Younger Gen Alpha students may prefer casual WhatsApp or Instagram DMs. Adult learners might gravitate toward email or phone. The goal is to meet students where they are, with the right message, at the right time.

    Actionable insight: Audit your current inquiry process. Are you responding within the first hour? Are you using the same platforms where students made contact? If not, explore adding a chatbot, setting up automated SMS/email alerts, or staggering staff shifts to cover peak hours. In 2025, responsiveness is no longer a luxury; it’s the difference between a lead and a lost opportunity.

    Segmenting Leads for Targeted Nurturing

    To nurture leads effectively, one size cannot fit all, because not all leads are equal. A key early step is lead segmentation: categorizing and organizing your inquiries into meaningful groups. 

    How can segmenting leads improve enrollment outcomes for schools? Segmentation helps you focus your energy where it pays off, ensuring each prospective student gets information and attention tailored to their needs. You can segment leads on multiple dimensions: source of the lead, program interest, timeline to enrollment, and engagement behavior. Breaking your giant inquiry list into smaller segments lets you craft follow-up strategies that resonate with each group, rather than blasting generic messages to everyone.

    What are useful segmentation categories for schools? Consider these four core dimensions from HEM’s lead nurturing in education framework:

    • Source: How did the lead find you (e.g., organic website form, paid ad, education fair)? A student from a high-intent channel, like an agent referral, may need a different approach than someone from a broad awareness campaign.
    • Program or Interest Area: What are they interested in studying? Target content accordingly.
    • Enrollment Timeline: Are they looking to enroll now or years from now? Your follow-up cadence should reflect that.
    • Engagement Behavior: Have they interacted with your emails, attended a webinar, or ignored follow-ups? Hot leads deserve more attention.

    By tagging leads across these criteria, you can prioritize and personalize your outreach, automate smarter, and increase conversion efficiency. For example, “Fall 2025 Business Masters prospects from Facebook” who opened three emails might get invited to an alumni panel, while “2026 boarding school parents” could receive nurturing newsletters and event invites over a longer cycle.

    Example: International House Dublin, a prominent English-language school, effectively segments its wide-ranging audience, which includes everyone from teenagers to corporate professionals, to ensure personalized lead nurturing. The school uses its CRM and marketing automation to group inquiries by age, course interest, and language level. A 15-year-old exploring summer camps receives youth-oriented content like social media snippets or student testimonials, while a 40-year-old business English prospect might get LinkedIn-style resources or an invite to a professional language webinar. This segmentation strategy ensures tailored, relevant communication for each lead, improving both engagement and conversion.

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    Source: Higher Education Marketing

    Actionable Insight: If you’re just starting, begin by tagging leads by program and temperature (“hot,” “warm,” “cold”). Even a simple domestic vs. international distinction helps tailor outreach. Segmentation is the essential first step in treating leads as individuals, not numbers. And in 2025, that personal touch is now expected.

    Prioritizing and Scoring Your Leads

    Once you’ve segmented your inquiries, the next step is to determine lead quality. Which inquiries are most likely to turn into enrollments? Ideally, your admissions team would personally follow up with every lead. But limited time and resources mean you need to focus on the best opportunities. Lead prioritization and lead scoring allow you to rank leads by their likelihood to enroll, guiding where to devote personalized outreach versus automated nurturing.

    Start by identifying signals that suggest high intent. Did the lead schedule a tour? Attend a webinar? Engage with multiple emails? Our HEM webinar series advises schools to “identify each online source that delivers leads, and rank which sources tend to deliver the highest-intent prospects.” Historical data can help here; perhaps students from referral programs convert more often than those from general ads.

    Lead scoring formalizes this process. Assign points to meaningful actions and attributes: +10 for a virtual event, +5 for local applicants, +5 for a relevant test score, -5 for vague interest in a distant intake. The result is a numeric ranking that helps you target high-potential leads with fast, personal follow-up while keeping lower-interest leads on longer nurturing paths.

    Example: Business School Lausanne (Switzerland) uses a data-driven lead scoring model to prioritize inquiries most likely to enroll. BSL assigns points for behaviors and attributes (e.g., +10 for attending a webinar, +5 if local, -5 if long timeline) and tracks this in their CRM. This scoring helped BSL’s small admissions team focus on quality over quantity. “Each program has its own logic… and season,” notes BSL’s dean, so they leverage data to target high-intent leads by region and timing. By concentrating outreach on top-scoring international prospects, the school not only improved efficiency but also enhanced global diversity in its intakes (since they could devote more time to engaged candidates from various countries rather than chasing every cold lead).

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    Source: Higher Education Marketing

    Actionable Insight: Define a few high-priority criteria for your school and flag those leads. Build tiered workflows, personal outreach for top scorers, automated flows for the rest, and refine your model over time using enrollment results.

    Ensuring CRM Hygiene and Integration

    A sophisticated CRM is only as effective as the data it holds. Without regular maintenance, even the best platforms can become cluttered, inconsistent, and fragmented, undermining your lead nurturing efforts. CRM hygiene means keeping your database clean, updated, and fully integrated with all your lead capture channels.

    First, ensure every lead source flows directly into your CRM. Whether it’s your website inquiry forms, live chat, student fairs, or Facebook messages, all data should be centralized. Avoid manual transfers whenever possible to reduce errors and response delays. Forms, event sign-ups, and chatbots should automatically populate fields and trigger workflows in real time.

    Next, standardize how data is entered and tagged. Use predefined categories and consistent naming conventions. If one lead source is labeled “HS Fair” and another “High School Event,” your reporting will be skewed. CRM hygiene also means merging duplicate entries, correcting missing data, and regularly reviewing fields for accuracy.

    Compliance is another core aspect. Be sure your CRM tracks communication consent in accordance with regional laws like GDPR, CASL, and CAN-SPAM. Respecting privacy builds trust and protects your institution legally.

    Example: Griffith College (Ireland): Undertook a comprehensive CRM cleanup and integration initiative that paid off in enrollment gains. As Ireland’s largest private college, Griffith had amassed a large inquiry database in HubSpot over the years. In 2022, they partnered with consultants to audit this CRM data, merge duplicates, update missing fields, and standardize lead sources. They also integrated all lead capture points – website forms, event sign-ups, Facebook lead ads – so that every prospect flows directly into HubSpot in real time (eliminating error-prone manual imports). After these hygiene improvements and streamlining of workflows, Griffith saw a 20% year-over-year increase in registered learners for Spring 2023. Clean data also enabled better segmentation; “dedicated workflows” now target specific audiences in their market with relevant content automatically.

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    Source: Higher Education Marketing

    Actionable Insight: Schedule monthly data checks and quarterly audits to ensure consistency, eliminate duplicates, and verify integration across all lead sources. Clean data enables smarter, faster, and more personalized outreach.

    Automating Lead Nurturing Workflows

    With segmented, prioritized, and clean data in place, automation becomes the engine that powers scalable, personalized communication. Lead nurturing in education workflows ensures that no inquiry is overlooked and that each prospective student receives timely, relevant touchpoints guiding them toward enrollment.

    What role does automation play in modern lead nurturing strategies? Automation enables schools to nurture large numbers of leads while maintaining personalization. Automated workflows deliver timely touchpoints, such as welcome emails, event reminders, application prompts, and follow-up messages, based on a lead’s actions or profile. With branching logic and program-specific workflows, automation ensures no inquiry is overlooked and frees staff to focus on high-value, high-intent leads.

    Workflows are automated sequences of communications and tasks triggered by specific actions or characteristics. For instance, a lead who submits an inquiry form might automatically receive a welcome email, followed by a testimonial video, and later an invitation to apply. Use branching logic that adjusts messaging based on behavior. If a lead clicks a financial aid link, they receive scholarship information. If they remain inactive, they’re routed into a slower, long-term campaign.

    This systematized approach enables your team to engage thousands of prospects without manual effort. It also supports tiered nurturing: high-priority leads can trigger alerts for personal outreach, while low-priority leads receive regular updates through drip campaigns.

    Automation by program type and lead score further refines communication. Undergraduate prospects might get campus life content and application deadlines, while MBA leads receive career stats and admissions webinars.

    Example: Michael Vincent Academy (USA): This Los Angeles beauty academy uses marketing automation to nurture leads at scale. As a small, private school (~350 students/year) without state funding, MVA needed to work “smarter, not harder,” says its CEO. They implemented HEM’s Mautic CRM to automate repetitive recruitment tasks: inquiry form submissions trigger immediate personalized emails, and scheduled drip campaigns send course info and alumni success stories over time. The CRM also tracks each lead’s progress and alerts staff when a high-value prospect engages (so they can personally reach out). The result is that “key elements of the academy’s workflow are now automated, allowing staff to spend more time connecting with prospective students,” rather than manual data entry.

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    Source: Higher Education Marketing

    Actionable Insight: Start with a “welcome series” automation. Then build event follow-ups and dormant lead workflows. Use branching logic to scale personalization and free your team for high-touch moments.

    Engaging Leads Across Multiple Channels

    In 2025, engaging prospective students effectively means communicating across the full range of channels they use every day. Relying on email alone is no longer enough. Students and their families expect institutions to be present and responsive on email, text, social media, messaging apps, and even video calls. By orchestrating conversations across these platforms, schools can deliver a seamless and personalized lead-nurturing experience.

    Email remains foundational for many schools because it’s scalable and direct. But augmenting email with SMS or text messaging can increase visibility and response, particularly for time-sensitive communications like deadline reminders or event invitations. A friendly text from an admissions counselor often prompts a faster reply than an email alone.

    Messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat are essential for reaching international audiences. Schools that integrate their CRM with these apps can ensure students receive real-time support in their preferred environments. Meanwhile, chatbots and live chat widgets on institutional websites offer 24/7 responsiveness, capturing leads and answering questions immediately, even outside business hours.

    Social media content also plays a subtle but powerful role in nurturing. Students often monitor a school’s Instagram or TikTok after inquiring, using it to assess campus life, student experiences, and the overall vibe. Frequent, engaging posts, such as student takeovers, Q&A videos, and highlight reels from events, build trust and connection. Private groups on Facebook or Discord can further nurture admitted students by creating a sense of belonging before they even arrive.

    Finally, video calls and phone consultations remain invaluable for more complex or personal conversations, especially with parents or mature learners. Scheduling one-on-one chats after a lead shows interest helps deepen the relationship and guide the student toward enrollment.

    Example: Queen Anne’s School exemplifies coordinated multi-channel engagement. They ran dual campaigns that targeted both parents and students: engaging Facebook and Instagram ads were tailored for parents, while vibrant Snapchat ads focused on student interests. This approach ensured the entire decision-making unit received relevant messaging on their preferred platforms. By tailoring content and channel per audience, Queen Anne’s created a connected, multi-touch nurturing experience that contributed to better recruitment outcomes.

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    Source: Higher Education Marketing

    Actionable Insight: Review your communication strategy and expand beyond your primary channel. Add one new platform, whether a texting tool, chatbot, or social campaign, and measure its impact. Prioritize consistency and responsiveness, not volume, and always align messaging with where each prospect is in their decision journey.

    Personalizing the Nurture Journey

    Today’s students are used to hyper-customized experiences from the apps and services they use daily. If your school sends generic emails or one-size-fits-all messages, you risk losing the attention and trust of prospective students. Personalization helps you build real connections, and it can significantly increase your chances of converting an inquiry into an enrollment.

    Start with the basics: use the student’s first name and program of interest in every message. “Hi, Sam, we saw you’re exploring our Biology program…” is far more effective than a bland greeting. Most CRMs and email tools allow this kind of dynamic personalization with ease.

    Next, tailor content to fit the student’s interest and where they are in their journey. Someone researching a business degree should receive content about business-related careers, program features, or a student success story from that faculty – not generic school-wide information. Similarly, if a lead has already applied, they should be receiving reminders about next steps, not introductory program brochures.

    Behavioral personalization adds another layer. If a student lingers on your financial aid page, follow up with a scholarship guide. If they start but don’t finish an application, trigger a helpful reminder email or call.

    Finally, consider personalization at scale through tools like personalized video. A student who receives a message like “Hi, Jordan – congrats on your acceptance to our engineering program!” is more likely to feel recognized and valued.

    Example: West Texas A&M delivered an extraordinary level of personalization in admissions by having its president record 3,000 individual welcome videos for newly admitted students. In Spring 2021, President Walter Wendler spent nearly 200 hours personally addressing each admitted student by name, congratulating them, and mentioning their intended major in a short video clip. The videos helped incoming freshmen feel a human connection to the university before ever setting foot on campus. Indeed, WTAMU officials believed this effort would tip the scales for students deciding where to enroll, by showing that WTAMU sees them as individuals, not numbers.

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    Source: West Texas A&M

    Measuring Results and Continuously Improving

    Effective lead nurturing starts with emails and running campaigns, but it’s also about tracking what works and refining your strategy over time. Without measurement, you’re flying blind. Schools that succeed in converting inquiries into enrollments are those that monitor their funnel closely: from inquiry to application, admission, and enrollment. Every stage can offer insight if you’re capturing the right data.

    At the core, this means using your CRM to track where leads come from, how they interact with your communications, and what ultimately drives them to enroll. Schools should “measure leads and enrolled students by source”. Knowing, for instance, that webinar attendees convert at a higher rate than paid ad clicks allows you to double down on that tactic.

    Equally important is monitoring engagement: Are students opening your emails? Clicking links? Attending virtual sessions? These are early signals of effectiveness. If email open rates drop off midway through a sequence, your messaging or timing may need adjustment.

    It’s also critical to examine conversion rates between funnel stages. If your inquiry-to-application rate is stuck at 10%, targeted nurturing improvements, like faster replies or more tailored messaging, might lift it to 15%, a meaningful jump.

    Actionable Insight: Create a monthly report that tracks each stage of your funnel, including lead source and engagement metrics. Pick one weak spot each quarter, run a small experiment, and measure the impact. Optimization is ongoing, and the key to sustained enrollment growth.

    Embracing a Digital-First, Student-Centric Approach

    Mastering lead nurturing in education today means more than adopting new tools, it requires a student-first mindset. In 2025, prospective students expect fast responses, personalized communication, and authentic engagement. Schools that align their outreach with these expectations, supported by data and automation, are seeing stronger results across the board.

    The institutions highlighted in this article show that consistent, relevant nurturing works. It builds trust, improves yield, and creates better-fit incoming classes.

    But nurturing is not just about conversions. It’s about respect. When a student receives helpful, well-timed guidance tailored to their interests, it signals that your school sees them as more than a number. That personal attention can tip the scales when it’s time to choose.

    As you refine your student recruitment strategies, ask: Are we showing up where students are? Are we engaging quickly and meaningfully? Are we using our data wisely and ethically? With each improvement, you move closer to a recruitment process that feels less like marketing and more like service.

    In short: every inquiry is the start of a journey. With thoughtful, digital-first nurturing, your school can guide more students to a confident, well-informed “yes.”

    Are you looking for education marketing services?

    Our expert digital marketing services can help you attract and enroll more students!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Question: Why is fast response time so important in student lead nurturing? 

    Answer: Today’s prospective students, spanning late Gen Z and the emerging Generation Alpha, expect immediacy and personalization. These digital natives grew up with instant streaming, smart devices, and AI assistants. When they reach out to schools, they expect the same level of responsiveness.

    Question: How can segmenting leads improve enrollment outcomes for schools? 

    Answer: Segmentation helps you focus your energy where it pays off, ensuring each prospective student gets information and attention tailored to their needs.

    Question: What role does automation play in modern lead nurturing strategies?

    Answer: Automation enables schools to nurture large numbers of leads while maintaining personalization. Automated workflows deliver timely touchpoints, such as welcome emails, event reminders, application prompts, and follow-up messages, based on a lead’s actions or profile.

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  • The bewitchment of skills: time for a rebalancing and a reordering

    The bewitchment of skills: time for a rebalancing and a reordering

    Join HEPI for a webinar on Thursday 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am to discuss how universities can strengthen the student voice in governance to mark the launch of our upcoming report, Rethinking the Student Voice. Sign up now to hear our speakers explore the key questions.

    This blog was kindly authored by Professor Ronald Barnett, Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Education, University of London and President Emeritus of the Philosophy and Theory of Higher Education Society, and Secretary of the Global Forum for Re-Humanizing Education.

    We are faced today, especially in the UK, with a policy discourse in higher education that speaks entirely of ‘skills’ and an academic discourse, especially in the humanities and social theory, which speaks of ‘education’. In the skills discourse, there is typically no mention of education per se; and in the education discourse, there is no mention of skills per se.

    It will be said that this is an exaggeration, to which I invite such commentators to look at the evidence. In the policy discourse, rafts of blogs, public pronouncements by politicians, and reports from think tanks speak of skills without the idea of education being even mentioned as such, let alone raised up for consideration. On the other side, whole papers in the academic literature and even books can be found that speak of education, student development, criticality, self-formation and so on, while paying only perfunctory attention to the matter of skills, if that. 

    On the skills side of the debate, we may observe a HEPI blog entitled ‘Bridging the Gap: How Smart Technology Can Align University Programmes with Real-World Skills’ (Pete Moss, 22 July, 2025). The term ‘skills’ appears twenty times, with an additional mention of ‘reskilling’ and the phrases ‘skills gap’ and ‘skills taxonomy’. The term ‘education’ appears just three times, with two of those instances being in the form of phrases – ‘higher education’ and ‘university education’. 

    Only once does the term ‘education’ appear unadorned, and that in the last line: ‘After all, education is a journey.  It’s time the map caught up’. Nowhere are we treated to any indication as to the nature of the journey beyond it being the acquisition of skills. What education as such is, we are left to ponder.

    This debate in higher education is not really a debate at all, but rather a situation in which ships pass in the night and without even acknowledging each other. There is an occasional – if rather perfunctory – doffing of the hat towards skills on the educational side; but pretty well a near-complete silence about education on the skills side.

    Does this matter? After all, it might be suggested that what we have here is nothing more than a continuation of the polarisation of the liberal-vocational perspectives that have been with us in the United Kingdom for two hundred years or more. Nothing new here, it may be said.  I disagree.

    First, the intensity of this polarisation is now extreme. As remarked, characteristically, as I see it, positions are taken up of a kind that exhibits a total blankness towards the other side. As a result, there is no mutual engagement of positions. 

    Second, this blankness is particularly marked on the skills side, so to speak; and that is where the power lies. As a result, the framing of higher education in terms of skills becomes the dominant discourse. 

    Third, the skills side is not only utilitarian, but it is also instrumental. Every aspect of higher education comes to be valued insofar as it demonstrably has an outcome, and this logic is extended to students themselves. They become ends towards external purposes, now of economic, societal and national advancement. The development of students, understood as human beings, is rendered invisible. 

    Fourth, the world is facing great difficulties: egregious inequalities (of a like not seen for hundreds of years), crises of the natural environment, non-comprehension across peoples, violence (both material and discursive), and a degrading instrumentality in the way states treat their citizens are just indicative. What, against these horizons, might ‘higher education’ mean? Simply to speak of skills misses the point.

    Lastly, the world is in difficulty partly due to its institutions of higher education losing sight of their educational responsibilities. At best, those institutions have become institutions of higher skills.  In the process, universities have played a part in forging the instrumentality that is now dominant in the world. That the world is in grave difficulty can be laid, in part, at the door of universities.

    What, then, is to be done? The answer is obvious. We need a rebalancing in our debates, our language, our practices, our evaluation mechanisms, and the ways in which we identify what is of value in higher education. It is right for skills – and knowledge too, for that matter – to have a place, but that place has to be against the horizon of what is good for the education of students as human beings on and in this troubled Earth. 

    But this rebalancing calls for a reordering, where concerns with education have to precede concerns with skills. Wisdom, critical reflection, dialogue for understanding, care, consideration, carefulness, self-understanding, the world, Nature, dispute, antagonism, and mutuality have to become part of the vocabulary of student formation in constructing a proper policy debate. Unless and until this happens, the policy framework will be blind and surrender itself into the interests and technologies of the powerful.

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  • Blueprint for a #HomeAtUniversity – HEPI

    Blueprint for a #HomeAtUniversity – HEPI

    Join HEPI for a webinar on Thursday 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am to discuss how universities can strengthen the student voice in governance to mark the launch of our upcoming report, Rethinking the Student Voice. Sign up now to hear our speakers explore the key questions.

    This blog was kindly authored by Dr John Cater, Chair of The Unite Foundation, and former Vice Chancellor of Edge Hill University.

    It is the first blog in HEPI’s series with The Unite Foundation on how to best support care experienced and estranged students.

    Today, the Unite Foundation launches its Blueprint for a #HomeAtUniversity, a guide to support universities in building a safe and stable home for care experienced and estranged students. Why?

    Unite Students, our principal sponsor, operates with a clear awareness of commercial considerations and the expectations of its shareholders. Yet, from its earliest days, it has also been a business with a strong moral purpose: to provide homes for (mostly) young people in higher education as they transition from late teens into independent adulthood. Reflecting this commitment, more than a dozen years ago, Unite Students chose to fund a separate, free-standing charity – the Unite Foundation – to support care experienced and estranged students at university. A key part of this support has been the provision of free accommodation for a full three-year period, including vacations, for what is now almost 900 students.

    But it is more than this.  As our work develops, the Unite Foundation is committed to helping care experienced and estranged students build their own mutual support networks. To support this, we have been lobbying and working with policy-makers and higher education staff members to ensure that all of those who leave care at the age of eighteen do so with a rent guarantor, better enabling the transition into independent living and the labour market.

    Progress is being made, but there remains much to do.

    At present, there are some 17,000 care experienced and / or estranged students recorded as in higher education, but this figure would be three times higher if the progression rate from Level Three matched that of the host population.

    To be clear, this is primarily a matter of opportunity, not ability. 

    Not surprisingly, even amongst those successful in accessing higher education, we see from OfS data that care experienced and estranged students also have lower continuation and completion rates, with withdrawals in the first year of study nearly double those of the student population as a whole.

    But this understandably weaker performance can be turned around; independent research by Jisc for the Unite Foundation has shown that care leaver and estranged students in accommodation guaranteed and funded for three years by the Unite Foundation and its partners broadly matches the total population both in retention and in performance – eliminating the 13.4 percentage point discrepancy in the award of ‘good’ (1st and upper 2nd class honours) degrees.  And, whilst the Unite Foundation scholarship is currently the only intervention evidenced at Office for Students’ Tier 2 level, the tide is flowing with us. We are seeing increased recognition of the importance that accommodation plays, both in addressing the basic needs of care experienced students as well as enabling greater progression and completion in higher education. This includes:

    These all recognise the importance of accommodation in providing for a secure and stable experience.

    We now have a duty to act to make this a reality.

    The Blueprint

    So what is our newly published Blueprint recommending?

    • Guaranteed safe and stable accommodation, year-round
    • A personal housing plan for each care experienced or estranged student
    • A record that regularly updates how care experienced and estranged students are progressing
    • The removal of the rent guarantor barrier
    • Optional early check-in and enhanced support on arrival and induction
    • Accommodation scholarships

    We know that every university context is different and that each university will develop a safe and stable #HomeAtUniversity in a different way. As a result, for each of our recommended actions, we are building a bank of case studies, ‘how-to’ guides and other useful links to help institutions navigate their journey. Visit www.unitefoundation.org.uk/blueprint to find out more.

    In supporting universities to build a #HomeAtUniversity, and commending the moral imperative that underpins this, we are also commending better recruitment – until we match sector norms, there are some 40,000 care leavers aged 18-21 that are not currently in higher education – better retention, better continuation, better degree results, better labour market outcomes.  And for the University, retained tuition fee income, improved performance measures, including in your Access and Participation Plan, a contribution to your NECCL Quality Mark and Care Leaver Covenant Pledge and, most of all, the sense of providing the opportunity for those who have had fewer chances to fulfil their potential.

    Where now?

    We know that accommodation is a cross-institution issue, and, in the coming months, we will create Blueprint resources to support different stakeholders across universities, from finance directors, to student union reps, to widening access officers.  From my experience as a long-standing Vice-Chancellor I know that this kind of roadmap, this Blueprint, is motivating in supporting complex institutions to move forward, changing lives and life chances. If you want to know more, do reach out to Kate Brown, Co-Director of the Unite Foundation.

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  • 21 Interactive Classroom Activities for College Students

    21 Interactive Classroom Activities for College Students

    How interactive are your classroom activities? Do you have less energy for class than you used to? Do you find student grades declining? And are the teaching methods you’ve always relied on not working as well as they once did? We spoke to two college instructors, Chris Merlo (Professor of Computer Science at Nassau Community College) and Monika Semma (who holds a Master’s Degree in Cultural Studies and Critical Theory from McMaster University). Their strategies for interactive classroom activities will energize your class and get the discussion moving again.

    Table of contents

    1. Why are interactive activities important?
    2. Assessment and evaluation
    3. 6 community-building activities
    4. 6 communication activities for college students
    5. Improve interactive learning with a flipped classroom
    6. 3 motivational activities for college students
    7. Project-based learning
    8. 6 team-building classroom activities for college students
    9. Interactive learning tools
    10. Interactive classroom activities, in short
    11. Frequently asked questions

    Why are interactive classroom activities important?

    Merlo, a computer science teacher, says that interactive classroom activities are not new to students, and one main reason why teachers have trouble connecting is that they fail to adapt to their students’ perspectives. Interactive classroom activities are now widely used across different school settings, helping to engage students at all educational levels.

    “My six-year-old son doesn’t find iPads amazing; to him, they’ve always just existed. Similarly, to a lot of students today, experiences like team exercises and flipped classrooms, while foreign to many instructors are not new.

    “If we care about reaching today’s students, who seem to have a different idea of student responsibilities than we had, perhaps we have to reach them on their terms. Adapting teaching methods to include interactive teaching strategies can foster greater student engagement, participation, and long-term retention.

    “In my thirties, I could still find a lot of similarities with my twenty-something students. But now, in my forties? Not so much. What I’ve started to realize is that it isn’t just the little things, like whether they’ve seen Ghostbusters. They haven’t. It’s the big things, like how they learn.”

    Semma, a former humanities Teaching Assistant, found that the chalk-and-talk approach failed on her first day in front of a class. “It was a lot like parallel parking in front of 20 people,” she said. “I looked more like a classmate. I dropped the eraser on my face whilst trying to write my name on the board. One of my students called me ‘mom.’”

    “I chalked it up to first day jitters, but that same quietness crept its way back into my classroom for the next tutorial, and the next tutorial and the next. While nearly silent in class, my students were rather vocal in the endless stream of emails that flooded my inbox. That way I knew they wanted to learn. I also knew that I had to find a way to make tutorials more engaging, such as using interactive activities to gauge the class’s knowledge and understanding.”From these experiences, Merlo and Semma now share some interactive classroom activities for students and for teachers that can turn a quiet classroom full of people unwilling to speak up to a hive of debate, making the student learning experience more collaborative for everyone. Many of these activities have been created to engage students in a fun way, and can be tailored to the specific content area or connected to today’s lesson. For example, case studies require students to analyze real-world scenarios to apply classroom concepts and foster critical thinking. Formative assessments, such as exit slips, encourage students to reflect on what they have learned today.

    Energize your college classroom and get discussions flowing. Download The Best Classroom Activities for College Courses to engage and motivate students.

    Assessment and evaluation

    Assessment and evaluation are essential parts of the interactive classroom, helping teachers understand where students are in the learning process and how lesson plans might need to be adjusted. Instead of relying solely on traditional tests, teachers can use interactive classroom activities to assess student understanding in a fun and engaging way. For example, incorporating games, quizzes, or group discussions allows students to demonstrate their knowledge while staying actively involved in the lesson.

    Teachers can also invite students to create their own assessments, such as writing practice test questions or designing a mini-quiz for their peers. This not only helps students review material but also gives them a sense of ownership over their learning. When students are involved in creating and evaluating content, they become more engaged and invested in the classroom experience. Interactive assessment methods, like peer review or collaborative games, make the learning process more dynamic and enjoyable for everyone. By weaving assessment and evaluation into interactive activities, teachers can create a classroom environment where students are motivated to participate and succeed.

    6 community-building activities

    1. Open-ended questions

    Chris Merlo: Open-ended questions don’t take any planning. All they take is a class with at least one student who isn’t too shy. I remember a class a few semesters ago that started with nine students. Due to a couple of medical conditions and a job opportunity, three of the students had to drop the semester. The problem was that these three students were the ones I counted on to ask questions and keep the class lively! Once I was left with six introverted people, conversations during class seemed to stop.

    By luck, I stumbled on something that got the students talking again. I said, “What has been the most difficult thing about [the project that was due soon]?” This opened the floodgates—students love to complain, especially about us and our demands. This one simple question led to twenty minutes of discussion involving all six students. Students share their thoughts and students discuss their perspectives with the entire class, making the activity engaging for everyone. I wasn’t even sure what a couple of these students’ voices sounded like, but once I gave them an open-ended opportunity to complain about an assignment, they were off to the races. A truly successful classroom activity.

    2. What’s wrong with this example?

    Chris Merlo: Students also love to find a professor’s mistakes—like me, I’m sure you’ve found this out the hard way. When I teach computer science, I will make up a program that, for instance, performs the wrong arithmetic, and have students find the bug. In a particularly quiet or disengaged class, you can incentivize students with five points on the next exam, or something similar. You can also reward the first student to find the correct answer, which encourages participation and adds a competitive element to the activity.

    If you teach history, you might use flawed examples that change a key person’s name, such as “King Henry VIII (instead of King John) signed the Magna Carta in 1215,” or match a person to an incorrect event: “Gavrilo Princip is considered to have fired the first shot in the Spanish Civil War (instead of World War I).” Beam these examples on the whiteboard, and let the students’ competitiveness drive them to get the correct answer before their classmates.

    3. Let students critique each other

    Chris Merlo: This can go badly if you don’t set some ground rules for civility, but done well, classroom activities like this really help open up collaborative learning. One of my colleagues devised a great exercise: First, give students about half of their class time to write instructions that an imaginary robot can understand to draw a recognizable picture, like a corporate logo, without telling students what will happen later. Then assign each student’s instructions to a randomly chosen classmate, and have the classmate pretend to be the robot, attempting to follow the instructions and draw the same logo. In this fun activity, students act as robots, physically following the written instructions created by their peers.

    After a few minutes, introduce a specific student who can share their results with the class, then ask their partner to share the initial instructions. This method gives students a chance to communicate with each other (“That’s not what I meant!”) and laugh and bond, while learning an important lesson.

    This exercise teaches computer science students the difficulty and importance of writing clear instructions. I have seen this exercise not only teach pairs of such students meaningful lessons but encourage friendships that extended beyond my classroom.

    Get students participating with these 45 classroom activities

    4. Pass the “mic”

    Monika Semma: As an instructor, it’s amazing how much information you can gather from a student-centered review session. Specifically, if you leave the review in the hands of your students, you can get an easy and thorough assessment of what is being absorbed, and what is being left by the wayside. The more you encourage participation, the more you’ll see where your class is struggling and the more comfortable students will become with course material. Interactive activities encourage students to communicate and share their conclusions, leading to better retention of information. During these sessions, students share their knowledge and insights with the entire class, making the review more engaging and collaborative. Here’s how to transform a standard review into one of your more popular classroom activities:

    • A week before the review, ask students to email you two to five key terms or theories that they feel they need to brush up on. Take all that data and compress it until you have a solid working list of what students want to review most.
    • In class, provide students with visual access to the list (I found writing all the terms on a chalkboard to be most effective). Instruct the class to have their notes out in front of them, with a pad of paper or blank Word document at their fingertips, and encourage them to take notes as the review is in progress.
    • A trinket of sorts (I highly recommend a plush ball), used as a “microphone,” helps to give students equal opportunity to direct the review without putting individuals on the spot too aggressively. The rules are simple: she or he who holds the “mic” can pick one term from the list and using their notes, can offer up what they already know about the term or concept, what they are unsure of, or what they need more elaboration on.
    • Actively listen to the speaker and give them some positive cues if they seem unsure; it’s okay to help them along the way, but important to step back and let this review remain student-centered. Once the speaker has said their piece, open the floor to the rest of the class for questions or additional comments. If you find that the discussion has taken a departure from the right direction, re-center the class and provide further elaboration if need be.
    • Erase each term discussed from the list as you go, and have the speaker pass (or throw) on the “mic” to a fellow classmate, and keep tossing the ball around after each concept/term is discussed.

    Students will have a tendency to pick the terms that they are most comfortable speaking about and those left consistently untouched will give you a clear assessment of the subjects in which your class is struggling, and where comprehension is lacking. Once your class has narrowed down the list to just a few terms, you can switch gears into a more classic review session. Bringing a bit of interaction and fun into a review can help loosen things up during exam time, when students and teachers alike are really starting to feel the pressure.

    5. Use YouTube for classroom activities

    Monika Semma: Do you remember the pure and utter joy you felt upon seeing your professor wheel in the giant VHS machine into class? Technology has certainly changed—but the awesome powers of visual media have not. Making your students smile can be a difficult task, but by channeling your inner Bill Nye the Science Guy you can make university learning fun again.

    A large part of meaningful learning is finding interactive classroom activities that are relevant to daily life—and I can think of no technology more relevant to current students than YouTube.

    A crafty YouTube search can yield a video relevant to almost anything in your curriculum and paired with an essay or academic journal, a slightly silly video can go a long way in helping your students contextualize what they are learning. For example, using videos featuring famous people can be a fun way to engage students and spark their interest in the lesson.

    Even if your comedic attempts plunge into failure, at the very least, a short clip will get the class discussion ball rolling. Watch the video as a class and then break up into smaller groups to discuss it. Get your students thinking about how the clip they are shown pairs with the primary sources they’ve already read.

    6. Close reading

    Monika Semma: In the humanities, we all know the benefits of close reading activities—they get classroom discussion rolling and students engaging with the material and open up the floor for social and combination learners to shine. “Close reading” is a learning technique in which students are asked to conduct a detailed analysis or interpretation of a small piece of text. It is particularly effective in getting students to move away from the general and engage more with specific details or ideas. As part of close reading, you can have students identify and analyze a key vocabulary word from the text, encouraging them to focus on its meaning and usage within the written passage.

    If you’re introducing new and complex material to your class, or if you feel as though your students are struggling with an equation, theory, or concept; giving them the opportunity to break it down into smaller and more concrete parts for further evaluation will help to enhance their understanding of the material as a whole.

    And while this technique is often employed in the humanities, classroom activities like this can be easily transferred to any discipline. A physics student will benefit from having an opportunity to break down a complicated equation in the same way that a biology student can better understand a cell by looking at it through a microscope.In any case, evaluating what kinds of textbooks, lesson plans and pedagogy we are asking our students to connect with is always a good idea.

    6 communication activities for college students

    Brainwriting

    Group size: 10 students (minimum)

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    This activity helps build rapport and respect in your classroom. After you tackle a complex lecture topic, give students time to individually reflect on their learnings. Have students write their responses to the guided prompts or open-ended questions before sharing them. Once students have gathered their thoughts, encourage them to share their views either through an online discussion thread or a conversation with peers during class time. Using exit tickets at the end of class helps teachers understand students’ learning and adjust plans accordingly.

    Concept mapping

    Group size: 10 students (minimum)

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    Collaborative concept mapping is the process of visually organizing concepts and ideas and understanding how they relate to each other. This exercise is a great way for students to look outside of their individual experiences and perspectives. Groups can use this tactic to review previous work or to help them map ideas for projects and assignments. You can also have students use concept mapping to organize key terms and concepts from a specific content area, reinforcing subject-specific vocabulary and understanding. For in-person classes, you can ask students to cover classroom walls with sticky notes and chart paper. For online classes, there are many online tools that make it simple to map out connections between ideas, like Google Docs or the digital whiteboard feature in Zoom.

    Debate

    Group size: Groups of 5–10 students 

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    Propose a topic or issue to your class. Group students together (or in breakout rooms if you’re teaching remotely) according to the position they take on the specific issue. Ask the groups of students to come up with a few arguments or examples to support their position. Write each group’s statements on the virtual whiteboard and use these as a starting point for discussion. For the debate, have the students line up so each student can take turns presenting their arguments, ensuring everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. A natural next step is to debate the strengths and weaknesses of each argument, to help students improve their critical thinking and analysis skills.

    Make learning active with these 45 interactive classroom activities

    Compare and contrast

    Group size: Groups of 5–10 students

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    Ask your students to focus on a specific chapter in your textbook. Then, place them in groups and ask them to make connections and identify differences between ideas that can be found in course readings and other articles and videos they may find. After the group discussions, have students share their findings with the rest of the group to encourage engagement and peer learning. This way, they can compare their ideas in small groups and learn from one another’s perspectives. In online real-time classes, instructors can use Zoom breakout rooms to put students in small groups.

    Assess/diagnose/act

    Group size: Groups of 5–10 students 

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    This activity will improve students’ problem-solving skills and can help engage them in more dynamic discussions. Start by proposing a topic or controversial statement. Then follow these steps to get conversations going. In online classes, students can either raise their hands virtually or use an online discussion forum to engage with their peers. 

    • Assessment: What is the issue or problem at hand?
    • Diagnosis: What is the root cause of this issue or problem?
    • Action: How can we solve the issue?

    Entry tickets

    Entry tickets are a simple yet powerful way to engage students right from the beginning of class. To use entry tickets, teachers write a question or prompt related to the day’s lesson on the board as students enter the classroom. Each student writes their response on an index card, which serves as their “ticket” to participate in the lesson. This interactive learning strategy encourages students to start thinking critically about the material before the lesson even begins.

    After collecting the entry tickets, teachers can invite students to share their answers with a partner, in small groups, or with the whole class. This sparks discussion, helps students connect prior knowledge to new concepts, and sets a collaborative tone for the rest of the lesson. Entry tickets can be used to review previous content, introduce new ideas, or quickly assess student understanding. By making entry tickets a regular part of your lesson plans, you create an interactive classroom environment where every student is engaged and ready to learn from the very start.

    Improve interactive learning with a flipped classroom

    The flipped classroom model transforms the traditional approach to teaching by having students learn foundational concepts at home and use class time for interactive activities. In this model, students watch videos, read articles, or review other materials before coming to class. Then, during class, teachers can focus on engaging students in hands-on projects, group discussions, and problem-solving exercises.

    This approach allows students to learn at their own pace outside of class and come prepared to participate in more meaningful, interactive learning experiences. Teachers can organize students into small groups to discuss topics, work through challenging problems, or collaborate on projects. The flipped classroom encourages students to take an active role in their learning, promotes deeper thinking, and makes class time more engaging for everyone. By shifting the focus from passive listening to active participation, teachers can create a classroom environment where students are excited to learn and work together.

    3 motivational activities for college students

    Moral dilemmas

    Group size: Groups of 3–7 students 

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    Provide students with a moral or ethical dilemma, using a hypothetical situation or a real-world situation. Have students act out the moral dilemmas to explore different perspectives and deepen their understanding. Then ask them to explore potential solutions as a group. This activity encourages students to think outside the box to develop creative solutions to the problem. In online learning environments, students can use discussion threads or Zoom breakout rooms.

    Conversation stations

    Group size: Groups of 4–6 students 

    Course type: In-person

    This activity exposes students’ ideas in a controlled way, prompting discussions that flow naturally. To start, share a list of discussion questions pertaining to a course reading, video or case study. Put students into groups and give them five-to-ten minutes to discuss, then have two students rotate to another group. The students who have just joined a group have an opportunity to share findings from their last discussion, before answering the second question with their new group. After another five-to-ten minutes, the students who haven’t rotated yet will join a new group, and the next student will participate in the ongoing discussion with their peers.

    This or that

    Group size: Groups of 5–10 students

    Course type: Online (synchronous or asynchronous), in-person

    This activity allows students to see where their peers stand on a variety of different topics and issues. Instructors should distribute a list of provocative statements before class, allowing students to read ahead. Then, they can ask students to indicate whether they agree, disagree or are neutral on the topic in advance, using an online discussion thread or Google Doc. In this activity, students choose their stance on each topic, which encourages active participation and ownership of their opinions. In class, use another discussion thread or live chat to have students of differing opinions share their views. After a few minutes, encourage one or two members in each group to defend their position amongst a new group of students. Ask students to repeat this process for several rounds to help familiarize themselves with a variety of standpoints.

    Project-based learning

    Project-based learning is a dynamic approach that puts students at the center of the learning process. In this model, students work in groups to tackle real-world projects that require them to research, problem-solve, and create something meaningful. Teachers design projects that align with learning objectives, allowing students to explore topics in depth and apply what they’ve learned in practical ways.

    Throughout the project, students are engaged in interactive learning as they collaborate, share ideas, and think critically about the subject matter. Teachers act as facilitators, guiding students and providing support as needed. By the end of the project, students present their findings or products, demonstrating their understanding and creativity. Project-based learning not only helps students develop important skills like teamwork and communication, but also makes the learning process more engaging and relevant. When students are actively involved in creating and presenting their work, they become more invested in their own learning journey.

    6 team-building classroom activities for college students

    Snowball discussions  

    Group size: 2–4 students per group

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    Assign students a case study or worksheet to discuss with a partner, then have them share their thoughts with the larger group. Use breakout rooms in Zoom and randomly assign students in pairs with a discussion question. After a few minutes, combine rooms to form groups of four. After another five minutes, combine groups of four to become a larger group of eight—and so on until the whole class is back together again. This process ensures that the activity eventually involves the entire class, promoting participation and collaboration among all students.

    Make it personal

    Group size: Groups of 2–8 students

    Course type: Online (synchronous), in-person

    Provide students with a moral or ethical dilemma, using a hypothetical situation or a real-world situation. Then ask them to explore potential solutions as a group. This activity encourages students to think outside the box to develop creative solutions to the problem. In online learning environments, students can use discussion threads or Zoom breakout rooms. Mystery Box encourages students to guess contents based on tactile clues, fostering critical thinking and observation skills, which can be a fun and engaging addition to such activities.

    After you’ve covered a topic or concept in your lecture, divide students into small discussion groups (or breakout rooms online). Using a fun way, such as having students share stories or create visual scenes, can encourage them to reflect on their personal connections to the material. Ask the groups questions like “How did this impact your prior knowledge of the topic?” or “What was your initial reaction to this source/article/fact?” to encourage students to reflect on their personal connections to the course concepts they are learning.

    Philosophical chairs

    Group size: 20–25 students (maximum)

    Course type: In-person

    A statement that has two possible responses—agree or disagree—is read out loud. Depending on whether they agree or disagree with this statement, students move to one side of the room or the other. This activity is similar to the Four Corners activity, where students move to different corners of the room based on their opinions, encouraging movement and discussion. After everyone has chosen a side, ask one or two students on each side to take turns defending their positions. This allows students to visualize where their peers’ opinions come from, relative to their own.

    Get more interactive classroom activities here

    Affinity mapping

    Group size: Groups of 3–8 students 

    Course type: Online (synchronous)

    Place students in small groups (or virtual breakout rooms) and pose a broad question or problem to them that is likely to result in lots of different ideas, such as “What was the greatest innovation of the 21st century?” or “How would society be different if  _*__* never occurred?” Ask students to generate responses by writing ideas on pieces of paper (one idea per page), on index cards for easy sorting and organization, or in a discussion thread (if you’re teaching online). Once lots of ideas have been generated, have students begin grouping their ideas into similar categories, then label the categories and discuss why the ideas fit within them, how the categories relate to one another and so on. Jigsaw problem solving activities allow students to work in groups to solve complex problems collaboratively. This allows students to engage in higher-level thinking by analyzing ideas and organizing them in relation to one another.

    Socratic seminar

    Group size: 20 students (minimum)

    Course type: In-person

    Ask students to prepare for a discussion by reviewing a course reading or group of texts and coming up with a few higher-order discussion questions about the text. As part of their preparation, have students create written questions to bring to the seminar. In class, pose an introductory, open-ended question. From there, students continue the conversation, prompting one another to support their claims with evidence from previous course concepts or texts. There doesn’t need to be a particular order to how students speak, but they are encouraged to respectfully share the floor with their peers.

    Concentric circles

    Group size: 20 students (maximum)

    Course type: In-person

    Students sit in two circles: an inner circle and an outer circle. Each student on the inside is paired with a student on the outside; they sit facing each other. Pose a question to the whole group and have pairs discuss their responses with each other. After three-to-five minutes, have students on the outside circle move one space to the right so they are standing in front of a new person. Pose a new question, and the process is repeated, exposing students to the different perspectives of their peers.

    Interactive learning tools

    Interactive learning tools are a game-changer for both teachers and students, making lessons more engaging and accessible. These tools include educational software, apps, games, and online resources that support interactive learning in the classroom. Teachers can use these tools to create fun and interactive lessons, quizzes, and activities that cater to different learning styles and abilities.

    For example, teachers might use online platforms to set up interactive whiteboards, host virtual labs, or facilitate discussion forums where students can share ideas and ask questions. Students can also use interactive tools to create their own content, such as videos, podcasts, or digital presentations, to show what they’ve learned. Incorporating interactive learning tools into your lesson plans not only makes learning more fun, but also encourages students to take an active role in their education. By embracing these tools, teachers can create a classroom environment where every student is engaged, motivated, and excited to learn.

    Interactive classroom activities, in short

    Final thoughts

    Making your classes more interactive should help your students want to come to class and take part in it. Giving them a more active role will give them a sense of ownership, and this can lead to students taking more pride in their work and responsibility for their grades. Project-based learning, where students work on a project over an extended period, can cultivate critical thinking and collaboration, further enhancing their engagement.

    Use these 45 classroom activities in your course to keep students engaged

    The flipped classroom model, where students watch lectures or read content at home, can also free up class time for interactive activities, making learning more engaging and participatory.

    A more interactive class can also make things easier for you—the more work students do in class, the less you have to do. Even two minutes of not talking can re-energize you for the rest of the class. Live polls and quizzes can also be used for instant feedback to keep students engaged during lessons. Additionally, interactive assessments, such as Top Hat’s interactive polls and quizzes, make learning fun and competitive, further enhancing student engagement.

    Plus, these six methods outlined above don’t require any large-scale changes to your class prep. Set up a couple of activities in advance here and there, to support what you’ve been doing, and plan which portion of your class will feature them.

    The reality remains that sometimes, students do have to be taught subject matter that is anything but exciting. That doesn’t mean that we can’t make it more enjoyable to teach or learn. Experiments and simulations, for example, provide hands-on activities that create immersive learning experiences and develop higher-order thinking skills. Hands-on projects can include activities like building models, conducting experiments, or creating art that illustrate key concepts. Improv activities help students engage in the learning process by encouraging thinking on their feet and collaboration. It may not be possible to incorporate classroom activities into every lecture, but finding some room for these approaches can go a long way in facilitating a positive learning environment.

    And let’s not forget, sometimes even an educator needs a brief departure from the everyday-ordinary-sit-and-listen-to-me-lecture regimen.

    Energize your college classroom and get discussions flowing. Download The Best Classroom Activities for College Courses to engage and motivate students.

    Frequently asked questions

    1. What are some effective interactive classroom activities for college students?
    Interactive classroom activities such as think-pair-share, live polling, and group problem-solving encourage students to engage deeply with course material. These activities also promote class discussion and help instructors pose meaningful class discussion questions to spark critical thinking.

    2. How do interactive classroom activities improve class discussion?
    Interactive classroom activities create opportunities for students to share diverse perspectives and collaborate on ideas. When students participate actively, class discussion becomes more dynamic, and instructors can build on these moments with targeted class discussion questions to deepen understanding.

    3. How can instructors use class discussion questions in interactive classroom activities?
    Instructors can integrate class discussion questions into interactive classroom activities like debates, case studies, and peer reviews. This approach encourages participation, strengthens communication skills, and ensures every student contributes meaningfully to the class discussion.

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  • Embedding AI, not bolting it on

    Embedding AI, not bolting it on

    Over the weekend, we published a blog on the teacher training placement crisis.

    Today’s blog was kindly authored by Janice Kay, Director at Higher Futures, and former Provost and Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter.

    We must become AI-first institutions.

    The Office for Students recently made a welcome intervention, encouraging universities to make “bold changes to adapt in this increasingly challenging environment.” And they’re right.

    But it begs the question: why aren’t we being bold? Why, as a sector, do we tend to squeeze AI tools into what we already do, instead of using this moment to completely rethink how we teach, how we support students, and how we assess?

    In short: how do we give our educators the confidence and the skills to think differently?

    Deliberate, purposeful workforce planning

    My argument is that we need to move from this slow, piecemeal adaptation towards something much more deliberate: an AI-first approach to workforce planning across the whole institution.

    Every role should have a clear expectation of AI competence, and every member of staff should be supported to reach it. That means embedding AI capability as a core institutional priority, not an afterthought. And yes, that also means some traditional job roles will change dramatically, and some will disappear altogether through automation.

    Where do we start? We start by understanding where we are. AI competency isn’t about everyone becoming data scientists, it’s about understanding the basics: what AI and large language models actually are, what they can and can’t do, how AI-driven analytics work, and how to use prompts effectively – from simple to sophisticated requests.

    Embedding digital skills into professional growth

    There are already some great examples of this kind of thinking. Take the University of Exeter. As part of its new Digital Strategy, it’s been assessing staff confidence and motivation in using digital tools. Over 41% of staff have engaged so far, with 778 self-assessments completed, a great base for building digital confidence across the organisation. But this also shows the need to be specific: the skills an educator needs are not the same as those of a programme administrator, or a student welfare advisor.

    Once we’ve established those levels of competency, the next step must be a serious, well-supported development programme. For example, educators might want to learn how to use AI tools that generate automated feedback, analyse discussion forums, or predict student engagement and dropout risk. Institutions can and should create incentives for staff to develop these skills. That might be through micro-credentials, workload allocation, and even promotion criteria. And, crucially, people need time – time to experiment, play, fail and learn. AI proficiency shouldn’t be an optional extra. It should be part of the job.

    We also need to be intentional about developing AI leaders. We can’t just leave it to chance. We should be identifying and empowering the people, both academics and professional staff, who can critically evaluate new technologies and embed them in ways that are ethical, pedagogically sound, and discipline specific. These are the people who can bring real meaning to personalisation in learning. And AI fluency shouldn’t just mean technical know-how. It needs to sit alongside learning science, assessment integrity and data ethics. As the recent Skills England report put it, we need technical, non-technical and responsibility skills.

    AI as a foundation, not a feature

    Ultimately, this is about structural change. We need to transform the AI competence of the higher education workforce, but that transformation must go together with how our institutions use AI and digital technologies themselves.

    AI systems should be built into academic and student workflows, not bolted on.

    The Kortext–Saïd partnership is a great example of this. It’s helping academics reimagine learning so that it becomes genuinely personalised. Embedding an AI assistant right into the virtual learning environment is reshaping how modules, materials and assessments are designed.

    As Mark Bramwell, CDIO of Saïd Business School put it, the partnership is:

    empowering our faculty and learning designers to create smarter, data-driven courses and giving our students a more adaptive, hyper-personalised and engaging learning environment.

    That’s exactly the kind of bold partnership we need more of, projects that not only enhance teaching and learning, but also build the AI skills and confidence our workforce needs to thrive in the future. What I want to do is move past the broad debate about whether we should adopt AI technologies. The question isn’t just if we adopt AI in higher education, but how, especially when it comes to our workforce.

    Join Janice Kay, Mark Bramwell and other key sector voices at Kortext LIVE on 11 February 2026 to discuss ‘Leading the next chapter of digital innovation’. Find out more and secure your seat here.

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  • WEEKEND READING: The teacher training placement crisis

    WEEKEND READING: The teacher training placement crisis

    This blog was kindly authored by Juliette Claro, Lecturer in Education St Mary’s University Twickenham.

    Initial Teacher Education (ITE) providers across England are facing an escalating crisis: a growing inability to secure sufficient school placements for trainee teachers. With an average of 20 to 25% of unplaced trainee teachers, September 2025 has been challenging for universities and ITE providers. Despite policy ambitions to strengthen teacher supply, the reality on the ground is that many trainees’ hopes to start their first school placement in September were shattered due to a lack of school placements, especially in the secondary routes. This bottleneck threatens not only the future workforce but also the integrity of teacher training itself.

    A system under strain

    According to the Teacher Labour Market in England Annual Report 2025 by the National Foundation for Educational Research, recruitment into ITE remains persistently below target, with secondary subjects like Physics and Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) facing the most acute shortages. In 2024/25, Physics recruitment reached just 17% of its target, while MFL hovered at 33%. These figures reflect a long-standing trend, exacerbated by declining interest in teaching and competition from other professions.

    But even when trainees are recruited, sometimes through international routes at considerable expense, placing them in schools has become increasingly difficult. The Department for Education’s Initial Teacher Education Thematic Monitoring Visits Overview Report (2025) highlights that many providers struggle to find schools with sufficient mentor capacity and subject expertise. The report reinforced the point that mentoring pre-service teachers in schools often relies on the goodwill of teachers, and when too many providers operate in one local area, competition becomes unsustainable. This is particularly problematic in shortage subjects, where schools may lack qualified specialists to support trainees effectively, for example, in Physics or Languages.      

    Mentoring is a cornerstone of effective teacher training. Yet research in 2024 from the National Institute of Teaching (reveals that mentors are often overstretched, under-recognised, and inadequately supported. Many people report sacrificing their own planning time or juggling mentoring duties alongside full teaching loads. As a result, there may be a rise in reluctance among teachers to take on mentoring roles, especially in high-pressure environments.

    The government offers funding that aims to support mentor training and leadership, including grants for lead mentors, mentors and intensive training. However, these are often paid in arrears and come with complex conditions, making them less accessible to schools already grappling with budget constraints. Moreover, the funding does not always reflect the true cost of releasing staff from teaching duties to support trainees in schools.

    Routes into teaching: a fragmented landscape?

    The diversity of routes into teaching (School Direct, university-led PGCEs, Teach First, apprenticeships was designed to offer flexibility. But for ITE providers, it has created logistical headaches. Each route comes with its own placement requirements, mentor expectation, and funding mechanisms. Coordinating placements across this fragmented landscape is time-consuming and often leads to duplication or competition for limited school capacity.

    As universities continue to battle through their own funding crises, competition for recruitment and placements clash with other local providers and alliances of School- Centred Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), resulting in a lot of demands but not enough offers for placements.

    The 2024 ITE market reforms, which led to the de-accreditation of 68 providers, further destabilised the system. While many have partnered with accredited institutions to continue offering courses, the disruption has strained relationships between providers and with placement schools, resulting in reducing the overall number of placements available, where too many ITE providers end up saturating the same local areas for school placements.

    The subject specialist shortages

    The shortage of subject specialists is not just a recruitment issue: it is also a placement issue. In their 2025 report and recommendations for recruitment, retention and retraining the Institute of Physics (IoP)  revealed that 58% of GCSE lessons in England are taught by non-Physics specialists.

    When 25% of secondary schools do not have a Physics specialist teacher in-house and 63% of schools struggle to recruit specialist MFL teachers (British Council Language Trends 2025), it is no surprise that priorities for some school leaders is on the teaching of their students and not the mentoring trainee teachers. In many schools, Biology or Chemistry teachers cover Physics content, making it difficult to offer meaningful placements for Physics trainees. The same applies to Modern Foreign Languages, where schools often lack the breadth of language expertise needed to support trainees effectively. As non-core subjects may suffer from reduced curriculum time, finding enough teaching hours to allocate to a trainee teacher can become another challenge for some schools. Finally, as the recruitment crisis becomes more acute in more deprived areas, finding suitable mentors for trainee teachers in these areas become increasingly complex.

    Without subject specialists, trainees may be placed in environments where they cannot observe or practise high-quality teaching in their discipline. This undermines the quality of training and risks having Early Career Teachers feeling ill-prepared for the classroom.

    Teacher workload: the silent barrier

    Teacher workload remains one of the most significant barriers to placement availability. The Working Lives of Teachers and Leaders Wave 3 Report (DfE, 2025) found that 90% of teachers considering leaving the profession cited high workload as a key factor. With rising demands around behaviour management, curriculum delivery and accountability, many teachers simply do not have the bandwidth to mentor trainees. Reduced school funding, less staff and more demands on schoolteachers has meant that it is not uncommon to have weekly meetings between teachers and trainees organised out of school hours, at 8am or at 5pm, after school meetings. This is particularly acute in schools serving disadvantaged communities, where staffing pressures are greatest and the need for high-quality teaching is most urgent. Ironically, these are often the schools where trainees could have the most impact, if only they could be placed there.

    The perfect storm

    As ITE providers navigate the currents and the storms of recruiting and placing trainee teachers into schools, the strain on school funding directly impacts the recruitment of future teachers. If ITE providers cannot provide school placements, teachers and schools cannot recruit. Is it, therefore, time to reconsider and revalue the mentors in schools who are the running engine of the training process whilst on school placement? 

    New for school mentors could include:

    • Streamlining mentor funding to recognise fully and value the time spent by mentors to fulfil their role in supporting with lesson planning, giving feedback to lessons, meeting the trainee weekly and supporting international trainee teachers adapting to new curricula where necessary.
    • Invest in subject specialist development, particularly in Physics and MFL.
    • Reduce teacher workload through policy reform and flexible working arrangements where mentors can co-share the responsibility with colleagues.
    • Clarify and coordinate training routes to ease the burden on providers and schools.
    • Elevate the status of mentoring through formal recognition, qualifications, and career pathways.

    The future of teacher supply depends not just on recruitment, but on the ability to train teachers well. Without sufficient placements and adequate training, we risk building a pipeline that leaks before it flows. It is time for policymakers to recognise the strains on a suffocating system if recruitment targets are to be met.

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  • Which UK regional economies are most reliant on international students?

    Which UK regional economies are most reliant on international students?

    Join HEPI for a webinar on Thursday 11 December 2025 from 10am to 11am to discuss how universities can strengthen the student voice in governance to mark the launch of our upcoming report, Rethinking the Student Voice. Sign up now to hear our speakers explore the key questions.

    This blog was kindly authored by Emma Prodromou, Global Business Expansion and Immigration Manager, the Mauve Group.

    The quiet engine driving local prosperity

    Across the United Kingdom, international students have quietly become a vital source of regional economic strength. Those who come to the UK to further their education go on to bolster local economies and public services.

    In fact, recent research reveals that UK regions now depend on international talent to a degree few policymakers fully appreciate.

    The growing economic footprint of international students

    The economic impact of international students in the UK surged from £31.3 billion in 2018/19 to £41.9 billion by 2021/22. On average, every parliamentary constituency in Britain benefits by £58 million.

    Some regions rely more heavily than others on this influx of global talent. In Sheffield, for example, international students contribute around £770 million annually to the city’s economy, while across Yorkshire and the Humber, that total exceeds £2.9 billion. In cities such as Leicester, Exeter, Nottingham, and Dundee, universities are among the leading exporters, accounting for up to 15% of total local exports.

    These figures show how universities serve as economic anchors, especially outside the Southeast. International students contribute through tuition, housing, local spending, and by supporting jobs in retail and hospitality.

    Policy pressures and looming challenges

    However, this success story faces rising challenges. Recent government policy changes, including visa restrictions and caps on dependents, threaten to undermine the financial stability of regional institutions. Such measures may disproportionately impact towns where universities are at the heart of the economic life.

    At the same time, course closures are accelerating — nearly a fifth in agriculture and food studies, and around 10–12% in sciences and social sciences. These cuts expose a structural issue: as universities adapt to funding pressures and shifting demand, they risk losing expertise vital to regional and national priorities.

    Competing for global talent

    Faced with financial uncertainty and increasing global competition, UK universities are adopting new strategies to attract international students. Many of these initiatives draw inspiration from the government’s broader Industrial Strategy.

    At the University of Southampton, a £4.35 million investment was secured through the Global Talent Fund, part of a £54 million initiative by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). The aim is to recruit top global researchers to strengthen the UK’s research base and reinforce its global reputation for excellence.

    Building regional innovation hubs

    Other regions are leveraging academic expertise to foster innovation ecosystems. Swansea University has played a central role in developing a semiconductor cluster in South Wales. This reflects Wales’s growing profile on the global stage. In 2022, just 21% of prospective international students noted familiarity with Wales as a study destination. By 2025, that figure had more than doubled to 44%, especially in key markets such as India and the United States.

    To help close skills gaps and boost innovation, Wales has opted to pass on the UK’s new 6% levy to international students. Welsh institutions are well-positioned to attract global talent, though graduates must still navigate the post-graduate visa landscape and local compliance rules when it comes to employment.

    The rise of ‘dynamic pricing’ and scholarships

    In an increasingly competitive global education market, British universities are also adopting more flexible pricing models to attract international students.

    The University of Birmingham, Birmingham City University, and Sheffield Hallam University offer regional discounts targeted at applicants from India and Southeast Asia. Keele University automatically awards £5,000 scholarships to undergraduates who exceed entry requirements, while the University of the West of England (UWE) provides a £3,000 annual Global Success Scholarship for students who complete a set number of ambassador duties throughout the academic year.

    These initiatives reflect a more entrepreneurial approach to recruitment, focused on affordability and global reach.

    Education as soft power

    Beyond economics, international education remains one of the UK’s most effective instruments of soft power. By attracting students from across the world, British universities build lasting global networks of alumni who go on to hold influential positions in business, government, and academia.

    Amid mounting financial pressures, many universities are expanding overseas through international branch campuses, exporting British education while diversifying income. In India, institutions like York, Aberdeen, and Bristol plan local campuses, aligning with the UK–India Free Trade Agreement expected to add $34 billion in annual trade.

    A delicate balance ahead

    As the UK reshapes its immigration and higher education policies, it must balance fiscal restraint with global engagement. Excessive restrictions could damage universities and the regional economies that depend on international students.

    International education is crucial to economic resilience, both locally and nationally, as well as to regional regeneration and global influence. As the data show, from Sheffield to Swansea, Leicester to Dundee, the UK’s prosperity is deeply intertwined with its ability to attract and retain top global talent.

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