Future/s of Education

We respond to, and reflect on, the future/s of education through innovations in teaching and learning. We believe higher education has an important role to play in creating citizens who are equipped with interdisciplinary tools, creativity, and innovation that can help us face the challenges of the rapidly changing world, including advancements in AI, data and digital technologies.

Some articles originally published on the University of Edinburgh’s Teaching Matters blog ‘Showcasing Edinburgh Futures Institute’ series.

“Much of a university’s value lies in its ability to build coherent and compelling curricula based on research, expertise, and deep knowledge, and we need to understand and preserve the value of that while also accounting for rapid social, technological and planetary change…”

Prof. Sian Bayne, Co-Director of Education
Thinking

Wading through the weeds: The necessity of mentorship in an interdisciplinary environment

Image of fountain at Princes St Gardens in Edinburgh, with a view of the Edinburgh Castle

Postgraduate student Zhi Kang Chua highlights the value of mentorship and shares his reflections engaging with the contemporary city spaces through fieldwork.

Thinking

Experiential Learning at EFI 

Sign posted on pole that reads: 'The future is unwritten'.

Vlada Kravtsova and Sarah Harvey discuss how the Edinburgh Futures Institute approaches experiential learning.

Thinking

ChatGPT and AI in post-graduate education

Image of two hands over goggles

Jane McKie, Stuart King and Lynda Clark explore the use of text generation software such as ChatGPT in their teaching.

Thinking

Mixing it up: text remix as an interdisciplinary test case

Illustration of a person working on a laptop, surrounded by various scenes representing different forms of communication and learning, such as one-on-one conversations, presentations, and online interactions. Background includes images of travel, growth, and digital connectivity.

Jane McKie and Lynda Clark showcase how their postgraduate programmes equip students to work on collaborative solutions to global challenges.

Thinking

EFI and the year gone!

Image of red candle

EFI Director of Education Kate Orton-Johnson takes stock of EFI’s first year of delivering Postgraduate Taught courses, reflecting on lessons learnt along the way.

Thinking

Where is our home? Reflections on engaging with asynchronous teaching in EFI

Image of bridge in a forest

Jen Ross reflects on engaging with asynchronous teaching at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, and discusses how this practice shapes EFI’s wider teaching culture.

Thinking

Lessons from the fusion classroom

Abstract image with blues and whites

Alex Penland speaks from their experience as both student and educator on how the fusion classroom innovatively fosters adaptability.

Thinking

Engaging students online

Illustration depicting online learning

Dr James Lamb shares his experience with fusion teaching and reflects on ways to improve student engagement online by thinking beyond the face-to-face/online dichotomy.

Thinking

Showcasing the Edinburgh Futures Institute

Cartoon artwork of woman looking at projected image of herself via virtual headset

Mike Bruce introduces Teaching Matters’ June-July Hot Topic series: Showcasing the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Mike Bruce is an Education Development Manager in Edinburgh Futures Institute.

Thinking

Uncertain futures – how can education prepare us for what might lie ahead?

Three people on a bench looking at a wall made up of the faces of lots of different people.

The world is changing. Rapidly. Professor Sian Bayne, tells us more about how higher education can develop to meet the demands of an uncertain future.

Discover more at Edinburgh Futures Institute

Owl perched on telescope

Undergraduate

Flamingo with wrench as feet

Postgraduate

Ice cream cones containing egg yolks on orange gradient background

Executive education

A crowd of students clapping at an event, orange tint over image.

Connect with student community

Join us to challenge, create, and make change happen.

#ChallengeCreateChange