Introduction

Teaching in higher education is a complex, evolving and challenging practice, and yet meaningful teaching has the power to both inspire and change lives. In this introductory chapter, we examine our belief that meaningful teaching matters. We consider how teaching can feel daunting and demanding, but also how it can be a practice that is both stimulating and joyful. We discuss our aim to support teachers both by providing concrete examples of practice that can be adapted to different situations and by enabling readers to develop their own approaches. We consider how the book is situated in the changing times we experience, recognising the impact of the wider forces that impact upon what we do in the classroom. We examine the role of values in teaching and share our own values that have underpinned our own teaching and the writing of the text. We introduce how the book will engage ideas from a breadth of theories to think about teaching in new ways, and we also introduce the key themes of contemporary practice that the book will examine: digital education, artificial intelligence, learning design, inclusivity, assessment, feedback, belonging and mattering.