Co-creating and researching the appropriacy of a module of study for a community of higher-level students

Abstract

Academic Expression and Critical Thinking (AECT) is a module on our International Foundation programme at Kings College London (KCL) that supports high-level English for Academic Purposes (EAP) students with International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores of 7 and above. The module is designed to have less focus on language than general EAP, and greater focus on critical thinking and academic literacy. However, these students may have ‘spikey’ profiles (i.e., with varied proficiency across language skills) and come from varied educational backgrounds. Consequently, AECT poses provision-, assessment-, and delivery-related challenges. This involves supporting students in attaining grades to progress, avoiding penalising students with greater level of difficulty of content, and maintaining student motivation. It also aims to build students’ socialisation and ‘readiness for classroom study’ as they adapt to post-pandemic life (compare ‘academic culture acclimatization’ Bhowmik and Kim, 2018, p.498). This provision aims to engage students in ‘critical needs analysis’ (Benesch, 1996, p.723) and create opportunities for student voice in module design (Bhowmik and Kim, 2018). As a piece of action research, changes in delivery and assessment on the module were investigated and analysed through several feedback activities over the year, including student- and tutor-facing surveys as well as focus groups with current AECT students. Presenting this work for discussion at the 2025 ALDinHE Conference has helped guide and inform continued work on developing AECT. This will include engaging the 2025/26 cohort in similar research activities and conducting assessment-related action research.