Academic literacies: learning developers’ perspectives on informing the curriculum

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi37.1760

Keywords:

academic literacies, learning developers, curricula, collaboration

Abstract

This paper sets out the findings of a research project that explores how learning developers (LDers) translate academic literacies (AL) into practice for student learning (Lea and Street, 1998; Hilsdon, 2011; Hilsdon et al., 2019; Bassett and McNaught, 2024) through curriculum design and content creation. The findings reveal varied practice informed by each LDer’s theoretical foundations, wider debates within learning development, and local conditions within each participant’s university.

A key emergent theme is that participants seek to influence the design of new and existing curriculum and resources by actively reaching out to colleagues, often from the ‘ground up’. Through interactions of sharing, persuasion, and collaboration, LDers are attempting to integrate multiple forms of academic knowledge and skills into wide-ranging courses so all students can fully participate and succeed in their disciplines. However, the participants’ reflections reveal structural and individual factors within higher education that manifest as challenges and affordances for informing curricula, content, and resources. The research reveals some unexpected results about how LDers engage with AL in their own practice and their relationships with discipline-based colleagues to promote and develop inclusive curricula (OfS, 2024).

This paper uses the words of LDers across multiple disciplines and universities to share insights into how we seek to influence accessibility, equity, and inclusivity throughout students’ learning journeys. Participants will be invited to reflect on the findings and consider how they might inform their own strategies for their contexts.

Author Biographies

Emma Shackleton, University of the Arts London

Emma Shackleton is joint Head of Academic Support at London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, UK. Her PhD research focuses on self-regulated learning within in-person and online educational contexts in art and design, with a particular focus on exploring how learning environments interact with students’ cognitions, motivations, and affect during their studies.

Ralitsa Kantcheva, University of Bedfordshire

Ralitsa Kantcheva is the Senior Learning Development Tutor in the Academy for Learning and Teaching Excellence, University of Bedfordshire, UK. Ralitsa has a background in supporting students through both subject-specific and generic provision of academic literacy and critical thinking skills. Ralitsa is interested in research about threshold concepts and sustainability.

Ian Johnson, University of Portsmouth UK

Ian Johnson is a Teaching Fellow at the Centre for European and International Studies Research, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Portsmouth UK. His research interests among other areas are in socially situated pedagogies, especially academic literacies, which focus on the interaction between academic disciplines and student identity/belonging.

Ed Bickle, Bournemouth University, UK

Ed Bickle is a Lecturer in Learning Development at Bournemouth University, UK. He has extensive experience in widening participation research, and his primary interests lie in the lived experiences of widening participation students. Ed is currently undertaking research that examines the future role of learning development within the higher education sector.

Arina Cirstea, De Montfort University, UK

Arina Cirstea is Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Learning and Study Support. She is involved in leading the embedded learning development provision for the Faculty of Business and Law, coordinating the LLS Open Programme of Workshops and leading the Writing Group for Research Students. Arina’s work also incorporates designing, delivering, and consulting on various areas of writing and study skills development, for example through in-curriculum sessions, self-selecting workshops, resources, and one-to-one support.

Kiu Sum, London Metropolitan University, UK

Kiu Sum is a Lecturer in Dietetics and Human Nutrition in the School of Human Sciences at London Metropolitan University. Kiu’s mixed-methods research interests include workplace nutrition, public health nutrition, and nutritional behaviour. Aside from nutrition, she is a pedagogy researcher focusing on student engagement and partnerships, assessments, and feedback. At ALDinHE, Kiu serves on the steering group and chairs the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Working Group.

Victoria Rafferty, University of Sunderland, UK.

Victoria Rafferty is currently Lecturer in Business and Management at the University of Sunderland. Victoria has worked in the field of learning development for over 15 years. She is an experienced researcher in students’ learning experiences, and her Professional Doctorate was based on her research around students’ experiences of one-to-one learning tutorials.

References

Bassett, M. and McNaught, L. (2024) ‘Embedded approaches to academic literacy development: a systematic review of empirical research about impact’, Teaching in Higher Education, 30(5), pp.1065-1083. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2024.2354280

Hilsdon, J. (2011) ‘What is learning development?’, in P. Hartley, J. Hilsdon, C. Keenan, S. Sinfield and M. Verity (eds) Learning development in higher education. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan, pp.13-27.

Hilsdon, J., Malone, C. and Syska, A. (2019) ‘Academic literacies twenty years on: a community-sourced literature review’, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 15, pp.1-47. Available at: https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.v0i15.567

Lea, M.R. and Street, B.V. (1998) ‘Student writing in higher education: an academic literacies approach’, Studies in Higher Education, 23(2), pp.157-172. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079812331380364

Office for Students (2024) ‘Risk 6: insufficient academic support’, 18 January. Available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/for-providers/equality-of-opportunity/equality-of-opportunity-risk-register/risk-6-insufficient-academic-support/ (Accessed: 9 January 2025).

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Published

30-09-2025

How to Cite

Shackleton, E., Kantcheva, R., Johnson, I., Bickle, E., Chin, P., Cirstea, A., … Rafferty, V. (2025). Academic literacies: learning developers’ perspectives on informing the curriculum. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, (37). https://doi.org/10.47408/jldhe.vi37.1760

Issue

No. 37 (2025): Special Edition, ALDinHE Conference Proceedings and Reflections

Section

Conference Proceedings

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