Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
Association for Learning Development in Higher Education
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Is it exploitation? On stewardship in academic communities
Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Time to talk about hope in higher education
Embedding critical thinking in contemporary academic practice
Designing inclusive assessment through Universal Design for Learning
GenAI in higher education: learning, relearning and unlearning
A simple guide to unpacking assignments and dissertations
AI, affective development, and the ‘third space’ of learning
This article explores the emotional dimensions of students’ engagement with assessment feedback and examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), particularly large language models (LLMs), may support learners’ affective development. Although feedback is often framed as a cognitive tool for improvement, it is also an emotional experience shaped by anxiety, uncertainty, and defensiveness, influencing how learners interpret and act on it. Drawing on Homi Bhabha’s concept of the ‘third space’, feedback is conceptualised as a negotiated site between educator intent and learner interpretation. Within this space, learners construct understanding through prior experiences and emotional responses. The article argues that LLMs can mediate this process by making feedback more accessible, actionable, and emotionally manageable, supporting feedback literacy. It also considers risks, including over-reliance on GenAI, reduced interpretive skills, and diminished academic precision. Their value lies in enhancing equitable engagement with feedback rather than replacing academic judgement or educator expertise in higher education.
Beyond skills: reframing academic literacies and the cultivation of graduate identity
Student belonging: a complex yet accessible issue for higher education
Criticality and things: the power of objects for learning development
Democratising research engagement: ambition, evidence, and the stubborn realities of stratified higher education
When AI writes the doctoral thesis: reclaiming the oral defence as a learning development intervention
Large language models have fundamentally challenged traditional methods of verifying doctoral competency as AI-generated text becomes increasingly difficult to distinguish from human scholarship. This paper argues that thesis committees and doctoral supervisors must reclaim the oral defence as a critical checkpoint for assessing authentic threshold crossing rather than a ceremonial rite of passage. Drawing on historical examples from medieval oral disputations through to the rise of written theses, this paper asserts the necessity of returning to rigorous oral assessment. Given the limitations of detection technologies and the growing use of AI in thesis writing, oral defences must move from confirmatory questions that permit regurgitated responses to exploratory inquiry that demonstrates genuine conceptual transformation. This requires developing assessment literacy among examiners to distinguish candidates who have achieved deep disciplinary understanding from those who have merely assembled AI-generated text, thereby revealing human capacities for critical thinking, spontaneous reasoning, and scholarly judgment.
A ‘room of one’s own’ in learning development: establishing spaces for writing for new learning developers
This speculative essay uses Virginia Woolf’s metaphor of a ‘room of one’s own’ to explore whether Learning Development (LD), as a field, provides effectual physical and figurative spaces whereby new learning developers (LDers) feel empowered to write their authentic selves into professional ‘being’. Drawing upon scholarly work into the professional identity of LDers, it argues that collaborative (and communal) shared ‘rooms’ or spaces ‘designed’ specifically for new LDers will enable them to develop confidence in contributing their written thoughts to the wider LD community.
Rewriting Fairy Tales: developing critical AI literacy through creative practice in higher education
This case study explores how generative artificial intelligence (genAI) can be used in higher education (HE) to examine creativity, bias, and representation through storytelling. Rewriting Fairy Tales was a workshop in which 11 students from diverse disciplines used AI tools to reinterpret narratives, enabling them to identify bias, question authorship, and reflect on ethical implications of AI. Delivered within a UK HE teaching initiative, the workshop used genAI software to generate and rework story summaries, images, and narrative continuations. Activities combined creative experimentation with discussion and reflection. Data were collected through surveys, student reflections, observations, and creative outputs, focusing on changes in confidence, ethical awareness, and engagement. Findings indicate that students became more confident and critically aware, recognising AI as a limited creative collaborator. Participants identified gendered and cultural biases and produced more inclusive narratives. The study highlights storytelling as an accessible framework for developing digital literacy and ethical awareness.
The Editors of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education are retracting this article following notification by the author and subsequent confirmation from York St John University. The research was conducted without the required institutional ethical approval, and the article breached participant confidentiality and data use agreements. In making this decision the Editorial Board follows COPE's Retraction Guidelines and the internationally accepted standards of publication ethics. The aim of this retraction is to correct the academic record and promote furthering scholarly integrity. The Editors regret that these violations were not identified during the peer review process and would like to extend sincere apologies for any inconvenience this retraction may have caused.
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Enhancing inclusivity for stammering in higher education
Support for stammering is poorly communicated and implemented in higher education. Recommendations from organisations such as STAMMA can be adopted by universities to enhance visibility and support. This support must continue to evolve as instructional and workplace practices change. An account of where to focus research efforts is presented with an emphasis on the relatively recent enhanced use of technology within higher education. A more inclusive learning and working environment for those who stammer will result in more students and staff feeling happier and supported to fulfil their potential, inclusive of those with and without a speech impediment.
Academic language and learning development practitioners’ access to professional development, recognition and promotion pathways: an international case study
Since 2015, there has been an expansion of professional development, recognition, and internal promotion opportunities open to Academic Language and Learning Development (ALLD) practitioners (Briggs, 2023; Briggs, 2025). However, limited information, beyond informal and often anecdotal community reporting, is available to inform what factors inhibit or facilitate access to such opportunities. This is concerning because it prohibits evidence-based interventions that aim to address inequalities of opportunity. This international study therefore sought to establish personal, institutional, national, and/or international factors associated with ALLD practitioners (n=92) reporting access to professional development, recognition, or internal promotion pathways. Several trends were identified, including country influence on access to professional recognition and contract type influence on access to internal promotion pathways. Implications of findings are considered in terms of how ALLD practitioners might be best supported by corresponding professional associations in terms of their career development and progression.
Bridging academia and industry through curriculum partnerships
This article critically examines how curriculum partnerships can bridge the gap between academia and industry. Focusing on the collaboration between the University of Sunderland and Northumbria Police, where students address crime-prevention issues through film production, it explores how partnership-based learning fosters authentic assessment, professional readiness, and civic engagement. The partnership, grounded in theories of experiential learning (Kolb, 1984) and authentic assessment (Herrington & Oliver, 2000), informs pedagogical design providing students with professional experiences that extend beyond traditional academic assessments. The research framework informing the partnership is that of reflective pedagogies and communities of practice. They enable students to gain real-world insights and engage with professionals in advance of graduation. A mixed-methods, practice-led approach combines quantitative module and survey data with qualitative reflections from students and graduates, demonstrating that embedded industry partnerships can strengthen employability readiness. The findings show that co-designed, client-led assessments enhance module engagement, employability awareness, and civic responsibility.
Evolving frameworks for responsible and human-centred AI practice in higher education and beyond
This letter reflects on the co-creative, cross-disciplinary discussions emerging from the Lovelace-Hodgkin Symposium: Responsible AI and Education at the University of Glasgow. Bringing together academics, professional services, students, external partners and industry representatives, the event explored how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming education. Participants focused not on technology itself but on people: the ways AI affects learning, teaching and work. Anxiety and opportunity coexisted throughout discussions, revealing the need for reflective frameworks that integrate agility, trust, transparency and inclusion. This letter offers insight on principles for building such frameworks and outlines three recommendations for individuals: to reflect on their AI use, to be transparent and to keep learning. For institutions: create safe spaces, connect policy with practice, extend access to all roles, and engage external partners to create an AI ethics ecosystem. These insights call for a collective, human-centred approach to AI that supports creativity, confidence and equity in education.
Book review: Bailey, S. (2025) Academic writing: a handbook for international students. 6th edn. Abingdon: Routledge.
Book review: Eyre, J. (2025) Learning Development in higher education: crisis, practice, and power in the 21st century university. Singapore: Springer.
Book review: Bhopal, K. and Myers, M. (2025) Race, racism and higher education: ethnic minority students’ transitions to and from university. London: Routledge.
Exploring student assessment literacy: how undergraduate students actualise and transform their assessment strategies
Research on student assessment literacy (SAL) has explored several points of interest, from broad conceptualisations of what SAL entails to developing SAL interventions and evaluating the overall benefits of SAL. There has been limited SAL research, however, from the student perspective, and how SAL actualises and transforms throughout the student lifecycle. Through the narratives of 22 final year undergraduate students in northern England, the present study explored SAL by focusing on student strategies in completing written coursework assessments. The context of coursework assessment provided insight into assessment practices during the interval from the issuing of the assessment to submission, and the increasing stakes of university assessments from first to final year. Assessment strategies undertaken to complete coursework showcased how students perceive best practice in relation to (1) coursework preparation, (2) engaging with support and (3) engaging with feedback. Findings highlight the need to centre student identity in relation to SAL actualisation and transformation, given that participants negotiated various stakes involved in university assessments, in relation to their unique learner identities. Some participants exhibited minimal SAL transformation but high levels of actualisation, while others transform in relation to high-stakes assessment and are selective in the degree of actualisation. All methods of SAL actualisation and transformation stem in part from students’ pre-university experiences.
Book review: Bertram Gallant, T. and Rettinger, D.A. (2025) The opposite of cheating: teaching for integrity in the age of AI. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press.
Book review: Cordie, L. (ed) (2025) Transition from pedagogy to andragogy: an international perspective. Emerald: Leeds.
Book review: Elkington, S. and Irons, A. (eds.) (2025) Formative assessment and feedback in post-digital learning environments: disciplinary case studies in higher education. New York: Routledge.
Book review: Ahmed, S. (2024) A 101 action research guide for beginners: demystifying research terminology using a concrete STEM action research project. Oxford: Peter Lang.
Fostering belonging and reflection: supporting continuation and degree success among foundation and year 0 students
This case study examines the impact of targeted pedagogic interventions on student progression and continuation within a Foundation (Year 0) programme at a UK university. Over four academic years, a series of community-focused strategies were implemented, including a reflective Personal Development Planning (PDP) module, structured collaborative group work, adaptive interdisciplinary curriculum design, and initiatives to foster a sense of belonging. Analysis of student outcomes indicates improvements in Foundation pass rates, progression to degree study, and continuation within higher education compared to earlier cohorts. The findings suggest that reflective practice supports student resilience and self-awareness, while collaborative and interdisciplinary learning strengthens peer networks and social integration. Access to degree-level spaces and responsive curriculum adjustments further enhanced engagement and motivation. Overall, the study provides evidence that holistic, relational approaches can positively influence both academic outcomes and student experience, offering practical strategies for supporting diverse cohorts and strengthening transitions into higher education.
Book review: Grimwood, M. and McHanwell, S. (2024) Evidencing teaching achievements in higher education. St. Albans: Critical Publishing.
Editorial: Navigating landscapes of practice through collaborative writing
Access to assessment feedback through learning management systems: a case study of open and distributed learning in South African higher education
This qualitative case study explored undergraduate students’ experiences accessing assessment feedback through learning management systems at a South African higher education institution. Drawing on Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development and Hattie and Timperley’s feedback model, the research examined how ten students navigate, interpret, and utilize digital feedback. Semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically, revealing three themes: technological barriers to feedback access, varying comprehension levels, and differential impacts on learning progression. Findings highlighted challenges including digital divide issues, technical literacy gaps, and inadequate scaffolded feedback delivery. The study uniquely combines Vygotskian theory with feedback scholarship, examining how students develop alternative scaffolding strategies when digital systems fail as mediating tools. Implications include recommendations for enhanced LMS design, improved digital literacy support, and contextually responsive feedback frameworks. This research offers particular relevance for learning developers supporting distance students and designing inclusive digital curricula in open and distributed learning contexts.
Embedded Teaching or Academic Skills Curriculum: re-thinking how we teach academic skills at university
The aim of this paper is to explore the teaching of academic skills to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Radiography students at the University of Bradford. The focus is on the review, design, and delivery of academic skills to students between years 2021 and 2024, alongside the development of a three-tier system for academic skills delivery (direct – hybrid – consultancy). The analysis of students’ understanding centres on key stages of their learning throughout their Undergraduate and/or Postgraduate studies. It focuses on the core skills required for their assignments in each academic year, helping students recognize the connection between their practical knowledge, the supporting theoretical framework, and the academic skills necessary to develop their literacy. The importance of core skills is crucial, as academic literacy is "highly specialised" (Basset and MacNaught, 2024). As such, it integrates seamlessly into the curriculum rather than being delivered as ad-hoc instruction. This emphasis ensures that core skills are introduced at the right stage of the students' learning, which was the foundation of the project's development. Throughout this process, students are guided to understand the value and application of academic skills for both their academic and professional development. It is in the integration of theoretical and practical skills that the most successful academic outcomes were achieved. The project was initially designed as a fully integrated approach to teaching academic skills but has since evolved into a hybrid model that combines academic skills training with consultancy and a fully academic-led study skills’ teaching. This presentation outlines the development of these modules, the lessons learned from their delivery, and feedback from academics currently involved in delivering the study skills sessions. It is hoped the presentation opens a discussion around questions of academic skills support within modules and how effective such support really is. It is the aim and scope of this presentation to suggest different options of study skills provision that form the basis for a study skills curriculum and thus more holistic, centralised academic learning experience within the HE environment.
Tutor training across disciplines: expanding aid and enabling student entrepreneurship
As learning developers, we frequently find ourselves constrained by institutional structures and disciplinary areas of expertise. At just one of the University of Toronto’s three campuses, we have no fewer than five distinct undergraduate faculties, thereby creating a complex ecosystem that compounds the difficulty of supporting all students, even beyond the issue of understanding the expectations of multiple programs of study. While the Centre for Learning Strategy Support has dispersed members of our team across the St. George campus to focus on distinct student needs, varying funding and staffing structures has led to uneven support for our students in different disciplines, with many turning to external tutoring services of unreliable quality. While learning developers may be limited to their own education and experience, we are uniquely positioned as experts in teaching and learning: we may not always know the ins and outs of what students need to study, but we have valuable insights in how to do so. Over the past several years, we have built a curriculum of modules supporting effective and ethical peer-to-peer learning, based on strategies that are core to a learning developer’s work. Upon completing the University of Toronto Tutor Training Program, or UT3, and after securing the reference of a postsecondary subject matter expert, academically successful students are enabled to bring their discipline-specific knowledge to others as independent contractors on our Tutor Directory. With this combination of training and directory, we have built a new marketplace for all undergraduate students to find trustworthy tutors, and for our trainees to make money by supporting their peers. This presentation spotlighted the development and launch of the UT3, including the initial needs analysis and consultations, the creation of our curriculum, and our progress in training students to enable hundreds of tutoring sessions since our launch.
Methods in a place: bringing together language, ecology and geography for a final-year undergraduate field course
The ability to work in interdisciplinary teams is becoming increasingly important in academic environments and the workplace. However, few university programmes deliver course content in truly interdisciplinary formats, instead structuring coursework around traditional disciplinary boundaries. This project’s aims were to: Include student partners in designing an interdisciplinary, experiential course where content was structured around a shared physical place rather than disciplinary boundaries. Embed authentic interactions with external stakeholders to enhance learning through an enquiry-based approach. Staff and students from across three colleges within the University of Glasgow co-designed activities for a cross-disciplinary, final-year undergraduate field course, following Gibson et al.’s (2019) ‘three-faculty rule’. During spring 2024, a team of five staff and eight students representing the Schools of Geography and Earth Science, Biodiversity, One Health and Comparative Medicine, and Celtic and Gaelic Studies worked together to structure and then deliver lecture- and practical-based course content centred on the cultural heritage, language, landscape, and species conservation of the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. The programme consisted of a one-week intensive set of lectures delivered primarily by the student partners, followed by a one-week residential visit to this location. While on-site the team met with a range of stakeholders and visited locations that provided a central focus for student enquiry. After the course, student partners authored draft intended learning outcomes (ILOs), proposed assessment methods, and provided feedback on the stakeholders, locations, and sessions from their experience. The informal spaces and novel surroundings created by the course facilitated learning and an awareness of the value of different disciplinary approaches to a shared problem (Chan and Wheeler, 2023) and deepened student appreciation of their discipline. Overall, this project demonstrated that interdisciplinary coursework at the final-year undergraduate level can be highly successful due to a more holistic approach and increased student confidence.
Including mature students: the creation of an online resource tailored to the mature student experience
Are we missing ‘the single most important thing for teachers to know’? Cognitive Load Theory and Learning Development
It is reasonable to assume that a core focus of Learning Developers is student learning and the techniques we use to support this learning. It is interesting to note, therefore, that Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) – seen by some as ‘the single most important thing for teachers to know’ in compulsory education (Wiliam, 2017) – receives very limited attention in the Learning Development literature. More broadly a survey of key higher education teaching concepts published in the International Journal of Academic Development makes no mention of this theory (Kandlbinder and Peseta, 2009). CLT relies on well-established findings in cognitive psychology relating to the limits of working memory, and capacities of long-term memory. This seems significant as according to CLT advocates, ‘without knowledge of human cognitive processes, instructional design is blind’ (Sweller, Ayres and Kalyuga, 2011, v). This presentation will first outline the basic principles of and evidence for CLT. It will then highlight the ways it has been used to challenge the use of minimally guided, experiential teaching approaches such as discovery, problem-based or inquiry learning. Participants will have the opportunity to consider possible implications for Learning Development practice: can we, for example, use more strongly guided approaches in our teaching and learning interventions with some learners, without having to feel guilty about ‘sages on stages’ and ‘guides on the side’?
Is there more to learning than social constructivism?
Social constructivism (SC) entails a view of learning which involves socially and culturally situated practices, alongside a view of knowledge as constructed, especially in dialogue or collaboration with others (Shay, 2008, p.596). This often leads to pedagogies which minimize expert guidance and emphasise interaction and knowledge construction between learners. As an explanation of how we understand the world it has much to offer, and it has influenced teaching and learning in higher education extensively. This includes the Educational and Learning Development literature, with SC named constituting an important influence on Academic Literacies theory and therefore likely on LD practice. It’s important to challenge and test such dominant narratives in any community, if only to strengthen our understanding and practice. However, there seems to be a limited amount of such challenge in LD discourse. Usefully, other sub-fields of education provide alternatives. Researchers from science education, for example, have investigated constructivist-inspired forms of minimally guided learning such as discovery, project-based, problem-based and inquiry learning. Their conclusions are striking. Matthews (2012) cites work which ‘reviewed an extensive body of research on constructivist [mainly discovery] pedagogy and concluded that it did not work, and where it did work, it worked in virtue of departing from constructivist principles’ (Mayer, 2004; in Matthews, 2012, p. 10). Such critics point to approaches informed by cognitive science, employed in ways which can combine more strongly and minimally guided approaches and thus improve learning outcomes for students. This raises some important questions: These scientists are skeptical of SC-informed pedagogy. Shouldn't we at least be looking into this? Cognitive Load Theory was described as 'the single most important thing for teachers to know' in compulsory UK education some years ago (Wiliam, 2017). Is it weird that it's rarely discussed in Learning Development? How can we maintain a channel for recent findings in fields like cognitive science and neuroscience to inform our understanding of education, and specifically of Learning Development?
Learning Development (LD) is positioned in different locations dependent on the institution. LD at the University of Northampton (UON) is part of the Learning Teaching Enhancement team within Library, Learning, and Student Services. Embedding academic skills into programmes seems to be a common practice and has demonstrated impact on student confidence, belonging and retention (Minogue et al., 2018). Being within a Professional Services department our team aligns with specific programmes within Faculties. In most cases, the LD tutor who liaises with the programme team has no expertise in the subject specific aspects of the programme. We seem to thrive in some departments with our colleagues enthusiastic about our endeavours. Yet, we struggle in others to establish meaningful collaboration despite continuous and persistent efforts. This mini keynote will outline how UON advocates and negotiates our service and the positives and challenges of this work. The following questions will be discussed: 1) Where does your institution position Learning Development? 2) What strategies are effective in advocating your provision to colleagues and students? 3) How do you overcome challenges you face?
Mitigating writing anxiety through creative practices and community building
Writing anxiety has been documented to have an inverse relationship with students’ self-efficacy (Huerta et al., 2016). At the University of Southampton, the authors have devised a set of highly creative and practical steps to help students break the negative cycle of anxiety, negative feedback, and unrealised writing potential. Apprehension around academic writing is a well-established and complex phenomenon that has been shown to negatively impact students in a variety of ways throughout their learning (Daly and Miller, 1985; Calimag, 2021; Mitchell et al., 2023). Furthermore, negative experiences of the writing process and feedback on writing often compound and exacerbate these anxieties in students’ cognitive, social, and behavioural abilities (Bastug et al., 2017; Mercer and Gulseren, 2024). To ameliorate what often becomes a negative cycle of anxiety and stress around academic writing, educators can offer creative and meaningful practices that are easily adaptable to a variety of educational contexts and content (Bandura, 1977; Mitchell et al., 2021). Some of these innovative practices were demonstrated during this session at ALDcon25. In this interactive workshop, Learning Developers (LDers) had the opportunity to try out a variety of creative practices designed to reduce apprehension and anxiety around academic writing whilst simultaneously building students’ self-efficacy and developing positive learning communities. The workshop aligned with the ‘LDers and Inclusive LD’ sub-theme, showcasing activities that can be adapted to meet the needs of a diverse range of learners. The activities explored in this workshop were also designed to promote positive learning environments (Advance HE, 2025) that foster a sense of community and belonging (Jury et al., 2017; Abegglen et al., 2021). Participants were required to engage fully with the activities and with each other in order to maximise the value from the session and to take away a bank of useful, replicable ideas. In the wider context and with reference to ongoing work with specific awarding gap populations, the authors’ writing practices within the Widening Participation and Social Mobility Directorate at the University of Southampton look to explore and build upon the existing body of research that links the above outcomes with increased student achievement (Hadden et al., 2020; Wong et al., 2021; Andrews et al., 2023).
Advancing Assessment in Co-design with Students: An evidence informed approach to enhancing practice
Students’ views are shifting in how they want to engage in higher education, driven by the complex socio-economic landscapes they are operating within (Hughes, 2023). This has prompted Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to reconsider how they support students with diverse ranges of needs and wellbeing issues (Firth et al., 2023). Central to this is their experience of assessment and feedback, which remains a point of weakness in their overall university experience. Therefore, it is imperative that HEIs hear their voices around learning development and assessment journeys, especially given the other demands on their time (Neves et al., 2024) and develop in co-design to build connectiveness (McIntosh and May, 2025). The University of Southampton has developed a five-year Advancing Assessment Strategic Major Project to enhance assessment thinking and embrace new ideas and practices across the institution, underpinned by a set of principles with inclusivity and accessibility at the core. This has included the introduction of the Assessment Consultancy, established within the Centre for Higher Education Practice (CHEP), providing bespoke individual and whole-programme assessment development with a core ethos of student co-design (CHEP, 2025). This session presented recent findings from the project and relayed the initial evaluations of these approaches to inform learning development peers and enable learning from their own and others’ experiences. The session also explored how HEIs can lay the foundations for innovation that aligns with emerging trends in assessment and feedback, such as assessment optionality and cohesive programme development design (Walker, 2025).
What should high-quality research look like in Learning Development?
High-quality teaching in contemporary universities is increasingly recognised through evidence of its reach, value, and impact. Previous ALDCon presentations (e.g. White and Webster, 2023) have highlighted the importance of Learning Developers—and the wider field of Learning Development—in ensuring our work engages with broader conversations around high-quality teaching and learning. Evans et al. (2021) emphasise that quality emerges through the integration of pedagogical practice and research. But what does ‘quality’ mean for Learning Developers and other third space professionals? How can we showcase our practice through our research? This workshop investigated how quality is understood and evidenced in Learning Development research. Editors from the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE) collaborated with delegates in a Consensus Workshop (Stanfield, 2002) to explore how quality might be conceptualised and evidenced in our scholarly outputs. Through taking a broad and inclusive approach to research, the session acknowledged the need for Learning Development to actively and continually write itself into existence (Syska and Buckley, 2023) to demonstrate its impact. The outcomes of the workshop were designed to inform JLDHE’s editorial practices and enhance its support for Learning Developers at all career stages. Ultimately, the workshop fostered a deeper understanding of quality in Learning Development research, empowering delegates to strengthen their pedagogical practice through meaningful and impactful scholarship.
Identifying the digital skills needs of study skills teachers through empathy mapping activities
Shifts in higher education policy have resulted in increased focus for study skills practitioners to support students with digital literacy alongside academic literacy skills. This emphasis on digital up-skilling has been exacerbated by the increased focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education, for example, ChatGPT, and the need for students to develop greater digital literacy and academic integrity awareness (Salvagno et al., 2023). Study skills tutors arguably lack specific expertise in digital skills and may subsequently experience a challenge to their professional status because they are not seen to have specialist powers or prestige within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) (Ding and Bruce, 2017). Empathy mapping, a design thinking tool, was developed to help service designers overcome an egocentric perspective and consider the viewpoint and experiences of individual users (Chen and Tsai, 2024), which can result in a human-centred response to user needs through reflection, observation and listening. Through empathy mapping, participants are given the agency to present their nuanced perspectives on any given sociocultural context (Gurjar and Elwood, 2024); for example, study skills practitioners reflecting on professional knowledge and developmental needs when faced with challenge and change. This poster showed how empathy mapping can be used with study skills professionals to reflect on any gaps around digital literacy in their domains of knowledge (Goodwin, 2010) and highlight where professional development opportunities can take place (Figure 1).
Practising what you preach: how an evidence-based strategy enables the achievement of transparency in assessment and feedback
In this presentation, we provided examples of evidence-based practice in a university-wide assessment and feedback redesign, driven by a new Learning and Teaching Strategy. To enable the implementation of this strategy and the university-wide shift in practice, the university looked to learning designers to bridge the gap between theory and practice. We developed a comprehensive strategy with a focus on motivating buy-in of staff, which required us to ensure the relationship between practice and policy was transparent, meaningful, and evidence-based. We focused on five pillars: 1) collecting data to identify developmental targets; 2) creating a central resource for maintaining evidence-based assessment practice; 3) educating new staff and early adopters to enable a supportive culture shift; 4) identifying academic departments that required extensive changes to achieve evidence-based assessment practice, with a focus on removing barriers to engagement; and 5) ensuring pedagogy/subject-level experts were crucial to both designing and implementing changes. This presentation was of particular interest to learning developers who aim to better support and promote the skills that students need to excel on assessments. We did this by demonstrating how making the necessary skills and knowledge more explicit and real-world relevant will make it easier for learning developers to identify, communicate, and thus support students in what it takes to succeed in even the most unique assessment designs.
Visual and creative assessments: the Learning Developer perspective
This presentation explored the role of Learning Developers in supporting university students working on visual and creative or ‘authentic assessments’ (Kędra and Žakevičiūtė, 2019; Peña and Dobson, 2021). The paper considered how Learning Developers are well-placed to provide insights into understanding how students comprehend and engage with such assignments (Bartram, 2023). This perspective is particularly useful for visual and creative assignments where the assessment and evaluation of ‘creativity’ can prove challenging for educational professionals (Balchin, 2006). The paper provided insights into how students approach and comprehend visual and creative assessments, and the potential impact on the Learning Developer role. I contended that some students struggle to understand what is expected and how such assessments are graded. There appeared to be a particular concern for assignments with little or no written element, assessed instead by word count equivalence. I discussed how our Academic Skills team responded to student need by providing new teaching support on visual literacy and creative skills development in collaboration with colleagues. The presentation provided an opportunity to outline my recent research findings that showed how such assignments were received and valued by students across different disciplines in terms of personal, academic, and professional skills development. By focusing on the student experience, this research identified areas for adaptation or enhancement in the creation, delivery, and support of assignments to promote greater inclusivity. The paper concluded with a reflection on how the unique position of Learning Developers could inform and shape the provision of visual and creative assessments.
Embedding AI in a pedagogy of compassion
Although increasingly recognised in higher education assessment and teaching practices, compassionate pedagogy is often misunderstood. Designed to alleviate student distress and trauma, it is sometimes dismissed as ‘soft’, ‘fluffy’, or insufficiently rigorous, particularly in relation to the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) use in higher education. This case study, co-authored by academic staff and students, explores a constructive way forward. Drawing on student experiences, co-facilitation, and module performance, we demonstrate how teaching and learning with AI can be situated within a compassionate pedagogy. We suggest that this can foster engaged and inclusive learning communities promoting scholarship and belonging, while supporting critical research skills. We conclude with recommendations for educators on how they can embed teaching and learning with AI into their own pedagogy of compassion.
Bridging the gap: motivations, challenges and early attainment among widening participation students in higher education
Despite increasing access to higher education (HE) for students from widening participation (WP) backgrounds, disparities in retention, awarding and student experience persist. This study examines differences in motivations, barriers, and support for WP and non-WP students, and examines whether early grade differences are present. A sample of 293 undergraduate first and second year Psychology or Cognitive Neuroscience students at an English, Russell Group university completed the survey. Students self-identified with WP criteria. Findings revealed WP students were more likely to identify financial concerns and sense of belonging as barriers, were more motivated by future earning potential, and were less likely to report family support compared to non-WP peers. No early grade differences were shown, suggesting that final degree awarding gaps may emerge later during university study rather than at entry. The study highlights the need for institutions to support students’ financial concerns and foster a more inclusive sense of belonging.
Increasing but insufficient polyphony: are there voices that could further enrich the discussion of LD professional identities?
The development of Learning Development (LD) in the United Kingdom (UK), and its sister disciplines in other countries, has been accompanied by intense conversations and reflection on the professional identities of those involved in it. This paper contributes to these debates by focussing on aspects of LD identities and practice that remain stubbornly uncertain. It argues that the growing consensus in the literature should not distract from questions about how well the literature represents the full community of Learning Developers (LDers). To this end, it reviews current literature on LD identities and practice, focussing on potential limitations to the emerging body of knowledge these publications represent. In response, it develops the rationale for a study among Scottish LDers that addresses some of the aspects currently underrepresented in the literature by including a wider scope of voices and focussing more strongly on practice.
Exploring Learning Development: an unconference approach
The Unconference exemplified a participant-driven approach to professional collaboration and knowledge sharing, designed to challenge the traditional top-down structure of conferences. Rooted in principles of inclusivity, collaboration, and adaptability, the Unconference empowered attendees to shape the agenda, propose discussion topics, and lead meaningful conversations. Unlike conventional conferences, which often rely on pre-set schedules and expert-led presentations, the Unconference thrives on the collective expertise and lived experiences of its participants (Yeoh, 2024). The primary aim of an Unconference is to create a democratic and interactive space where participants can collaboratively explore key issues, share best practices, and co-develop solutions. In the context of Learning Development (LD), the Unconference provided a unique platform for professionals to tackle pressing challenges. This event fostered supportive networks, encouraged the exchange of innovative ideas, and enabled reflection on the core values and practices that underpin LD. The objectives of the Unconference aligned closely with the ethos of LD, which emphasises care, collaboration, and adaptability. By placing participant voices at the centre and encouraging diverse perspectives, the Unconference format mirrored the relational and inclusive practices central to LD (Gravett, 2025). Furthermore, the flexibility of the format supported iterative problem-solving and knowledge generation, enabling attendees to address complex challenges in real-time (Knapp, 2016). The Unconference also highlighted the importance of resilience and community-building in professional development. Drawing on the concept of fostering adaptability amidst uncertainty (Ungar, 2013), this event provided a space for participants to navigate the precarity of higher education and co-develop strategies for sustainable growth and well-being (Kahn, Moreau, and Gagnon, 2024). Particularly relevant to LD, the Unconference model promoted active engagement, peer-to-peer learning, and the co-creation of knowledge. By prioritising inclusivity and collaboration, the Unconference created an environment where learning developers can innovate, reflect, and collectively shape the future of their field. The session followed a structured yet adaptable methodology inspired by design sprint frameworks, such as the Google Ventures model, which emphasises iterative problem-solving and participant-driven collaboration (Knapp, 2016). The process was organised into five key stages: Objective setting: participants reflected on their motivations and goals for attending, identifying the areas they were most eager to explore. Small group exploration: attendees formed small groups to discuss their unique challenges and share diverse perspectives, fostering initial brainstorming. Theme identification: using a digital platform, participants collaboratively identified common themes and priorities, ensuring relevance and focus. In-depth discussions: breakout sessions were organised around the identified themes, allowing participants to delve deeper into specific topics and co-create solutions. Group sharing: insights, recommendations, and actionable ideas were shared with the larger group, enabling collective learning and reflection. The session took place online and utilised Miro, a collaborative online platform, alongside Zoom to facilitate engagement and dynamic interaction. Miro enabled participants to visualise ideas, organise themes, and document insights in real-time, enhancing the overall collaborative experience.
Writing as a form of resistance and professional autonomy
This mini keynote made an argument for looking at writing as a form of resistance in a world of AI-enhanced efficiency, and as an expression of professional autonomy, where writing offered us a space to think through ideas and experience joy and wonder in the process. We posited that writing could be a nourishing act that affirmed what made us uniquely human, offering the potential to increase our sense of professional satisfaction, happiness, and wellbeing. Through writing – a difficult and fraught act as it is – we have a chance not to surrender our individual selves but to continuously (re)create ourselves and (re)connect with our community, together forming an ecosystem of interdependent human intelligences for whom the goal was not necessarily proficiency in writing but staying invested in the process. We invited the community to consider the following questions: How could writing and knowledge production create community, compassion and connection in higher education? How do we develop a writing culture with our students and colleagues? What might it look like? How can we connect with writing as an embodied process of thinking and feeling, and help others to see the freedom it offers as well?
Academic literacies: learning developers’ perspectives on informing the curriculum
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.
Beyond the s**t sandwich: empowering student learning through action-oriented feedback
Feedback is a cornerstone of effective learning, yet dissatisfaction with its practices persists in higher education (Henderson et al., 2019). At De Montfort University, NSS data revealed declining student satisfaction with feedback clarity and applicability, particularly in STEM disciplines. Whilst our existing feedback toolkit improved outcomes in social science disciplines, STEM students remain underserved in this area. This project seeks to address this gap. With ethics committee approval and led by a student research assistant, the study employs focus groups with third-year Engineering students to explore their reception, understanding, and application of feedback on final-year projects. Data was triangulated through staff interviews and a review of written feedback to identify key barriers and opportunities for improvement. Preliminary findings indicate a need for discipline-specific resources that demystify feedback language and promote actionable responses. This paper showcased the co-creation of an evidence-driven feedback toolkit tailored to the needs of Computing, Engineering, and Media students. The project demonstrates the value of embedding student voice in Learning Development practice to enhance learning outcomes. By aligning staff and student approaches to feedback, the project supports positive learning outcomes, contributes to institutional metrics, such as the TEF and NSS, and offers insights transferable to other disciplines.
What if misunderstood creativity in learning creates barriers to participation and impacts students' sense of belonging
The pressure which may be felt by staff to apply creativity when teaching, could potentially overshadow the benefits of it, by diverting the focus from meaningful knowledge building during the learning process (Sun et al., 2020; Deverell and Moore, 2014; McGuire and Gubbins, 2010). Experiencing the emphasis to be creative in my teaching as a learning development tutor, I am interested to explore the matter of replacing traditional teaching values with divergent ways of learning, and how this could affect the sense of belonging to a HE organisation. Karwowski (2022) argues that to achieve successful engagement with creative learning, students must recognise the act of building meaningful knowledge alongside the untraditional teaching approach offered to them. The main question to raise is if students do not perceive creative activities as meaningful knowledge building, would they disregard the opportunity to learn and disengage with the wider community of practice (Goulet-Pelletier et al., 2023, p.197-198; Pachler, et al., 2019; Wenger, 1998). Opening a professional dialogue will allow the investigation of the hypothesis that misunderstood creativity in learning could have an impact on students’ perception of the HE institution and their positioning within it and will offer opportunities to tackle issues around students’ sense of belonging.
Reviewing and optimising the impact of self-selecting Learning Development provision on level 6 undergraduates
Engagement with Learning Development (LD) interventions has been found to have a positive impact on students’ academic success, including higher attainment (Nzekwe-Excel, 2014; Coulson, Loddick and Rice, 2021), development of self-regulated learning strategies (Lobos et al., 2021), and increased confidence (Coulson, Loddick and Rice, 2021). Such interventions were shown to positively influence retention for students ‘at-risk’ (Berry, Mac An Bhaird and O'Shea, 2005). In an analysis of student success strategies at 64 US institutions, monitoring usage of academic support services has been rated as 90% effective in supporting ‘student success, retention and completion’ (RNL, 2023). The Learning Services (LS) team at De Montfort University provides a range of self-selecting LD opportunities (workshops, tutorials, and drop-ins) to all students. This presentation shared the findings of a project aimed to review the impact of this provision on level 6 undergraduates. Level 6 students have been selected as the target population based on their high usage of LS provision (approx. 41% in 2022/23), but also because of the higher weighting of level 6 grades in overall degree classification (DMU, 2023). Using a range of data for the academic year 23/24, the project explored the following questions: • Is there a relationship between attendance at LS self-selecting sessions and student attainment? • What type of one-to-one interventions (tutorials/drop-ins) and delivery modes (online/in-person) had the most usage, and which self-selecting workshop topics had the highest attendance rates by level 6 undergraduates? • How can these findings be used to optimise LD support for level 6 undergraduates? As an outcome of this project, a range of targeted strategies and resources were developed for optimising the self-selecting LD offer for the target student group. Attendees were invited to feedback on these and consider whether they can be applied to their own context.
Stitching together research and data to create evidence for innovation
In this paper, colleagues from the University of the Arts London shared insights regarding how they were, first, using data to adapt their offers to enhance students’ learning experiences and outcomes and, second, developing a data approach to examine impact and share evidence for further change. The London College of Fashion learning development department has access to institutional grade, retention and continuation data, and survey responses. However, this high-level data can be challenging to examine for feedback on practice and for innovation. In response, the presenters of this session have evolved an approach of stitching together a patchwork of institutional data with finer-grained exploration of students’ formal and informal feedback relating to their experiences within the College. Particularly useful has been listening to students’ perceptions shared through learning conversations and interactions, sessions with Changemakers and during collaborations when trialling new ideas. In turn, those involved in the initiative pieced together qualitative insights with analysis of a range of institutional data within a situated perspective of students’ learning and research in the field to create theories of change to enhance students’ outcomes and experiences (Thomas & Jones, 2017; Snoussi & Mompelat, 2018; UUK, 2019; HEPI, 2023; TASO, 2024). These include higher attainment, students’ greater belief in their efforts and increased connectedness of lecturers and students in the College. A challenge has been gathering varied data to infer in detail how the adaptations to practice influence equity, inclusivity and success within the contexts they are operationalised within. The session shared some collective conceptual and technical developments and challenges for the practical implementation of a data infrastructure to enhance our understanding and inform how evidence is shared for improved student experiences and outcomes.
Vibrant voices: empowering students to communicate and participate
What is 4IR or Industry 4.0, and how will it impact Learning Development?
Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is quickly changing the world with a shift towards automation and digital technology, most notably, for example, the large impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI). Organisations such as the World Economic Forum (2024), McKinsey and Company (2022) and Skills Development Scotland (2018), believe that Industry 4.0 will change the way we work and live, with implications for everyone. These organisations argue that we need to become lifelong learners and develop ‘future-ready skills’, particularly adaptability, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. Despite the predicted large changes Industry 4.0 will bring, there is little conversation about it in the higher education sector beyond the immediate impact of using AI. This paper aimed to raise awareness of Industry 4.0, and the potential challenges and opportunities it brings, focusing on the implications for Learning Development. Inspired by conversations and questions during a mini-keynote at ALDCon 2024, this paper briefly explored what Industry 4.0 is, concentrating on the potential changes within higher education and human-centred outcomes. Moreover, it explored the implications for students, looking at both their student experience but also their transition to the workplace. Specifically, it explored the following implications: Navigating multiple (and increasingly unknown) futures. Understanding and preparing for digital disruption both during their studies and future employment. Maintaining agency and autonomy during their studies in an increasingly automated system. Finally, the paper focussed on the implications for Learning Development and those who work in this area. Specifically, it explored the following implications: How ‘future-ready skills’ can be integrated into curriculum and co-curriculum activities. The need for student-centred skills development and how this can be implemented. The paper questioned how and if our roles will change and secondly what (if any) changes we should make to support learners at our institutions. Overall, this paper hoped to inform on the key aspects of Industry 4.0, the possible effect on Learning Development and facilitate discussion on the topic.
Cultivating cross-disciplinary collaborations to enhance student outcomes: a case-study from London Southbank University
In a rapidly evolving higher education landscape, fostering cross-disciplinary collaborations is vital to preparing students for the complexities of contemporary professional, social, and political contexts. This presentation explored how Learning Developers at London Southbank University (LSBU), an institution committed to vocationally relevant and professionally recognised education (London Southbank University, 2025), led initiatives to embed discipline-specific Academic Practice(s) and English Language support into curricula. Focusing on two diverse programmes, Level 4 (first year, undergraduate) BA Business Management and Level 6 (final year, undergraduate) BA Fashion Communication, Learning Developers collaborated with subject tutors to identify key areas where students faced challenges in engaging with academic content. In Business Management, interventions targeted critical reading and analysis skills needed to evaluate case-studies and construct evidence-based arguments. In Fashion Communication, teaching focused on fostering critical reflection to refine research questions, aims and objectives, and methodologies/methods for critical research proposals, while enhancing peer-to-peer feedback to align with academic standards. These collaborations resulted in co-designed materials, co-teaching, and workshops tailored to each programme’s unique demands. Preliminary results highlighted the transformative impact of this approach. Students in both programmes reported increased confidence in navigating discipline-specific academic language and applying it within their fields. Quantitative data show improvements in first-time assignment submission rates, overall pass rates, and the quality of submitted work. Academic staff also noted enhanced student participation and deeper critical engagement with course materials. This case study demonstrated how embedding academic practice(s) within vocationally focused programmes can address persistent barriers to student achievement. It offered a replicable model for institutions seeking to enhance outcomes by bridging disciplinary divides and equipping students to engage critically in diverse contexts.
Is this the hardest time to be a student at university?
This mini keynote explored the questions: is this the hardest time to be a student at university (at least in a contemporary setting)? What are our roles as educators and Learning Developers in supporting students to navigate these challenges? These questions arose from a myriad of challenges that students are now facing at the same time as accelerated, drastic global changes (Davey and Harney, 2023). The mini keynote asked if Learning Development is seeing changes during this time, as many of our students are still suffering from the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (UPP Foundation, 2024). In addition to this, we are seeing a mental health crisis coupled with a cost-of-living crisis which has a serious impact on students’ university experiences (NUS Scotland, 2024). These challenges are taking place at the same time as huge global changes such as the climate emergency, and Industry 4.0 with accelerated digitalisation impacting students’ education and day-to-day lives, as well as future workplaces (World Economic Forum, 2024). This is coupled with the additional challenge for staff in higher education (HE) to become AI ready (Bobula, 2024). So, is this the hardest time to be a student or are we just more aware of the challenges students face and how does this impact Learning Development? Prompt questions: Is this the hardest time to be a student at university? How do these outlined challenges impact Learning Development? What are our roles as educators and Learning Developers in supporting students to navigate these challenges?
Student AI guidance – a collaborative approach
This presentation introduced Canterbury Christ Church University’s Learning and Teaching student guidance to generative artificial intelligence or GenAI (CCCU, 2024). Adopting a collaborative approach, this guidance was created by the Student AI Working Group, composed of a wide range of professionals – including those navigating professional, academic and third space domains – and students. The guidance takes an educative, rather than punitive, approach to GenAI. As a result, the guidance aims to develop students’ understanding of what GenAI is and how it works, and examine both acceptable uses – ways in which GenAI can support research and assignment development – and limitations, spanning issues with integrity, accuracy, fabrication, bias, copyright and ethics. The session not only introduced the guidance per se but particularly focussed on (a) the role learning developers played in the creation of the guidance; (b) how the guidance has been used for teaching purposes, in specific courses; (c) student and staff feedback on the use of the guidance in classroom settings; (d) plans to evaluate this new resource; (e) future developments and further application to learning and teaching practices.
The use of student self-assessment questionnaires to inform practice
Self-assessment questionnaires in which students rate their confidence across a range of discrete study skills are a familiar tool in the ‘study skills’ repertoire (Cottrell, 2001; Cottrell, 2019). At West Suffolk College we have made an annual online self-assessment questionnaire central to our study skills provision. Our initial motivation was to reverse our default position of starting with what we think students need, creating resources and arranging workshops, hoping students turn up and complaining when they don’t. We now use the questionnaire to gauge students’ perceptions of their own needs and use this to inform the content of our study skills provision and target its delivery. With a 56% completion rate this year, the questionnaire data offers valuable insights for the student support team and academics alike, providing the basis of a new way of working together that transcends ‘bolt-on’ or ‘built-in’ approaches (Cairns, Hervey and Jonhson, 2018). While this approach has felt like progress, it has also generated questions about the limitations of self-assessment questionnaires. Most striking has been the trend for students achieving lower academic outcomes to rate their skills surprisingly highly (a phenomenon with its own research literature, for example: Dunning and Kruger, 1999; Dunning, Heath and Suls, 2004; Miller and Geraci, 2011). This observation has helped us to reflect on our own unconscious theories of student success and particularly the role of self-efficacy within these (Bandura, 1977; Bandura, 1997; Ritchie, 2016). The purpose of this mini-keynote is to share practical ideas for the use of self-assessment questionnaires (what to ask, when, how, what to do with the data), but also to consider their limitations and reflect honestly on the success or otherwise of our attempts to create reciprocal learning relationships with our students. Research Questions: 1: How do you use self-assessment questions at your institution? 2: How does the ‘evidence’ generated by self-assessment questions influence practice? 3: What are the limitations of self-assessment questionnaires? Keywords: self-assessment questionnaires; student needs analysis; evidence informed practice; higher education
10 Years of Let’s Talk About [X]: reflections on the University of Glasgow’s multidisciplinary undergraduate research conference
Let’s Talk About [X] (LTA[X]) is the University of Glasgow’s annual multidisciplinary conference, run by Student Learning Development (SLD). The initiative comprises a two-month training programme, through which participants enhance their multidisciplinary communication and academic presentation skills with the help of learning developers, PhD mentors, and student peers, and a conference event where students showcase their outstanding research to peers and the wider university community. LTA[X] is one of the most ambitious and longest-running events of its kind in the sector, and it has been shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award. As LTA[X] reaches the 10-year landmark, we wanted to share our reflections on the process of creating and running this programme with the wider community of learning developers. This presentation traced the history of LTA[X] and detailed what is involved in organising and running the conference yearly, from the selection of participants to the organisation and overseeing of the training and the delivery of the conference itself, including discussion of some of the main hurdles faced by the organising committee. It also offered testimonies from previous years’ participants and PhD mentors who each reflect on their experience of taking part in LTA[X], and on the skills and experience they gained as well as some of the challenges they both encountered. In detailing our processes and experiences over the course of a decade, we seek to encourage and offer proven practical tools to learning developers in other institutions interested in organising similar events or programmes in their institutions.
Fostering staff engagement in investigating practice: A journey through pedagogic research
Curriculum design, pedagogy, assessment, academic support, technology integration, and professional development (PD) are important aspects of learning development. Some learning developers have great ideas but may hesitate to put them into practice. Others might have experimented with their innovative ideas but are unsure if such practice should be continued. These imagined scenarios highlight a common yet fundamental question: Will my practice work? Or has my practice been effective? It can be elusive to determine the extent to which what is effective, under what circumstances, and for whom (Lin and Lam, 2025b). Therefore, developing research-informed practice becomes necessary to clarify important issues, spark conversation, promote change, and ultimately enhance the process of student learning (Nisbet, 1974; Stenhouse, 1975). This presentation outlined two teaching and learning projects that support learning developers, specifically targeting academic staff across disciplines, to engage in pedagogic research at a university in Hong Kong (Lin and Lam, 2024). The projects initiate a range of PD support, encapsulated as ‘The Octopus’, to cater to teachers with various pedagogic research needs (Lin and Lam, 2025a). Examples of support include workshops, sharing sessions, and periodic consultations. Drawing from a larger study examining staff involvement in researching practice, this presentation highlighted three perceived learning development needs collected from 105 survey responses. Using reflexive thematic analysis to examine an open-ended question (Braun and Clarke, 2019), we identified the needs for scaffolding, knowledge exchange, and opportunities for networking and collaboration. Based on these needs, the team subsequently expanded its PD support to organise writing retreats and pilot scaffolded PD workshops that consist of pre-workshop reading groups, main workshops, and post-workshop group consultations. We also work on international partnership to bring in global perspectives. The presentation concluded by discussing the value of pedagogic research, operational challenges, and possible solutions regarding how to address diverse needs.
Professional development and recognition opportunities for learning development practitioners: international perspectives
Learning Development (LD) practitioners have access to an expanding range of professional recognition and development opportunities (see Briggs, 2023). However, reports from members of the LD community highlight variations in the extent to which CPD engagement is facilitated and supported. Associated research that has sought to objectively establish trends pertaining to the factors that inhibit, or support engagement is limited. This 2024-25 ALDinHE funded international research study addressed this gap in knowledge through establishing the factors that impact on LD practitioner access to and engagement with professional development and recognition. To facilitate meaningful comparisons of LD practitioners a taxonomy of LD roles was also developed (as proposed by Briggs, 2025). In autumn 2024, an online questionnaire (comprising open and closed questions) was sent to Academic Language and Learning Development Practitioners. This was administered with support of the International Consortium of Academic Language and Learning Developers (ICALLD) membership and included UK (ALDinHE), Australia (AALL), New Zealand (ATLAANZ), Canada (LSAC) and South Africa. Responses were analysed through a mix of established qualitative and quantitative methods. In this session we shared our proposed thematic taxonomy of LD roles. We then presented results detailing the personal, institutional, national or international factors found to support or inhibit the professional development, recognition and promotion routes available to Academic Language and LD Practitioners. We invited attendees to discuss and share reflections on our findings.
Unveiling higher education students’ experiences of using artificial intelligence: a cross-institutional qualitative study unveiling higher education students’ experiences of using artificial intelligence: a cross-institutional qualitative study
Higher Education (HE) has yet to fully embrace the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), likely due to lack of funding, a general reticence to take risks or adopt innovations, limited empirical research and theoretical groundings, together with an emerging understanding of the role of such technology in HE (Wheeler, 2019; McGrath et al., 2024). Lack of digital literacy (such as AI literacy) among educators and students also poses a significant barrier (Lincoln and Kearney, 2019 cited in Essien, Bukoye, O’Dea & Kremantzis, 2024; Mah & Groß, 2024; Tully et al., 2025). Those who use AI in education may fail to recognise the constructivist and developmental nature of learning, imposing instead behaviourism-based teaching methods and an objectivist epistemology (Bates et al., 2020). Research on AI in education is developing as AI technology evolves (McGrath et al., 2024). There is a tendency to focus on the negative implications of AI in learning and teaching, but there are calls for greater consideration of its strengths (Bates et al., 2020). Research tends to favour positivist paradigms (Budhathoki et al., 2024; Zhao et al., 2024) over understanding students’ subjective experiences of engaging with AI, which offers important insights into its potential impact in enhancing and hindering learning. Consequently, a team of researchers from four UK-based HE institutions are exploring students’ experiences of using AI in their studies. Following delivery of an learning development themed AI workshop, used partly as a recruitment strategy, we are using a qualitative approach that allows for sensitivity to the social processes in which experiences are embedded (Creswell, 2009). Thematic analysis will give rise to themes that capture how students are using AI, possible barriers to accessing it, and affective dimensions that may hinder/facilitate engagement. By sharing these themes, we hope to provide a more granular perspective, unearthing nuanced and authentic insights from students from multiple institutions into how they are (or are not) using AI. The findings will have implications for how learning developers can best support the use of AI to enhance learning while addressing accessibility, inclusivity, and affective considerations.
‘59 Ways to Wellbeing’: enhancing personal resilience in students
In higher education, students often face uncertainties in defining their academic and future pathways. Success requires not only academic skills but also resilience and a sense of belonging. Learning Development (LD) can address these evolving needs by combining academic skill-building with strategies that enhance personal resilience and wellbeing, ensuring inclusivity and equity in the student experience. Wellbeing, which is closely linked to resilience, improves when personal resources are expanded (Fredrickson, 2001; Roepke & Seligman, 2015). Practical strategies that integrate resilience and wellbeing into daily life empower students to manage challenges effectively (Leppin et al., 2014). Despite rising concerns about stress and mental health, many higher education curricula lack wellbeing-focused activities. This presentation introduces the ’59 Ways to Wellbeing’ resource, developed at the University of Surrey to address these gaps. Co-created with students, this calendar-style tool combines positive psychology and learning development strategies to promote resilience and wellbeing during two key academic periods: October, when students settle into university, and February, post-inter-semester break. The resource offers 59 accessible and inclusive strategies that blend resilience-building with academic skill development. By incorporating these practices into their routines, students can better navigate challenges, foster resourcefulness, and enhance their sense of belonging. The presentation showcases how educators can use this resource to design curricula and support systems tailored to students’ needs. Early evaluation findings highlight its impact on student wellbeing and resilience. Ultimately, this work seeks to inspire Learning Developers to create innovative, equity-driven resources and curricula that support both academic and personal development, empowering students to thrive in a rapidly changing educational landscape.
Graduate Teaching Assistants: what training do they want?
Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are increasingly relied upon for teaching, yet their training varies significantly (Slack and Pownall, 2023). While some institutions do not require any training, others offer one-day workshops, asynchronous online resources, or year-long courses. This training can positively impact GTA’s confidence and self-efficacy, but it is often seen as ‘superficial and irrelevant’, with limited utility (Nasser-Abu Alhija and Fresko, 2020, p.548). To encourage GTA engagement, training should be practical and specific, directly related to the students’ practice (Barr and Wright, 2019). The learning development team at the University of Dundee has recently revamped the Learning to Teach in Higher Education (LTHE) course, which is mandatory for all new GTAs. The redesign focuses on training GTAs through practical workshops, modelling a range of teaching approaches, and encouraging participants to share and reflect upon their practice. While this redesign has been largely well-received, some participants have expressed a concern regarding the balance between interactive activities and information delivery. To further refine the course, the team have conducted a survey of past LTHE participants to explore their views after they have begun teaching. The survey encouraged reflection on what parts of the LTHE course were most beneficial to their teaching practice, as well as any gaps they encountered during their initial training. This paper will draw upon survey data to highlight the teaching priorities and training needs of new GTAs. It will outline plans for further enhancement of the LTHE course and offers practical recommendations to learning developers aiming to provide more effective support for GTAs within their institutions.
Developing pre-arrival resources to support student transition into higher education
This presentation explores the ongoing challenge of helping students make a successful transition into higher education, a period widely acknowledged to shape retention, academic success, and well-being. Reflecting current practice in the sector, the work examines a pre-arrival induction booklet created for new undergraduate students in Psychology and Speech and Language Therapy at the University of Reading. The booklet was emailed a month before enrolment, offering clear guidance on course structure, assessment formats, key staff contacts, support services, and practical advice for starting the first year. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a sizeable questionnaire (n=162; 41% response rate) with focus group discussions. The findings show that 59% of students read the booklet, and 72% found it highly useful. However, only 48% felt it made them much better prepared for university life. There were no marked differences in how first-generation students or those experiencing greater pre-arrival anxiety engaged with or benefitted from the resource, suggesting that different groups of students may have benefitted from the booklet to a similar extent. Notably, students who read the booklet continued to attend in-person Welcome Week activities, which suggests that early information can complement, rather than replace, face-to-face support. Students in the focus group discussion commented on the benefits of having early access to essential information, being able to recognise staff, and gaining a clear overview of their course. At the same time, they recommended that the booklet could be more informal, visually appealing, and provide greater detail about later years and wider aspects of university life. The approach taken was responsive, with student feedback informing ongoing revisions and improvements to the resource. This presentation demonstrates how a phased and responsive approach to induction, which combines early digital engagement with opportunities for in-person connection, can support a sense of belonging and preparedness among new students. The findings highlight the importance of listening to student voices and adapting resources to meet evolving needs, contributing to a more supportive and inclusive transition into higher education.
‘Getting dissertation ready’ – taking a collaborative and innovative approach to events
This poster aimed to illustrate and highlight the collaborative and creative approach we have taken to evolve student engagement through provision of Learning Development events, specifically related to dissertations. The innovative approach has streamlined and enhanced flexibility and accessibility to LD events for our diverse population of students, as well as promoting creative collaboration across a range of expertise within Learning Development (LD), paving the way for new possibilities for future events and collaborations. Our ‘Getting dissertation ready’ day-long event built on the success of an earlier pilot event, ‘Mastering your Dissertation’ in June 2024. This week-long programme of dissertation specific sessions for Masters students was inspired by a model developed by University of Reading (Koromila and Hood, 2023). Key to success of this Masters event, was the bringing together of the diverse skills and expertise of the LD team (Advisers, Librarians, Maths and Statistics specialists, Foundation Year LD lecturers and Learning Technologist) and Careers staff, to successfully provide a range of holistic and bespoke sessions. Reflecting on this experience allowed us to further adapt the approach for undergraduate and postgraduate taught students. Adapting this to a day-long event involved actively reflecting on and evolving several key factors: analysing and evaluating statistics and student feedback and utilising, as appropriate, the skillset of LD team members (e.g. applying past marketing and event management experiences, statistics background and design expertise). The poster will illustrate our experiences and outcomes from the hosting this successful ‘Getting dissertation ready’ event, a day before the start of winter vacation, which resulted in our highest ever event attendance by students. By sharing our experience and findings in this poster we hoped to inspire, and potentially instigate, innovation collaborations with our fellow Learning Developers in their provision of events within their own institutions.
A learning strategist’s impact: students’ perceptions of academic support
In this presentation, I examine the role of a learning strategist by analysing anonymous feedback from 258 veterinary students collected over five terms at St. George’s University in Grenada. By analysing student feedback, this study contributes to evidence-based learning development and guides my practice in adopting a more flexible approach to personalized time management techniques and tailored self-testing formats, which helps maintain academic currency. Adapting to the rigorous demands of veterinary education requires more than subject mastery; it requires the use of evidence-based learning strategies (Reynolds, 2020). Many students struggle to develop effective learning strategies, which can hinder their academic progress (Laakkonen and Nevgi, 2014). This action research, grounded in reflective practice, seeks to explore two key questions: 1) How do veterinary students perceive the impact of academic support from a learning strategist? 2) How can these insights drive innovation in learning strategist practices? To address these questions, I collected anonymous feedback from 258 veterinary students and examined open-ended responses where students could share insights and experiences between Spring 2022 and Spring 2024. Using thematic analysis within a qualitative framework, I identified three key themes: Strategy Support, Student Action, and Emotional Support. I then analysed Likert scale responses, which largely reflected positive perceptions. This presentation will illustrate how I adapted my approaches based on student feedback, discuss the positive impact of these changes, and offer practical advice for others. By doing so, it highlights the importance of maintaining currency in learning development through continuous adjustment to student needs. The strategies I implemented, including presenting multiple options without judgment and customizing time management techniques and self-testing formats, highlight creative approaches to building a supportive learning environment. These findings emphasize the value of innovation in learning development, showing how feedback driven by student input can enhance student support strategies.
Exploring the impact of metaphor on the student experience of articulation
UK-wide government targets for widening participation in further and higher education institutions have seen increased numbers of students following routes to university which depart from the ‘typical’ pathway of school to university. There is a range of alternative routes, one being articulation, whereby students who complete relevant qualifications are considered for entry into an advanced level of university study. Learning Developers are often tasked with supporting specific student groups, such as articulating students; however, research on articulation is limited, and the student perspective is often absent from discussions. Research which does exist appears to focus on transition as a key area of concern, highlighting specific literacies and attributes as potentially lacking in this group. In addition to indications of deficit, discourses on articulation frequently employ metaphors such as ‘spoon-feeding’ to document the student experience and idealise education as a ‘smooth journey’. Metaphor theorists such as Ortony (1975), Reddy (1979) and Lakoff and Johnson (1980) argue that metaphors are powerful actors in discourse, with significant consequences for thinking and action. Drawing on these theorists, this paper reports on a study undertaken with articulating students, foregrounding their voices and exploring the metaphors they choose to describe their experiences. Visual methods were utilised, with students producing insightful drawings, using an array of metaphors to depict a complex and at times, contradictory experience. Findings suggest that metaphors appear to impact how education is both conceptualised and experienced, with implications for how Learning Developers engage with and support articulation.
Building StudySkills@Sheffield through partnership: student-centred development of a university skills hub
At the University of Sheffield, skills support for learning is delivered by more than one department. Previously, this required students to navigate multiple websites to discover the range of skills support available to them. For the 24/25 academic year we launched StudySkills@Sheffield, a new collaborative skills support website, bringing together skills development resources from across the university. With the aim of delivering skills support in a student/task-focused way, student input was key and they were directly involved in the planning and design of the site. This included mapping activities which gave insight into what topics students felt should be included, how these should be grouped, and the language that students use when discussing study skills. This also revealed similarities and differences across disciplines. This information was used to develop the site structure and assisted in balancing the presentation of resources in a cohesive way with ensuring students know where to go for further information. Close collaboration was required across a number of services: the University Library, 301 Academic Skills, and the English Language Teaching Centre taking on a coordination role. It was also necessary for stakeholder buy-in to link the project to institutional strategy and priorities, specifically the Sheffield Graduate Attributes and the mySkills portfolio. This paper will outline how the student voice was incorporated throughout the project, plans to continue the inclusion of the student voice in evaluation, and will provide a brief showcase of StudySkills@Sheffield and the collaborative work that was key to its success.
The LearnHigher Resource-athon! Creative, collective contributions to the LearnHigher resource bank
In this creative, participatory workshop, colleagues had the opportunity to contribute directly to the LearnHigher resource bank. The premise was to bring together colleagues from across the sector to work together in cross-institutional teams to create new resources for LearnHigher. Colleagues benefitted from networking opportunities, as well as a chance to have their work published and disseminated online. As part of the session, participants were provided with prompts arising from the conference’s key themes – they were encouraged to consider disciplinarity/cross-disciplinary approaches, inclusivity, research-based practice and technologies for learning. The session concluded with information about the next steps in the LearnHigher resource review process and an opportunity to put any questions to members of the LearnHigher working group. Each group was supported and mentored by a member of the LearnHigher working group, who offered advice and prompts for resource development. Since the conference, colleagues have received continued support from LearnHigher mentors, as the resources are being refined, finalised and submitted for peer review, prior to publication on the LearnHigher website.
Using Design Thinking for Learning Development: problem-solving and authentic student co-creation
This practical workshop engaged participants in Design Thinking (DT), a creative approach to problem-solving (Liedtka, 2018; Panke, 2019) that can be utilised for authentic student co-creation in Learning Development. In the same way that Henry Ford said his customers would ask for a faster horse, when we engaged with students, they often asked for more appointments, more workshops, and more support topics. Even when we set out to co-create, their ‘ask’ often remained within the frame of what we already did. The workshop explored how we could involve our stakeholders (students, academics, professional services) in a way that genuinely drew upon their varied experiences to help us make things better for everyone. Creative approaches are already well-established in Learning Development as a tool for inclusive and engaging support (James, 2013; Sheridan, 2020; Abegglen et al., 2023). In this workshop, we supported participants in drawing upon creative approaches in DT to get to the right questions for their design needs. There is great potential to use creative expertise in the design of activities, workshops, appointments, and even the whole institutional Learning Development service(s). The workshop supported participants in using a radically different approach to design, working with stakeholders to use big thinking, creative ideation, and prototyping to deliver workable solutions. As established in our JLDHE article (Fallin and Turton, 2025), DT poses significant potential to support Learning Developers in their partnership with students and staff. With origins in design and business, DT provides a substantial toolbox of approaches and strategies that decentre existing narratives and open the floor to new ways of thinking (Liedtka, 2018; Quintanilla et al., 2018; Panke, 2019). This workshop gave participants hands-on experience with some of these tools and an opportunity to reflect on how they could be used in inclusive Learning Development practice.
Evolution of the journal club: a creative approach to ever-changing student needs
Building on a paper about an interdisciplinary journal club presented at the ALDCon23 (Winter and McLay, 2023), we explored the innovative ways in which we have adapted this approach to allow students to engage more easily. Feedback from the conference session and proceedings inspired ideas for developing the journal club model we had been using. A strength of the club was the involvement of staff from across our Learning Development team (LD librarian, LD adviser and maths and statistics specialist), but with limited staff availability, running four sessions was challenging. This, alongside feedback from student participants about the difficulty of attending multiple sessions, doing pre-reading and needing additional support for reading and analysis, pushed us to think creatively about how to adapt. Consequently, in 2024/25 we replaced the four-session model with a standalone workshop requiring no pre-reading. The workshop starts with a skim reading activity and makes use of an article analysis document, developed to empower students to understand and critique articles more effectively through discussion with their peers. This new format maintains the original aims and cross-discipline approach of the journal club, while giving both students and staff greater flexibility to engage. It also inspired several spin-off resources and workshops, including a statistics glossary, an innovative online reading room and a statistics workshop at a dissertation event. This session was of interest to delegates who support students with critical reading and analysis, considering how this approach could be employed despite resource and time shortages faced by many LD teams.
Supporting the implementation of an inclusive education framework through interactive toolkits
Co-creating and researching the appropriacy of a module of study for a community of higher-level students
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.
Managing expectations: an online resource to support health sciences students with their dissertation
This presentation shared how we introduced a literature searching online guide, designed specifically to support health sciences students who are working on their dissertation. Prior to this, each year we were experiencing significant, and recently almost unmanageable, demand for one-to-one appointments from health sciences students as they embarked on their dissertation and the guide was created to provide students with an alternative source of support. The guide was designed with the diverse needs of health sciences students in mind, and approaches to meeting those needs were inspired by UDL Guidelines (CAST, 2024). For example, content in the resource is represented through text, diagrams, and video demonstrations, providing options for how students engage with the material. In addition, the resource is clearly structured, and concepts scaffolded to support sustained effort and persistence in working towards goals. The language in the resource is intended to be clear, and any specialised vocabulary is explained. In this presentation, we explored how the resource has not only helped to reduce demand for appointments but has revolutionised the nature of interactions between students and the Learning Development team. The resource has been used as a framework for embedded workshops, appointments, and bespoke drop-in sessions where the focus has been on learning to use the resource, rather than learning the concepts explained within the resource. This approach empowers students to build their confidence as independent learners. The approach also reduces pressure for learning to be completed within the space and time limitations of the workshop or appointment.
Presenting and publishing with personal tutees to empower international student voices: the tutor’s reflections
There is an increasing need to adapt to the changing needs of a diverse student population (Walker, 2022). Enhancing international students’ experiences is one of the strategic drivers in the higher education sector, and the UKAT Association aims to develop personal tutors’ practice in the UK (UKAT, 2025). This presentation focused on a personal tutor’s reflections on a partnership with two international postgraduate tutees, aiming to improve support for international students through personal tutoring. The tutor co-presented with the tutees at an external conference and an internal event on the topic of supporting international students through personal tutoring, and they also collaborated in writing for publication. Through this collaboration, they developed resources that were incorporated into the personal tutoring handbook to enhance tutors’ support of international students. This presentation critically examined the practical outcomes of this partnership, highlighting both its benefits and challenges. It showed the importance of collaborating with international students to build meaningful relationships with them and inform the development of resources that promote inclusivity. The initiative has practical implications for academics, personal tutors and learning developers, offering a model of partnership with their university students to co-create oral and written outputs. These collaborations can strengthen students’ sense of belonging and enhance their personal development. For international students adapting to a new learning culture, such initiatives foster inclusivity and create rewarding experiences for both students and staff. This approach empowers student voices and contributes to the design of resources that ensure equity and inclusivity in higher education.
Exploring the relationship between theology and learning through the lens of disruption
As in many other contexts, for theological education practitioners, successful teaching and learning outcomes not only include students’ clear comprehension of curriculum content but also the cultivation of skills to contextualise learning in multiple, unforeseen circumstances. In other words, academic achievement and personal/spiritual formation are inseparable. My research suggests that disruptive pedagogies (whether related to what is taught or how) are a foundational pedagogical tool that not only equip students to gain and understand new information but skills learners in practising the imaginative posture required to use their learning in real world situations. Against a larger backdrop, this conversation will explore: (a) The pedagogical and sociological factors implicated in (what I call) disruptive-inclusive learning, (b) How my work concerning the nature of the relationship between theology and pedagogy could contribute to a wider framework for considering the learning methodologies and methods indicated by a range of subject disciplines, and (c.) how such discussions, in turn, may lead to richer, more holistic and integrated approaches to LD more generally. - What are the biggest challenges in developing a dialogue between the how and the what of teaching and learning (i.e. curriculum content and T&L methodologies/ methods)? - What categories of learning disruption are specifically associated with different subject areas? As learning practitioners, do we equip learners to embrace or avoid these disruptions? - Did we/ what did we learn from the pandemic about operating in and preparing for the unknown and unforeseeable? What might the next phase of this be?
Working beyond the core – influencing up and out through staff development
As learning developers, our professional backgrounds, support for students across disciplinary boundaries, and our ‘third space’ (Whitchurch, 2013) positioning afforded us a unique perspective on approaches to learning and teaching. We had been in a prime position to share this expertise with learning developer peers as well as colleagues in the library, careers and academic departments, helping to inform inclusive curriculum design and delivery and enhance students’ learning experience. This workshop explored how involvement in staff development could help us bridge disciplinary and professional boundaries and act as an opportunity to extend our impact on students by sharing learning development principles and practice. In this session, participants had the opportunity to: reflect on their collective expertise and how this was relevant to other staff in their institutions. review examples of development activities we had used with staff in diverse roles and explore how these might work or be adapted in their contexts. discuss some of the potential challenges of being involved in staff development while maintaining a core focus on working with students. This was a space for us to discuss activities based on our practice and consider their application within the working remits and structures within which we found ourselves (Webster, 2024). We also explored our potential to push beyond these, break down silos, and promote inclusive learning environments.
Data connections: a model for responding to student learning needs
The collection, collation and cognition of student learning data has become a well-established part of university central systems; however, stakeholders such as learning developers are not always able to access, interpret and act upon the data. Thus, there is a lost opportunity to leverage the potential to enhance and improve student learning through learning analytics (LA). Current practice often consists of parallel academic silos which have limited learning data connectivity. This evidence is typically optimised for reporting metrics to external regulatory bodies, such as the Office for Students’ (OfS) B3 conditions relating to student retention, completion and continuation. The rich potential within the learning analytics data unlocks new and more timely opportunities for early interventions by learning developers to enhance the course curriculum and increase inclusivity for learners. The seamless integration and collaboration between academic and learning developers creates a coherent and ‘wrap-around’ range of learning opportunities and support materials that together facilitated an effective progression of learning and achievement. It builds upon the well-established body of research relating to student transitions, which prioritised the importance and value of the early identification of the key characteristics of prior learning experiences and settings. Learning developers make a significant contribution to the student learning experience, and emerging technologies such as learning analytics (LA) provide the potential for earlier interventions for a broader range of students.
The radical pedagogies project: creating inclusive learning development materials
This presentation explored how learning development can be reimagined as a more inclusive and critically engaged practice through creative and activist pedagogies. It introduced Radical Pedagogies, an initiative created by Helena Walsh and Sarah Macdonald from the University of the Arts London, that explored student-centred models of participation by weaving social justice, creativity, and activism directly into teaching materials. The project drew from a diverse range of personal and political research interests, which included poetry, film, performance art, feminist and queer theory, anti-racism, decolonising the curriculum, and anti-capitalist critique, seeking to mobilise radical traditions within an increasingly capitalised educational sector. The initial output of this long-term project was a tactile box set of 28 activity cards designed to foster creativity, curiosity, and risk taking (hooks, 2010). Organised under four distinct themes of ‘Avant-garde action’, ‘Critical thinking’, ‘Radical re-imaginings’, and ‘Thinking time’, the cards were designed for flexible, transdisciplinary application. Central to the project's ethos was a deep commitment to co-creation; students were not merely participants but were recruited as paid collaborators in the design and feedback process, an invaluable experience which the authors posit had transformative potential for both educators and learners. This presentation offered a valuable model for learning developers, academic support staff, and lecturers seeking to embed creative, participatory, and critically aware pedagogies into their own practice.
Starting from scratch: creating a new learning development provision
BPP University provides degree and professional qualifications across our Schools of Business, Law, Nursing and Technology, predominantly at postgraduate level, but with a growing undergraduate portfolio. We are also the second largest provider of apprenticeships within the UK and have an international reach, with provision as far afield as Canada and Australia. There are eight locations in the UK, with four in London alone, and we have over 35,000 students globally, 16,000 of whom are international students from over 100 different countries. The institution does not currently have a dedicated learning development team. In early 2025 a group of librarians and learning and teaching specialists came together to create an online academic and study skills resource to support students with their academic skills needs. The project has a strong focus on co-creation with students. We aim to create resources to enhance the student academic skills experience, with a focus on accessibility and ensuring that students’ needs are met through collaboration with them. In this practitioner mini keynote, we outlined the project approach and outcomes so far and invited our delegates to discuss the following prompts: How have you enhanced the accessibility of resources at your institution? Do you co-create with students and work with them to understand their needs? Have you sought to understand the impact and value of the academic skills resources within your institution? And if so, how?'
The Essay Route Map: helping students to navigate their academic writing
The Essay Route Map is an institution-wide initiative designed to help improve students’ essay writing skills. The interactive online course guides students through the process of writing an essay and brings together the wealth of resources and tools available at the University of Lancashire. Students can feel overwhelmed due to the volume of information available and do not always know what is expected of them in HE, particularly as many of our students come from non-traditional backgrounds. Students enter university with preconceived ideas about what to expect based on previous schemas, such as school, college or the workplace, and often these do not align with expectations at HE level, leading to low attainment. As McEwan (2017, p.511) highlights, the ‘transition into higher education…and the early experiences of higher education (HE) during the transition period could impact on the academic outcomes of students well into their program of studies’. This has implications for student attainment and retention. The Essay Route Map therefore sought to provide scaffolding to help students with the transition to HE by supporting their development of key academic skills. The course can be embedded on a VLE or completed independently via the Learning Development Team resources webpage. This paper outlined the pedagogical rationale for the Essay Route Map and the pilot of the project with two apprenticeship cohorts. It covered the benefits of embedding the course on the VLE as part of a blended learning approach as well as the inclusivity aspects accounted for throughout the project.
Developing LDers: a spotlight on resources and framework for the ALDinHE continuous professional development project
How do learning developers (LDers), at all stages of their career, contribute to their own development, and that of LD colleagues? Our community is rich with knowledge, experience, innovation and creativity, with which it enhances the professional development of LDers, and thus enhances the learning experience of the students we work with. The ALDinHE Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Working Group, along with the aligned Community of Practice, draws on this wealth of expertise to support the development of our CPD framework and resources. The current focus is on the CPD of new and early career LDers, across a number of areas of LD practice. Over time, this will develop to offer resources for more experienced colleagues. We invited delegates in this workshop to experience some of the resources, and to contribute to their ongoing development. In doing so, our aim was for them to gain an understanding of the resources that will be accessible through the CPD project, reflect on their own CPD, and offer their perspectives to help shape the resources as inclusive, innovative and effective.
Exploring student perspectives on AI-generated feedback using a Socratic method chatbot
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in educational settings has opened new avenues for enhancing student learning. This study investigated the use of a generative AI chatbot, trained to provide feedback using the Socratic Method, in a Business Management programme. Recent literature highlights the transformative potential of AI in education, particularly in fostering personalised learning experiences and supporting critical thinking (Gökçearslan et al., 2024; Lee and Moore, 2024; Mustafa et al., 2024). Understanding student perspectives on AI-generated feedback is crucial for optimising its use in learning development. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of AI feedback in promoting critical thinking and its acceptance among students. Previous research has shown that AI chatbots can enhance learning by providing timely and relevant feedback, though challenges such as limited interaction and potential for misleading guidance remain (Banihashem et al., 2024; Gökçearslan et al., 2024; Guo et al., 2024). A qualitative approach was employed, utilising a focus group with n=14 final-year undergraduate students on a Business Management pathway. The generative AI tool was piloted to provide feedback on student drafts for summative coursework. The quality of feedback was assessed based on its accuracy, relevance, timeliness, and effectiveness in fostering critical thinking. Data was analysed using thematic analysis, a method well-suited for identifying and interpreting patterns within qualitative data (Nowell et al., 2017; Braun and Clarke, 2022). The Socratic Method, known for its effectiveness in promoting critical thinking through questioning, was employed as the feedback mechanism (Buckingham Shum, 2024). The study revealed that students found AI-generated feedback useful and relevant for improving their work and identifying knowledge gaps, thereby promoting deep learning. The Socratic Method used by the AI encouraged deeper engagement with their work, unlike the straightforward answers typically provided by other chatbots. However, students preferred tutor feedback.
Impact of Generative AI on student engagement in diverse groups
Generative AI (GenAI) is penetrating all areas of life, including higher education, where teachers and examiners are debating how to respond. While there are legitimate concerns about its potential negative impact on academic integrity, there are also learning and efficiency benefits that this technological advancement brings (Crompton and Burke, 2023; Abdaljaleel et al., 2024; Bond et al., 2024). We must develop a workforce that can confidently, effectively, efficiently, and responsibly use technological advancements, including GenAI. Our study relates to a GenAI-related activity in a postgraduate Finance course. It explored the role GenAI played when students worked in groups and how it affected their interaction, engagement, learning, efficiency, and confidence. Does GenAI enhance or hinder group work, which is an essential graduate skill? Moreover, how do students perceive the role of GenAI in enabling them to engage with the task, complete it better, and interact with group members? While the ability to use GenAI effectively might be an important graduate skill, it is crucial to train students to become responsible citizens who use this technology ethically. In our presentation, we described how the activity was conducted and shared our findings, including how many students used GenAI when allowed, what they used it for, the types of GenAI used, how effectively prompts were used, what students learnt, and how GenAI affected their interaction and engagement in the task. Some insights about the benefits and challenges of GenAI would be obtained from this study. The design of our practical study in the classroom and the students’ experiences and perceptions about GenAI will be useful to the teaching community and policy makers in higher education. Moreover, the insight into the use of GenAI in the classroom will also be useful. Such an activity can be replicated and tailored to suit different classes.
Enhancing active learning through gamification: developing research skills with an escape room experience
Gamification has been recognised as a transformative tool in higher education, offering innovative ways to enhance student learning (Landers, 2014; Sanchez et al., 2020). This project is situated in in-sessional EAP/academic skills classrooms for MSc Business postgraduates, most of whom are international students. Its motivation stems from the researchers’ observation that increasing reliance on AI and translation tools has shifted learning dynamics, with active learning often replaced by passive consumption of information. This trend highlights the need for innovative methods to revitalise student engagement. Using a game-based approach, the project aims to foster engagement and active learning in a Research Methods session on ‘reading research articles’. In-person workshops required students to collaborate in groups to complete interactive escape room tasks, guided by tutors acting as non-player characters (Nicholson and Cable, 2021). The non-traditional design encouraged students to communicate and problem-solve in varied ways, offering greater accessibility and inclusivity, particularly for those preferring diverse learning approaches or lacking confidence in spoken English. Effectiveness was evaluated through triangulated data, including tutor reflections, observation notes, and student surveys. These captured both tutor and student perspectives on how gamification supported learning outcomes, enhanced engagement, and developed teamwork and communication skills. In the interactive conference session, participants experienced a live demonstration of the escape room method and discussed its application in teaching research skills. The discussion also explored its potential as a catalyst for cross-disciplinary collaboration and student-centred learning.
Education without boundaries: removing barriers to university transition through online pre-arrival activities
Drawing on experiences of a pre-arrival online community launched in August 2024, this session provided insights and recommendations on how digital communities can support belonging, orientation and awareness of student services for new students. Taking an inclusive approach, the Academic and Digital Skills team at the University of Greenwich extended their pre-arrival activities online through the summer to help raise awareness of support available, curate the student community and forge connections. The University of Greenwich has a highly diverse student population, many of whom come from deprived backgrounds, facing challenges and risks to equality of opportunity. With the focus on piloting a pre-arrival course for students with BTEC qualifications and students of BAME ethnicities, the aim of the project was to provide transition activities that could scaffold the development of academic and digital skills prior to starting the academic year. Reinforcing the importance of belonging, the four-day module enabled students to meet peers and staff, and discover useful services in a safe community space. With growing importance placed on increasing access and participation, this project delivers on our commitment to closing the awarding gap. This session presented a selection of the activities used as part of this course, experiences of students pre-arrival, and the importance of considered design to promote online engagement. Presenters shared their findings and reflected on how this pilot might inform future iterations of the course. Attendees received take away tips on how online pre-arrival interventions might apply to their own university settings and provide a space for thoughtful dialogue.
The ALDinHE Steering Group establishes and leads the work of the association, on behalf of its members. There are currently 17 members, which include Working Group Chairs, members without portfolio, the Chair, Deputy Chair, Secretary and Treasurer. Our strategy prioritises transparency, communication, and co-creation with the community. This mini keynote was an opportunity to discuss the ALDinHE strategy as well as share views, opinions, and thoughts about what ALDinHE does well, what it might improve and things it could start doing. Nothing was off the mini keynote table – we wanted to hear from you! Questions: 1) What does ALDinHE do well? (do you want more of this?) 2) What could ALDinHE do better? 3) What should be on ALDinHE’s To Do List?
Using documentaries in the classroom to develop critical thinking skills
Documentaries are enjoying unprecedented popularity and prestige, with 2019 marked as a pivotal year in what some call ‘a new golden age’ (Stone, 2023, p.1). Increased accessibility, cost-effective production, diverse content, cultural relevance, and the impact of COVID-19 have driven this surge (O’Connell, 2020; Berman, 2021). In business education, Netflix documentaries such as The Social Dilemma (2020), Downfall: The Case Against Boeing (2022), White Hot: The Rise and Fall of Abercrombie and Fitch (2022), and American Factory (2019) provide rich material for classroom discussion. These films prepare graduates for workplace challenges around ethics, transparency, inclusivity, and sustainability, while aligning with Generation Z’s visual learning preferences (Törőcsik et al., 2014; Pearson, 2018; Chalk, 2022). An often-overlooked aspect of business education is visual literacy, comparable to training in Film Studies. Preliminary findings from this research echo Hayward and Jiang (2016), indicating that documentaries, as windows to the world, can effectively foster critical thinking. This presentation shared theoretical and practical insights from a mixed-methods study (2023-2025) exploring the use of business documentaries to teach critical thinking and ethics to second-year undergraduates. In an era where fake news spreads up to 20 times faster than factual content (Dizikes, 2018) and student attendance is declining (Otte, 2024), the session aimed to inspire learning developers, academic skills advisors, and EAP professionals to integrate documentaries into their pedagogical practices.
Developing resilience and discernment to feedback
Resilience is an important graduate skill, especially in the context of heavy social media influence (Samari et al., 2022; Sutton, 2024). When any form of writing or media is shared, it has the potential to be subject to feedback or comments. Amidst the affirmative feedback, there may also be a critical element. Whilst potentially constructively intended, those sharing content should be aware of the prospective impact and that these can be irrelevant or harmful (Mercer and Gulseren, 2023). The significance of resilience in learning is well-documented (e.g., Cassidy, 2015) and includes how students might be affected by feedback (Wu and Bailey, 2018; Zhan et al., 2024). In this context, we often expect students to be able to interpret and apply feedback comments, which is a valuable graduate skill (Dyers, 2023; Cohan, 2024; Leder et al., 2024; Silén et al., 2024). In examining these issues, our study focused on an assessment which developed two important skills: (1) adopting resilience in receiving feedback; and (2) confidence in evaluating, amongst numerous comments, which may need action and identifying what action. A group assessment in an Economics undergraduate course was used for this purpose, with a set task to be completed and presented to the class. Once completed, each student was asked to write feedback about two other presentations. Once all peer feedback was given/received, each individual student was invited to write a reflective response to the feedback they received. Reflection was facilitated by structured questions, which were then analysed. This session shared reflections on assessment design, explained the process of enabling peer feedback, outlined the reflective questionnaire, and shared the results of the analysis of the reflective responses. The evaluation found that students provided thoughtful peer feedback and used the received feedback effectively. They discerned what aspects to improve on, and which ones to continue. End of course evaluations showed that students appreciated the opportunity to give feedback, reflect on received feedback, and to develop confidence in generating their own inner feedback.
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is an important component of the UN recommended Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The higher education sector in the UK is committed to developing skills, awareness, and knowledge that makes a positive contribution to sustainability efforts. While numerous studies focus on embedding ESD into the curriculum (Leal Filho, 2015; Navrouzoglou et al., 2024; Wall et al., 2024), there is a lack of research on the effect of ESD on students’ emotional responses to climate change. Concerns around climate anxiety, particularly among young people, are growing (Hickman et al., 2021; Ogunbode et al., 2022; van Valkengoed et al., 2023). Therefore, it is crucial to design an ESD approach that has a positive impact on students, while fostering resilience and action without feeling overwhelmed or hopeless. We conducted a study to investigate the ESD approach of an undergraduate Environmental Economics course and its impact on students’ emotional responses to climate change. It explored students’ thoughts, feelings, and experiences in engaging with climate change, as well as their perspectives on the effectiveness of educational programmes. This study offers valuable insights for higher education programme leaders and educators, advocating for an educational approach that begins by creating feelings of hope as a foundational step of ESD. This is followed by building awareness and, ultimately, empowering students to take meaningful action. By establishing a progression from hope to awareness to action, this approach can inspire positive engagement, provide young people with the tools to create sustainable solutions, and build their resilience to navigate the challenges of an uncertain future. Our poster outlines the rationale behind our research and design, along with the results of students’ responses.
What is lazy metacognition and what can we do about it?
Large language model (LLM) enabled tools are increasingly omnipresent in our teaching and learning environments. Most of the focus so far has predominantly been on the impacts on assessment and ensuring the security of those assessments. However, there are increasing questions being asked around impacts on learning. Since the 2010s we have been aware of risks to atrophy in the hippocampus due to changes in how we navigate when using GPS devices compared to when we do not (Stromberg, 2015). We are also aware that how we approach reading is different dependent on whether it is digital or in-print, with digital engagement often being quicker and of less depth, with potential impacts on learning (Allcott, 2021). Research by Kaufman and Flanagan (2016) found that students reading digitally did well on answering concrete questions. However, those reading in print did better on abstract questions needing inferential reasoning. A recent paper by Fan et al. (2024 found that ‘AI technologies such as ChatGPT may promote learners’ dependence on technology and potentially trigger “metacognitive laziness”’. How learners engage with these new platforms and capabilities is increasingly important. When students seem increasingly willing to cognitively offload problem solving, what approaches could we take to enable the development the levels of critical engagement required to engage with these tools in a productive manner when many are novices and do not yet have the foundation knowledge and critical literacies to do so? In this interactive workshop you had the opportunity to discuss key issues related to lazy cognition and co-create learning development guidelines for enhancing critical literacies and fostering deep learning. Session outcomes are being collated and will be shared as a community resource. Workshop attendees had the opportunity to be named as co-authors.
Integrating Generative AI into Undergraduate and Postgraduate Curricula: an interactive workshop
The emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents both opportunities and challenges for higher education, requiring holistic approaches to developing students’ AI literacy. This interactive workshop addressed the critical need for a holistic integration of AI literacy at module and programme levels, supporting educators in developing comprehensive integration strategies. Drawing on the AI in teaching and learning framework (Zhou and Schofield, 2024), this session engaged Learning Developers and educators in practical approaches to embedding AI literacy across the curriculum. The framework encompassed four essential dimensions developed by Ng et al. (2023): know and understand, use and apply, create and evaluate, and AI ethics. The workshop provided participants with practical strategies through mapping learning outcomes to AI literacy dimensions, aligning teaching and learning activities with AI tools and embedding ethical considerations in AI-enhanced learning activities. Participants engaged in interactive activities to develop practical implementation plans suited to their practice/module. Drawing on two case studies (one at the module level and the other at the programme level) of the framework implementation, the session demonstrated how holistic AI integration enhances student AI literacy at a progressive level. During the workshop, participants engaged using Mentimeter to discuss linking learning outcomes, teaching activities, and AI tools, developing plans for adopting the frameworks within their own practice. This session contributed to the growing discourse on AI in higher education by providing practical, framework-based approaches to AI integration.
Student empowerment and development through note-taking in one-to-one sessions
This study was prompted by a senior management request at the authors’ university to change record keeping practices. What followed was an exploration of the theoretical foundations that underpin the authors’ underlying philosophy on case notes as a means for advancing student empowerment. Findings revealed that through the application of reflective practice, case notes could enhance student empowerment and development. Without reflection, however, case notes were more likely to follow the medical model in which they were ‘norm referenced and deficit driven’ (Cheek and Rudge, 1994, p.42). Co-authored, cloud-based case notes had the power to embody the ‘person-centred, emancipatory values’ (Webster, 2023, p.2) espoused by ALDinHE and ICALLD partner organisations such as AALL. These case notes were found to have changed the dynamic between student and learning developer; students had greater agency both during and after the session to interpret, adapt, and reflect upon their experiences. The new practices enhanced inclusivity by emphasising a strengths-based approach and by reducing students’ cognitive and emotional barriers. The ALDcon25 workshop explored how expanded notions of accessibility, equity, and inclusivity could change practices in one-to-one (1-2-1) sessions. Drawing upon the theories of self-regulated learning (Chickering and Reisser, 1993; Zimmerman, 2015) and critical pedagogy (Freire, 2018) that inform the authors’ practices, the session shared key elements of literature review, survey results, and findings on case note practices. An interesting highlight was the intersections and disjunctions between theory and practice. Participants were encouraged to discuss best practices to enhance student empowerment during the session with a view to leave with tangible ideas to implement in their respective work.
Learning with students about academic integrity: poster
While academic integrity as a specialised profession in higher education is still emerging (Vogt and Eaton, 2022; Mackenzie, 2024), learning developers (LDers) perform many duties to teach and cultivate academic integrity at their institutions. As Bickle, Allen and Mayer (2023, p.1) highlight, many LDers ‘have designed and delivered courses, quizzes, tutorials, and events to promote academic integrity’ and encourage ethical scholarly practices. At their ALDCon23 session about the role of learning development (LD) in academic integrity, Bickle, Allen and Mayer posed questions that are still pressing today, such as, ‘what training do learning developers need?’ and ‘what forms of collaborative cross institutional research on academic integrity would be advantageous?’. This poster (see Figure 1) responds to Bickle, Allen and Mayer’s session by sharing reflections on a new service our LD team launched in 2023 in partnership with our student conduct office. At our Canadian institution, instructors who report academic misconduct must select one or more ‘resolutions’, and a one-to-one meeting with an LDer is now one option. As LDers have no impact on institutional decisions around misconduct, we have attempted to create a neutral and safe space in these meetings for students to share their experience, deepen their understanding of academic integrity, and develop strategies to help them move forward more confidently in their studies and in contexts beyond higher education. While this model of LDer support is not brand new (Bridgewater, Pounds and Morley, 2019), it remains uncommon in Canada and is worthy of further exploration.
Into the inner circle: a case study of embedding academic skills into PGT provision
This presentation aims to outline and discuss the embedded academic skills and EAP provision in the Education department at a Russell Group university. This department has large numbers of taught postgraduate (PGT) students from overseas, with limited experience of the requirements of academic study at PGT level. Since 2020, these students have received bespoke academic skills provision; this presentation will explore how this provision has adapted to student needs and how teaching staff have also adjusted. The provision is taught by a small team of academic skills lecturers working primarily in a single department and initially followed what Fenton-Smith and Humphreys call an “adjunct-strong” (2015, p.42) model, with general academic skills topics aimed at a specific group of students but not explicitly targeted at course or assessment needs. This approach proved successful in terms of attendance, engagement and student satisfaction. However, in 2024 a decision was made by senior staff to provide embedded provision following the Contextualisation, Embedding, Mapping model (Alexander et al., 2017; Sloan & Porter, 2010) as well as the adjunct provision. This required a lot of adjustment and new materials, but it also led to closer collaboration with module and programme leaders and led to greater integration of the academic skills staff into the department. This paper will evaluate the success of this embedded provision using three metrics: student engagement, student satisfaction, and the responses of skills tutors and academic staff. It will also consider the relationship between the embedded and adjunct provision: how our adjunct provision became more embedded alongside the explicitly embedded sessions. It will conclude with advice and recommendations about how to successfully embed academic support - and academic skills staff - into PGT programmes. Ethical guidelines will be followed when seeking feedback from students and colleagues.
Conversations with students on self-regulated learning with GAI
How can learning developers foster AI literacy while helping students use AI ethically in their academic work? Recent research (Lin et al., 2024) shows students value generative artificial intelligence (GAI) for levelling the linguistic playing field, particularly for multilingual writers, while expressing concerns about unethical use, reduced critical engagement, and the flattening of linguistic diversity. As GAI literacy can support academic success (Seo et al., 2021; Hashim et al., 2022; Barrot, 2023), learning developers play a critical role in supporting students' self-regulated AI use to maximise learner benefits while avoiding pitfalls. In this workshop, we shared our framework for teaching AI literacy in academic writing, building on Winne and Hadwin's (1998) COPES model of SRL and recent work on AI literacy (Allen and Kendeou, 2024). Our five-phase model integrated skills in prompt formation, output evaluation, and ethical AI use (see: https://wordpress.kpu.ca/gaiwriting/, Vytasek and Page, 2025). Participants will explore implementing this framework across disciplines through educational scaffolding that addresses (a) defining the writing task; (b) planning and goal setting; (c) using learning strategies; and (d) applying metacognitive processes to evaluate, reflect, and improve on both task completion and broader skill development.
Quiet spaces, collective voices: creative pedagogies for reflection and renewal
Educational institutions, and institutions more broadly, often overlook the value of our collective narratives and the stories of those who shaped them. This session offered an active yet meditative space for attendees to engage in and reflect on creative and liberatory practices that have been shared across our community, and in doing so to implicitly honour some of the individuals and collectives who have made contributions to education, society and our community, whether big or small. The LD community has created a pedagogy of practice that can get lost in the ‘chatter’ and clutter of everyday working lives. We revisited some practices that have been surfaced, shared and celebrated by ALDinHE. Framed as five focused activities that LDs can draw upon for their own teaching practice, this workshop session aimed to provide a meaningful space for reflection and remembrance. By sharing techniques for noticing, poetry, drawing, collaborative writing, and concluding with a short, guided meditation, we offered a space for replenishment and hope.
Assessment briefings – a space for interdisciplinary collaborations
This presentation showcased inter-professional collaborations between a learning developer and two subject specialists in a BA Primary Education module. The module has a complex assignment which assesses students’ primary mathematics and English subject knowledge and pedagogy, and their capacity to critique authentic teaching practice and to formulate a strong rationale for their critique. The session specifically explored: (a) formal assignment briefings as an opportunity for academic literacies integration, and (b) how learning developers can work across boundaries to embed academic development in the context of specific assessments. Furthermore, the presentation examined how these three professionals worked across disciplines to create learning resources for the module to collaboratively introduce the assignment brief to a large cohort. The session also made reference to the pedagogic principles which brought these professionals together, the strategies required to cultivate trust in interdisciplinary relationships, and the skills needed to co-design and co-teach within the module, to foster students’ critical engagement with both subject-specific pedagogy and academic writing as a means of developing a professional stance.
Using the EAT (equity, agency, transparency) framework to promote inclusive assessment practices
This presentation demonstrated how learning developers can use Evans’s EAT framework (2022) to increase the accessibility, equity, and inclusivity of assessment practices by designing innovative activities that promote student assessment and feedback literacy. The activities showcased in this presentation were used in Academic Language and Literacy workshops at the University of Bristol, which played a central role in demystifying assessment and feedback processes for students at all levels of their academic journeys. Underpinning theories and practical applications from these workshops were explored for each of the three dimensions of the framework to demonstrate how this tool could be used to increase the transparency of assessment practices and empower students to take a more active role in the assessment and feedback process. In terms of assessment literacy, the presentation proposed ways to improve students’ ability to generate internal feedback and self-regulate their learning (Nicol, 2021) through the discussion and evaluation of exemplars (Smyth, 2023) and the decoding of assessment briefs and marking criteria. Activities to increase students’ agentic engagement with feedback practices (Winstone et al., 2017) were also discussed, such as analysing tutor feedback to explore disciplinary practices and highlight the integral role of feedback in academic knowledge construction. The final part of the presentation focused on how to help students navigate the ever-increasing modular system of HE assessment design (Jessop and Tomas, 2017), so that they can make connections between assessments on different units and exploit central university resources to support their development.
Reviewing our asynchronous resources (the ROAR project): using student voice to inform LD support
Asynchronous digital resources, such as videos, allow students to learn at times and in places that suit them and are widely used in LD. Such resources help students reinforce skills as well as learn new ones (Tomaszewski, 2023), with evidence to suggest that appropriate digital learning modes in HE also support the development of students’ digital literacies (McGuinness & Fulton, 2019). Furthermore, at a time of budget cuts and hiring freezes across Higher Education in the UK (Lewis & Bolton, 2024), and the resulting increases in the demands on Learning Developers, it is arguably more important than ever to ensure that these asynchronous resources are meeting the needs of students. The Academic Skills Team at Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) has a range of these asynchronous online resources. To ensure the team are continuing to support diverse learners in the dynamic landscape of HE post-COVID, a review into the usability and accessibility of these resources was warranted, as research suggests these are factors in students’ engagement with online resources (Bringman-Rodenbarger & Hortsch, 2020). Inspired by discussions during ALDcon24 around the role of using evidence in our practice, after a comprehensive literature review, we created a study into current offerings to assess whether these align with what is recommended from research. As student voice is at the heart of student engagement (Seale et al., 2015) we engaged 7 ENU students in scenario-based tasks. Using the Think Aloud Protocol (van Someren et al. 1994) we captured their thoughts and combined this with screencast videography (Kawaf, 2019) to see how they interacted with the resources. The presentation discusses our findings and how we are using these to redesign the asynchronous offerings and develop new support resources as well as share our experiences of engaging in research within the field of Learning Development.
Diverse voices, shared vision: EDI narratives and the future of higher education
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are essential values in higher education, influencing policy and practice in transformative ways. As institutions strive for inclusive and equitable environments, understanding the personal and nuanced experiences of those engaged in EDI work is essential. The ALDinHE EDI Working Group initiated a project exploring how EDI is conceptualised by individuals within their specific roles in higher education through reflective autoethnographies. This presentation examined the diverse perspectives, challenges and aspirations shaping EDI work in academic settings. The central question was: what does EDI mean to you in the context of your role? This acknowledges that EDI is not a uniform concept but is shaped by personal, professional and institutional factors. Contributors reflected on transformative experiences, motivations, and ongoing challenges. Personal revelations often deepen engagement with EDI, while frustrations – such as institutional resistance, limited resources or systemic barriers (Scott, 2020) – highlight the need for meaningful changes. The paper also explored the aspirations of LD practitioners who integrate EDI into their practices, reflecting on the desired changes and long-term goals for a more inclusive and equitable higher education landscape. However, these aspirations are often tempered by uncertainties, especially when discussing EDI in environments where such topics can provoke defensiveness or misunderstanding. Therefore, the presentation offered a reflective and strategic resource, providing a platform for authentic dialogue and fostering mutual understanding. By sharing personal narratives, the EDI Working Group aims to contribute to the discourse on EDI, helping individuals and institutions navigate the complexities of creating inclusive academic communities.
Designing an inclusive toolkit to empower Early Career Academics in their educational practice
Early career academics (ECAs) face substantial pressures in establishing their academic careers, often prioritising research outputs over teaching. While much focus has been placed on supporting ECAs’ research-related development, less attention has been given to enhancing their teaching practices, particularly in supporting student writing. The expertise required to teach and support student writing only compounds the difficulty of this situation, especially if learning development support is not available to students. This presentation reported on the findings of a SEDA-funded project that responded to calls to equip ECAs with the skills needed to foster confidence and self-efficacy across multiple academic activities (Dore and Richards, 2022). The project contributes to ongoing discussions about the role of ECAs in supporting student learning alongside learning development while ensuring their own professional development and wellbeing. Focusing specifically on writing support within the context of generative AI – a growing challenge in higher education – we have been working on developing a practical toolkit for ECAs to better support students in academic writing while addressing issues of AI integrity. Exploring ECAs’ needs and perspectives through semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions has informed our understanding of what such a toolkit might look like and how generalisable and transferable it might be. During the session, we shared our observations, designs and hopes for this toolkit, which aims to assist ECAs in balancing student support with their own wellbeing, thereby protecting them from overwork and enhancing their teaching practice.
Enhancing belonging and vocabulary learning through an interactive engineering map
Our project focuses on developing an interactive engineering map to support students at the Southwest Jiaotong University–Leeds Joint School (SWJTU-Leeds) in China. While these students study on SWJTU’s Chengdu campus and learn through English-Medium Instruction (EMI), they graduate with degrees from both SWJTU and the University of Leeds. The resource aims to foster a sense of belonging to Leeds while enhancing vocabulary acquisition. With the assistance of our Digital Education Enhancement (DEE) Team, we decided to use an emerging technology to create our interactive map. Our first prototype used ThingLink, which allowed us to use 360° images of Leeds landmarks, introducing students to the city alongside vocabulary from the Academic Word List (Coxhead, 2000) and Engineering Word Lists (Mudraya, 2006; Ward, 2009; Todd, 2016). However, when we tried to pilot our resource with students in China, ThingLink was inaccessible. We then turned to Articulate Storyline, which had similar functionality but was easily accessed from China. The first completed case study focused on Bridgewater Place in Leeds, exploring an engineering issue tied to the building. Students interacted with the resource through 360° visuals, videos, and interactive exercises that reinforced vocabulary learning. The resource will be used in the Year 1 English module, with some case studies integrated into the curriculum and others for self-study. Collaboration with engineers from Electronic and Electrical Engineering is underway to create a new case study on solar panels.
Exploring emotional responses to academic reading: a cross-discipline analysis of second year students
Learning outside campus: academic Support OFF-SITE, Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London
Underpinned by the principles of ‘discovery learning’ (Bruner, 1961) and inspired by study trips/tours/visits in architectural education (Ewing, 2011), I included off-campus visits as part of my academic support provision from 2022. In September 2024, the Academic Support team at Camberwell College of Arts launched the OFF-SITE programme, offering visits to public spaces, museums, collections, archives, and architectural sites throughout the year, with the aims to allow cross-course student networking to happen, to orient students to London where they were studying and living, and to develop students’ awareness of art and design contexts and academic skills by using London as a resource. In this presentation, I shared the experience of planning, promoting, and implementing the programme with a focus on my visits to places such as Barbican Centre, Victoria and Albert Museum, King’s Cross redevelopment, and Canada Water Masterplan. I also reported on students’ participation in and feedback from these trips. The value of OFF-SITE was multifaceted. These visits were aligned with art and design education, allowing students to reflect in meaningful contexts and develop their critical thinking and research skills in places showcasing creative practice. It has thus provided ‘“curriculum-adjacent” spaces for exploring, planning and reflecting’ (Maxwell and McVitty, 2024), enhancing students’ learning development and engagement with creative scenes in London. These events have also contributed to ‘community-building’, one benefit of teaching outside classroom (Clarke, 2022), through cross-course student communication and networking observed in the trips. Through the implementation of OFF-SITE, valuable insights and learning have been gained into the logistical and pedagogical considerations of off-campus learning initiatives. The success of the programme further demonstrated its potential to be replicated or tailored locally to enhance student experience.
Supporting student carers: inclusive learning development in higher education
This presentation explored the implementation and outcomes of the Carers Achieving Resilience in Education (C.A.R.E.) programme at Queen’s University Belfast, designed to support student carers within higher education. Created in alignment with the Athena SWAN gender equality initiative, the C.A.R.E. programme specifically addresses the complex academic and personal demands faced by student carers, with particular consideration given to female carers who experience disproportionate challenges. The presenters critically discussed how tailored, inclusive workshops were structured around themes of self-care, academic and technological skill development, career planning, and community building. Reflections shared by participants revealed strong appreciation for the sense of belonging fostered by the programme, validating the often-hidden experiences of student carers. Delegates highlighted the significant value of creating academic spaces that acknowledge and support students holistically rather than solely as learners. However, the discussion also acknowledged practical challenges, such as scheduling difficulties and maintaining continued engagement. Recommendations from the programme evaluation advocated embedding structured carer support within institutional policy and curricula, thereby enhancing visibility and recognition of carers across campus. This reflective analysis invites lecturers and learning development professionals to consider proactive strategies for improving inclusivity and resilience among student carers, suggesting collaborative, multidisciplinary approaches as essential to meaningful institutional change.
Marketing approaches for learning development engagement: the importance of promotion to enhance students' learning
Key to engaging students with learning development (LD) is helping them to understand who we are and what we do, an issue that the profession continues to contend with (Stapleford, 2019; Mossman, 2023; White and Webster, 2023). Although there is existing research on marketing academic and public libraries (Dowd, Evangeliste and Silberman, 2010; Potter, 2012; Rowley, 2013; Kendrick, 2021), there is limited research on the marketing practices of LD services within universities and their institutional context, with no known studies focusing on the techniques that learning developers implement to promote their service to students and academic staff. The importance of establishing an identity was explored in this paper, discussing the development of an LD marketing plan which included strategies for promoting the department. This plan used key marketing practices and current research (Potter, 2012; Kendrick, 2021) to establish the department’s ‘brand’, facilitating an identity which ensured clear, effective communication of its service. This paper also demonstrated the importance of effective marketing and communication with students by exploring the promotion of an interdisciplinary dissertation event. This implemented timely and targeted marketing strategies to promote engagement and service awareness. The event hosted 264 participants with attendance from disciplines across all faculties, demonstrating the importance of considered promotional activity to encourage accessibility and inclusion. Participants heard about the ongoing marketing plan work and strategy developments employed by the LD team to actively engage with students across the University of Surrey, as well as having the opportunity to share their own successful promotional practices.
Role of the learning developer in teaching responsible use of AI: examples and challenges from embedded social sciences
This academic year has seen a significant increase in requests for embedded teaching on the university’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) guidelines, which our learning development team had a significant role in developing. The session highlighted the challenges faced when creating sessions within the ever-changing AI landscape (Bobula, 2024), and the importance of meaningful dialogue with academic staff to develop a shared understanding about how students can use AI responsibly. Collaborating with colleagues has highlighted various positions academics have taken in engaging students with AI. Our role has involved championing the university’s guidelines in discussions with academics, sometimes influencing a change in how AI is viewed or used. Developing sessions collaboratively with academics has been imperative in ensuring a consistent message for students about the responsible use of AI. While these collaborations have been successful, the ever-evolving AI landscape and increased expectations from academics raises questions about learning developers’ role in teaching this content, which we explored with delegates in this session. We also outlined the bespoke activities developed for students, including mapping studies using ResearchRabbit, which have garnered positive feedback from staff and students. Whilst we have adapted our approach for each discipline, the key aims of these sessions have remained the same: to encourage students to critically engage with AI tools to determine their value and effectiveness. However, rapidly progressing technology is challenging us as learning developers to think creatively about how to engage students with meaningful activity to empower responsible use of AI.
This research looks at how personal identity and lived experience of learning developers (LDers) from minoritised groups contribute to professional practice within learning development. Using the knowledge building capacity of Appreciative Inquiry (Ai) this research has used participatory workshops and creative analytical methods that explore these ‘superpowers’. Fully embracing the Ai paradigm this research has been designed with Varona’s (2024) 5 ways to view Ai to create the environment for ‘radical curiosity’(Godwin, Cooperrider, 2024). Uncertainty about identity and roles within LD is indicative of the tendency to marginalise the work of LDers and conflate it with other areas (Webster, 2024). This tendency, and this research’s focus on minoritised LDers, suggest this is an area where minoritised staff work with minoritised students in a minoritised area of HE. These layers of disadvantages are why the research is designed to uncover knowledge, expertise and understanding that may otherwise be obscured. This presentation presents the preliminary results of the study which forms part of my PhD in Education and Social Justice at Lancaster University. The study consisted of 2 workshops run at Lancaster University and London Metropolitan University using creative techniques to answer 4 questions aligned to the aspects of Ai How do LDers from minoritised groups view their own skills and contributions? How do the skills, backgrounds and lived experience of LDers from minoritised groups enhance learning develop in the tradition Higher Education Environment? How would LDers from minoritised groups like these skills and contributions used and/or recognised in Higher Education in the future? And what recommendations would they make to achieve this? As well as participation in the workshops, participants were also invited to take part in the analysis of the transcripts from the workshops using black-out poetry.
Sowing the seeds of student success the power of learning development in foundation year programmes
Like watching seeds germinate, grow and flourish we advocate for an approach to learning development that cultivates confidence, motivation and success as a long-term endeavour in line with Ileris’s 3 dimensions of learning ( 2002). This presentation demonstrates the sustained and long-term impact of holistic learning development approaches on Level 6 learners who study integrated foundation years. Against a changing backdrop of challenges which have questioned the funding, status and prestige of Year 0/Level 3 work within our HE institutions we present evidence of impact and explore the pedagogy that creates meaningful long-term improvements in academic attainment across the our multi-discipline Level 3 that involves collaboration cross institution. Following this interdisciplinary approach, we compared data for Level 6 learners who did and did not take a foundation year. In 23/24 those Level 6 students who completed a foundation year frequently outperformed their contemporaries without a foundation year including having higher pass rates and lower rates of resubmission and retakes. This impact is even more acute for Level 6 Black learners whose pass rate was 7% higher and their reassessment rate was 5% lower than their contemporaries without a foundation year. Linking data with practice we will show cross-disciplinary pedagogies have nurtured these learners to create these long-term gains. We are excited to share a range of examples that transcend disciplinary boundaries that show holistic approaches to learning that have supported not just academic development but embraces the whole learner. We also bring with us first-hand experience with the perspectives of a Foundation Year student turned member of staff.
Immersive learning in biology and environmental science: a case study of the nature lab virtual reality project
Virtual reality (VR) is transforming science education by offering immersive, interactive experiences that enhance engagement and understanding of complex biological and environmental systems. However, its benefits and limitations compared to traditional in-person learning remain underexplored. This study directly compares the effectiveness of in-person and VR fieldwork in developing practical graduate skills valued by wildlife conservation employers. Zoology and Wildlife Conservation BSc undergraduates completed a bird monitoring survey at a local nature reserve and then repeated the survey in a simulated VR environment (“Nature Lab”). Student performance and achievement of intended learning outcomes were comparable across both settings, although each emphasised different, relevant skillsets. Students reported that Nature Lab provided a more inclusive and accessible learning experience, reduced the carbon footprint of fieldwork activities, and supported acquisition of valuable technological skills. These findings highlight VR’s potential as a sustainable, complementary teaching tool adaptable to diverse programmes involving fieldwork.
Generation Z and digital learning: preference or assumption? A narrative synthesis of contemporary literature
Generation (Gen) Z represents the first cohort to have grown up with continuous access to digital technology, making it the first ‘always-connected’ generation. Its very presence challenges traditional pedagogical models and calls for a rethinking of how knowledge is accessed, delivered and co-created in Higher Education Institution (HEI) spaces. Meeting the expectations and addressing the needs of the Gen Z learner lie at the heart of contemporary educational provision. This narrative synthesis critically examines contemporary literature regarding Gen Z learning preferences, focusing on how technology supports the learning environment. The findings highlight that Gen Z learners are highly responsive to multimedia technologies in the educational setting and demonstrate a clear preference for learning environments which strike a balance between independent learning and meaningful interpersonal interaction. These findings offer some empirical insights and pose some important considerations for HEI educators.
An intensive block approach to teaching academic skills through a discipline: the effect on student connections, experiences, and outcomes as students transition to HE
Supporting students in their transition to university is challenging. Helping them feel connected to peers, staff, and their subject, while developing essential academic skills, is crucial. Block teaching has been shown not only to enhance retention and outcomes but also to build confidence and support the transition to university life. This study explores the impact of a two-week intensive block teaching approach for first-year Geography and Environment students at the University of Chester. Introduced in 2022, the module serves as an extended induction, focusing on academic skills and integration. Over three years, 127 students participated, with evidence showing improved understanding of higher education, stronger academic skills, and better peer connections. Outcomes included 100% pass rates, high average marks, and a 10% increase in continuation rates from year 1 to 2. We argue that discipline-based, well-organised block teaching can support skill development, boost confidence, and aid university transition.
Exploring equity in education for sustainable development: integrating community-based learning and teaching
This study explores the potential of Community-Based Learning and Teaching (CBLT) to address equity issues in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within university curricula. This was motivated by the premise that equity in ESD is best advanced when CBLT is meaningfully embedded into learning development practices, creating opportunities for dialogue, co-creation, and reflection. We used a mixed-methods, participatory approach that combined module mapping, staff engagement activities, and a ‘students-as-partners’ model to examine how ESD and CBLT were embedded across two neighbouring institutions in England. The research highlights how CBLT fosters deeper student engagement, supports culturally responsive pedagogies, and facilitates critical participation in sustainability education. It also reveals ongoing challenges, including limited interdisciplinary collaboration and institutional barriers to inclusive practice. Our study proposes that future efforts should focus on expanding interdisciplinary opportunities, ensuring culturally responsive teaching, and building stronger institutional support for community-driven learning to promote equity-focused pedagogy in higher education.
Lecturers’ perceptions of ICT use in a South African private higher education Faculty of Education
This study investigates lecturers' perceptions of ICT integration within a South African Faculty of Education. Employing a mixed-methods approach guided by the TPACK, TAM, and DigCompEdu frameworks, data were collected from a census of 56 academic staff. The findings reveal a complex interplay between infrastructural provision and digital inequities. While lecturers indicated high technological self-efficacy, its translation into effective practice was mediated by a misalignment between the technologies promoted and the institutional context. Key constraints included curriculum overload, variable technical support, and a critical disconnect between the chosen technologies and student accessibility. Despite these barriers, emergent peer collaboration and strategic optimism indicate a nascent shift towards transformative practice. The study concludes that for ICT integration to be effective, institutional strategy must evolve from a techno-positive provisioning model to one that prioritises contextually appropriate and accessible digital pedagogy.
Reimagining healthcare education: considerations from a hybrid Occupational Therapy programme
Hybrid educational delivery models are increasingly prevalent in professional healthcare programmes, reflecting a growing commitment to accessible learning environments. However, tensions surrounding hybrid professional education, especially in Healthcare, remain. Hybrid education blends in-person and online learning (Hunter et al., 2025). This opinion piece asserts that our hybrid Occupational Therapy (OT) programme offers a replicable model combining virtual flexibility with hands-on skill acquisition. The number of OT programmes delivering content in a hybrid format continues to grow. The versatility of this model holds broader implications for Learning Development professionals across healthcare and graduate disciplines. Building on pandemic-era innovations and emerging workforce demands, we examine challenges in hybrid OT education, such as facilitating practical training, supporting digital equity, and preserving community. We also propose solutions transferable to other practice-based fields. Finally, we call on Educational Developers and Learning Developers to adopt intentional, evidence-based hybrid instructional designs with support for student learning that reflects the realities of contemporary education and professional practice in an increasingly digital world.
Constraining Innovation: A critical discourse analysis of power and assessment policy in higher education
In this study, I examine how university assessment policies constrain pedagogical innovation. Using Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), I analysed policy documents from five UK universities to identify dominant discursive patterns influencing assessment governance. Four key themes emerged: efficiency, surveillance, standardisation, and pastoral power. Each reinforces institutional control and limits opportunities for flexible, student-centred assessment. Assessment policies prioritise compliance and administrative convenience over pedagogical innovation, embedding a discourse of risk aversion that restricts creative practice. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence are framed within surveillance narratives rather than as tools for formative feedback or adaptive questioning. This study addresses two questions: the extent to which assessment policies inhibit innovative methods, and whether barriers arise from policy texts or broader institutional discourses. Institutional discourse plays an equally significant role as formal policy. I recommend repositioning AI as a formative tool, decentralising governance, and embedding academic staff in policy development.
Designing a sensory room for post-secondary institutions
Disabled and neurodivergent students face persistent barriers in post-secondary education, including challenges related to sensory regulation, accommodations, and inclusion. Sensory rooms, defined as controlled environments designed to support self-regulation, are common in schools and clinical settings but rare in higher education. This study aimed to identify sensory accessibility needs and co-develop a community-informed framework for implementing a sensory room in a post-secondary setting. A community-led consultation involving 41 participants was conducted through semi-structured interviews across two stages: needs identification and design input. Participants included disabled and neurodivergent students and accessibility professionals. Thematic analysis identified six key themes, including sensory barriers on campus, design principles emphasizing user control, inclusive access models, and the role of sensory spaces in fostering community. Sensory rooms represent a promising strategy to improve accessibility and well-being when grounded in meaningful community engagement and institutional commitment.
The EUIA scale for fostering learners’ AI competencies through assessment
This case study introduces the Escala de Uso de la IA (EUIA; Scale of AI Use), a new framework designed to assess and promote AI literacy. The EUIA scale explicitly links AI usage levels with assessment design and ethical considerations, supporting the development of AI-specific competencies. The framework consists of six levels of interaction for Generative AI (GenAI) in assessment. Each level provides adaptable assignment instructions, design examples, and an overview of the digital skills developed at that stage. The scale was piloted with participants in the ‘CAIE2X Strategies for the Integration of AI in Assessment’ module. Evaluation data indicate that the EUIA scale is an effective tool for understanding the ethical and pedagogical implications of GenAI. This framework offers a structured pathway for educators to integrate AI into curricula while fostering critical AI literacy among learners.
Perspectivism: a new theory for Learning Development
There have been recent calls for renewed focus on the theory of Learning Development (LD; Slawson and Eyre, 2024). A range of theoretical approaches are used across the profession (Johnson and Bishopp-Martin, 2024; Slawson and Eyre, 2024), though some of the more prominent, social constructivist, approaches have been critiqued in terms of their applicability and appropriateness to LD (Hilsdon et al., 2019; White and Dhillon, 2024). This piece responds to this call by introducing Perspectivism, a theory on how individuals perceive, create, and interact with their environment (Alrøe and Noe, 2012). This broadly critical realist model may provide a stronger way to describe LD than social constructivist-aligned models. The theory also offers a defence against criticisms of generic academic skills support (Richards and Pilcher, 2023) and an associated provocation to the centrality of discipline literacy practices in social constructivist theories in LD.
Whose feedback matters? Exploring human and AI-supported writing feedback practices in a South African writing centre
In the context of the growing reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) tools for academic writing, this article explores how undergraduate students at a South African writing centre perceive and use feedback from both human tutors and AI-based tools. Drawing on Feedback Literacy and Critical Digital Pedagogy, the study investigates the strengths and limitations of AI-generated and human feedback, as well as how resource constraints shape student practices. Using qualitative interviews with 10 undergraduate students across diverse disciplines, the findings reveal that while AI tools offer efficiency for surface-level corrections, students express a strong preference for the relational, dialogic, and context-sensitive nature of human feedback. Students strategically blend AI and tutor feedback, demonstrating emerging feedback literacy, yet their practices remain constrained by infrastructural barriers and algorithmic biases. The study highlights the risk that AI-generated feedback may reinforce educational inequalities if digital divides and linguistic diversity are not adequately addressed. It calls for feedback ecologies that balance technological innovation with human care, supporting equitable, and inclusive writing development in under-resourced, multilingual higher education settings.
Reimagining Learning Development for sustainability: a call to action
The mission of Learning Development (LD) professionals extends beyond supporting individual academic success; it encompasses shaping a responsive, holistic higher education (HE) ecosystem capable of advancing global sustainability. This communication, drawing from a recent thematic synthesis of open access scholarship on sustainability in HE institutions (HEIs), argues for the pivotal role of LD in driving sustainable futures. The synthesis reveals key pedagogical shifts, the necessity of whole-institution approaches, and the ongoing tension between global frameworks and local contexts. I contend that LD is uniquely positioned to influence these transformations by advocating for pedagogical innovation, equitable institutional strategies, and culturally responsive learning environments. This commentary seeks to ignite reflection and inspire action within the LD community, illustrating how their work can transcend supporting green initiatives to cultivating green mindsets capable of championing systemic, enduring change.
Navigating agentic AI: a call for reimagined academic literacies
The emergence of agentic artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education raises a critical question: does the move toward autonomous systems capable of planning, decision-making, and action constitute a fundamental shift, or an acceleration of challenges already posed by generative AI? This article argues that these developments require a reimagining of academic literacies, extending beyond traditional emphases on critical thinking and academic writing toward a more comprehensive conception of AI literacy. Drawing on research in AI ethics and digital pedagogy, it explores the implications of learning in partnership with increasingly autonomous systems. It examines how agentic AI disrupts established understandings of authorship, assessment, and intellectual labour, and proposes a framework centred on critical evaluation, prompt literacy, co-authorship, ethical awareness, and recognition of AI limitations. Learning developers are positioned as central actors in this transition, with a key role in shaping pedagogy, assessment, and institutional policy.
A Model United Nations simulation as a catalyst for experiential learning in higher education
This opinion piece argues for the transformative value of Model United Nations (MUN) simulations, particularly SimONU, in higher education as a powerful means for experiential learning, global citizenship education, and Learning Development. Drawing on observations from the SimONU event hosted by a European higher education institution in partnership with the United Nations Regional Information Centre (UNRIC), the article highlights the pedagogical, social, and developmental benefits of engaging students in structured, role-based international diplomacy. This piece is grounded in educational theory and explores how such simulations foster essential skills including research, negotiation, collaboration, and critical thinking in higher education contexts, while simultaneously offering inclusive, context-rich learning environments. The piece concludes with a call for broader integration of experiential, globally oriented pedagogies within higher education to better prepare students for the complexities of a multipolar, interdependent world.
Book review: Illingworth, S. (2025) Bridging scholarship and practice in higher education: fostering innovative research and enhancing teaching. Abingdon: Routledge.
Student perceptions of object-based learning
Since returning to face-to-face teaching post COVID-19, UK higher education has needed to adjust to significant challenges, including the acceleration of the role that GenAI and personal screens have in the student experience. Whilst screens now mediate the learning experience to a large degree, we have turned to the materiality of object-based learning (OBL) as a multisensory, experiential pedagogy with the potential to stimulate criticality and build confidence in in-person communications amongst taught students. This paper details a research project into student perceptions and experiences of OBL at the University of Leeds. Taught students participated in experimental OBL workshops and then reported their experiences in a questionnaire. Participants were overwhelmingly positive about taking part in OBL workshops, particularly in relation to working with others, engaging with materiality, using their skills of analysis and interpretation and the active nature of learning in this context. OBL requires a classroom dynamic in which academic staff facilitate and guide discussion, rather than conforming to traditional didactic patterns of teaching. Students of Sociology and Social Policy taking part in the study saw the direct relevance of the objects under discussion to their disciplinary area, and the results of this study are assisting the school in strategically implementing OBL within the curriculum, specifically in a new module for third year undergraduate students, The Sociology of Objects.
Bite-sized brilliance: mixed-methods approach of unwrapping the benefits of sandwich courses for Sport Science students
This study explores the benefits of sandwich courses for Sport Science students, particularly in relation to academic performance, graduate employment, and professional development. Work-integrated learning (WIL) that can be incorporated within the form of year-long placements provides students with real-world experience that enhances both their practical and theoretical knowledge. Quantitative analysis comparing attendance and degree grades of honours (1,012) and sandwich course (186) students at Nottingham Trent University (NTU) demonstrates that placement students achieve higher academic outcomes and improved attendance records. Results indicate that sandwich course students increase their final degree classification by 12.91% compared with their honours pathway counterparts.
Book review: Hoppe, M., Siegert, S., Temiz, S., Hasselgren, A. and Seifan, F. (eds) (2025) Academic misfits: questioned belongings in higher education. London: Routledge.
Book review: Syska, A., Buckley, C., Sedghi, G. and Grayson, N. (eds.) (2025) Transformative practice in higher education: innovative approaches to teaching and learning. Abingdon: Routledge.
Collaborating with ChatGPT in the classroom: a graduate student’s reflection
This reflection offers a student perspective on integrating generative artificial intelligence (AI) in graduate education, focusing on collaboration rather than replacement. Drawing on my experience in a doctoral seminar on the intellectual history of educational technology, I examine four key instructional practices that shaped meaningful AI use: conceptual framing, reading-based discussions, a quote juxtaposition assignment, and live demonstrations. These experiences illuminate how AI can act as a thought partner—challenged, refined, and co-opted to surface complexity and multiple perspectives. In doing so, the reflection contributes to conversations about AI in higher education by highlighting the learner’s perspective and pedagogical possibilities when technology is approached as a collaborator rather than a shortcut.
Bridging worlds: a study of academic skills, cultural exchange, and integration in UK higher education
This case study explores the experience of an Academic Skills Adviser and an international postgraduate student at a university in the North West of England in relation to academic skills, cultural exchange, and integration into higher education in the UK. We explore a series of reflective accounts through collaborative autoethnography of our journey as adviser/advisee over two years. These accounts are thematically analysed to discuss our shared significant moments and reflections of our respective positions. We explore the unique position academic skills advisers can play in not only improving student attainment and retention but in their role of helping students to integrate into the academic and wider community. We do, however, explore the distinct challenges academic skills advisers and international students face when it comes to cultural exchange in an academic environment. Finally, we finish with recommendations for how we can support international students.
Book review: Beckingham, S., Lawrence, J., Powell, S. and Hartley, P. (eds) (2024) Using generative AI effectively in higher education: sustainable and ethical practices for learning, teaching and assessment. London: Routledge.
Use of online discussion boards as a teaching and learning methodology in the postgraduate setting: a commentary
Information and communication technology is now a fundamental component in the delivery of teaching and the facilitation of student-focused learning. Online discussion boards (ODBs) are used in higher education to allow a collaborative exchange of views amongst learners. This commentary reflects on first-hand experiences of ODBs within the postgraduate context. It can be argued that the success of ODBs is reliant on self-directed learners who are motivated and willing to contribute to the group conversation regularly. Studies suggest learners who actively engage with ODBs activate cognitive processes which result in a stronger course performance and enhanced learning outcomes. However, the quality of ODB interactions is also reliant on assertive facilitators who encourage reflection by adopting a motivational teaching presence. To initiate deeper collaborative learning, facilitators could combine ODBs with face-to-face sessions or create a buddy system which provides a social presence alongside electronic learning.
Book review: Bedford, D. (2025) Finding and using information: a guide for nursing, health and social care. Oxford: Lantern Publishing.
Book review: Wilson, C. and Wilson, R. (2025) University and you: strengthening your skills and developing your potential. Abingdon: Routledge.
‘It gave me something stable to stand on’: demystifying the academic publication process for doctoral candidates through inclusive pedagogies
Doctoral candidates often face significant challenges when engaging with the academic publication process, navigating complex disciplinary expectations with limited institutional support. This article evaluates a pedagogical initiative designed to demystify academic publishing through a structured, collaborative, and inclusive approach. Drawing on Belcher (2019), we implemented a 12-session workshop series, Publish Your Article!, integrating guided discussions, facilitated writing retreats, and peer interaction. Using a mixed-methods design, we analysed participant reflections from questionnaires and focus groups to assess the provision’s impact. Findings suggest that candidates initially perceived academic writing as an obscure and performative practice. Through sustained scaffolding and a Community of Practice framework (Lave & Wenger, 1991), participants began to reconceptualise writing as a developmental process, strengthening their confidence and sense of scholarly legitimacy. The study challenges ‘sink or swim’ models of publication support and advocates for embedded, sustainable learning development initiatives that meaningfully empower doctoral researchers.
Liberating learning in the empathetic university
Meechan, D. (2024) Generative AI for students: the essential guide to using artificial intelligence for study at university. London: Sage.
Mental health support service for mathematics and statistics students in Scotland
Mental health conditions are increasing among young people in Scotland, with universities experiencing rising demand for support services. Long waiting times and limited resources have highlighted the need for innovative approaches. This article presents a case study of a Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) embedded within the Mathematics and Statistics department at a Scottish university. Since its launch in 2021, the service has facilitated over 100 appointments, providing confidential listening and signposting support for students. Analysis of service usage reveals engagement across all year groups and demographics, with common issues including anxiety, low mood, and stress. Feedback indicates that students valued the subject-specific understanding, accessibility, and responsiveness of the service. These findings suggest that departmental-level support can complement university-wide provision, enhance early intervention, and improve student wellbeing, offering a model for other faculties seeking to address mental health challenges in higher education.
Co-inference and collaboration: empowering higher education staff and students through a GenAI literacy development framework based on mind-metaphors
Higher education staff and students are beginning to emerge from the liminal space created by the exponential rise in generative artificial intelligence technologies such as large language models. Both groups exhibit a low or developing understanding of the issues related with the use of such tools. On one hand, staff in many institutions are concerned about critical skills development, academic integrity, ethical implications and the long-term cognitive effects of the use of such tools. Equally, students are concerned about the acceptability of the use of such tools at university and the need to develop work-related GenAI skills. On the other hand, foundational large language models are being trained on larger and better data sets and have evolved into ‘reasoning’ models that can allegedly ‘think’. Furthermore, with the emergence of agentic AI, systems that can ‘act’ independently, claims of shifting agency away from humans to machines are common. This has implications for the world of work and for higher education institutions. This opinion piece presents a new framework that I have developed for enhancing the GenAI literacy of staff and students and to empower and augment themselves with GenAI tools in a balanced, meaningful and collaborative way, whilst maintaining their agency. The mind-metaphors framework includes techniques such as mind-surfing, mind-mending, mind-bending, mind-gaming, mind-storming and mind-stretching, which can help staff and students to develop trust in their chosen GenAI models and master co-inference and collaborative GenAI use.
Voices in forensics: exploring student perceptions of oral presentations and podcasts as assessment tools in forensic science education
Innovative assessment methods are increasingly being explored to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. This study examines the effectiveness of podcast assessments as an alternative to traditional written and oral assessments in higher education for forensic science. A mixed-methods approach was used to analyse student perceptions through thematic and Likert-scale feedback on a podcast assessment. Results (n=13) showed that students generally found podcast assessments highly engaging and preferred them over traditional written and oral assessments. Qualitative feedback highlighted deeper engagement, creative expression and a more conversational and flexible format. However, challenges included technical skills, structuring content and the lack of immediate audience feedback. While the majority supported integrating more podcast assessments into future coursework, a minority preferred traditional presentations for their public-speaking benefits. These findings suggest that podcast assessments provide an engaging and student-centred alternative to conventional formats, aligning with contemporary shifts in higher education pedagogy. To maximise their effectiveness, educators should offer structural and technical support while considering hybrid or flexible assessment models. Future research should explore the long-term impact of podcast assessments on learning outcomes across various disciplines.
This paper pays tribute to Tom Burns as a distinguished and much-loved practitioner-scholar who dedicated his professional life to students and influenced colleagues in and beyond the Learning Development community. A loyal and supportive friend of our journal, Tom was a deeply admired teacher and mentor, a visionary and creative leader and writer, who on these pages is fondly remembered by his four colleagues: John Hilsdon, Debbie Holley, Sandra Abegglen, and Digby Warren. They offer personal recollections of his work and contributions to higher education, which are poetically spliced with editorial mediations that pay homage to Tom’s creative spirit.
Identifying typical academic language and learning development practitioner roles and specialisms: an international taxonomy
Although the higher education ‘third space’ has become more widely recognised, there is still a prevailing lack of specificity in terms of many associated job roles. In contrast to librarians (CILIP, 2025), there is no formally recognised classification of types of Academic Language and/or Learning Development (ALLD) job roles. In practice, this means that ALLD practitioners with similar job titles often undertake different roles. In the absence of clearly defined job roles, the valuable contributions made by ALLD practitioners and the associated specialist skills and knowledge required are not always widely understood (Bickle, Johnson and White, 2024). This led Briggs (2025a) to propose the need to develop an ALLD role taxonomy. The current article reports results from an international study (primarily comprising of practitioners from UK, Canada, and New Zealand) that sought to establish the principal job responsibilities and specialisms synonymous with working in ALLD. Based on data from 92 respondents, it was possible to develop an ALLD practitioner taxonomy that details the most frequent area(s) of work and specialism(s) reported by ALLD practitioners. Implications for applying the taxonomy are considered from the perspectives of international and national associations, institutions, and individual practitioners.
Proposing a linguistic repertoires perspective in multilingual higher education contexts
Anglophone Higher Education Institutions have embraced cultural diversity but continue to approach linguistic diversity through a deficit perspective, often treating multilingualism as an obstacle rather than a resource (Preece et al., 2018). This paper argues for the adoption of a linguistic repertoires perspective in learning development to leverage students' full linguistic capacities, thereby enhancing cognitive engagement, fostering inclusivity, and contributing to the decolonisation of academic spaces. Drawing on Cummins (2007), I explore how linguistic repertoires function as cognitive tools, aiding comprehension and critical thinking. Additionally, insights from Park and May (2025) and Preece (2019b) illustrate how integrating linguistic repertoires in learning development promotes inclusion and challenges linguistic discrimination. Finally, inspired by Wei and García (2022), I position linguistic repertoires as central to a decolonising agenda in higher education. I call upon learning developers to create pedagogical frameworks that recognise linguistic diversity as an asset, facilitating equitable and enriched educational experiences.
Learning about learning: developing conservatoire students’ pedagogical knowledge
Conservatoires are specialist and practical schools that provide immersive training for aspiring performing arts professionals. Historically, performance training in music has been valued over and above other aspects of the curriculum in conservatoires. For example, learning how to teach is rarely considered as important as learning how to perform. Yet pedagogical training in music has enormous potential to support students to learn about their own learning development and that of others, and as such can enhance students’ employability in or beyond music. Whilst this article focuses on the discipline of music, it poses important questions about the value for students of learning about learning via pedagogical training in many other creative subject areas, such as dance, drama, art, and languages, or even STEM subjects (sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Developing students’ metacognitive awareness may benefit society, helping students to nurture the next generation of learners, whilst impacting positively on longer-term recruitment into conservatoires and other Higher Education Institutions.
An empirical analysis of the integration of education for sustainable development in higher education curricula in Botswana
The integration of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into the curricula of higher education institutions (HEIs) is critical for advancing global sustainability objectives. This study assessed the extent of ESD integration in the curricula of HEIs in Botswana, examined current practices and challenges, and identified areas for improvement. Guided by constructivist, and transformative learning theories, the study was conducted on a sample of four out of ten registered HEIs in Botswana. A stratified random sampling method was used to select academic staff from various faculties, and data were collected through a structured and semi-structured survey. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while the qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The findings revealed that ESD integration in Botswana’s HEIs is inconsistent and limited. While most of the respondents indicated that their institutions have sustainability related initiatives, only a few of them reported that their HEIs offer specialised ESD courses, highlighting a limited integration of ESD across the sampled HEIs. Key challenges identified include limited resources, insufficient institutional policies, and a lack of ongoing professional development for staff. The absence of a unified ESD policy framework and low student engagement in sustainability initiatives further hinder integration efforts. This study recommends the development of a comprehensive, institution-wide ESD policy, the integration of sustainability principles across all curricula, and strengthened faculty development programmes to support this transition. Due to the use of a survey-based research approach, there is potential for alternative interpretations and limited generalisability of the findings of the study.
A study of e-learning motivation in Haryana, India: do gender and locality matter?
This study explores undergraduate students' motivation for e-learning in Haryana, India, considering gender (male and female) and locality (urban and rural) differences. Data was collected from a random sample of 400 students enrolled in colleges. The results indicate that female and rural students demonstrated higher levels of motivation than male and urban students, revealing significant differences. The study emphasises the importance of addressing digital infrastructure challenges and providing focused support to enhance e-learning participation among diverse student groups, ensuring fair access to educational opportunities. The practical implications of this research suggest that by implementing tailored interventions, educational institutions and policymakers can enhance student engagement and outcomes. This can lead to a more effective educational environment that benefits a wide range of learners. To achieve this, they should focus on bridging the digital gap among diverse groups and adopting strategies that create supportive e-learning environments for all students.
A personal reflection exploring the support offered to post-registration nursing students with dyslexia in a higher education setting
This reflection will examine my professional practice in relation to the support offered to post-registration nursing students with dyslexia in a UK higher education (HE) setting. Pedagogic theory, policy and practice will be analysed in relation to inclusive education and the support that is currently offered to students with dyslexia. There will be a specific focus on the mode of delivery, use of lecture recording, and inclusivity of assessment. Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that predominantly impacts individuals’ reading and writing skills. The number of students with dyslexia attending UK HE has increased significantly in recent years. Although improvements in practice are evident, further improvements are required. This reflection demonstrates several positive aspects in relation to the inclusive support that is offered to students with dyslexia, and the benefits such support can have on all students. However, there are areas for improvement to enhance the inclusivity of the learning environment and learner experience.
Exploring ethnic differences in student engagement and assessment preferences in higher education
This study examined the relationship between student engagement, assessment preferences and ethnicity among university students. 64 participants who were enrolled in either BSc Psychology or BSc Psychology (Sport, Health and Exercise) at a UK university took part in the survey. The survey assessed student engagement through the University Student Engagement Inventory (USEI) and assessment preferences using the Assessment Preference Inventory (API). Our results indicate no significant differences in student engagement across different ethnic groups. However, notable distinctions were observed in assessment preferences. White students preferred to receive more detailed remarks in their feedback than Asian and Black students. All participants ranked oral presentations as their least preferred assessment type. On the other hand, preferences for the most favoured assessment type varied by ethnicity; White students preferred multiple-choice question exams, while Asian and Black students preferred coursework essays. These findings suggest that, while engagement levels may be similar across ethnic groups, preferences for feedback and assessment types differ, which can help educators develop more inclusive and effective assessment strategies.
Streamline dissertation supervision using Padlet
Dissertation supervision requires clear communication, consistent feedback, and effective progress tracking. Traditional methods often struggle to meet these needs, especially in remote or hybrid settings. Based on three years of ongoing use, this opinion piece explores how Padlet can transform supervision logs into an interactive, student-driven process that promotes assessment for learning and builds feedback literacy. The article emphasises why Padlet’s design is important—how its visual and collaborative features promote dialogue, self-regulation, and reflection. It also covers practical aspects like training needs and digital access. Overall, Padlet improves formative feedback and collaboration, providing a scalable model for Learning Development practitioners who want to incorporate employability skills and foster student belonging.
What if listening rooms could become a method of assessment?
This brief communication proposes that Heron’s Listening Rooms data collection method could be adapted for use as an assessment method in higher education (HE), potentially replacing some forms of written assessment. Their adoption would enable students to demonstrate capabilities they may find challenging to evidence in written form. The author offers suggestions for the use of Listening Rooms in assessing different subjects. This is followed by a discussion on the challenges and suitability of using Listening Rooms as an assessment method. The piece concludes by reaffirming the need for a diverse and inclusive range of assessment methods in contemporary HE.
Inclusivity in focus: reimagining competency frameworks
Inclusivity has become a cornerstone of contemporary higher education (HE), reflecting a growing commitment to creating equitable and accessible learning environments for all students. However, many professional competency frameworks for educators, including the widely recognised BALEAP Competency Framework for Teachers of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) (BALEAP, 2008), seem to lack dedicated guidance on inclusion, a gap that persists despite increasing recognition of the importance of inclusive practices in addressing diverse learner needs. This opinion essay argues for a revision of this framework to incorporate a section dedicated to inclusivity. Building on insights from a BALEAP-funded research project, it proposes essential competencies in differentiated instruction, culturally responsive teaching, inclusive classroom strategies, equitable assessment, and the use of adaptive technologies. Although focused on EAP practitioners, the essay emphasises the relevance of these competencies across disciplines and educator roles, including learning developers and frontline educators. By situating this call for revision within the broader context of inclusivity in education, it aims to inspire updates to other professional frameworks and promote a more inclusive approach to teaching and learning at all levels.
'It gives you that motivation to keep pushing on': reflecting on the role of dialogic skills workshops on postgraduate researchers’ academic preparedness and 'belonging'
Completing a doctorate is reputed to be uniquely academically challenging and isolating. To challenge this, doctoral supervisors, academic developers, and peers can play a significant role in academic preparedness and enhancing feelings of ‘belonging’ on a doctoral programme. During the 2023-2024 academic year, a new provision for doctoral academic skills enhancement was piloted at a large university in southern England, with ten workshops aimed to develop academic writing, research integrity, presentation skills, and criticality. The workshops were designed to align with Alexander’s (2004) model for dialogic teaching and adapted Lee and Murray’s (2015) supervision framework to provide facilitated spaces for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) to cultivate curiosity, confidence, and collaboration. In reflecting on the first year of this provision, three focus groups were conducted with ten PGRs to explore their engagement with and evaluation of the workshops’ format relating to their experiences of ‘becoming’ and ‘belonging’ in doctoral study. The focus groups highlighted various challenges in transitioning to doctoral study and anxieties about academic preparedness. However, engaging with dialogic workshops alleviated some anxieties, enhanced academic preparedness, and ‘normalised’ challenges experienced by PGRs. On this basis, there is potential for dialogic PGR initiatives to heighten feelings of academically ‘belonging’ on doctoral programmes.
A mixed methods evaluation of a peer mentoring programme (PASS) for international postgraduate students; Mentee and Mentor perspectives
Peer mentoring provides academic, social, and pastoral support to students. This enhances their educational experience and supports learning. However less is known about the value for international master’s students studying in the UK. To address this gap, this study introduced and evaluated a peer assisted study session (PASS) model of peer mentoring. Mentee expectations were explored at baseline: these were high and varied considerably. The post intervention survey showed students were (78-82%) highly satisfied with the quality, range of topics, usefulness, and opportunities for peer interaction provided by the ten-week, in-person programme. Equally mentors valued the experience; they developed leadership and communication skills, deepened their subject knowledge, and gained transferable skills. Despite this, mentees and mentors alike called for additional, longer sessions, and smaller mentor to mentee ratios to meet the demands and challenges faced by international students. Recommendations and practical implications for programme teams are identified.
Incorporating culturally relevant pedagogy for international students in UK higher education: challenges and perspectives
The number of international students in the United Kingdom’s (UK) higher education (HE) sector has significantly increased, yet research on pedagogical frameworks for these students remains limited, particularly within the context of private business schools. This study aims to address this gap by exploring the application of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) for international students in a UK HE private business school. CRP is a pedagogical framework that supports students’ intellectual, social, emotional, and political development by integrating their cultural backgrounds into teaching practices (Ladson-Billings, 2009), emphasising the importance of aligning teaching content and students’ cultural backgrounds (Yu, 2022). Using qualitative methodology, semi-structured interviews were conducted and analysed through thematic analysis with a deductive coding approach based on the three tenets of CRP: academic success, cultural competence, and critical consciousness. Findings suggested that participants, who were lecturers, were drawn to tenet 2, cultural competence, but also indicated challenges to incorporate CRP principles for international students within the UK HE private business school context. Contrary to the original CRP framework, findings in this study suggested that students and institutions, along with lecturers, should share the responsibility for students’ academic success. Unlike CRP in the United States (US) context, participants hesitated to discuss social issues with international students in the classroom. Given the challenges identified in this study, further study is necessary to reconceptualise CRP for international students, not only within UK HE private business schools but across the broader UK HE landscape.
Book review: Thorpe, J. (2024) AI for students: creative hacks for academic success: an illustrated guide. Glasgow: Promptly Books
Book review: Campbell, P. (2024) Race and assessment in higher education: from conceptualising barriers to making measurable change. Leeds: Emerald.
All academic misconduct behaviours are equal, but some are more equal than others: exploring educator perceptions of the impact of criminalising contract cheating on the academic misconduct landscape in the UK, through the lens of TPA
Using thematic analysis and the Theory of Practice Architectures (TPA), this study assessed educator perceptions of the 2022 criminalisation of providing or advertising contract cheating (CC) services in the United Kingdom (UK). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants from ten different UK-based Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), all of whom taught/were currently teaching at a HEI and had interacted with at least one academic misconduct case in the last five years. Educators were asked to share their own perceptions, in addition to those they believed their students held on the criminalisation of CC. Thematic analysis revealed four key themes: indifference, confusion, support and Generative-Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI), which were then aligned to the arrangements of TPA to highlight how these themes may be influencing the practice of contract cheating. The study found that educators were indifferent towards CC criminalisation, and that many educators felt unsupported in the pursuit of academic misconduct cases. Respondents were more concerned about the rise of Gen-AI and its impact on future academic integrity.
Enhancing graduate employability through interdisciplinary, work‐based learning
This paper examines an interdisciplinary initiative at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), focusing on the collaboration between qTech and qNomics in delivering a multi-disciplinary project designed to bridge the gap between academic learning and professional experience. The collaboration fosters direct engagement with industry and provides students with authentic, real-world learning opportunities that are crucial for enhancing their employability. This initiative goes beyond traditional academic frameworks, offering students not only an opportunity to engage in practical problem solving but also a platform for reflecting on their work. In doing so, it contributes significantly to knowledge exchange while simultaneously providing a foundation for professional competencies and reflective practice. By exploring the structure and outcomes of this collaboration, the paper highlights how such interdisciplinary projects can strengthen graduate attributes, enhance work-based education, and better prepare students for the challenges of the contemporary workforce.
ChatGPT in academic assessments: upholding integrity
This study examines the impact of AI, particularly ChatGPT, on academic integrity and assessment practices in higher education. As AI integration grows, concerns about its potential to undermine academic rigour and increase inequalities have surfaced. Through interviews with students and a lecturer, the research explores the benefits and challenges of using ChatGPT in academic work. The innovative approach of having students use ChatGPT to write assignments highlights both efficiency gains and the need for responsible use. Findings reveal the importance of using AI-generated content as a supplement rather than a replacement for traditional learning, with concerns about its potential misuse. The study advocates for updated integrity policies and clear guidelines to ensure AI enhances, rather than compromises, education. Emphasising ethical AI use and process-oriented assessments, the study offers strategies to promote fairness, integrity, and critical thinking in the digital age.
Teaching embodied dissemination: enabling doctoral students to have authentic impact on their field
Teaching embodied dissemination techniques to doctoral researchers is an essential part of a contemporary doctoral degree. Embodied dissemination recognises and engages the involvement of the physical body in the sharing of research work. Trainee researchers need to be able to identify the users of their work and how they might be reached. Yet more could be done to provide students with experience of and instruction in such approaches. This paper explores potential embodied dissemination methods and how we, as teachers in this space, might encourage students to connect with such approaches. To achieve this, three research-active teachers provide a reflective case study each considering the embodied dissemination techniques they adopt and, perhaps most importantly, how and why they came to use them. It is hoped that, by providing these examples alongside suggestions on how to get started, other teachers might consider how they could adopt such methods into their own repertoire and in so doing lead by example.
Book review: Hughes, N. (2024) Blended learning solutions in higher education: history, theory, and practice. Abingdon: Routledge.
MyFeedback: an online writing feedback service with students as partners
MyFeedback is an online feedback service run by the academic tutoring team at the University of East London (UEL). The service provides a formative type of feedback on the academic writing of students based on drafts they upload to a digital inbox. The service is a differentiating support mechanism that complements the one-to-one guidance provided by the academic writing tutors. This is possible by training and supervising students (online feedback initiators) to provide reviews of assignment drafts. In this ALDCon24 workshop, we discussed how the development and operation of the service has thrived through a partnership between learning developers and students, and thus establishing a community of practice (Wenger, 1998) of shared learning and vision. We provided insights into the working model and the ways in which students become partners and occasionally co-creators. We highlighted the opportunities and benefits that are shared among all those involved and the roles they assume. Student users of the service engage in a self-regulated learning experience (Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick, 2006) enacted by their repeated exposure to peer feedback interactions that is underpinned by pedagogical principles, such as the zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978) and differentiation, for example in Tomlinson (2001). Tutors and student partners collaborate to consolidate their feedback mechanisms by bringing together teaching expertise, fresh enthusiasm, first-hand student experiences, and a sense of belonging, inclusivity and collaboration. At the same time, tutors direct their capacity efficiently to students who can benefit more from a live dialogue based on their assessment at hand.
Copyright (c) 2024 Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Understanding inclusive assessment: how British Pakistani male graduates engage with university assessments
Assessment experiences of ethnic minority students in UK higher education present complex challenges in identifying salient barriers to inclusive practice. Ethnic minority students can be excluded by a range of factors which include the procedure, content and context of assessment. By analysing twelve narratives of British Pakistani male graduates, this study examines student engagement with traditional and more contemporary assessments and explores how students negotiate racialised learning spaces. Findings highlight student disengagement, and subsequent underperformance, in more traditional academic assessments than occupational and practical forms of assessment. To this end, practical assessments, which reflect the aims of authentic assessment approaches, were considered most inclusive, primarily due to their alignment with students’ career aspirations, though critical considerations around inclusive learning spaces are still required to mitigate extraneous racial exclusion.
Ethical and effortful: workshopping human and generative AI academic writing collaborations
The launch of Open AI’s ChatGPT in 2022 caused a furore within higher education. While initial reactions were negative – educators imagined the end of the undergraduate essay and an acceleration in academic integrity departures – more recent conversations have emphasised how these tools might enhance teaching and learning experiences. This paper explores one possibility for approaching student use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, by considering their use in relation to academic skill development. It focuses on a set of workshops conducted within a graduate professional development course at Queen’s University (Canada) in early 2024. The first workshop examined commonalities in Western, English academic writing structures; identified how demystifying these structures supports academic writing and reading practices; and considered how GenAI tools that utilise large language models (LLMs) mimic these structures to enhance students’ awareness of GenAI’s potential applications and limitations, and to identify the processes inherent in academic work. In the second workshop, students critiqued discipline-specific examples of AI-generated academic assignments. By exploring the qualities of academic writing alongside GenAI outputs, the workshop series invited students to explore the possibilities of what might be achieved through human-AI collaboration and to articulate what can never be replicated by a tool without embodied knowledge. This paper presented this set of workshops as a possible model for discussing GenAI tools with students—a model that demonstrates how GenAI tools might be integrated into students’ academic practices in ways that are ethical and effortful and which support, rather than stifle, student creativity.
Generative artificial intelligence and university study: a guide for students by the study advice team at the University of Reading
In this showcase, we took our new student-facing generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) guide as a departure point for discussion around AI literacy support. We hoped to reflect with colleagues on resource development processes, including how we benefitted from wide-ranging and intersecting feedback, and how we navigated issues of policy. The motivation for the guide stemmed from our initial engagement with generative AI tools as they became widely available and highlighted in public and academic discourse. In addition, we quickly realised that AI was causing anxiety to colleagues and students, who expressed frustration with policy not keeping up with the need for clarity on emerging issues. Clearly, our students needed guidance on how to engage with this technology safely and ethically. In building this resource, we aimed to strike a balance in tone and degree of complexity. Inspired by current reflections in Learning Development and higher education circles, we tried to highlight the range of emerging questions and implications that one should consider when exploring this technology in order to be in a position to harness its potential. We included examples and scenario-based exercises to encourage a critical approach. The guide reached its published form after extensive scrutiny. Feedback from colleagues and students at the University Working Group on AI helped shape decisions around language clarity, content focus, selection of examples, and messaging on academic integrity. This was an empowering process, as it helped us feel secure in our stance whilst official institutional policy remained elusive. So, what now and what next? The guide is being used by colleagues and students and received positive anecdotal feedback. We recognise, however, the need for regular updating in this fast-moving field. New themes for developing our guide include: AI for research, specialised AI-powered tools, and rules for acknowledging AI use.
The rise of study skills at Strathclyde (and our part in its downfall): a bildungsroman
In 2012, three members of staff were recruited by the University of Strathclyde to sit in a room and talk to students. That was the whole of the plan. That is not how this story ends. The talking was supposed to ‘help’ students to do things ‘right’. That is not what we spoke about. That year, the student-facing part of the Centre for Academic Practice and Learning Enhancement (CAPLE) established in 1987, which at its height consisted of six permanent academics with varied research interests within the, then emergent, field of Learning Development (LD), was replaced by a generic Study Skills Service, staffed by LD practitioners with a considerable collective experience and who shared a vision that was more critical and looked to a more authentically (learning) developmental approach (Asher, 2024). In so doing, the university had created a service model which we would spend the next nine years dismantling (or, to be more accurate, redeveloping). What follows is our story. The story of how the Learner Development Service (LDS) came into being, and how the spaces and places we have inhabited (both hostile and hospitable) have shaped our practices (Gravett et al., 2023) and how, in June 2022, we took up residency in a dedicated LDS Centre designed by us for us. To date, we have occupied three physical locations and been positioned under three different university services. These spaces and places have defined what we could do but they have also informed the design of our current physical, virtual and conceptual environment, as this paper details. This session highlighted the need for Learning Development practitioner resilience and perseverance in difficult circumstances. It foregrounds the usefulness of initiating, developing, and nurturing productive and mutually rewarding professional relationships with academic departments, course leaders and individual academics in order to advance the growth of Learning Development provision in institutions.
Working together to move the profession forwards (Librarians and Learning Development)
What happens when you cannot get the buy-in from your colleagues and the workload is driving you mad? In this presentation we showed what we do to disrupt and rewrite the game. Using a fictional scenario, the wise three guided you through the trials and tribulations of embedded support for key academic skills. You were invited to share your experiences in advance of the conference so our agony aunts can come up with ideas and suggestions to help you succeed in your role. Academic skills are most successful when embedded within the curriculum (Coulson et al., 2021; Wyatt, 2011). However, in our experience getting buy-in from academic staff and professional colleagues can be difficult. Engaging students with an active teaching approach can be even harder (Armellini et al., 2021; Hicks and Sinkinson, 2021). Using the model of Integrated Learner Support (ILS) developed at the University of Northampton for undergraduate support (Library and Learning Services, 2022), the workshop highlighted different approaches that can be used to navigate through difficulties, and offered potential solutions to collaborative working between Learning Developers and Academic Librarians.
Embedding reflection into the science curriculum in higher education
Across traditional lab-based science subjects, including biological sciences, most learning is discipline-specific and focused on developing scientific skills and knowledge. However, graduate employers are increasingly demanding that employees have additional skills, including the ability to recognise their own strengths and limitations, a skill that can be structured around reflection. Reflective practice is standard practice in people-centred professions, but is seldom used in more lab-based subjects. To address this area for development, an undergraduate biology course at the University of Portsmouth, UK, trialled including the inclusion of reflection in assessment to encourage students to explore decision making and teamwork while working on a group assessment, and to support the conscious use of feedback as feed-forward. The reflective element supported a wider assessment strategy that included formative and summative elements, group work and peer marking of work that was discipline-specific (lab reports). While the current trial was small, this paper will reflect on the operations of the pilot, which showed promise in supporting a different type of thinking among students and could form the start of a wider programme of reflective development across a science degree, and thus may support employability in science graduates. This paper will share the practice of the intervention.
Book review: Battershill. C. and Ross. S. (2022) Using digital humanities in the classroom: a practical introduction for teachers, lecturers, and students. 2nd edn. London: Bloomsbury Academic
Applied Feminist Systems Thinking in decolonising the university curricula, pedagogies and institutional practices
This paper examines the application of Feminist Systems Thinking (FST) as a strategy to decolonise university curricula, pedagogies, and institutional practices, drawing on postcolonial and decolonial frameworks. FST is a praxis, with the capacity to interrogate power dynamics. Recognising the complex interconnections between power, knowledge, coloniality, and institutional practices, the paper illustrates an embedded approach to decolonising. This paper emerged from four years of experience as a research fellow leading institutional commitment to decolonise. Key interventions include collaborative curriculum redesign, workshops on whiteness in the academy and critical pedagogy, incorporating alternative epistemologies that reflect the lived experiences of marginalised groups within academia, and a sustainable approach within existing university processes and regulatory frameworks. The study contributes to broader discussions on the role of universities in addressing historical colonial injustices and offers some ideas on curriculum design and pedagogies to integrate equality, diversity, and inclusion in learning development and teaching frameworks.
The use of generative AI tools in the reading-into-writing process: gains, losses and recommendations
Using generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools has recently been deemed acceptable in some university policies, but how does this impact on students’ writing processes? How can we ensure that using GenAI in the writing process does not detract from learning outcomes? In our conference session, we reported on a collaborative project between the Academic Communication Centre at University College London (UCL) and 3 students (studying BSc Bioscience, BSc Linguistics, and MSc International Planning), which explored what was gained and what was lost when incorporating GenAI-driven tools in the reading-into-writing process. We asked students to complete a written assignment from their course using GenAI tools. The project consisted of 3 stages: 1) a pre-task reflection on writing processes and learning outcomes; 2) completion of an assignment using GenAI tools and ongoing diary entries; 3) interviews exploring the students' feelings towards GenAI tools, and their gains and losses experienced during the writing process.
Building inclusive Learning Development spaces ‘…but we don’t have time for universal design’
This project sets out to convert a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) workshop on Dyslexia awareness into a series of mini asynchronous learning experiences. The aim is that learning and teaching staff will access the short asynchronous activities by scanning a Quick Response (QR) code; these activities will provide a brief insight into relevant examples of neurodiverse experiences, followed by tips on changes to professional practice that can embed inclusive and universal design. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an ethos that we all strive for in our various roles in learning development; It embraces the principles of the social model of disability, which the Office of Students (2019) states ‘is not about “fixing” the individual but about restructuring environments and attitudes around them’. As highlighted by Dettmer and Welton (2024, p.62) the learning community seeks to promote the social model of disability when promoting inclusive learning environments. Stripe and Ntonia’s article on implementing change for inclusive teaching (2023) highlights that the challenges faced include lack of time for staff CPD, negative attitudes towards reasonable adjustments, and mindsets that are not conducive to inclusivity. These factors are sector wide; time is precious for many learning and teaching staff, and attending CPD workshops, particularly when it means adding to an existing heavy workload, are not typically at the top of priority lists. However, as proposed, engaging in a 30-60 second asynchronous activity, might lead to some ‘quick wins’ for the adoption of universal design principles. The proposed short asynchronous activities discussed here are based on experiences of neurodiverse learners when faced with non-inclusive environments, and provide strategies that can be immediately implemented. It is hoped that by scanning a QR code and engaging in learning experiences ‘on the go’, this approach will encourage staff to see that inclusive and universal design can start with small changes and have a fundamental impact on students’ learning experiences.
Industry 4.0: skills for the future and learning development
The world and the workforce are changing with the rise of Industry 4.0, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution, with a shift towards automation and digital technology, and this is coupled with other global shifts such as the climate crisis. Organisations such as the World Economic Forum, the International Labour Organisation, and Skills Development Scotland believe Industry 4.0 will change the way we work and live, with implications for everyone. These organisations argue that we need to become lifelong learners and develop future-ready skills, most notably adaptability, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. But what does this mean for Learning Developers? Firstly, we need to consider how and if our own roles will change, and secondly the impact this will have on our learners and what (if any) changes we should make to support them. I used the following prompt questions to start the discussions: Should Learning Developers be concerned about Industry 4.0? What are future-ready skills and are these already embedded in higher education? Should Industry 4.0 impact the way Learning Developers think about lifelong learning?
Resisting ideological echo chambers: if we are all critical pedagogues, how will we know we are doing LD well?
At the launch of How to be a Learning Developer in higher education (Syska and Buckley, 2024), a common thread emerged during contributor presentations: the need to develop a shared critical approach to position ourselves effectively within higher education. This approach would identify and implement strategies to resist the challenges of neoliberalism, working towards social justice for our students, using critical pedagogy. These themes are relatively common in the LD literature, and the ALDinHE value of ‘embracing […] critical pedagogy’ accompanies the manifesto statement that ‘neutrality is not an option’ (ALDinHE, 2023). These terms carry political connotations and implications for LD practice. Together, these factors suggest a move to develop a ‘signature’ critical LD pedagogy, underpinned by an explicitly ideological vision. Under these circumstances, we risk constructing ‘a bounded, enclosed media space that has the potential to both magnify the messages delivered within it and insulate them from rebuttal’ (Jamieson and Capella, 2008, p.76) — in short, an echo chamber. This raises some important questions: Given the explicitly political nature of critical pedagogy, in recruitment of new LD colleagues, should we test for and limit entry to our critical pedagogy club to those with ‘acceptable’ political views? Critical pedagogy is skeptical of dominant narratives. How will we prevent critical pedagogy from becoming the dominant narrative in our community? What if we are wrong? Even if our diagnosis of the challenges we face is correct, how will we test our solutions in the absence of robust challenges from alternative perspectives?
Step away from the paraphrase: teaching note-taking as a gateway to knowledge transformation
In this presentation, we examined the role note-taking can play as a gateway to knowledge transformation in the reading-to-write process and challenged an academic focus on the teaching of paraphrasing. Much research has been done into the role that note-taking plays in lectures (Morehead et al., 2019), the impact of longhand notes compared with digital (Allen et al., 2020) and student writing strategies (Wingate and Harper, 2021). Although notes play an important role in evidence-based writing, in both providing a clear record of a student’s reading and increasing encoding and engagement (Voyer et al., 2022), very little research directly addresses the impact of note-taking strategies in the reading-to-write process. This study builds on work done in educational psychology by Cuevas et al. (2016) examining writing beliefs. It aims to understand student approaches to evidence gathering and explore links between their current practices and their writing beliefs. Understanding current student practices and the link with epistemological beliefs will allow us, as learning developers, to more effectively create targeted activities and interventions to support student understanding and engagement with texts in the reading-to-write process. It will also provide a foundation for explicit discussion and reflection of student beliefs about the nature of reading and writing and the link between these beliefs and note-taking practices, encouraging students to see reading and writing as knowledge construction and, importantly, encouraging deeper cognitive engagement and learning. The study builds on work done in educational psychology by Cuevas et al. (2016) examining the link between writing beliefs and students’ ability to create argumentation and synthesis and attempts to answer the questions: (1) In the reading-to-write process, what common strategies are students using to record information from their reading? (2) What potential impacts do common practices have on learning, focus, source integration and academic integrity? (3) How are students’ epistemological beliefs about reading and writing reflected in their notetaking practices? (4) How do common practices impact students’ ability to transform knowledge and incorporate it into existing beliefs? Understanding current student practices and the link with epistemological beliefs will allow us, as learning developers, to more effectively create targeted activities and interventions to support student understanding and engagement with texts in the reading-to-write process. It will also provide a foundation for explicit discussion and reflection of student beliefs about the nature of reading and writing and the link between these beliefs and notetaking practices, encouraging students to see reading and writing as knowledge construction and, importantly, encouraging deeper cognitive engagement and learning.
Pragmatists or sellouts? The role of middle managers with responsibility for Learning Development
This workshop explored some of the tensions related to the position of Learning Development within higher education institutes, specifically the role of ‘middle managers’ with responsibility for learning development. In some cases these managers will be current or former LDers or they may have a limited grasp of the intentions and principles of learning developers. The impetus for this workshop was thinking about my own role and experiences, discussing issues with colleagues in similar roles elsewhere, and reflecting on whether one has to choose a ‘side’. While many managers find themselves agreeing with critiques of the marketised HE sector or problematic pedagogic processes, not engaging with institutional priorities is not an option. Moreover, one can find oneself making the case for how LD can contribute to the institution’s success in contentious exercises such as National Student Survey (NSS) or the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) or engaging with processes activities that do not fully align with LD principles to ensure that we are involved. This workshop was not about getting the tiny violins out and talking about how hard it is for managers. Instead, it aimed to encourage mutual understanding and looking at practical ways for managers to navigate institutional demands and LD principles, exploring the intersection of the community’s values, institutional pressures, sectoral issues and discussion of ‘what works’ within different institutions and contexts. At the end of the session, we shared and developed ideas and good practice about how we ‘play the game’ without compromising our principles, including suggestions for how managers can better represent their teams.
The five Ps of LD in practice: student partnership approaches in one-to-one, workshops and online work
Learning Development espouses values that promote tailored, holistic, empowering, emancipatory, non-judgemental and student-centred practice. However, it is harder to imagine what these values look like as concrete principles in the context of our work, so we can ensure that we are consciously and deliberately enacting them. The Five Ps of LD (Webster, 2023) were developed as a framework to embed the principle of ‘formulation’ into LD practice. Formulation is a partnership approach, borrowed from counselling and psychology, in which the student and the LDer work together as equals to explore academic skills issues holistically and identify suitable ways forward in the context of the student’s own lived experience, rather than a hierarchical, directive one in which the LDer diagnoses and prescribes guidance to the passive student. It also offers a way to turn Academic Literacies (Lea and Street, 1998) from an abstract theory to a pedagogy and a praxis. This partnership approach has many benefits, not least ensuring that provision is inclusive, emancipatory, and empowering rather than normative and oppressive. It centres and validates the student’s perspective, expertise, and experience of their own learning, not just that of academia, inviting them to respond to the practices and conventions of higher education as works best for them. It also offers a lens to make visible the distinct expertise that Learning Developers bring. This workshop explored practical approaches for using the Five Ps of LD in a range of common LD contexts: the one-to-one tutorial, small and large group workshops, and online resources. It considered how to use dialogic partnership approaches even in circumstances which favour one-way dissemination of ‘skills guidance’.
How a buddy scheme created social and intercultural space for international and home students
Buddy schemes are a form of learning intervention that create a space for students to support each other by ‘sharing knowledge, ideas and experience between [...] participants’ (Boud, 2001, p.3). The author set up and conducted research to evaluate a buddy scheme to support international Nursing students on a one-year programme by matching them with a home-student buddy studying at the same level. This small-scale, qualitative study sought to investigate international and home students’ experiences of participating in the buddy scheme. An online survey asked students to evaluate their access to social and academic support before and during the scheme through textual and numerical questions. A self-selecting subgroup of participants subsequently took part in semi-structured interviews to reveal their experiences and insights. These were recorded and transcribed before the data were analysed using inductive textual analysis to identify key themes. In line with wider literature, this study found peer support has a positive influence on international students’ socio-cultural transition (McPherson, Punch and Graham, 2017; Shu et al., 2020; WONKHE, 2022), yet it is also ‘mutually beneficial’ (Boud, 2001, p.3), having a positive impact on both groups of students. Home students valued the opportunity to build relationships with peers they would not have otherwise met (Bethel, Ward and Fetvadjiev, 2020). This opportunity for intercultural exchange enriched their experience too. As such, this study adds weight to existing evidence that buddy schemes are a useful means by which UK universities can support international and home students.
Agents for curriculum change: the role of Learning Development
Learning Development (LD) can rightly see a role as positive institutional change agents. However, this perception can often be frustrated by external interpretations about the value of study skills (Richards and Pilcher, 2023), which could go some way to perpetuating something of an identity disconnect, where others may often continue to perceive LD as remedial (Bishop et al., 2009). This session aimed to inspire a sense of where opportunities may lie for challenging perceptions with LD as change agents, using our institutional experience of having made some significant headway in influencing wholesale curriculum change. The workshop was an opportunity for exploratory discussions, with participants sharing their experiences of participation in curriculum change initiatives or challenges faced in trying to engineer this role. It considered ways to seize and make the most of other opportunities, such as student guidance on Artificial Intelligence, to be similarly influential. Based on our experience of a new curriculum framework, discussions explored challenges the LD team faced in seeking, in the first instance, to have a significant role in the process, achieving this and the inherent frustrations nevertheless. With participants, we discovered how LD can seize opportunities through recognising the role LD can play, such as defining pedagogical concepts of resourcefulness and resilience, which was inherent in the curriculum design. Group activities explored the challenges in trying to influence curriculum change, shared successes and considered whether this is an effective use of LD time. Group investigations also looked at the importance of collaborating with academic developers, and how this can help address and evolve perceptions of LD as change agents, given that staff educational development can be assumed to be the more natural agent for progressing institutional curriculum change and why an LD presence can bring a unique perspective.
What does HE in FE have to contribute to the future of learning development?
This presentation provided a viewpoint on the complex relationship between HE in FE and learning development, drawing on two pieces of research carried out during 2023 as part of PhD study at Lancaster University. Both studies support the premise that HE in FE is often overlooked in research and that practitioners have limited access and time to participate in research, leading to a lack of FE practitioner voices in discussions about learning development. The first study focuses on the relationship, and potential clash, between policy and inclusive classroom pedagogy in an environment where most students have non-traditional routes into HE (Benson-Egglenton, 2022). It used a Bourdieu-infused critical discourse analysis to look at how inclusive pedagogy is viewed in HE in FE strategy documents and how this can contribute to wider discussions about learning development (Fairclough, 2003; 2015; Bathmaker, 2015; Ferrare and Apple, 2015). In the second study, an adapted version of the Delphi method was used to develop a collaborative and iterative approach between researcher and participants to look at how developments including AI have influenced inclusive pedagogical practices from a social justice perspective. It was found that whilst HE in FE practitioners are often at the forefront of inclusive pedagogy, and are enthusiastic advocates for it, they are resource-limited in terms of the reach and impact of this expertise. Pedagogical approaches that might be retrofitted to large institutions grow organically in HE in FE due to factors such as proximity, necessity, and student/tutor relationship development over an extended period. This can provide valuable lessons for colleagues in other institutions about how to implement and encourage similar approaches. There are clear benefits to be gained for learning development and developers increasing engagement with colleagues in FE and fostering opportunities for them to share their wealth of knowledge.
A bluffer’s guide to academic literacies: can we communicate a complex set of ideas in simpler terms?
I have often felt sceptical about the idea of academic literacies (AL), which presents a highly influential account of ‘how students learn to write at university’ (Lea and Street, 1998). AL theory has had a significant impact on the field, but some things about it bother me. Key ideas are frequently expressed in very abstract terms (it is hard to justify this comment in an academic context, but bear with me). Research has recognised difficulties in outlining AL’s core principles to students (Lea, 2016, p.91), and ‘the exact nature of the relationship between [its component] approaches’ (Hilsdon, Malone and Syska, 2019). It can be hard to convert the lofty AL aims of emancipation or transformation into practice. As theories go, it clearly thinks of itself as on ‘the right side of history’, and perhaps it is. However, having recently spent time wrangling with AL literature, I have developed more of a (grudging) respect for its insights and possible uses in practice. Drawing on theoretical writing and case studies of AL in use, this session aimed to identify the AL insights which are most relevant for the day-to-day practice of Learning Developers and present them in more concrete terms. In doing so, I hope to make this theory ‘meaningful, relevant and accessible to all’ (for Hockings’ definition of ‘inclusive’, see Hockings, 2010, p.1). After brief comments on its context and aims, I presented a short series of my ‘translations’ from AL into everyday English for use in everyday Learning Development practice.
Critical learning development and the crisis of the university: a collective consideration
This participatory session concerned consideration of the ‘critical turn in LD’ (Syska and Buckley, 2023: 107), manifest through an emerging critical LD movement – as centring an academic literacies approach (Hilsdon, 2018; Asher, 2022, 2023a; Dhillon, 2023; Rooney, 2023) – as a response to ‘the crisis of the university’ (Bacevic, 2017). The focus is on the positionality of LD/LDers within the increasingly neoliberal university, and to this critical learning development movement. Time and space are provided for sharing experiences, worries and hopes for LD/HE and to collectively explore the contemporary realities/trajectory of LD/HE – and alternative futures. The central cause of the crisis of UK HE, exacerbated by government and senior management responses to COVID-19, is intensifying and accelerating processes of the ‘deep neoliberalisation’ of the public university – reflected in industrial action concerning ‘pay devaluation; pay inequality, based on gender and race; excessive workloads; and casualisation’ (Hall, 2020a). The session explores where LD/LDers are positioned within the HE crisis, before considering how critically oriented LD/LDers who believe HE should be a social and public good can best respond to the crisis, while connecting such to wider contemporary societal and global crises. Specifically: How might LD/LDers respond to different contexts of crisis in ways that encompass LD’s developmental/pedagogical ethos, emancipatory values and empowering academic literacies approach (Syska and Buckley, 2023; Webster, 2019)? How do we link with wider critical educational theories, practices, communities and struggles? What might be the role of critical Learning Development and academic literacies? The objective is critical reflection on contemporary LD/HE contexts – with take-aways, as thus grounded in actual lived experiences of the crisis, including: Developing understandings as to self, team and LD contemporary positionality. Considerations of possible actions and next steps, including the potential for an ALDinHE CoP focused on critical LD and academic literacies.
Where’s the fun in that? Building an authentic, inclusive, serious-yet-playful learning development framework
At the University of the West of Scotland, one of the ways in which first year students engage in exploring academic, personal, and professional literacies is through an embedded and contextualised credit-bearing module that runs alongside subject specific study. The module offers students opportunities to explore aspects of identity, values, and motivations as part of long, thin, scaffolded engagement running over two terms, and provides a mutable space for student-led discussion on a breadth of aspects of longitudinal transition support, becoming, as well, a space to engage with learning development principles and practices. In so doing, learning experiences within the module are at once guided and exploratory, presenting a risky safe space (Boyd, Wilson and Smith, 2023) for students to use in their transition towards increased autonomy and confidence. This session considered how the flexibility of the learning and teaching spaces created in the module (physical and virtual) allows for both reinforcement of formal structures/ requirements such as assessment processes (the serious part) as well as the freedom to negotiate personalised, aspirational, agentic, experimental learning experiences (more playfully intended). The session shared examples of classroom activities and presented learner feedback. Delegates were invited to share reflection on their own experiences of designing and delivering similar experiences and contribute to a fuller understanding of the value of maintaining balance within the serious-play spectrum.
Glasgow Essentials: redeveloping induction resources to improve the students’ sense of inclusion and belonging
driving positive results in attainment, retention, and wellbeing. The ability of students to belong and self-identify as members of the academic community has been referred to as a key ‘intangible asset’ (Smart et al., 2020) in Higher Education. Indeed, MacFarlane (2018) asserts that this sense of belonging is closely aligned with learner identity and student engagement, and that students who do not feel properly engaged or that they belong are unlikely to successfully transition into university. It is therefore crucial that universities begin to foster feelings of inclusion and build a sense of belonging among students at the earliest stages of the induction process. This presentation showcased the reevaluated and redesigned ‘Glasgow Essentials’ resource produced by the newly formed Induction and Transitions team at the University of Glasgow. The resource follows the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) Hidden Curriculum model (Birtill, Harris and Pownall, 2022), utilising the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (Rose and Meyer, 2000) to promote new students’ sense of inclusion and belonging and improve their experience of transitions through each stage of their studies. Glasgow Essentials is an interactive and informative online resource, covering both academic and non-academic aspects of induction, and is shared with all offer holders as they prepare to begin their studies. It is therefore likely to be the first resource they will engage with at the University, playing a crucial role in new students’ induction into the institution and setting them up for success in their studies. The presentation explained the evaluation undertaken in redeveloping Glasgow Essentials and the rationale for its redesign before showcasing the resource itself and discussing our plans to evaluate its impact on students’ inclusion, belonging, and – hopefully – success going forward.
Evaluating our “impact”: reflections from the personal learning advice service
The neoliberalisation of higher education in the UK has placed greater pressure on Learning Development units to demonstrate impact. Together with increased regulatory scrutiny from bodies such as the Office for Students in England (and the monitoring of B3 thresholds, awarding gaps, the Teaching Excellence Framework, and other measures), rigorous evaluation is arguably more crucial than ever. In this workshop, we offered reflections and learning from the evaluation of the four-year Personal Learning Advice Service pilot at the Open University (UK). The Personal Learning Advice (PLA) Service project is an Access and Participation Plan initiative which has delivered a one-to-one and group coaching and mentoring service (Clay et al., 2023) for students from disadvantaged backgrounds since January 2021 (Lochtie and Hillman, 2023). Coaching and mentoring approaches have been used by our team to support students’ learning and study habits, wellbeing, and help-seeking behaviours (Hillman et al., in press). In the first part of this workshop, we shared learning from approaches used to evaluate the work of the service – from narrative and empirical evidence to causal evaluation in randomised controlled trials (TASO, 2022) – and situated this in the wider literature on evaluation in HE (Sabri, 2023). We shared findings from our work and reflected on the standards of evidence in HE (OfS, 2019). In the second part of the workshop, we invited delegates to consider how they measure and evaluate impact in their own context. We also explored relevant LD scholarship and publications. Our presentation aligned with the ALDcon24 theme ‘Building Learning Development for the Future’, and we sought to invite discussion about the way we demonstrate ‘impact’ as Learning Developers.
Academic reading: fear and trembling or being and belonging?
At the University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, we are in the second year of a project to promote and improve reading skills. One part of our work has focused on embedding collaborative reading techniques within subjects to improve confidence in tackling texts, promote reading as a social practice, and boost belonging within disciplines and cohorts. Our poster presentation reviews the literature on student emotions towards reading, and how these influence their practices. We use this visual representation when liaising with academic colleagues to co-create and facilitate collaborative reading activities. Considerations of the role of student ‘affect’ foreground the motivational dimensions of the reading experience; we look at both pre-existing psychological and emotional barriers to engagement, and incentives and enablers that encourage confident reading and enjoyment of academic texts. We consider how the research literature accords with and further informs our empirical experience of running practical reading workshops. It is hoped that activities such as reading circles and textmapping relieve the individual from sole accountability for comprehension, bringing reading ‘out from the dark’. Deconstructing the process of reading through collaborative roles contributes towards the co-construction of understanding and knowledge, activating fresh insights. Discussion of reading through this shared approach potentially helps to develop student confidence, to nurture feelings of belonging, and to enhance cohort identity. However, we are mindful of the real-world impacts and outcomes of reading strategies for the diverse body of students that we encounter in higher education, with their wealth of difference in cognitive abilities, backgrounds, and cultural experiences. Through this literature review, it is intended that learning from work already published will contribute towards evolving best practice in channelling agency and easing anxiety in academic reading for all students.