Belinda Cooke

This paper describes an intervention aimed at reducing the occurrence of common weaknesses in first level work and thereby improving student performance in assessments. The project involved developing a more systematic approach to embedding information literacy (I.L.) into the first year curriculum in the Carnegie Faculty at Leeds Beckett University by combining the expertise of Subject Librarians with that of First Year tutors. It was part of a broader programme of institutional curricular change. This collaborative approach was informed by data from individual interviews with previous students and based on a dual rationale: firstly from Sadler’s (2002) call for more high impact, low stakes assessment in the first year and secondly a need to avoid creating a culture of ‘testing’ (Sambell, et al. 2013) in which students position themselves as submitting to others’ judgments rather than developing rational autonomy (Baxter-Magolda, 2003). In other words, we needed to design an assessed activity which encouraged students to engage in learning but created a supportive and collaborative approach. The embedding process together with some of the resources and tools which we developed are described in this paper as well as the respective contributions of the various participants. We explore the impact of two years of implementation based on student interviews and tutor evaluations. Recommendations and examples are provided to demonstrate how a similar approach might work elsewhere either as a local, course specific intervention or as part of an institution-wide approach to improving students’ digital literacy. Keywords: information literacy: digital literacy: first year: intervention: embedded.

Jo Johnson, the UK Minister of State for Universities and Science has stated that excellent teaching is a ‘key priority’ for government and has committed to introducing a Teaching Excellence Framework. Currently, the UK Higher Education (HE) Academy provides a framework to recognise quality of teaching and learning and many UK HE institutions have already set targets for staff to achieve fellowship of the HE Academy as a recognised standard of teaching quality. The new government emphasis is likely to increase this pressure and place a stronger focus on the quality of teaching and learning in UK universities. This paper takes an insider research approach and reports on the reflections of two colleagues engaged in the support and assessment of professional recognition of teaching and learning at Leeds Beckett University. This approach is possibly best described as ‘self-ethnography’ (Alvesson 2003) utilising our position to research the situation we are in. Using a critical lens to explore the experiences of staff seeking fellowship, it identifies the perhaps unintended consequences of the accreditation process. The gains from creating space for colleagues to reflect on their teaching and evaluate their pedagogic practice have extended far beyond the formal accreditation they receive. Reflection and reflective practice are regarded by many as essential components of professional practice (see, for example, Bradbury et al. 2010) and this is a key feature of initial professional development for lecturers. The process of accreditation encourages a continuation of this by instilling reflection in continuous professional development; indeed it potentially goes further encouraging greater depth of reflection or reflexivity in relation to professional practice. Cunliffe (2003) suggests that whilst reflection is learning and developing through examining what we think happened on any occasion, reflexivity is finding strategies to question our own attitudes, thought processes, values and assumptions. Encouraging such reflexivity should therefore lead to positive outcomes in the quality of teaching and learning. Through examination of our experiences, together with feedback from colleagues, we share our insights and discuss strategies for harnessing and sharing the learning outcomes. The paper identifies implications / lessons learnt about the design of accreditation schemes in order to generate and sustain cross faculty working, inform teaching and learning strategy and share examples of innovative practice. Recommendations include the creation of communities of practice (Lave and Wenger, 1991) that are cross university and transcend disciplinary boundaries. The paper is aimed at anyone with an interest in the challenges of providing high quality education in HE. Keywords: Higher education, accreditation, quality, teaching and learning, reflection.

The rise of mental health concerns in today’s Higher Education (HE) students is a growing concern. Integrating mental health principles into curricular design can enhance the student experience and improve outcomes such as continuation, completion, and success. This paper aims to integrate mental health guidance into the design of a revalidated curriculum in sport, exercise, and health sciences. A further aim is to provide recommendations for future mentally healthy curricular design. A case study design exploring how mental health does, and might, feature across curricula was undertaken, employing a qualitative methodology. A range of stakeholders, including students, participated in workshops, interviews, and revalidation events over a 4-month period. The analysis and interpretation of the resulting transcripts proposed two main lines of action; ‘building students’ (centring on helping them navigate the nuances of the academic process and developing confidence in their university self, for example, through systematic scaffolding) and ‘building connections’ (focusing on enhancing social connections and psychological safety, for example learning student names). Recommendations proposed by this research highlight that induction should be primarily social, progressing to more fundamental skills, behaviours, and knowledge. Systematic scaffolding and mapping of relevant skills, behaviours, and knowledge throughout the course are fundamental to building students’ confidence. This could reduce both academic staff and students’ frustrations about a lack of ‘know-how’. Staff–student interactions and a focus on micro-behaviours could further enhance a student’s sense of belonging and desire to engage.

This article uses a purposive sample of 43 Secondary school (pupils aged 11-18) teachers to explore perceptions of including children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities in mainstream secondary Physical Education. Findings suggest that teachers’ conceptions of inclusion are based primarily around the level of participation children with Special Educational Needs and/or disabilities could achieve and that this could be affected by the activity area, level of support and training opportunities avail able to them. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of this research for teachers’ professional development and school organization and specific implications for the future practice of PE teachers and Teacher trainers are suggested.

Employability is not just about focusing on building the students’ workplace experience but about developing their social and cultural capital through learning. In higher education, the selected pedagogies are central to that development (Pegg, 2012). Thoughtful curricular design which maximises student engagement and adopts pedagogies for career and employability learning can help to prepare students for the reality of the workplace. These pedagogies with social connection at their heart can enhance student wellbeing and their perceived sense of belonging to their course and wider world. This can thus build more confident, reflective and collaborative graduates who should ultimately be more employable (Rowe et al, 2023). This paper uses a qualitative approach to outline four course-based case study examples of pedagogies that strengthen the behaviours and skills that enhance students’ employability. The curricular and pedagogic practices of each are examined, and significant themes from each are then synthesised. Together they demonstrate how thoughtful course design and inclusive, integrated, contextualised pedagogic approaches support the development of students’ employability learning and graduate skills (Healy, 2023). The common themes from the case studies focused on self-directed, student-centred, authentic learning which encouraged students to i) work with industry and communities to build early professional networks, ii) engage in connected learning where the curriculum and its supporting activities and pedagogy facilitate collaborative learning, iii) develop confidence, a sense of belonging and professional identities through using these inclusive, collaborative learning approaches. In addition, six practical pedagogic principles are identified for course teams to utilise. These include i) focus on inclusive practice, ii) building students’ professional identity, iii) developing students’ belonging, iv) deep critical thinking v) the demystification of the workplace through the activities selected vi) students leading their own learning. This paper integrates a series of reflective questions (mapped to each principle) for educational developers to consider as they design future learning activities which foster graduate skills during career and employability learning.