In a higher education (HE) landscape that is becoming increasingly internationalised and diversified, the importance of inclusive teaching practices, particularly in the context of English for Academic Purposes (EAP), is gaining growing international attention. While comprehensive frameworks and strategies are developed through educational…

This article illustrates the potential for hackathons to serve as an innovative educational tool in addressing the underrepresentation of minority communities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Using Merced, California--a region recognised for its agricultural economy, socioeconomic disparities, and diverse…

This opinion piece argues that Design Thinking (DT) can facilitate a more empathetic and student-centred approach to service development and problem-solving in Learning Development (LD). While DT is already established within higher education, we argue it is still underutilised, especially in the context of LD. We start by unpacking the…

Higher Education Institutions across the world hold a moral and, in many cases, legal responsibility to make their educational offerings inclusive. Universities may rely solely on checklists of recommendations, which although a key component of developing equitable and inclusive teaching, often fall short of accounting for the multifaceted range…

In recent decades the diversity of university students has increased, and it has been observed that degree results vary between student groups. This degree awarding gap is particularly high between White students on the one hand and Black, Asian, and other ethnic minority students on the other. Assessments are a key aspect of closing the degree…

This case study explores the practical application of project-based learning (PjBL) within a first-year business management module designed to address the unique challenges faced by widening participation students. It examines how embedding employability skills such as problem-solving, communication, teamwork and critical thinking directly into…

With the pivot back to on-campus teaching, many students find themselves in an unfamiliar learning environment: the lecture theatre. This can result in low rates of participation in lectures, especially with a diverse student demographic, including English as an Additional Language students. This can result in exclusion from learning for these…

News and media reports indicate that the perceived value of university education is declining amongst students -- one of the indicators being an increase in apprenticeships. As educators, we need to identify the reasons for this and ask ourselves whether we provide holistic education to students. Based on this rationale, this forward-looking and…

This opinion piece situates the practice of an experimental module I taught as an academic -- Chester Retold: Unspoken Stories, Put into Words -- within some theories of 'community learning'. Community learning is understood here to articulate and enact a combination of concepts taken from critical pedagogy (Freire, 2018; hooks, 1994),…

There has been intense debate about student engagement and student voice in Higher Education Institutions in the past decade or so. Most of the discussion has been theoretical or based on a cause-and-effect research design. With the aim of gathering student perspectives on student voice and its related mechanisms, this study collected the voice of…

This article aims to encourage educators and universities to explore interventions and practices that cultivate a growth mindset to reduce inequality in the academic success of students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic or other minorities, especially in STEM. Universities invest significantly in closing the achievement gap,…

This paper explores recent advancements and implications of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, with a specific focus on Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT 3.5, within the realm of higher education. Through a comprehensive review of the academic literature, this paper highlights the unprecedented growth of these models and their…

The Decolonising the Curriculum (DtC) movement questions the very values we take for granted as learning developers. If our role is to develop academic literacies and support students to succeed in the curriculum as it is, can we as learning developers be decolonisers? This opinion piece argues that we can and should. It outlines where we can…

This case study explores the successes and challenges experienced while creating the Academic Skills Toolkit1 for use by academic staff at London South Bank University (LSBU). Based on similar initiatives at Queen Mary University of London (McConlogue, Mitchell and Peake, 2012), the University of Derby (2021) and the University of Huddersfield…