This article explores the close association between higher education and reading. I draw on the resources of literary studies to illuminate the phenomenon of educational 'engagement'. I explore the accounts of reading offered in the phenomenological literary theory of Rita Felski and Marielle Macé and extend their 'stylistics of existence' into…

Limited attention has been paid to the experiences of Pacific Early Career Academics (PECA) in utilising their culture-specific systems of knowledge in their pedagogical practice. As a cross-section of PECA employed in a variety of disciplines and faculties, we explore how our Pacific identities infuse our pedagogical approaches in a way that…

Study abroad programs at university are supported as a means to expand university operations beyond the study walls of the institution, and to help students become aware of and cope with the demands of an increasingly interconnected and globalised world. This paper questions the assumptions that underlie the tendencies in contemporary study abroad…

In this essay, I argue that the disruption to 'business as usual' caused by COVID-19 should be embraced as an opportunity to address some of the pernicious and inequitable, albeit unintentional, consequences of existing approaches to internationalization.

In this article, I consider how the neoliberal discourses surrounding higher education have resulted in an increasingly risk-averse culture of learning and teaching. Students are frequently reluctant to engage with troublesome or challenging knowledge and academics are less likely to push learners into contested spaces or deviate from accepted…

There has been significant interest in developing academics through Teaching Scholar Development Programs across the USA, Canada, the UK, and more recently in Australia. At their core, such programs develop academics across teaching scholarship, leadership, promotion, and award opportunities, where universities reap the benefits of developing such…

In the contemporary university the large classes associated with many core units mean that tutorials are often taken by many part-time sessional who are typically employed on a casual basis, paid an hourly rate and not paid to attend the lectures. Given this situation, unit coordinators are often responsible for another phase in curriculum…

Uses a phenomenographic perspective to interpret and integrate the results of relational research in analyzing the experiences of teaching and learning in higher education. Describes conditions associated with two qualitatively different approaches to teaching that are associated with differences in the quality of student learning. Argues that…

It is argued that college students can learn to improve their writing by being taught a number of basic strategies. A distinction is made between weak and strong strategies, and a number of each are identified and discussed. Classroom instructional procedures supporting improvement of skills are outlined. (Author/MSE)

The summary of a Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia conference identifies significant themes in the presentations concerning theories of learning, and comments on them. It is noted that, despite the diversity of presentations, important areas of agreement emerged. (MSE)

Discusses use of phenomenographic research methods in different cultures, drawing on two University of the South Pacific (Fiji) studies of student learning. Argues that although similar conceptions of learning may be found in diverse settings, different learning styles may be emphasized. Differentiates between students' conceptions of learning and…

A discussion of hermeneutics focuses on the central role of language in learning. Four areas of understanding, all realized through language, are identified. It is argued that, with a hermeneutic approach, both cognitive and student-centered approaches to teaching are transcended and fused into a broader conception of understanding. (Author/MSE)

Student journals are recommended as a technique for encouraging college students to take a deep approach to learning. Literature on their use is reviewed, and considerations in their classroom use are discussed, including the physical form of the journal, grading, error correction, comments, style, privacy, when to use journals, when to read them,…