Learning Development is a field of practice concerned with supporting students to develop their study skills, including academic and assessment literacies. It is strongly rooted in values that are student-centred, collaborative and emancipatory rather than remedial or deficit. However, in the wider dominant culture of UK HE institutions, Learning…

Many college students struggle to adopt effective study strategies. Although many academic support centers disseminate resources on study strategies and help students to strengthen these skills, students do not fully utilize the resources or support. This study explored using an online asynchronous discussion (OAD) board as a space to embed five…

We argue that current approaches to Study Skills support are presented as being a panacea for resolving the issues presented by neoliberal approaches to educational expansion. We argue that for such a panacea to be believed pedagogically effective, four key tenets must be adhered to: Study skills is a definable entity; it is valuable for every…

Academic literacies (AL) research has made significant contributions to understandings of student writing and literacy across higher education and particularly learning development. However, researchers and practitioners both within and external to the AL movement have struggled to clarify the relationship between AL and pedagogy. English for…

The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant changes in higher education institutions, with a rapid pivot from on-campus to online teaching and learning. The move to predominantly online teaching resulted in a very different learning experience for many campus-based students, offering new opportunities and challenges. This Directions article is…

When analyzing student reflection assignments from a mandatory research methods course, the authors were struck by the tension between students' own approaches to learning and the challenges, uncertainties, and frustrations accompanying their efforts. Students' ideas about what constitutes learning, how learning is to be done, and how they…

First published in 1980 "The Door Stood Open" deals with an early demand upon open university policy. It deals with important themes like context of the younger students pilot scheme; demand for open university places among the younger age group; motivational factors and potential study problems; the impact of open university study on…

This manuscript is an examination of a life well lived with the professional contributions of a leader who served across the fields of educational psychology, counseling, and literacy. Francis P. Robinson was a pioneer in the development of postsecondary literacy theory, research, and pedagogy. Although he is most widely known for what is perhaps…

In this article, the authors illustrate how teachers use a strength based, culturally responsive Response to Intervention (RTI) framework to meet the varied needs of a culturally diverse, twice-exceptional student. Using a case-based approach, the authors demonstrate how classroom teachers and specialists collaborate with the student and her…

Marketisation has directed higher education institutions and policies to focus on student support and provisions that promote better experience and value. By contrast, expectations of university students are under-researched and understated, with less attention placed on what and how students should perform in higher education. This paper further…

The authors posit that the traditional grading system involving points and percentages is not the best way to prepare students to be the self-directed, independent learners they need to be. A better system would produce grades that are FAST (fair, accurate, specific, timely). To bring about these changes, school leaders need not create full…

This article will explore usage patterns and perceptions of online learning support among university students. As higher education expands to include increasingly diverse student cohorts, alternative online-supported learning services have gained attention as a mechanism to support student success. However, there is a paucity of research regarding…

National and international assessments of reading, science and math indicate that students and adults in the United States lag behind citizens of other developed nations. While there are many reasons for this lag, recent advances in cognitive science and technology have uncovered promising ways to intervene and help struggling students. This…

Despite the passage of laws aimed at increasing access and equitable opportunities for students with disabilities in postsecondary education, issues related to disability continue to be rarely discussed in topics related to diversity, inclusion, and educational reform. Disability represents not only an immensely diverse section of the general…

The first-year seminar has historically been concerned with socializing students into collegiate life. As with any type of socialization, the first-year seminar perpetuates and is perpetuated by assumptions of "the good." Despite these moral assumptions, little research has discussed the first-year seminar in moral terms. In this…