Student plagiarism and difficulties with writing have been widely investigated in the literature, but there has been less research on staff perspectives. A Joint Information Services Committee (JISC)-funded questionnaire (n = 80) and focus group study investigated the views of lecturers, librarians and study advisors at a UK post-92 university,…

In this paper I seek to reflect upon the process of becoming feedback literate. Feedback literacy is conceptualised as an integral component of a broader academic literacy that has three interrelated dimensions: the epistemological, the ontological and the practical. Learners experience and respond differentially to each of these dimensions which…

This study investigates the workplace learning experiences of recently appointed lecturers in UK higher education in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. Health care practitioners, appointed to academic posts in Universities, are experts in their respective clinical fields and hold strong practitioner identities developed through…

Within the context of postgraduate research education and training in the higher education sector, drafting might be understood as "not quite the final product" produced by the student who is "not yet the final product" of the university. In this paper, I turn this assumption "off centre" to argue instead that writing and subjectivity are mutually…

This paper investigates the use of a personal learning system (PLS) for continuing professional development (CPD) of academic staff. It examines which, if any, activities, habits or strategies triggered the use of the PLS when there was no immediate or external pressure to engage. It also investigates whether participants felt that using the PLS…

Undergraduate education can be characterised by large lecture classes, lack of quality contact time with staff, and an impersonal experience. There is a move towards encouraging students to learn by enquiry, but how can this be encouraged, given pressures of time on both staff and students? One possible solution is to give the students themselves…

Following an internal evaluation exercise, using Action Research, this paper identifies the positive impact of small-scale research projects on teaching and learning at a single case study UK University. Clear evidence is given of how the projects benefited students and staff, and enhanced institutional culture. Barriers to better practice are…

Although the literature abounds with studies on self and peer assessment, there are only a few studies examining the impact of gender and previous experience upon these assessment approaches. In this context, the study performed an application of self, peer and instructor assessment in the science teaching course at a university. The study…

This paper reports on an ongoing programme to develop new academic journal reviewers through mentoring. It analyses data from correspondence between experienced reviewer/mentors and new reviewer/mentees at an online journal. With the overlying objective of improving internal review quality, the mentoring programme has been initiated to raise…

The research presented in this paper is part of a project investigating assessment practices, funded by the Scottish Funding Council. Using established principles of good assessment and feedback, the use of online formative and summative multiple choice tests (MCT's) was piloted to support independent and self-directed learning and improve…

This paper outlines an academic development process based around a two- or three-day workshop programme called a Course Design Intensive (CDI). The CDI process aims to foster collaboration and peer support in curriculum development and bring about pedagogic innovation and positive experiences for both tutors and learners. Bringing participants…

As part of a belief in higher education (HE) aiding "creative capital", McWilliam and Dawson argue for a shift in pedagogic attention towards "Small C" creativity, which emphasises group endeavour over individual. Their radical 'liquid-learning" prescription, based on swarm intelligence, gives rise to the pedagogy of metagroups and modes of…

In 2005, the Harvard Business School began to promote the Harvard case method (HCM) within the Asian region. Because of differences in classroom culture between Asian and Western countries, Asian participants' reaction to the HCM implementation is of interest. This study explores how the western initiated method was implemented in one of the Asian…

Across the world, university teachers are increasingly being required to engage with diversity in the classes they teach. Using the data from a large Economics 1 class at a South African university, this attempts to understand the effects of diversity on chances of success and how assessment can impact on this. By demonstrating how theory can be…

In an attempt to reveal potential threshold concepts in the field of higher education pedagogy, groups of university teachers (in the UK and in Panama) were encouraged to develop personal reflection upon their conceptions of teaching. This was initiated through concept mapping activities. It was hoped that this would help participants to address…