It has long been recognized that students who participate in peer support programs as peer supporters or mentors develop valuable skills and attributes while involved in the support of others. The University of New England, NSW, Australia, has recently introduced an award for extra-curricular achievement of students while at university to support…

Educational establishments are now legally bound to create inclusive learning environments. However, successful implementation will depend on changes in the culture and ethos of these institutions, as well as shifts in the attitudes and practices of staff. This article reports on the findings of an evaluation of staff development sessions led by…

Teachers' meanings regarding teaching have been of interest to researchers for the last two decades and in the higher education literature there is some consensus for the way in which these are represented. One procedure for investigating aspects related to teachers' meanings is the Approaches to Teaching Inventory (ATI) which was originally…

This paper focuses on the reasons for enrolment demand in higher education in Greece through data collected from 400 students enrolled in the final year of post-secondary education in the Athens area. Results showed that Greek students choose to follow higher studies for a number of reasons but mainly because higher education offers high-level…

This article reports the key findings of a project commissioned in 2005 by the UK Department for Education and Skills to consider the use of synchronous digital video for observation, feedback and assessment of teaching practice in post-compulsory education and training. A protocol for the remote observation of teaching is presented that was…

Assessment is critical to support and align learning and teaching within the curriculum. Yet our understanding of the many layers of assessment is still incomplete. This article examines some of the differences between critical elements of assessment terminology across the compulsory and higher education sectors in the anglophone world, more…

This article explores whether using reflective dialogue in action learning sets on a foundation degree (FD) in educational support can develop the capacity for reflective practice of the students. Developing a reflective stance in relation to professional practice is a central theme of the programme, which is reinforced by the work-based learning…

Outputs from a computerised touch pad turnstile security system that recorded business students' entries into and exits from a university's buildings revealed that a significant number of the institution's first-year intake withdrew from their (business) degree programmes within a few weeks of enrolment. Accordingly, a sample of these "early…

The concept of design for learning has arisen as education faces up to the implications of modern pedagogy, student diversity, and the affordances of information and communication technologies. This paper examines some of the benefits and issues for teachers in further and higher education surrounding the idea of learning design and its practical…

Over the last decade, larger student numbers, reduced resources and increasing use of new technologies have led to the increased use of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) as a method of assessment in higher education courses. This paper identifies some limitations associated with MCQs from a pedagogical standpoint. It then provides an assessment…

This article explores the use of discourse analysis and conversation analysis as an evaluation tool in problem-based learning. The basic principles of the methods are discussed and their application in analysing talk in problem-based learning considered. Findings suggest that these methods could enable an understanding of how effective…

This article raises some questions about the current policy context of debates on the link between research and teaching in academic work, specifically within university education departments. It draws selectively from a research project which investigated education academics' perceptions and experiences in Scotland and England but focuses…

This article explores a range of factors associated with excellent teaching from the perspective of past student groups. One hundred and thirty-nine respondents who had been asked to nominate one teacher for an excellence in teaching award provided comments on the reasons for their nomination. An exploration of these reasons is presented. Findings…

This article attempts to examine the implications of introducing critical management education to Chinese students. It is based on an empirical study of 26 students attending MBA programmes at three UK university business schools, one "old" and two "new" universities. The study seems to show that there are significant barriers…

The Internet has made it impossible for higher education institutions to ignore technology in fulfilling their strategic mission and responding to the expectations of a diverse student body. In the Republic of Ireland, as elsewhere, the use of online technologies has become an increasingly important challenge in academic staff development, and on…