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Students who are parents are largely invisible within the Australian higher education sector. We know little about the particular views and experiences of this group at university. This article explores the Potivations perceived challenges to success and self-identified strengths of students who are parents. Our analysis is based on eighteen semi-structured interviews conducted with students who are parents at one multi-campus Australian university. The article contributes new insights to identify university strategies to better support under-represented groups to succeed at university.

This paper introduces a project to develop a digital academic writing tool at Leeds Beckett University (LBU). Essay X-ray is an interactive online tool designed to help students get to grips with the structure and style of academic writing and was developed using the Articulate Storyline 360 platform. The aim was to expand LBU's academic skills support for students tasked with essay assignments, especially at Level 4 (first year, undergraduate), enabling independent learning using a self-paced format available open access and 24/7. This would complement existing academic skills provision (one-to-ones, workshops, drop-ins, static online resources), with the interactive element facilitating active, hands-on learning (Lumpkin, Achen and Dodd, 2015). Following a successful development, review and rollout process, the utility of Essay X-ray as an independent learning tool but also as a classroom resource was reported by students and colleagues. Tentative talks about additional versions (Dissertation X-ray, Report X-ray) have taken place, indicating its potential for rollout to other subject areas and assessment types. Finally, in-house digital academic skills tools like Essay X-ray are posited as a potential response to the recent upsurge in Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools. Essay X-ray requires users to think critically about essay structure, style and content to create their own original pieces of writing, thus responding to questions about the maintenance of academic integrity in a digital world. These features enable users to develop their essay writing skills, in contrast to passive engagement with a GenAI programme that merely writes an answer for them.

This article explores the extent to which students of different ethnicities, (dis)abilities, sexes, POLAR groups, and academic abilities undertake Year in Industry (YINI) placements and realise post-placement academic improvements, in comparison with non-YINI students. The benefits of work placements on student employability and graduate prospects are well-documented but less is known about which student groups gain access to placements. The study analyses secondary data relating to the sex, ethnicity, disability, POLAR group, grades, and degree classifications of 31,159 undergraduates graduating from a UK Russell Group university between 2016 and 2023, representing the largest study of its kind to date. The study found that students completing YINI programmes are significantly more likely to achieve first class (70.1% YINI, 28.5% non-YINI) and good degrees (97.7% YINI, 83.6% non-YINI). Importantly, the study found that YINI completion narrows awarding gaps found in the non-YINI population in relation to sex, disability, ethnicity, and POLAR group. The potential gains are greatest for male students, students with disabilities, Asian, Black and mixed ethnicity students, and students from low POLAR groups. However, access to placements is not proportionately distributed. Female students, students with disabilities, students from all ethnic minority groups and those of unknown ethnicity, and students from low POLAR groups are under-represented within the YINI population, suggesting placement access gaps in relation to sex, disability, ethnicity, and POLAR group. The paper concludes with strategies to encourage YINI participation amongst diverse student groups and calls for further research into lived experiences of YINI and non-YINI students.

This paper discusses the implementation of exemplar essays within an undergraduate first-year diagnostic radiography module to encourage active learning and the development of academic literacies. Nine essays ([approximately]400 words each) were provided over six sessions, using lecturer-guided discussion to explore the academic virtues and pitfalls demonstrated alongside assessment criteria. Exemplars were based upon a fictitious baking profession to illicit student interest and eliminate the risk of imitation or plagiarism. The quality of essays varied, with overt examples of common mistakes in spelling, essay structure and selection of appropriate literature. Upon completion of the sessions, and prior to summative assessment, students were surveyed with regard to their opinion of the teaching intervention. Feedback was obtained from 65% of the cohort (n=31/48), who reported an improvement in essay writing confidence. Students found the marking of the essays in class useful and the baking analogy was well received. Not all students found the classroom activities engaging though, with some wishing greater interactivity due to boredom and repetition. Furthermore, there was a slight reduction in pass rates and average marks across the cohort when compared to the previous module delivery. Nevertheless, there was a substantial increase in students attaining marks of 80% or more. This study highlights exemplar essays as a low-tech, low-cost option to increase assessment literacy but accepts the wide diversity in student learning preferences and experience. The efficacy of exemplar essays cannot be guaranteed, and teaching staff must be cognisant of individual student learning needs.

The rise in technology-rich learning environments is reflective of a global trend in higher education (HE), recently accelerated because of necessary digital teaching and assessment practices embraced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative study facilitated through focus groups and an interview explores the teaching and learning experiences of tertiary level students in the COVID-19 era. Data from 24 students based within a UK Higher Education Institution highlights how an expanded digital environment can optimise conditions for some students to independently practise and apply what they are learning at their own pace. Digitally enhanced opportunities to interact with teaching staff and learning resources also increased the options for these students to experience themselves as competent members of the HE community. This was particularly relevant for first-year students new to the processes and practices of tertiary education. In contrast, third year students with more experience of HE appeared less reliant on the provision of online learning resources. Participants also identified some potential problems associated with the enhanced flexibility of online teaching and learning resources in relation to students' ability to be self-regulated. This paper rationalises the need for educators and educational and learning developers who teach and undertake scholarship in teaching and learning to consider the sociocultural context of the student and their learning environment when designing teaching activities and curricula. The data presented here highlight the need for a clearly defined framework to underpin the integration of digital technologies with on-campus activities.

Although Chinese has become one of the most influential second/foreign languages in the world, teaching Chinese as a foreign/second language (CSL/CFL) abroad faces great challenges. M-learning and mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) display great advantages to facilitate second language learning, including CSL/CFL. However, most research was related to English as a second language (ESL) learning. Although mobile-assisted CSL/CFL learning has developed rapidly and steadily, most of these studies were conducted in mainland China and published in Chinese, which was very difficult for non-Chinese speakers to understand. Therefore, researchers should make more efforts to study mobile-assisted CSL/CFL learning abroad. With this in mind, a systematic literature review was conducted to determine the status and trends of this topic. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 28 articles published between 2010 and 2022 were selected from Scopus and WoS databases. Publication information, research methodology, participant characteristics, mobile technologies, and research findings were summarized and reported accordingly. This review also addressed the limitations of previous research, based on which the related researchers and practitioners could make more efforts to focus on the weaknesses of mobile-assisted CSL/CFL learning.

Most of the current literature on the experiences of Chinese international students tends to adopt a deficit-based approach, focusing on the weaknesses, problems, and challenges Chinese students face while studying overseas. In other words, they tend to focus on struggling Chinese students, "problem" Chinese students, and Chinese students who are failing their overseas studies. Though the intention may be good, these studies may strengthen a negative stereotypical image of Chinese international students that is problem ridden. This study aims to introduce some positive psychology in international student development by focusing on successful Chinese students, their success stories, and what success secrets they can share with future Chinese students studying abroad. With the completion of an undergraduate program adopted as a minimum threshold of student success, this study aims to glean the experiences of successful Chinese students in the United Kingdom and disseminate them as lessons for future students. The study finds that proactiveness in networking and seeking support, open and adaptive attitude toward learning and life, and metacognitive skills in self-management are the most important factors contributing to Chinese students' success in overseas studies.

The popularity of MOOCs and MOOC platforms prompted some universities to develop their first online courses, while others experimented with the format of existing online offerings. Despite the body of research identifying cognitive, metacognitive, and practical benefits of printed materials, there has been a shift towards an approach that privileges online resources, reducing opportunities to access resources offline or in printed form. Online courses can be produced more quickly and cheaply than those providing both printed and digital options. They can also benefit learners in a society that values digital skills and literacies. This paper, informed by the principles of universal design for learning (CAST 2018), asks 'What are the benefits to students of offering downloadable/printable versions of online study materials and supporting offline study?'. It takes a phenomenological approach, exploring the experience of 100 postgraduate learners on an online course delivered on the FutureLearn platform. Data was extracted from a large dataset that included all the students' course discussion postings (N = 17,158). Data analysis identified the importance of the online/offline divide and showed that, as students' contexts change, the benefits and accessibility of online, offline and print versions shifts. Printed and digital materials support different ways of learning and can have an affective impact. These findings point to ways in which learning design, skills training, and technical changes might be used to increase the affordances of digital materials for learners.

By addressing the research question, "How do Korean international students engage in music for their own well-being in the UK?", this study aims to understand a group of international students' experiences of their temporary migrant status and the coping mechanisms they employ in the pursuit of subjective well-being in response to these experiences. After semi-structured interviews, the thematic analysis resulted in five themes: (1) music as a tongbanja [Korean characters omitted] (companion), (2) music as a safe konggan [Korean characters omitted] (space), (3) music for gwangye [Korean characters omitted] (relationships), (4) music for gibun [Korean characters omitted] (moods), and (5) musical demands of international students. This led to discussions of music as: 'Being' a companion and safe space, and 'doing' in relationships and moods, including doing K-pop for 're-membering'. Therefore, this study adds depth to understanding of how Korean international students in the UK engage with music to address the challenges they face and, thus, enhance their subjective wellbeing.

This study explores the challenges of assessment feedback in a business school in the UK. Like many business schools, it operates at volume with large class sizes and an internationally diverse student cohort. To operate effectively, it has adopted a bureaucratic administrative approach to assessment in order to address concerns over timeliness, consistency, and quality of feedback. Drawing on socio-constructivist and sociocultural perspectives, this study explores the role of dialogue and reciprocity in the assessment feedback process with a focus on grade descriptors and their role in fostering student success in their learning. Through an action research approach with a cohort of students on a three-year module, the study examines how grade descriptors are experienced by students and student perceptions of their purpose and function within the higher educational organisational context and the positioning of tutor and student in the assessment process. The findings suggest a desire amongst students for a more collaborative learning approach and the benefits for students of doing so. The paper concludes with discussion of the implications of adopting a more dialogic approach to assessment feedback for students, tutors, and universities.

The study investigated the impact on student engagement and achievement of a "formative thresholded" continuous assessment strategy in which students had to meet a modest threshold, but their continuous assessment marks did not contribute to their final grade. Students were free to choose their own blend of tutor-marked and computer-marked assignments provided they met the threshold in a minimum number of assignments. For students reaching this threshold, the final grade was determined solely by an end-of-year examination. This assessment strategy was compared with one in which summative assignments contributed to the final grade alongside the final examination. The methodology took the form of data analysis of assessment records from more than 3500 anonymized students over a period of 7 years. Evidence was found for improved student engagement under the formative thresholded assessment strategy, with students choosing to complete many more computer-marked assignments, balanced by slightly fewer tutor-marked assignments. There was no change in overall retention. Many students made use of the capability to repeat different versions of the computer-marked questions. There was some evidence of students gaming the system (repeating questions until they obtained a version they had seen before), though most students did not do this at all and only a small number did so regularly. Students appeared to make better use of model answers, provided in response to three incorrect tries at a question, than of hints provided after each try. It was noted that the formative thresholded assessment strategy has potential for wider use.

Student well-being is an increasing area of concern within higher education and one of the biggest causes of attrition. This study sought to investigate the potential for sensory modulation strategies as an approach to support student well-being and engagement in studies through an action research project. Sixteen second-year occupational therapy students took part in a two-week trial of items designed to support sensory modulation, following which they were asked to complete an online survey evaluating the effectiveness of the item in relation to affect, regulation, attention, and activity. Eight students completed the survey containing a mix of Likert scale and free text responses. Results of the surveys were analyzed through descriptive statistical analysis of numerical data and quantitative content analysis of textual data informed by a pre-existing framework derived from a model of Sensory Integration. While preliminary in nature, the results of the survey suggested a positive impact on affect, specifically anxiety, overall regulation, and ability to engage in studies, suggesting a connection between these factors. An additional code was identified during the analysis of strategy mismatch to reflect barriers encountered relating to the extent of and longevity of use of the strategies. Further research on a larger scale is needed to more fully investigate the potential of this approach for facilitating increased student well-being.

Public speaking often imposes a nerve-wracking atmosphere in the L2 classrooms. Consequently, an alternative to the anxiety-arousing activity by using advanced technology for pedagogy is urgent. Prior publications reported the use of virtual reality (VR) for training public speaking and alleviating students' public speaking anxiety (PSA). However, no latest review in this area has been published. This present study employed a systematic review to delineate the trends in the latest decade (between 2011 and 2023), synthesizing research outcomes, methodologies, loci, participants, treatment duration, and research focuses. This systematic review was based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conceptual and theoretical studies were removed, yielding 16 studies with empirical data to be thoroughly examined. Most studies indicated the effectiveness of VR for teaching public speaking and reducing speech apprehension. Several gaps were disclosed, such as the inconsistency of the research findings regarding whether the short duration of VR exposure resulted in the statistically non-significant effects, the unequal distribution of research loci which were mostly reported from the US, the UK, and Europe, and the major focus on English as L1 instead of L2 public speaking training. The results of this review suggest that more pertinent studies in countries with EFL or L2 learning contexts and longer treatment duration be conducted and reported in the globally renowned English-language journals to verify the effectiveness of VR technology in treating PSA.

This study aims to look at research trends on inquiry and socioscientific in the last 2 decades from 2004 to 2023. The PRISMA method is a reference in determining inclusion and exclusion criteria, as many as 449 articles were synthesized using bibliometric analysis. The result synthesis refers to the distribution of articles per year, research themes, affiliations, countries, authors, and productive journals. The inquiry and socioscientific research trends will peak in 2022, affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Southampton. Productive country United states and United Kingdom. Best author Laursen S. and Zeidler D.L. Productive journal CBE Life Science Education from United Kingdom and International Journal of Science Education from United States.

Artificial intelligence can support increasingly complex conversational interactions and also has the potential to interpret meanings from free text input and make recommendations based on patterns in data. There are important opportunities to apply this to real-world problems faced in access to education. In this paper, we summarise existing research and trends linking disability support and technology, then report on a survey conducted with students with disclosed disabilities (n = 138) to explore what systems might need to do to effectively understand disabled students in their own words, and provide suggestions of technologies, strategies and resources that could be relevant to overcoming barriers to learning. Through thematic analysis, five approaches that students used to talk about their disabilities are identified(medical, functional, support, experiential and administrative), and three major types of suggestions they make around what supported them and may be useful to others are also identified (external tools, university support and practices, concerns and solutions). The survey approach and the findings of the analysis provide a potential foundation for the effective design of systems that could crowdsource a knowledgebase around disabilities, hold conversations to understand disabilities and barriers and make relevant recommendations to individuals as to how they could overcome these barriers.

Embedding mental wellbeing in learning is a priority for the UK Higher Education sector, as increasing numbers of students disclose mental health difficulties, challenges and conditions. Technology-enhanced, distance and blended learning is uniquely positioned to make a change for good in the sector; it can provide alternatives to traditional education models, support hard-to-reach students and make positive changes to practice. However, to make positive change, it needs to address the barriers to mental health that are inherent throughout education, and embed student wellbeing throughout its practices, cultures and digital environments. The Positive Digital Practices project aims to scale up existing work on mental wellbeing in technology-enhanced learning, creating resources to support practitioners in three focus areas: "Positive Learner Identities"--supporting students' emotional awareness, reflection, resilience in adversity and wellbeing literacy; "Positive Digital Communities"--supporting students' sense of belonging and facilitating meaningful connections that do not rely on a campus environment; "Positive Digital Pedagogies"--creating and sharing pedagogical practices that support mental wellbeing. In this paper, we present baseline data from staff and students on perceptions of barriers and enablers to student mental wellbeing, and we explore examples of positive practice from the "Positive Learner Identities" work area. We present the participatory co-creation methodologies used, the resources created, and we discuss how these can be applied by practitioners. These resources are a call to action for post-secondary practitioners to work together to enhance student mental health and wellbeing, and make education a more inclusive, equitable experience.

Supporting students' success and achievement is a key mission of WP (Widening Participation) institutions such as the University of Bedfordshire. An essential step in ensuring students succeed is the development of academic writing skills -- these are vital during students' studies and when students leave university study and undertake further study or enter graduate-level employment. During the 2021-2022 academic year, the University of Bedfordshire implemented a study support service called Studiosity, a service designed to provide students with formative feedback on drafts of their assessment tasks. This study utilises a survey instrument exploring Studiosity's Writing Feedback (WF) service and addresses a gap in the literature where there is very little understanding of the details of students' engagement with the system. The survey's results indicate a mismatch between students' assumptions about formative feedback provided by Studiosity. However, when students utilise Studiosity's WF service, the personalised and specific feedback raises students' confidence in their ability to write academically.

An objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been recognised as a reliable but workload-intensive assessment method across health sciences studies. Though a variety of digital marking tools have been employed to improve marking and feedback provision for OSCEs, many of these require specialist software or maintenance. This pilot study examines the development and trialling of Microsoft Forms as a marking and feedback instrument for an OSCE within a Sport and Exercise Therapy module. This study aims to assess whether the use of a non-specialist digital tool, such as Microsoft Forms, might be able overcome limitations in current assessment procedures and ultimately provide a more effective method for marking and feedback provision for an OSCE. Results from OSCE examiners (N = 8) and students (N = 30) who participated in the pilot indicate that Microsoft Forms does have the potential to provide a more effective experience for examiners and ultimately improve upon feedback provision for students when compared with a paper-based marking tool. However, concerns around the form's ease-of-use may ultimately influence its adoption as a marking instrument above current paper-based methods.

This paper sets out the importance of teaching contextualized understandings of value within different disciplinary contexts in order to enhance employability and to foster greater levels of engagement with enterprise and entrepreneurship education. Key research has recognised the broader benefits of enterprise and entrepreneurship education, including that of developing graduate employability. Yet enterprise and entrepreneurship may not feel comfortable or relevant to students (Enterprise Educators UK (EEUK), 2012; Henry, 2013). It has been identified that students can better relate to enterprise and entrepreneurship when it is contextualised in professions, sectors and communities of practice, moving away from a focus on venture creation and start up (Gibb, 2005). We argue that taking an approach which is explicitly based on value creation is a crucial driver of student engagement with enterprise and entrepreneurship education. This needs to be based in students' individual values, embedded in their disciplines, and related to the communities of practice which as graduates they will go on to be part of. When grounded in the creation of value at an individual, disciplinary, and societal level, enterprise and entrepreneurship education can appeal to a wider constituency of students. In this paper, we discuss how value creation is understood in three diverse academic disciplines, Business, Biomedical Science and Music. Building on key research and drawing on our extensive practice as educators, we argue that explicitly foregrounding understandings of value within our different disciplinary contexts and developing appropriately contextualized, experiential forms of value creation-based pedagogy, is key to student engagement and enhances graduate employability. [Note: The page range (1-20) shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct page range is 1-15, 17-20.]

International students make significant contributions to UK higher education and studying in the UK brings various potential benefits to international students. An in-depth exploration of the academic journey of Chinese international master's students, the largest body of overseas students in the UK, is needed to provide better insight into how to best support this cohort. In this longitudinal study, interviews with 34 participants were conducted using a photo-elicitation technique and diagrams. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed for data analysis. Nine superordinate themes emerged which comprise academic, social, linguistic, and psychological aspects of students' experience. These themes were brought together in a model, adapted from Malow's Hierarchy of Needs, to provide a longitudinal representation of the student experience transitioning in, through, and out of their journey abroad. This study illustrates the various needs of this cohort by sequence and importance, and highlights English proficiency and social connections as two influential factors. [Note: The issue number (1) shown in the header on the PDF is incorrect. The correct issue number is 3.]

Chinese students studying abroad have been increasing rapidly in the past decades and become a significant financial contribution to receiving countries. Accordingly, understanding their enrollment choice is essential to facilitate college marketing and admission strategies. Though the decision process is believed to be different from domestic students, empirical analysis of Chinese students' enrollment choices is still lacking. This paper fills the void by examining the influential factors of Chinese students' enrollment choice with novel student-level data. We find that in addition to factors domestic students typically consider, such as financial aid and academic quality, Chinese students particularly emphasize college ranking, reputation, and location in their decision process. Furthermore, unlike domestic students who usually prefer colleges with proximity to home, Chinese students' location preference is linked to job prosperity. We also find that the impact of the factors varies for students from different regions of China, which can be attributable to uneven economic development within the country.

The internationalisation of higher education presents an increasingly urgent need to explore how universities can become more welcoming places for all students. Top-down implementation of widening participation and the inclusion of a more diverse and less prepared student population in higher education have led to social and academic exclusion, with systems failing to accommodate this change to support the less prepared intakes. Academic and social/cultural drivers are the key areas for bottom-up implementation of internationalisation strategies to support this influx and change in student profile. However, institutionalised separation of home and international students for academic support and language development provision, and separation of this support from subject disciplines, have increased the obstacles that block inclusive practice. An internationalised campus involves both top-down institutionalised intervention and bottom-up intervention of the academic self, enabling the potential for intercultural construction within and between communities, and promoting agency of the self in connection with others to enact change. Viewing university campuses as intercultural spaces that all students and staff need to navigate and inhabit has implications that this article explores through the lens of social justice and from the bottom-up perspective of language development provision, within the field of English for Academic Purposes, in an arts-based university.

Research on international students suggests they have a low sense of belonging at the U.S. institutions they attend. This study examined whether academic advisor's cultural empathy, advisor-advisee rapport, and international students' advising satisfaction influenced international students' perspectives of belonging to the institution. We further examined whether cultural empathy and advisor-advisee rapport mediated the effect of advising satisfaction on international students' sense of belonging. The cross-sectional quantitative study used a convenience sample of 209 international students enrolled in two institutions in the United States. Results indicated that cultural empathy and student advising satisfaction had a statistically significant influence on the sense of belonging, not advisor-advisee rapport, and cultural empathy mediated the effect of advising satisfaction on sense of belonging. We offered recommendations for institutions and academic advisors when working with international students.

ChatGPT has become a prominent tool for fostering personalized and interactive learning with the advancements in AI technology. This study analyzes 212 academic research articles indexed in the Scopus database as of July 2023. It maps the trajectory of educational studies on ChatGPT, identifying primary themes, influential authors, and contributing institutions. By employing bibliometric indicators and network analysis, the study explores collaboration patterns, citation trends, and the evolution of research interests. The findings show the exponential growth of interest in leveraging ChatGPT for educational purposes and provide insights into the specific educational domains and contexts that have garnered the most attention. Furthermore, the study reveals the collaborative dynamics and intellectual foundations shaping the field by examining co-authorship and citation networks. This bibliometric analysis contributes to a comprehensive understanding of the current state of ChatGPT research in education, offering researchers and practitioners valuable insights into evolving trends and potential future directions for this innovative aspect of AI and learning.

In the field of higher education, there are two dominant strands of interpretation of criticality, either as a decontextualized skill of logical reasoning, or a sense of action within larger contexts more than mere cognition. This research offers a reclaiming and reimagining of criticality in universities as an affective process, highlighting the entanglement of social, discursive and material perspectives. This research takes a comparative lens to investigate undergraduate students' perceptions of criticality and institutional cultivation of it in a Sociology undergraduate degree in China and the UK, adopting a qualitative interview method. Differences were found between cultures regarding the level of engagement with a range of criticality-embedded practices, including field work, critical inquiry in class, group work, etc. Through the development of criticality in various activities, students' feelings towards it shifted with contexts. While placed within physical and discursive universities that convey a sense of professionalism, students in the study acknowledged the importance of criticality and proactively demonstrated it. However, the feeling towards showcasing criticality outside campus was two-fold. Whereas criticality can be associated with negativity in social interactions, its value is appreciated as it enabled students to reconstruct their identities into a more rational, tolerant and caring one.

A challenge persists in modern higher education regarding gaining an understanding of the activities and services that facilitate student support, student success, student community and student voice. As modern universities continue to grow in both size and complexity, gaining an understanding of the operations for enhancing and supporting both students' experiences and outcomes grows in importance for resource allocation and supporting student success for university administrators. These exploratory or audit-based activities attempt to gain an understanding of students' engagement, time pressure and, relatedly, their calendar journeys throughout their higher education, with an aim to create coherence as opposed to chaos in students' journeys. This case study shares a tested practice from a UK higher education institution of a method to map the so-called 'student experience' across a whole university. This framework for mapping student engagement activities takes an asset-based approach beginning with the core activities which lead a student to graduation prioritising activities by time of students' engagement. This framework is inclusive of the core student experience and the optional, complementary extracurricular activities (Student Community), supporting services (Student Support), and enhancement activities engaging students in the development of education (Student Voice) to gain oversight of complex institutions. This case study offers a transferable framework for use in institutions globally with potential to be implemented as a management tool for administrator and faculty member understanding of the student experience with a view to make enhancements to support student success resourcing and interventions.

Even though distance education from the home environment has seemed comfortable and economic for students with disability in formal higher education during the pandemic, insufficiency in their academic self-efficacy, satisfaction and an increasing tendency to drop out were observed. This quantitative research is based on development of the scales and hierarchical regression analyses to determine the resources of academic self-efficacy, satisfaction and the tendency to drop out of students with disability in higher education beyond physical accessibility. The hierarchical effect of sub-dimensions of academic self-efficacy on satisfaction and the tendency to drop out and hierarchical predictor roles of socio-demographic characteristics (gender, rate of personal disability, type of disability, and four fields of study) were analysed. Some of the important findings are; self-efficacy in training, emotional well-being, technique and communication are determined as the sub-dimensions of academic self-efficacy. Self-efficacy in emotional well-being is the most effective sub-dimension of academic self-efficacy on satisfaction. Hierarchically, fields of study (social science and health sciences), rate of disability and types of disability (chronic illness and hearing disability) are effective on academic self-efficacy. The results support the decision makers to increase the quality of more inclusive higher education by considering differences based on education fields, types of disability and rate of (personal) disability and gender.

This study examined how academic staff responded to a cross-institutional change initiative to integrate immersive scheduling into the first-year undergraduate curriculum. Immersive scheduling, also referred to as block or compressed delivery, sought to create a supportive first-year experience, to ease students' transition to university. Adopting an immersive approach is associated with considerable change as academic staff adapt their practice to accommodate the compressed time frame of modules and embrace learning and assessment methods associated with this delivery format. In this study, we undertook semi-structured interviews with 17 academics who were leading the development and delivery of immersive modules or supporting the teaching and learning initiative. Our data indicated that academics played a significant role in the acceptance or rejection of the vision for immersive scheduling. Acceptance was reliant on academics recognising value in the vision, and this varied depending on the extent to which it resonated with local practice. In some cases, the move to immersive scheduling represented a valued opportunity to update pedagogic and assessment practices. However, in other contexts, academic resistance led to dilution of key elements of the vision, with compliance rather than innovation being the outcome. This study also highlights the value of using a combination of module delivery formats to mitigate recognised drawbacks associated with immersive delivery. We conclude this paper by proposing recommendations to support the future development of immersive scheduling in higher education institutions.

This paper is framed by Nick Zepke's, Vicki Trowler's, and Paul Trowler's concept of student engagement being "chaotic", suffering from "indigestion" and "fuzziness". This study was conducted at a UK higher education institution that recently moved to a "block and blend" delivery approach. We investigated what students and staff think engagement looks like in an intensive block and blend learning context. Data were gathered from students and staff via an online survey, which consisted of both scaled and open-ended questions. Findings are synthesised in an elemental map, providing a comparison of students and staff perceptions of engagement. Specifically, students and staff thought engagement in an intensive block and blend context entailed participation and active learning; a mindset that included enthusiasm, interest, focus, and enjoyment; timely completion of assessments; relationships with peers and tutors; doing more than required, such as completing extra readings; and accessing help and support. Participants also identified attendance as an indicator of student engagement and determined that the university has a responsibility to create learning environments to foster student engagement. Overall, the study findings point to elements of student engagement that may be designed into intensive block and blend learning environments. These approaches are also relevant to other similar intensive learning contexts.

The recent increase in the number of higher education institutions adopting block teaching has prompted questions about the appropriateness of assessment methods that were commonly used in a semesterised delivery model. This paper explores student and faculty perceptions of summative assessment methods in a block and blend mode of delivery at a higher education institution in the United Kingdom. In this study, we used a convergent mixed methods approach to explore student and faculty perceptions of different assessment methods as accurate evaluations of learning using surveys, combining Likert-type and open-ended questions. The findings highlight how traditional, single assessment methods occurring at the end of a block were perceived as less accurate in evaluating learning when compared to multiple smaller assessments that occur throughout a block. The thematic analysis revealed the latter was perceived as allowing for a broader range of skills to be evaluated while simultaneously facilitating effective workload management and timely feedback. These outcomes indicate the need for assessment redesign that considers the characteristics of a block and blend mode of delivery and illuminates the shared perception of students and faculty that multiple smaller assessments are more accurate evaluations of learning. Further research with larger, more diverse samples, accommodating for different fields of study, could further our understanding of effective assessment methods and inform our practice in a block and blend mode of delivery.

This article casts light on informal caregiving, an essential aspect of the international postgraduate researcher (PGR) experience, but which is often invisible in literature and discourses on international education. Drawing from qualitative semi-structured interviews with international PGRs in a British university, it highlights their dual role as care recipients and lesser known caregivers across transnational and local spaces. It gives insights into the forms and dynamics of care that they give to and receive from family, friends and others, uncovering the emotional and affective aspects of undertaking a postgraduate research degree overseas which impact on their mental wellbeing. The findings have implications for the improvement of university support for international PGRs which has relevance for the wider international student community.

While many Vietnamese students are reported to study abroad, the experiences of home-making among Vietnamese returning students are paid scant attention to in current research on Vietnamese international student mobility. Following a Heideggerian perspective on building and dwelling at home, this study explores the sense-making of home through conversations with 13 Vietnamese returning graduates. The analysis of the empirical material shows that home which is constructed and experienced by the returning graduates' use of intersecting materials is socially shared. It is an embodiment of returning migrants' engagement in the world with familiarity and discomfort created by their friction with the interrelated materialistic and discursive aspects of life. Their returns involve incomplete life happenings with diverse emotions and experiences of belonging. The findings of this study add nuance to the extant understanding of home as belonging and challenge the common conceptualization of home as a private space.

International doctoral students are an indispensable part of the increasingly globalized Higher Education Institutions and play a vital role in continually refreshing the host country's research base and fostering cross-national research collaborations. Despite their contributions, most international student employability experiences have been centered on undergraduate and master's students, and fewer studies have been undertaken to explore the employability experiences of those who study for a doctoral degree. The research team conducted two focus groups with Chinese international doctoral students studying social sciences at two British universities. The focus groups examined the students' perceptions of their employability development within the PhD programs and identified areas for enhancing international doctoral student employability. Results highlight an urgent need for UK universities to develop effective channels to support Chinese doctoral student employability, focusing on supervisors as career mentors, developing graduate skills through fieldwork and teaching opportunities, and co-publications.

Following the gradual post-COVID-19 return of international student flows, it is important to examine how higher education institutions and international students are reacting to their new environment and how they relate to each other. Central to this relationship is the concept of "belonging"; what it means for international students, as newcomers and temporary residents in their host environment, to feel as if they belong. To address this question, and as a springboard from which further research into the topic can be undertaken, we examined the question of "belonging" within contemporary academic literature. We examined a broad range of literature to determine the key findings, as well as gaps in the implications for theory and practice. Our findings indicate that "belonging" is seldom clearly defined in the scholarly research. We also found that a proactive approach to student integration was the most common thread across the studies examined.

In 2020, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) faculty within a United Kingdom university implemented an online personal tutoring model. This model aimed to deliver a consistent experience to ~1000 students, supporting learning and fostering a sense of belonging during a global pandemic. Here we describe and evaluate a Curriculum Integrated personal tutor model, designed to provide a structured and dialogic student experience. We provide details on the timetabled activities, aligned to student development needs, and reflect on the model's effectiveness in supporting student learning, building belonging, and providing accessible delivery. We highlight strengths and explore weaknesses, providing recommendations for implementation of this type of model at other institutions.

A series of workshops offered to biology and health sciences students during June and July 2022 was primarily aimed to help students to understand and appreciate the employability benefits of engaging with practical science investigations. Such investigations are designed to help students develop not only practical, numerical and problem-solving skills but also skills such as perseverance, creativity and resilience which are important additional employability skills. Scrutiny of feedback comments submitted by students who attended the workshops indicated that these aims had been achieved. Side-benefits of the programme included an increased sense of community among students, and the provision of an opportunity to maintain engagement over the summer months when there is a break in module presentation for many students, leaving them in danger of losing their study momentum.

Playmobil pro is an innovative modelling kit for adults that encourages creative thinking in the university/workplace. International multilingual students often disclose that they have little opportunity to develop their intercultural awareness, and cross-cultural and multilingual communicative competencies while engaging in meaningful activities that foster sustainable content and language learning. In the present study, 35 students were involved in two Playmobil pro workshops. They worked individually to present themselves to their peers, referring to their cultural background. They then worked in groups to explore intercultural differences among people working for organizations operating in the UK and another country of their choice and offer recommendations to help organizations avoid cross-cultural conflicts. The aim was to actively engage students to work on their final assignment and develop their intercultural awareness and cross-cultural communicative skills. This case study used a qualitative design and explored students' attitudes by asking them to write a short anonymous report at the end of the implementation and provide anonymous feedback via Mentimeter after each workshop. The lecturer also kept notes in the form of a diary during this implementation. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data which revealed that Playmobil pro facilitated intercultural communication in the post-COVID-19 era as students seemed to be unwilling to work with their peers in face-to-face classes, possibly suffering from trauma. However, learners confessed that they needed more time, support, and artefacts to fully present their ideas and thoughts. Recommendations for the effective implementation of Playmobil pro with multilingual students will be offered.

The global prevalence of English as a lingua franca (ELF) across diverse linguacultural communities within the three circles invites an in-depth analysis of its phonological and lexicogrammatical features, especially among non-native English speakers. This qualitative study investigated these features among 30 Thai students from English and nonEnglish programs, emphasizing natural occurrences in academic settings. Participants were directed to record audio and video during collaborative activities with peers and lecturers inside and outside the classroom. Through Conversation Analysis, findings revealed a significant divergence in the phonological and lexicogrammatical features of ELF participants compared to speakers of standard British English (BrE) and American English (AmE). Specifically, nonstandard lexicogrammatical features concerning verb, noun, article, word choice, tense, and preposition emerged predominantly. Furthermore, common phonological deviations included omission of final consonant sounds, mispronunciation of the schwa sound, confusion in pronouncing the article 'the,' mispronunciation of words ending with '-ine,' and substitution of /[open-mid back unrounded vowel]/ with /[open-mid back rounded vowel]/. The data suggests widespread use of non-standard English norms, indicating linguistic adaptation beyond traditional boundaries in various environments. Significantly, this study contributes by highlighting how ELF participants reshape language for effective communication, prioritizing intelligibility over nativelike proficiency, with insights extending beyond the Thai context, valuable for educators, linguists, and intercultural communication practitioners.

First-in-family (FiF) students experience significant barriers to university participation and are less likely to seek mental health help. This can contribute to increased dropouts when compared to non-FiF students. Using a mixed methods approach, we aimed to ascertain sources of mental health support and underlying factors for the preferences favoured by students from UK universities. Answers to the General Help Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) and to two open-ended questions were collected online. We found that FiF (n=194) students were more likely to seek help from friends relative to their non-FiF (n=134) peers. Trust was particularly important for FiF students, while for non-FiF students, the perceived benefit of talking to anyone about mental health was more relevant. Attitudes towards mental health discussion were influenced by background. Stigma and perceived burdensomeness negatively affected help-seeking among all students. Our findings suggest FiF students derive more benefits for their mental health concerns from friendship circles, implicating the importance of social integration programmes at university. Future work would benefit from evaluating mental health help-seeking intentions of students with more specific characteristics (e.g., race, gender), to better understand determinants influencing preferences and help institutions plan more fitting provisions to support students.

This paper explores the self-tracking information literacy practices of LGBTQ+ students, how the practices connect to LGBTQ+ identities, and whether these practices are perceived as empowering. Six semi-structured interviews were conducted with students who identified as LGBTQ+ self-trackers. Four previously discovered dimensions of IL in self-tracking framed the design. Collaborative thematic analysis revealed participants find it useful to monitor their physical health and tracking supports mental health, which is experienced as empowering. The heteronormative assumptions of apps influenced their perceived usefulness. There was some distrust about how apps used data, but this risk was accepted, typically because the convenience of the app outweighed privacy concerns. Data sharing took place--restricted due to self-consciousness or fear of judgement--and embraced when there was a feeling of working towards a shared goal. IL in this landscape is related to developing critical awareness of when and how self-tracking can support health goals; the limitations of apps and devices, particularly for those undergoing transition; privacy implications; and the nuances of social sharing.

The practice of Corrective Feedback (CF), which is situated within a Second Language Acquisition (SLA) Paradigm, is currently positioned towards an accuracy-orientated delivery based on native speaker norms. This is despite the recognition in different areas of linguistic research that there is considerable variation in the way that English is spoken around the world. This paper argues that the epistemological assumptions and methodological approaches to investigate CF within an SLA paradigm have various underlying weaknesses that undermine research findings. These findings purport to provide support for an accuracy-orientated CF in the English classroom. However, it is suggested in this paper that a meaning-orientated CF would be more reflective and beneficial for students given the transformative changes that have occurred to English over the past 30 years. This perspective is discussed in relation to one teacher's approach to CF who participated in a larger project which examined CF conducted in a British-Sino University.

This pilot study aims to assess the acceptability of Open University's training platform called Gamified Intelligent Cyber Aptitude and Skills Training course (GICAST), as a means of improving cybersecurity knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours in undergraduate students using both quantitative and qualitative methods. A mixed-methods, pre-post experimental design was employed. 43 self-selected participants were recruited via an online register and posters at the university (excluding IT related courses). Participants completed the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire (HAIS-Q) and Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) Scale. They then completed all games and quizzes in the GICAST course before repeating the HAIS-Q and FoMO scales as well as several open-ended questions. Pre-training HAIS-Q Knowledge, Attitude and Behaviour all improved from 'reasonable' pre-training levels to become 'very high' following training with large effect sizes estimated. FoMO improved to a lesser degree but also predicted the degree of HAIS-Q improvement suggesting it is relevant to the impact of this training course. Qualitatively, five key themes were generated: enjoyment, engagement, usability of GICAST, content relevance, and perceived educational efficacy. Overall, sentiment towards training was very positive as an enjoyable engaging and usable course. GICAST was found to be a feasible course for a wide range of students at a UK university: overall the training improved cyber-security awareness on a well validated measure with outcomes comparable to information-security-trained employees of a secure workplace. Despite a diversity of views about content, the course appears to be well suited to the non-IT undergraduate sector and may suit wide uptake to enhance students' employability in a wide range of cybersecurity relevant contexts.

This article explores key aspects of my professional doctorate (DProf) that focused on the construction of my professional identity as an occupational safety and health professional, using autoethnographic inquiry. It promotes the use of the portfolio as part of the assessment for professional doctorates, and other further and higher education qualifications. The article investigates how, using autoethnography, this can be used as part of the research process. It concludes with my reflections on how undertaking a DProf has been beneficial regarding the redefining of, and the construction of, my own professional identity.

Barriers to equity, diversity, and inclusion remain in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) for historically underrepresented and marginalized individuals. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of women and LGBT+ academics and PhD students in the United Kingdom. Specifically, this article examines systemic challenges and support that 82 participants who identified as women and/or LGBT+ academics and PhD students have experienced in their STEM environments and throughout their careers. In this qualitative study, we employed intersectionality theory to frame a thematic analysis of interviews and focus groups. Our findings indicate that the experiences of participants are characterized more by inequities than by support from colleagues, peers, and higher education institutions. Inequities are widespread and intersectional, and have a cumulative impact whenever individuals endure multiple and potentially escalating challenges--which include hard-to-spot disadvantages, stereotypes, prejudice, as well as harassment, bullying, and discrimination. Participants' accounts illustrate the benefits of different support mechanisms but also the limitations of initiatives to support marginalized individuals and groups in STEM that are not systematically embedded across institutions. Based on our findings, we present two conceptual models to better understand systemic challenges and their consequences for women and LGBT+ academics and PhD students in STEM, as well as to inform more holistic support mechanisms to create more inclusive STEM environments. Implications from the study highlight institutional accountability as key to improving climates and transformative change.

Collegiality and the contribution to the sustenance of the academy through academic citizenship are central to commonly held conceptions of what it is to be a university. This study investigates the articulation and recognition of academic citizenship through institutional promotion criteria, including both traditional research and teaching-focussed career pathways. The study adopts a qualitative research approach and examines promotion criteria from a sample of 55 mid-sized universities in the UK. Findings point to a progressive shift in formal recognition of service activities associated with citizenship as part of the core academic workload. Institutional service is pervasive across all academic roles and levels, student service is largely invisible, and activities associated with public service are most notably acknowledged in traditional academic roles at the professorial level. The evolving nature of expectations of citizenship necessitates a more nuanced consideration of the core dimensions of an academic role and citizenship activities to ensure equity and inclusivity in career progression.