Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice
The Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP) is a peer-reviewed journal publishing papers that add significantly to the body of knowledge describing effective and innovative teaching and learning practice in the higher education environment. The Journal aims to provide a forum for educational practitioners in a wide range of disciplines to communicate their teaching and learning outcomes in a scholarly way. Its purpose is to bridge the gap between journals covering purely academic research and more pragmatic articles and opinions published elsewhere. The Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice seeks well-designed and executed research and theory that changes how people think, and provides evidence-based theories, methods and findings to improve higher education learning and teaching practices. We invite a plurality of theoretical frameworks from across the disciplines to stimulate conversation around different ways of developing learning and teaching practice. We encourage evidence-based practice research situated in the local context and the broader international literature. Key Journal Statistics 1. 16 days is the average time to first decision for Jan-June 2025. 2. The journal had a 2024 rejection rate of 89%. 3. The average days to first decision was 36 days in 2024. 3. JUTLP is Quartile 1 with a SJR of .909, and ranks #1 in Australian education for 2-year impact, #3 overall. 4. JUTLP has a Scopus CiteScore of 6.2 (Q1, 87th percentile). 5. JUTLP has a 2024 Web of Science ESCI Journal Impact Factor of 4.4 and ranked #43 for Education and Educational Research.
Epistemic Parochialism: Single Institution Studies in The Age of Artificial Intelligence Large Language Models
Learning and teaching scholarship is experiencing a growing tension between increasing global interconnectedness and the persistent production of highly decontextualised local studies. This Editorial argues that such epistemic parochialism limits our ability to build cumulative knowledge and risks reinforcing narrow solutions to shared problems. Drawing on contemporary pressures including internationalisation, epistemic monocultures, system-level complexity, and the rapid integration of artificial intelligence large language models, the Editorial outlines why research that treats the institution as the horizon of inquiry is no longer adequate. In an era where large language models learn from, reproduce, and amplify scholarship, narrowly framed or duplicative studies have implications not only for academic discourse but also for the quality of language models. To address this challenge, the Editorial presents five principles to guide authors in producing better situated research: reframing the problem beyond the institution; developing a credible inquiry into what is known; justifying methodological positioning; situating institutional cases within complex systems; and synthesising localised insights to advance global knowledge. By adopting these principles, authors strengthen the relevance, clarity and impact of their work, enhance their prospects for publishing success, and help safeguard the coherence and diversity of the knowledge on which both human scholars and artificial intelligence systems increasingly depend. The Editorial concludes with a call for the sector to recognise epistemic parochialism as a significant contemporary peril and to collectively pursue scholarship that is reflective, situated and globally engaged.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Joseph Crawford https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Assessment after Artificial Intelligence: The Research We Should Be Doing
The emergence of widely available artificial intelligence (AI) tools has made assessment in higher education increasingly uncertain. Familiar (if problematic) assumptions about what assessment does or should measure, who or what is being assessed, and how judgments are made are all being reexamined. Educators and researchers are experimenting with new assessment designs, but the emerging research landscape is fragmented and difficult to navigate. There is little shared sense of what kinds of studies are most needed or how their findings might connect. To address this, a group of leading assessment scholars met in Melbourne, Australia in September of 2025 to develop a collective research agenda to help guide and connect future inquiry. This paper presents the outcomes of that collaboration, a set of guiding principles and framing questions – why, who, what, how, and where we assess – that together offer a structure for guiding and supporting the research we should be doing on assessment after AI.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Thomas Corbin, Professor Margaret Bearman, Professor David Boud, Dr Nicole Crawford, Professor Phillip Dawson, Associate Professor Tim Fawn, Professor Michael Henderson, Professor Jason Lodge, Assistant Professor Jiahui (Jess) Luo, Professor Kelly Matthews, Associate Professor Kelli Nicola-Richmond, Dr Juuso Henrik Nieminen, Associate Professor Nicole Pepperell, Dr Zachari Swiecki, Associate Professor Joanna Tai, Dr Jack Walton https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
A community of practice around article peer review: A collaborative autoethnography
Learning from peer reviewer practice is one example of person-centred inquiry relevant to the broad practice of journal publishing. This curriculum inquiry adopts a practice-led inquiry (Gray, 1996) alongside a collaborative autoethnographic approach (CAE) utilising the conversations between two peer reviewers both involved in a journal driven peer review professional learning community of practice. We were interested in exploring our learnings from a peer-review professional learning program and as such our CAE methodology framed our four final research questions which were concerned with the successes and challenges of the professional learning program; the successes and challenges of a community of practice (CoP) as a vehicle for the program; the effectiveness of the program’s curriculum and the way the discussion on curriculum impacted our broader learnings. The conversations reveal insights about peer review professional learning as well as broader insights regarding the value of community of practice (CoP) as a vehicle for professional learning. Development of relational trust between professionals is a key factor in facilitating academic professional learning and this has implications for the wider ways of working with fellow academics.
building trust for professional development
Copyright (c) 2025 Professor Lauren Stephenson, Dr Geof Hill https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Role of Educators in Cultivating Self-Efficacy Among School-Leaver Enabling Students: Perspectives and Practices
<span class="NormalTextRun SCXW178800532 BCX8" data-ccp-parastyle="Front Page Text" data-ccp-parastyle-defn="{"ObjectId":"208d6ddf-79f0-4979-9a27-b3616341de97|129","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[469777841,"Arial",469777842,"Arial",469777844,"Arial",469769226,"Arial",335559740,"276",201341983,"0",335559739,"120",335551550,"6",335551620,"6",201342446,"1",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777843,"Calibri",201341986,"1",268442635,"20",469775450,"Front Page Text",201340122,"2",134234082,"true",134233614,"true",469778129,"FrontPageText",335572020,"1",469777929,"Front Page Text Char",469778324,"Normal"]}" data-ccp-parastyle-linked-defn="{"ObjectId":"208d6ddf-79f0-4979-9a27-b3616341de97|130","ClassId":1073872969,"Properties":[201342446,"1",201342447,"5",201342448,"1",201342449,"1",469777841,"Arial",469777842,"Arial",469777843,"Calibri",469777844,"Arial",201341986,"1",469769226,"Arial",268442635,"20",469775450,"Front Page Text Char",201340122,"1",134233614,"true",469778129,"FrontPageTextChar",335572020,"1",134231262,"true",469777929,"Front Page Text",469778324,"Default Paragraph Font"]}">In Australia, government-funded Enabling programs provide equitable pathways to higher education for students from diverse backgrounds, including increasing numbers of recent school-leavers. This collaborative autoethnographic study explores six Enabling educators’ lived experiences across five universities to understand how they perceive and cultivate self-efficacy among school-leaver students. Thematic analysis revealed three overarching areas: educators’ perceptions of students’ readiness for higher education, strategies used to develop self-efficacy, and barriers that constrain this work. Findings highlight the complexity of fostering self-efficacy in younger cohorts, who often display both overconfidence and low academic self-belief. Educators identified the importance of pedagogies of care, growth mindset, scaffolded mastery experiences, and supportive learning communities. However, their efforts are challenged by limited time, high workloads, and significant emotional labour. The study underscores the need for institutional recognition, professional development, and systemic support to sustain educators’ capacity to build student self-efficacy within Enabling education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Ana Larsen, Dr Trixie James, Amy Robinson, Dr Angela Jones, Matilda Coleman, George Lambrinidis, Dr Rachel Daniel https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Finding the root cause: Embedding vegetable education into pre-health professional programs using an iterative mixed-methods approach
Reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables is linked to an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases and chronic health issues. With health professionals at the frontline of patient care, there has been an identified need to enhance vegetable education throughout training programs. In undertaking this curriculum change, Design-Based Research (DBR) presents a modern framework highly suitable for health professional programs due to its focus on co-development with a variety of stakeholders. This study aimed to utilise a DBR approach to develop insights and recommendations into what would constitute an effective and evidence-based vegetable curriculum that can be embedded within a pre-health professional course. This study underwent a five-phase iterative process of DBR with a mixed-methods research approach used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data to explore stakeholders’ perceptions. The results provide three evidence-based recommendations for educators and curriculum developers to assist in the creation and embedding of vegetable education into a pre-health professional curriculum. Firstly, this study highlights that any resource or curriculum change should be simple, focussing on reiterating the regional government’s recommended intake of vegetables and fruits. Moreover, any resource should involve hands-on activities such as laboratories or workshops and be embedded directly into the curriculum rather than self-study options. With the five phases, DBR provides an ideal framework for educational research due to its iterative design and the engagement of stakeholders.
Copyright (c) 2025 Felicity Smith, Dr Charlotte Phelps, Dr Christian Moro https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Addressing Barriers to Success in Accounting Education: Exploring the Role of ODeL Institutions in Facilitating Meaningful Access and Achieving Success for Marginalised Groups
The evolution of Open Distance e-Learning (ODeL) institutions has significantly broadened access to higher education for historically marginalised (equity) groups. However, despite these advancements, persistent challenges undermine student success, particularly in accounting education, where rigorous academic demands intersect with socioeconomic and technological barriers. This study explores how ODeL institutions, focusing on the University of South Africa (UNISA), can enhance meaningful access and improve success rates for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Guided by Moore’s Transactional Distance Theory, the study employs a qualitative approach, incorporating interviews with students and educators to examine the barriers to academic achievement. Key findings highlight administrative inefficiencies, communication breakdowns, technological limitations, and programme rigidity as significant impediments. The paper concludes by offering targeted recommendations for institutional reforms, including enhanced technological infrastructure, improved administrative support, and structured academic interventions to foster student autonomy and engagement. Addressing these issues is crucial for ensuring that ODeL institutions fulfil their social justice mandate and contribute to the transformation of the accounting profession.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sedzani Musundwa, Nkosinathi Masela, Chisinga Chikutuma, Prince Chukwuneme Enwereji, Moses Hlongoane, Makgopa Tshehla https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Artificial Intelligence in Educational Research and Scholarship: Seven Framings
In a recent interview (Bender et al., 2025), Professor Emily M. Bender discussed the limitations of technical solutions in addressing harmful Artificial Intelligence (AI) bias. She described a particular point we may reach at which technical solutions stop working, and when we should then widen the lens to ask about the problem framing itself. This is a crucial step in any inquiry that is of concern to both novice and experienced researchers alike: moving from problem-solving to problematisation. This commentary aims to provide educational researchers with a glimpse into the wide array of research problems and problematisation of AI in Education (AIED). It discusses seven framings of AIED: methodological pluralism; metaphors; ethnographic studies; imagining futures through fiction; humanistic groundings of AI design and development; third space professionals in research; and open education. We describe why these particular frames are relevant and how we wrote this commentary. We go on to suggest that to sustain the desirable but sometimes elusive nexus between research and teaching, we need to see both as rich, diverse, and distributed activities consisting of many actors. We seek to probe: What is AI? Who gets to say so and why? What critical, creative and pluralistic approaches can we take to research into its effects on the outcomes and experiences of students in higher education?
Copyright (c) 2025 Eamon Costello, Giselle Ferreira, Stefan Hrastinski, Jason K. McDonald, Ahmed Tlili, George Veletsianos, Victoria I. Marín, Henk Huijser, Sharon Altena https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Exploring the relationships between university staff and students: A comparison between two European countries
The quality of student-university relationships can significantly influence student engagement and experience, yet cross-cultural differences remain underexplored. This study examined Dutch (n = 407, Mage = 22.2) and French students (n = 394, Mage = 22.9), focusing on their relationship quality perceptions with staff and its impact on engagement. A quantitative correlational research design was adopted, using the Relationship Quality Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students, and the Relationship Quality-Based Student Loyalty Scale. The results showed that students' trust in their university and professors, alongside academic motivation, strongly predicted overall satisfaction with the institution and its programs. Motivation mediated this relationship, explaining 18% of the variance in satisfaction. French students reported higher motivation and more positive perceptions of their university than Dutch students. The study underscores the importance of trust and support in fostering student satisfaction while highlighting cultural differences in engagement and institutional perception.
Copyright (c) 2025 Anne Plantade-Gipch, Hélène Maire, Ingrid Snijders https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
From Commitment to Disengagement: How the Tenure-Track System Shapes Early-Career Faculty Teaching Engagement in China
This study explores how the tenure-track system (TTS) affects early-career faculty teaching engagement in Chinese public universities. Drawing on Career Development Theory and Role Theory, and using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of twelve interviews, the study identifies a three-stage trajectory: initial commitment, strategic recalibration, and eventual disengagement. Faculty experienced role conflict intensified by research-centred evaluation metrics and student evaluation pressures, leading to a gradual shift from meaningful teaching to perfunctory instruction and grade inflation. Rather than signalling motivational decline, disengagement emerges as a strategic adaptation to institutional incentives. The study contributes to theoretical understandings of academic identity negotiation under performance-driven regimes and highlights the need for diversified, formative-oriented evaluation systems that value both research and teaching contributions. Practical implications for tenure-track reforms in China and comparable higher education contexts are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Yajing Wang https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Universal Design for Learning in Tertiary Education: Australian Professionals' Perspectives on Using UDL in Practice
This study explored how tertiary education professionals in Australia understand and apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in their practice, the barriers they face, and what more institutions can do to support its implementation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 professionals across various roles and institutions. Findings revealed that, while educators are using UDL principles to enhance engagement, accessibility, and assessment flexibility, their efforts are often ad hoc and unsupported by formal structures. Key barriers included limited time, confusion about how to apply UDL in specific contexts, and a lack of institutional mandates. Participants strongly advocated for embedding UDL into institutional policies, performance expectations, and strategic plans. Practical, discipline-specific professional learning and access to real-world examples were seen as critical for supporting implementation. The importance of local communities of practice and mindset shifts, positioning UDL as quality teaching for all students, were also discussed. These findings underscore the need for tertiary institutions to adopt a systemic and sustained approach to UDL, moving beyond compliance to embed inclusive design into the fabric of teaching and learning.
Copyright (c) 2025 Erin Leif, Dr Amanda Gigliotti, Darlene McClennan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Exploring student motivations and perceptions towards Student Evaluation of Teaching (SET) systems: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis
Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) surveys are commonly used to provide overall course feedback regarding teaching approaches and the learning experience. However, these surveys consistently demonstrate low validity in the literature, particularly due to low response rates. Yet, SETs are used for high-stakes curriculum and staffing decisions. Limited research has explored student perceptions and motivations to complete SETs, particularly within an Australian university context. In this study, nine students participated in focus groups, which were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Analyses were guided by a critical realist approach and explored through the lens of Expectancy Theory. Students explained that they are motivated by a desire to improve the learning experience for future students. However, they also discussed that the initial motivation to complete a SET is the perception of a negative experience. They believe the ratio of positive to negative comments about the course is therefore distorted, and not a true reflection of the overall course experience. Students express a lack of transparency about how (and whether) feedback is used, which results in less motivation to complete the survey. Opaqueness around the audience of SET feedback (I.e., who reads them) was believed to result in less ‘useful’ comments. Students co-created a set of recommendations for increasing SET engagement, including a range of potential incentives and evaluative judgement training. Questions should be framed as if they are written by the educator seeking feedback, as this will encourage comments with maximum utility. It is hoped that this framing may reduce harmful comments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Alivia Gladwin, Dr Samantha J. Newell, Dr Peta Callaghan https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Editorial: Framing the Future with a Research Agenda for Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is transforming higher education, reshaping assessment, curriculum, pedagogical relationships, and the broader dynamics of teaching and learning. While research on AI in education (AIEd) is expanding, it remains fragmented and often dominated by tool-centric use cases and techno-determinist narratives. In this Editorial, we argue for a new phase of meaningful AI research in higher education, research that is pedagogically grounded, ethically aware, and theoretically informed. We critique the limitations of traditional reflective practice, which, like large language models, can mirror existing assumptions without producing genuinely new insights. Instead, we call for a reframing of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) that acknowledges complexity, examines power, and embraces the entangled nature of human and non-human collaboration. Meaningful research must engage with the long-term consequences of AI for teaching, learning, and academic work and not just its immediate functionality. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives across pedagogy, trust, ethics, and institutional change, we outline an agenda for AI research that centres on criticality, sustainability, and inclusion. We contend that meaningful research must go beyond short-term efficiency gains to examine long-term impact, support educator and student agency, and address the structural values shaping AI’s integration in higher education. This agenda is urgent: the foundations laid now will determine how we as educators lead the transformation of academic work, student experience, and the future of knowledge in an AI enhanced era.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)
Copyright (c) 2025 Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald, Dr Jeya Amantha, Dr Jasper Roe, Dr Erin Roehrer, Dr Jianhua Yang https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Optimizing study to boost performance and well-being: A study-crafting scoping review
As higher education students confront increasing challenges that hinder their well-being and performance, study strategies grow on importance. Drawing from the job-crafting approach, and the job and study demands-resources theories, study-crafting is highlighted as a potentially useful strategy to adapt the study environment to each student’s needs and characteristics. Following the PRISMA-ScR model (2018), the present scoping review charts what is known about crafting strategies applied by students, aiming to assess how study-crafting has been operationalized, its antecedents and effects. A search of empirical peer-reviewed articles concerning students, was conducted at the Web of Science (WoS) and PsycINFO platforms up to January 2025. In total, 579 registers were considered, of which 10 papers were included for the final review after a selection process. Results underline different trends on the measure and operationalization of study-crafting; study demands and resources, engagement, positive emotions, daily events, and teachers’ authentic leadership are highlighted as possible antecedents of study-crafting; and identify beneficial associations of study-crafting with academic performance (improving engagement, work-school facilitation, study-to-sports spillover, and creativity) and with mental health (improving well-being, quality of university life, and positive affect; and reducing emotional exhaustion). All in all, study-crafting is emphasized as a potentially useful construct on which to intervene to foster academic performance and well-being of students at higher education. Further results, limitations, and implications are discussed.
Copyright (c) 2025 Noah Palacios-Pedrero, Dr Daniel Cortés-Denia, Dr Esther Lopez-Zafra https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Systematic Literature Reviews: Why I Rejected Your Review
Systematic literature reviews (SLRs) have become an increasingly common methodological approach in higher education research, particularly within the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP). However, despite their popularity, a significant proportion of submitted SLR manuscripts are desk-rejected prior to peer review. This Commentary critically examines recurring methodological shortcomings that often undermine the credibility and rigour of these submissions. Drawing on best practices in evidence synthesis, the paper highlights five core areas where authors frequently fall short: (1) the formulation of research questions that are appropriately scoped, answerable, and aligned with review goals; (2) the development of transparent, valid, and replicable search strategies using Boolean logic, truncation, and multiple databases; (3) the implementation of systematic screening and selection processes, including use of PRISMA flow diagrams and clear inclusion/exclusion criteria; (4) the use of trustworthy and replicable methods of data extraction and synthesis, including quality appraisal of included studies; and (5) the articulation of meaningful implications that extend beyond descriptive summaries to offer theoretical, empirical, and practical contributions. Through these insights, the Commentary seeks to provide constructive guidance for researchers and reviewers, with the aim of enhancing methodological integrity and increasing the acceptance rate of SLR submissions to JUTLP and similar journals. By strengthening methodological transparency, reliability, and relevance, Systematic reviews can serve as powerful tools to synthesise evidence, guide pedagogical innovation, and inform higher education policy.
Faculty transformation for enhanced student learning: A structural equation modelling study on responsible management education in India
In a world grappling with environmental and social challenges, the role of Responsible Management Education (RME) remains underexplored in emerging markets such as India. While existing studies focus on the transformative effects of RME on students, research on its impact on faculty in higher education institutions (HEIs) is limited. This study combines Mezirow’s transformative learning theory with DiMaggio and Powell’s institutional pressures theory to conceptualise faculty transformation pathways. A survey completed by 508 Indian business school faculty, analysed using structural equation modelling, found that mimetic, coercive, and normative pressures influence faculty ‘habits of mind’, but motivation is key for RME-driven transformation. Additionally, 19 semi-structured interviews with recruiters of new management graduates indicate that HEIs must refine their pedagogical approaches to enhance the impact of RME, even though students are increasingly aware of sustainable development issues, mainly through social media.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bidisha Banerji, Smitha Girija, Devika Rani Sharma, Neetika Batra, Chudamani Sriramneni https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Learners or consumers? Exploring the grade gap between widening and non-widening participation students
Increasing numbers of students from widening participation (non-traditional) backgrounds are entering higher education, yet they are typically awarded lower grades than non-widening participation students. This gap was explored from a social identity theory perspective to examine two key student identities that impact academic performance: university student (positive impact), and educational consumer (negative impact). Students were studying in Scotland, United Kingdom, characterised by a mass-consumer culture but government-funded tuition. This provided a natural comparator to research in contexts with student-funded tuition. A moderated moderation model was used to test the hypothesis that a consumer identity would have a negative impact on the relation between university student identity and grades, and that this would be more harmful for widening participation students compared to non-widening participation students given their increased social identity conflicts. An online questionnaire was completed by 133 widening participation and 100 non-widening participation students (85% women, mean age 22.6 years) to measure the strength of their university student identity and consumer identity, widening participation status, and average grades. As expected, the model was significant. For widening participation students, the positive relation between university student identity and grades reduced (disappeared) when students had a stronger consumer identity. For non-widening participation students, however, there were no relations among the variables, thus the hypothesis was partly supported. These findings suggest that a consumer identity contributes to the grade gap between these student groups, and that institutions should support students to resist developing an educational consumer identity in mass-consumer cultural contexts.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Siân E. Jones, Professor Louise Taylor, Karl Johnson https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The multiple affordances, complexities and limitations of micro-credentials - practitioner voices
In this paper I analyse the voices of higher and vocational education practitioners and stakeholders in the micro-credentials arena to answer the research question: What are the possible affordances, complexities and limitations of micro-credentials? Micro-credentials are small pieces of recognised learning and assessment (European Commission, 2020) that can function as an agent of change for better or worse (Desmarchelier & Cary, 2022, Gibson et al., 2016, Hanshaw, 2024, McGreal & Olcott, 2022, Pollard & Vincent, 2022, Ralston, 2021, Wilson et al., 2016). There is a gap in the literature on the possible affordances, complexities and limitations of micro-credentials experienced in practice and following the voices of practitioners’ lived experience points bring us to understanding new ways of doing things (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). My data collection involved semi-structured interviews with ten participants from Aotearoa New Zealand and Canada who were experts or stakeholders in micro-credentialing development. By using Reflexive Thematic Analyses and Qualitative Descriptive Research, I uncover and present themes, which indicate multiple powerful and positive affordances which act as catalysts to micro-credential development, and numerous associated complexities/limitations which act as inhibitors, and investigate the relationship between them. Looking through the lenses of power/knowledge, which is practised in society as a strategy to exert control over others (Foucault, 1980) and disruptive innovations, which create footholds in markets where no market existed, (Christensen et al., 2015), I explore a possible motivational context behind these inhibitors. Finally, I propose how we might better leverage the successful build out of powerful micro-credentials, to the betterment of the human experience.
Copyright (c) 2025 Jeremy Hanshaw https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
“Kind of Students… Kind of Staff” - Navigating Roles: A Thematic Exploration of PhD Demonstrators’ Experiences, Identity, and Career Implications
We examined the experiences of 16 PhD demonstrators from Russell and non-Russell universities, exploring teaching benefits and challenges, dual student-teacher identities, and opinions on the “demonstrator” title. Through interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, four themes were found: 1) ambiguity in the demonstrator label persists despite the GTA alternative, reflecting a disconnect between title and role, 2) the unpredictability, heavy workload, and lack of freedom in the role contribute to stress and diminish enjoyment for demonstrators, 3) feelings of being unsupported due to inadequate preparation, lack of recognition, poor treatment by staff, and the burdens of casualised contracts, 4) positive aspects including the unique demonstrator-student relationship, skill development, mentorship, supportive community, and flexible scheduling that provides a break from PhD work. The study highlights the importance of recognizing the dual identity, finding a label that reflects their responsibilities, addressing stress factors, and enhancing support and recognition for individuals within these roles.
Copyright (c) 2025 Nikki Dean Marshall, Tatiana Obretetskaya, Gemma Fox, Caitlin Cook, Catrin McAdams, Lee Parkin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Reimagining the Artificial Intelligence Assessment Scale: A refined framework for educational assessment
Higher education institutions, educators, and students continue to grapple with the wide-ranging implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI). The ability of advanced GenAI models to complete educational assessments continues to be one of the most pressing issues for academia. In early 2024, we published the AI Assessment Scale (AIAS), which describes a practical framework for addressing GenAI use in educational assessment. The AIAS was well received and has been implemented in hundreds of institutions worldwide and translated into 30 languages. Building on our experience using the AIAS and drawing on feedback and critiques received worldwide, in this paper, we provide an updated version of the AIAS. The updated AIAS encompasses several important developments, including clarifying the theoretical basis of the scale through social constructivist principles, developing the AIAS to function as an assessment redesign framework to enhance validity, and adjusting the visual assets of the AIAS to function inclusively and non-hierarchically. Furthermore, in anticipation of future developments in the field of AI and the increasing focus on preparing students to function in an AI-augmented world, we introduce an additional level, ‘AI exploration’. Through this paper we also seek to clarify both the intended and unintended applications of the AIAS. We provide implementation guidance through practical examples and explain how the AIAS functions as both a communication tool and a framework for task redesign that strengthens validity.
Copyright (c) 2025 Associate Professor Mike Perkins, Dr Jasper Roe, Leon Furze https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Editorial: Improving quantitative research in higher education learning and teaching
Empirical research in higher education learning and teaching is vital if we are to enhance our understanding of how to improve students’ experiences and outcomes. Historically, however, this research has received less attention, recognition, and investment compared to discipline-specific research. Consequently, the field has suffered from a lack of methodological quality. In this Editorial, we consider common methodological problems in this research in view of international standards for quality research. Focusing on quantitative methods, we offer guidance to educators for developing rigorous higher education research, using a psychological science lens. We structure our discussion around three Principles for conducting theoretically-driven and systematic research, using tools that can increase the reliability, validity, and subsequent impact of research. Principle 1 = Theorise well, Principle 2 = Prioritise method robustness, and Principle 3 = Analyse, do not merely describe. Ultimately, our aim is to support educators to conduct robust research for improving higher education learning and teaching, and facilitate the dissemination of impactful findings by sharing them with others at scale in educational journals.
Copyright (c) 2025 Louise Taylor, Hai Min Dai, Hilary Ng, David Playfoot, Sarah Rose https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
It takes a village... Program-wide approaches to redesigning assessment in a time of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI).
The rapid maturation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) platforms has created significant challenges for higher education, particularly in relation to assessment. This project sought to explore the lived experiences and views of GenAI in relation to assessment for academics and students in higher education. A qualitative interpretivist approach was adopted, using semi-structured interviews. When data were thematically analysed, three themes were developed; emotions, academic role and identity; assessment must change, and the work and expertise required to change assessment. Academics and students experienced both positive and negative emotions in relation to GenAI. Concerns about the complexity of changing assessment and resources needed to change assessment were pervasive. Based on these findings we propose that “it takes a village” to redevelop assessments in a time of GenAI and therefore collaborative, program-wide approaches are the way forward.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Kelli Nicola-Richmond, Professor Phillip Dawson, Professor Helen Partridge, Associate Professor Susie Macfarlane https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
An ePortfolio recommendations roadmap supported by a UNSW Sydney education focussed (EF) academic fellowship program: Reflective practice and feedback literacy within ePortfolios matters
The Education Focussed (EF) Fellowship program was introduced by the UNSW Sydney Pro Vice-Chancellor Education and Student Experience (PVCESE) Portfolio to support EF academics via an EF Fellowship Program in all faculties. The vision was for cross-faculty collaboration by EF Fellows on strategic projects identified as key for enhancing the student experience. EF Fellows would provide a comprehensive review of the pedagogical scholarship and shared practice expertise in education to develop a deep understanding of the needs and requirements to address various strategic projects. One of these strategic projects was focussed on ePortfolio pedagogy and practice. An important consideration was to ensure that time was granted to EF Fellows. Each EF Fellow was awarded funding equivalent to 0.4 full time equivalent (FTE) for Term 3, 2021 to allow for time to generate thinking and practice around each strategic project. This supported approach enabled the ePortfolio EF Fellowship team to generate a set of recommendations for a roadmap towards a hybrid ePortfolio pedagogy and practice system.
Copyright (c) 2025 Patsie Polly, Donna Mary Salopek, Jacky Mo, Gavin Mount, Peter Neal, Chona Ryan, Nayuta Yoshioka https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Enabling Education: A space for enabling non-Indigenous educators to engage in Indigenous pedagogies
The benefits of enabling education programmes have been recognised by students and research for decades, yet understanding how enabling education creates space for educator professional development is less well-known, particularly regarding understanding and implementing Indigenous pedagogies. The unique characteristics of enabling education, which often include lower staff to student ratios, higher contact hours and time allocated for pastoral care, arguably facilitate more holistic approaches to student engagement, retention, and success. These characteristics ensure educators have more time to spend with students, enabling them to learn who their students are, and how to encourage their participation, and enhance their learning and self-efficacy. This environment also provides real opportunities for educators to critically self-reflect on their positioning with respect to teaching, learning, and engagement. Many students enrolled in Aotearoa New Zealand’s enabling foundation and bridging programmes come from strategically undervalued groups, including Māori students and Pacific students who may not have thrived in the predominantly western settler-colonial educational contexts. These programmes aim to increase and provide broader access to higher education for marginalised groups, an important focus for us. In this article, we critically reflect on our experiences as non-Indigenous educators in foundation and bridging education. Using critical auto-ethnography, and interview data from our doctoral research, we share stories of our pedagogical shifts to encompass and reflect Indigenous ways of being, knowing, and doing. Our narratives illustrate a diverse repertoire of possibilities for other educators to draw upon when considering enabling practice and pedagogy that ultimately enhance engagement and success of all students.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Emily Saavedra, Dr Sonia M. Fonua https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Values of the T-shaped Leader: Applying the 4M Framework to Address SoTL Grand Challenges and Foster Sustainable Development Goals in Higher Education
This paper follows the conceptual T-shaped model, introduced by (the Authors), serving as a conduit for the dissemination of empirical data derived from engaging discussions with international Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) scholars. The authors not only present the model, but also offer auto-ethnographic reflections, unravelling the key values embedded within it. These values, namely: context, contribution and co-creation, ethics of care, valuing, and research, are explored in-depth, highlighting their integral role in the T-shaped model. Expanding the foundational framework, this paper explores the interconnections between the T-shaped model's five values through the analytical lens of the 4M model, as articulated by Friberg (2016). This exploration spans all four levels: the personal (micro level), institutional (meso level), alignment with the recently released SoTL Grand Challenges (macro level) (Scharff et al., 2023), and a commitment to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) outlined by the United Nations (mega level). As higher education institutions (HEIs) worldwide ardently pursue the preparation of globally competent graduates, this paper highlights the imperative of well-informed institutions. These institutions, it argues, should not only champion the significance of teaching and learning but also conscientiously safeguard finite global resources. Acting as a guidepost for the journey ahead, this paper illuminates a path toward creating an educational landscape that aligns with contemporary challenges and strives to meet the evolving demands of the future. In doing so, it contributes to the ongoing discourse on advancing pedagogical practices for holistic higher education.
Copyright (c) 2025 Professor Earle Abrahamson, Dr Lisa Hatfield, Dr Corinne Green, Professor Nina Namaste, Professor Mayi Arcellana-Panlilio, Professor Michelle Eady https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Embedding Generative AI as a digital capability into a year-long skills program.
The arrival of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) into higher education has significantly transformed assessment practices and pedagogical approaches. Large Language Models (LLMs) powered by GenAI present unprecedented opportunities for personalised learning journeys. However, the emergence of GenAI in higher education raises concerns regarding academic integrity and the development of essential cognitive and creative skills among students. Critics worry about the potential decline in academic standards and the perpetuation of biases inherent in the training sets used for LLMs. Addressing these concerns requires clear frameworks and continual evaluation and updating of assessment practices to leverage GenAI's capabilities while preserving academic integrity. Here, we evaluated the integration of GenAI into a year-long MSc program to enhance student understanding and confidence in using GenAI. Approaching GenAI as a digital competency, its use was integrated into core skills modules across two semesters, focusing on ethical considerations, prompt engineering, and tool usage. The assessment tasks were redesigned to incorporate GenAI, which takes a process-based assessment approach. Students' perceptions were evaluated alongside skills audits, and they reported increased confidence in using GenAI. Thematic analysis of one-to-one interviews revealed a cyclical relationship between students' usage of GenAI, experience, ethical considerations, and learning adaptation.
Generative AI, Artificial Intelligence, GenAI, Assessment, Process base assessment, Curriculum design, Skills Development, Competency Base Assessment, Higher Education
Copyright (c) 2025 Prof David P. Smith, Dami Sokoya , Skye Moore, Chinenye Okonkwo , Charlotte Boyd , Dr Melissa M. Lacey, Dr Nigel J. Francis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Who Decides?: A Review of Challenges of the Discourse around Teaching Excellence
The notion of ‘teaching excellence’ is complex and multi-faceted, and this raises questions around what ‘excellent’ teaching looks like. Similarly, the criteria for teaching excellence awards in different countries and contexts seem to be particularly vague. This paper draws on the existing literature from over thirty years (1992–2024) on the political and organisational discourse around excellence in higher education, the impact of attempting to measure excellence, and how related award schemes recognise teaching excellence. It aims to highlight some of the challenges of this topic, while also encouraging policy makers, leaders, and educational practitioners to reflect on how different terms are used, to consider whose view of excellence is being applied, and to collaborate on a move towards greater clarity around defining and developing excellence in practice.
Copyright (c) 2025 Claire Goode https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Reluctant, Ambivalent and Progressive: Educators’ attitudes towards the use of generative artificial intelligence in Enabling Education
The integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into higher education has recently become a significant topic of discussion, especially in Enabling Education. Enabling Education programs are designed to prepare students for undergraduate studies by developing foundational literacy skills. However, many educators grapple with whether GenAI is an appropriate tool for supporting students' learning needs or whether it undermines the development of core academic literacies. This study comprises a survey with academics from Enabling programs at 14 universities across Australia. The survey explores educators’ perspectives toward GenAI tools, including their own use of AI-generated content in teaching and their views on students utilising these tools. Our findings show that educators’ perspectives can be categorised as Traditionalist (GenAI’s disruption viewed as a threat to learning), Progressive (GenAI’s opportunities viewed as beneficial to learning), and Ambivalent (GenAI viewed with uncertainty or a mixture of Progressive and Traditionalist ideas). However, these perspectives are expressed in complex and nuanced ways, with educators often holding a range of views that reveal the complicated impact of GenAI. Understanding these perspectives is crucial for addressing potential barriers and facilitating the effective implementation of GenAI in Enabling education.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI)
Copyright (c) 2025 Trixie James, John Pike, Grant Andrews, James Valentine, Michael Brickhill, Julie Sharp, Tamra Ulpen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
From boredom to breakthrough: Teacher and student engagement in online and face-to-face contexts in English as a Foreign Language classrooms
Teacher boredom is a significant yet underexplored issue in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classrooms in Saudi Arabia, often intertwined with student disengagement, particularly in the context of dual teaching modalities: offline and online. This qualitative study aimed to investigate the factors contributing to teacher boredom, the strategies employed to mitigate it, and the interrelationship between teacher and student boredom in both teaching environments. Seventy one EFL teachers from diverse backgrounds participated in the study, completing an open-ended questionnaire. Thematic analysis revealed that monotonous routines, technological challenges, and student disengagement were the primary factors contributing to teacher boredom. Teachers employed various coping strategies, including interactive activities, multimedia tools, and humour, to address these challenges. However, the effectiveness of these strategies varied between offline and online settings. In offline classrooms, teachers relied on direct interaction and relational pedagogical methods, while online environments necessitated the use of technological and multimedia resources. The findings also revealed a cyclical relationship between teacher and student boredom, showing the need for targeted interventions that address the needs of both groups. This study contributes to a nuanced understanding of teacher boredom in the Saudi EFL context and provides practical insights for fostering engagement in diverse teaching modalities. The findings call for professional development, curriculum flexibility, and stronger technological infrastructure to support effective teaching.
Copyright (c) 2025 Mohammad Al-khresheh, Sami Alanazi https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Great Expectations: An Exploration of Confidence and Knowledge in Commencing Higher Education Students
Higher education providers are facing increasing pressure to support students along their education-employment pathway. One of the challenges in supporting students is understanding the expectations that they bring with them when commencing higher education. To effectively support students higher education providers, need to empower students and understand their knowledge gaps to provide a tailored approach to support. Expectations can be driven both by thoughts and feelings, and the relationship between these can have profound implications. Drawing on psychological theories (e.g. the Dunning Kruger Effect and imposter syndrome) alongside educational theory (e.g. transitional pedagogy), the present study adopts a survey-based approach to understanding the relationship between confidence and knowledge of career outcomes, and the student factors that influence them. Findings show that most students were entering university with high levels of confidence that their course would lead towards their career goal. Interestingly, low levels of confidence, where present, were not associated with demographic factors (e.g. first-in-family), but instead with degree type and knowledge of career outcomes. More than 40% of participants had high confidence regarding career outcomes despite displaying limited knowledge about such outcomes. These findings present universities with a challenging task and suggest that promoting confidence and knowledge regarding career outcomes amongst students should start by considering the type of degree they enrolled into.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Kate Kelly, Dr Edward Lock https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Reconceptualising the role of academic language and learning advisers in the artificial intelligence age
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools are profoundly transforming learning, teaching and assessment in higher education. These tools present a major challenge for academic language and learning (ALL) advisers, as they are increasingly capable of performing many of the individual learning support functions that ALL advisers have traditionally provided to students. This conceptual article reimagines the role of ALL advisers in an AI-dominated world. It argues refocusing on four areas of practice: professional learning for educators, AI literacy, peer learning communities, and self-regulated learning. By embracing these areas of practice, and through collaboration with other third space professionals, ALL advisers can leverage the opportunities presented by AI to adopt a leading role in building staff and student
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrew Kelly, Katrina Strampel, Andrea Lynch https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0