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.
Teacher leadership in higher education: A theoretical review
Higher education is an essential context for studying teacher leadership. It is a dynamic field that creates a challenging continuously renewed work environment for teachers with multiple changing roles and targets, including cross-boundary teaching, development work, and leadership assignments. The objective of this theoretical review is to investigate the specific features of teacher leadership discussed in the higher education literature and, in doing so, generate a theoretical model. With reference to previous literature reviews focusing on teacher leadership in other contexts, this study presents a theoretical review of 77 peer-reviewed articles on the topic of teacher leadership solely in the higher education context. A key outcome of the review is the presentation of a new model of teacher leadership that incorporates possible manifestations of teacher leaders’ influence and reflects peculiarities of teacher leadership in the higher education context, such as discipline advocacy and quality stewardship as principles of leadership, and identity management as a contingency dimension in facilitating leadership practice. In guiding the future orientation of teacher leadership research in higher education, the study introduces the concept of polarity to discuss controversies within teacher leadership in higher education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ksenia Visser, Johanna Annala, Vesa Korhonen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Editorial: Purpose-Driven Learning in Universities and Its Role for Societal Impact
Universities are increasingly challenged to respond to global sustainability crises, shifting workforce demands, and the expectations of Generation Z learners who seek meaningful, socially conscious education. This editorial positions purpose-driven learning as a transformative approach for higher education—one that aligns institutional missions, curricula, research, and partnerships with societal needs. Drawing on the diverse contributions within this Special Issue, we identify three global patterns shaping the future of purpose-driven universities: the integration of purpose and societal impact into strategic and curricular structures; the rising demand from students for learning that aligns with their values and contributes to real-world change; and the growing emphasis on research systems and institutional capacities, particularly in the majority world, that enable universities to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Purpose-driven learning has been shown to nurture intrinsically motivated, resilient, and impact-oriented learners while encouraging universities to re-examine their identity and contribution to society. We argue that the next phase of development requires longitudinal evidence, cross-disciplinary expansion, and institutional ecosystems that support authenticity, agency, and real-world relevance in learning. This editorial calls for deeper scholarship and sustained commitment to purpose-driven education as a pathway for universities to drive social and environmental progress.
Copyright (c) 2026 Lok Boon Thian, Chee Leong Lim, Debbie Haski-Laventhal, Anil Khamis, Pradeep Nair https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
From Experimentation to Integration: Embedding GenAI in Business Higher Education through the Lens of Constructive Alignment
As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT rapidly enter higher education, business educators face increasing pressure to integrate these technologies meaningfully into curricula. While emerging literature discusses AI integration in higher education broadly, limited empirical research has examined its practical application and pedagogical impact within business school contexts. This study addresses this gap by analysing 17 cases of GenAI adoption at one of Russel Group universities in UK during its first year of implementation. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, the research examines current practices of AI integration into the business curriculum, along with associated benefits, challenges, and influencing factors across cases. The findings reveal a clear trade-off between depth of integration and educational impact: curriculum-integrated modules reported enhanced student engagement, performance, and employability, while fragmented approaches were more susceptible to issues such as ethical concerns, overreliance, and inequality. The study extends Biggs’ theory of constructive alignment by demonstrating how GenAI can be embedded into existing pedagogical strategies without requiring full curriculum redesign. It offers both theoretical insights and practical guidance for aligning GenAI with strategic learning outcomes, supporting more coherent and sustainable adoption in business higher education.
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI)
Copyright (c) 2026 Xue Zhou, Qianqian Chai, Bhuvana Chilukuri, Jasmine Jing Yian Quach https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Belonging, Defined: A Delphi Consensus on What Matters in Higher Education
Belonging is increasingly positioned as central to student success, retention, equity, and mental health in higher education policy and practice. Yet the construct remains conceptually fragmented, with hundreds of different measures in use and limited agreement about what belonging fundamentally comprises. This lack of clarity constrains evaluation, comparison across studies, and institutional action. We conducted a three-round Delphi study to identify core components of belonging in higher education. Drawing on published definitions identified in a prior systematic review, an international panel of students and sector experts iteratively prioritised and refined descriptors. Twelve descriptors reached consensus, including being accepted, included, connected, valued, respected, safe, cared about, and feeling that one matters. These were organised into five interpretative domains: recognition and inclusion; community connectedness; ease and security; perceived care and support; and relational cohesion. This new consensus-derived framework provides a clearer conceptual foundation to guide measurement development and selection, as well as the design and evaluation of belonging-focused initiatives. In doing so, this framework can help researchers and policymakers identify and evaluate effective approaches to developing student belonging in practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Clara Armstrong-McDowell, Michael Priesltey, Hina Naela, Jiachen Ma, Chengyang Li, Mya Chaaban, Siyu Wu, Siyuan Chen, Nicola Byrom https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Teaching with Generative Artificial Intelligence: Enhancing Critical Thinking and Ethical Awareness in Academic Writing
This article explores the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in an English course for Academic and Professional Communication, situated within the broader context of digital transformation in higher education and the evolving demands of academic integrity. Rather than restricting AI use, the study adopts a critical digital pedagogy approach to foster students' awareness of ethical and effective engagement with AI tools. The activities were designed to encourage reflective practices, promote critical analysis of AI-generated content, and establish clear guidelines for responsible use. These activities include setting explicit expectations for AI-assisted work, integrating reflective assessments to evaluate AI outputs, and designing tasks that strengthen students’ critical thinking and academic integrity. Additionally, the approach aims to improve students’ retention of the course content by encouraging them to use AI not as a shortcut, but as a means to actively reflect, process, and engage with the material explained in class. By interacting with AI to rephrase, question, edit, or elaborate on key concepts, students become more conscious of the content, reinforcing understanding and promoting deeper learning. The results suggest that the students developed a more nuanced understanding of the capabilities and limitations, enabling them to engage with it as a support tool rather than a substitute for the original work. The study concludes that structured integration of AI can enhance students' digital literacy, content retention, and critical thinking skills in the academic context.
Special Issue: Generative AI Ethical Landscapes
Copyright (c) 2026 Hanane Benali Taouis , Almudena Díaz García https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Is Generative Artificial Intelligence a Social Other for Parasocial Support in a Loneliness Epidemic?
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is increasingly being used in higher education not only for academic tasks, but as a form of social support. Students are turning to GenAI for reassurance, planning, emotional regulation, and rehearsal of difficult conversations, often in private and outside institutional view. And universities are rapidly introducing chatbots and social AI into their support services to ‘scale’ student wellbeing. This Commentary argues that GenAI can function as a low-risk social other that supports temporary psychological safety and parasocial bonding, but cannot sustain the mutuality and embodied connections that underpin durable belonging. Drawing on emerging interdisciplinary evidence, it examines how GenAI may alleviate short-term distress while also reshaping help-seeking, peer interaction, and the social infrastructure of learning. It then considers how students, academics, and institutions are adopting GenAI for different reasons and with different risks, resulting in diffused responsibility for wellbeing outcomes. We conclude by calling for higher education research, policy, and practice to address GenAI as part of students’ relational ecosystems, with clear boundaries, transparency, and complementarity with human services. The central claim is that GenAI’s growing role in student wellbeing should be read as a signal of unmet human needs within contemporary higher education, not as a scalable replacement for connection.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Joseph Crawford, Associate Professor Kelly-Ann Allen, Professor Roy F. Baumeister, Professor Michael Cowling https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
From Classroom Design to Newsroom Practice: Designing GenAI Assessment Intervention
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) presents journalism educators with a paradox. It promises efficiencies and new creative possibilities for students, yet threatens academic integrity, authorship, and the core values of the profession. This paper presents a practice-based curriculum intervention based on an ethical framework that embeds GenAI into undergraduate journalism assessment. The framework integrates Colin Beard’s Experiential Learning Design with Bloom’s revised taxonomy to scaffold students’ movement from human-only reporting tasks to AI-integrated work and critical reflection. Qualitative data from a second-year journalism unit at an Australian global campus in Sarawak, Malaysia, reveal that students already use GenAI strategically but hold deep concerns about accuracy, originality and disclosure. These findings inform the design of authentic, scaffolded activities that aim to convert students’ intuitive concerns into explicit competencies in ethical decision-making, prompt engineering and verification. The paper contributes a model that links Australian and institutional quality expectations to the realities of GenAI in journalism education in Malaysia campus.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ik Ying Ngu, Denby Weller https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
The Essay and Multiple Choice Questionnaires Are Not Dead, But No Longer Enough: Generative AI and Assurance of Learning
Since the rapid normalisation of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in tertiary education, much scholarly and sector discourse has framed the technology in the binary as either a threat to academic integrity or a tool for enhancement. This Editorial argues that such framings obscure a more consequential issue: generative AI has not caused a crisis of assessment validity, but has exposed the limits of long-standing, artefact-based approaches to assurance of learning (AoL). Drawing on contemporary scholarship on post-plagiarism contexts, assurance of learning, academic integrity, and relational pedagogy, this Editorial examines why traditional reliance on essays and multiple-choice questionnaires is no longer sufficient to support defensible judgements about learning when authorship cannot be reliably observed. It argues for a shift from verification-focused assessment practices towards judgement-based, programmatic, and relational approaches that foreground transparency, process, and longitudinal evidence of learning. In doing so, the Editorial seeks to reorient debate within higher education away from detection and control, and towards the design of assessment systems capable of sustaining credible assurance of learning under conditions of epistemic uncertainty.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Joseph Crawford, Associate Professor Rachel Fitzgerald, Professor Louise Taylor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
From Policy to Pedagogy: The Role of Academic Development in Supporting Educators’ Ethical Decision-Making About Generative AI
As generative AI (GenAI) tools increasingly influence higher education, instructors face urgent decisions about how to address these technologies in their teaching, often without institutional policies or clear guidance. This study examines how academic development can support educators in making ethical, pedagogically sound decisions about GenAI integration. Grounded in a practitioner inquiry framework, we analyse data from a workshop, Communicating about Ethical AI Use with Learners. Participants engaged in structured reflection, peer discussion, and syllabus policy drafting activities designed to surface values, clarify learning goals, and build confidence in communicating course-level GenAI expectations. Findings from participant-surveys (pre- and posttests) and workshop artifacts reveal that faculty overwhelmingly emphasize academic integrity in discussions of course AI policies, but also express concerns about equity, access, and student learning. Participants reported increased confidence in their ability to create and communicate GenAI policies after engaging in the workshop. We argue that academic development functions as ethical infrastructure, offering not only policy templates but also reflective space to support human-centred and context-sensitive decision-making. This article contributes a practice-informed model of GenAI ethics that can guide faculty developers and instructors in designing responsive learning environments. It offers insights for those seeking to foster ethical awareness, transparency, and pedagogical intentionality in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.
Copyright (c) 2026 Breana Bayraktar, Dayna Henry, Jessica Taggart, Timothy Ball https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Between Promise and Practice: Bridging Ethical Artificial Intelligence Literacy Gaps Across Students, Educators, and Policy
Generative artificial intelligence has become part of everyday academic work despite many questions centring around its ethical, pedagogical, and institutional aspects. This paper synthesises the results of two questionnaire studies from the European higher educational context, one administered with students (n = 226) and another with instructors (n = 256). Parallel five-point scales measured AI literacy, motivation, ethics, intention, and support. Independent-samples t-tests revealed significant group differences: students rated their ethical awareness higher than instructors, while instructors reported stronger willingness to experiment with AI tools and reported higher behavioural intention, which might be because students tend to view ethics through their immediate coursework practices, whereas teachers interpret it through the lack of institutional clarity and treat is as a question of integrity. Cluster analysis of instructors identified three user groups that differed in several literacy dimensions, with the scale of ethics providing a clear distinction. Correlation analyses indicated that instructors’ moral awareness and intention grow parallel with institutional and social support, while students’ confidence and readiness correlate mostly with self-efficacy and collaboration rather than with formal instruction.
Copyright (c) 2026 Imre Fekete https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Authorship Statement for Generative Artificial Intelligence: Assuring Trust and Accountability
Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has accelerated the production of scholarly text, images, and analytic outputs, while simultaneously destabilising long-standing cues used to infer human authorship and scholarly accountability. As a result, manuscripts increasingly arrive with unclear boundaries between human contribution, tool-assisted editing, and tool-generated content, and these distinctions are rarely made explicit. This creates a veracity problem for readers and reviewers, uneven risk for authors, and governance challenges for journals seeking consistent peer review and editorial decision-making. This note articulates an updated and enforceable authorship position for the Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice (JUTLP), responding to five evolutions since our 2023 stance. These new evolutions since 2023 include: GenAI’s entangled and multimodal integration into scholarly workflows, partial convergence in publishing standards, heightened confidentiality and data governance risks, the post-plagiarism imperative to prioritise transparency over detection, and the increasing complexity of defining what constitutes ‘AI use’. We set out six commitments covering: specific disclosure requirements, prohibition of GenAI generating the manuscript’s substantive scholarly contribution, human centrality and confidentiality in peer review, conditions for transparent use of synthetic media, mandatory reflexivity when GenAI is used in methods or analysis, and the non-transferability of accountability away from named authors. This position aims to preserve trust in the scholarly record by making responsibility legible again.
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Joseph Crawford, Dr Alison J. Purvis, Dr Averil Grieve, Professor Louise Taylor https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Raising Ethical Awareness of GenAI Use Through Student Self-Assessment in the Transition to Higher Education
Raising students’ ethical awareness of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is critical as higher education responds to rapid technological change. This study investigates how guided reflection embedded within self‑assessment can support students to engage responsibly and confidently with GenAI in learning and assessment, while maintaining academic integrity. The self‑assessment, designed to foster readiness and learner agency, prompted students to reflect on their use of GenAI for critical thinking, writing, and understanding disciplinary concepts, positioning them as reflective practitioners capable of navigating ethical dimensions of AI use. Data were collected through pre‑ and post‑semester surveys administered to commencing university students. Likert‑scale items measured confidence in academic and digital literacies, while an open‑text response invited reflection on the ethical implications of GenAI. Qualitative data were thematically analysed to examine ethical engagement and emerging learner agency. Findings indicate that students recognised both the benefits and limitations of GenAI, demonstrating ethical awareness and critical evaluation of its role in academic work. Reflections revealed tensions between efficiency and academic integrity, as well as uncertainty about institutional expectations. Students also reported an increased sense of personal responsibility, describing the reflective process as confidence‑building during their transition to university study. The evolving role of educators involves supporting students to engage critically and responsibly with emerging technologies. Embedding GenAI‑focused reflection within self‑assessment reframes ethical inquiry as a pedagogical strategy. This study contributes to scholarship on ethical GenAI use and offers a scalable, student‑centred approach that can be adapted across disciplines and year levels.
Copyright (c) 2026 Michelle Pedlow, Justine Maldon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Navigating the Higher Education landscape: What hope do Enabling students have?
Navigating the landscape of Higher Education can be particularly challenging for Enabling students, with their ability to persevere and maintain feelings of ‘hope’ likely to impact their confidence to complete their Enabling program. This paper explores the impact of hope on student perseverance and progress within an Enabling program. Using data collected from in-depth interviews with two participants, we investigate how hope shapes students’ motivation, resilience, and ultimately their ability to cope with academic challenges. The findings reveal that hope serves as a critical psychological resource, fostering a sense of agency and goal-directed behaviour that can enable students to flourish in their educational journeys. Through interpreting participants’ experiences using the lens of hope theory (Snyder, 2000) educators in the Enabling space can better appreciate how students navigated obstacles and sustained their commitment to the program. This paper contributes to the understanding of hope as a vital resource in educational contexts, situated within the growing discourse on equity, access, and the emotional dimensions of learning in transitional educational contexts.
Copyright (c) 2026 Professor Tracey Muir, Dr Trixie James, Nicoli Barnes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Unpacking Influences of Socioeconomic status and Self-Regulation on Transition to Higher Education: A Systematic Review
This paper examines the impact of two key variables namely socioeconomic status (SES) and self-regulation on students' transition to higher education. A systematic review was conducted using the SCOPUS and Web of Science (WOS) databases, focusing on empirical studies published between 2013 and 2024. From this search, 71 relevant articles were identified. The analysis revealed that both SES and self-regulation significantly influence students' adjustment to higher education. Four key themes related to SES emerged: financial constraints and access limitations, family support, academic and social integration, and coping strategies. Similarly, four themes were identified for self-regulation: academic performance and success, cognitive regulation and learning strategies, emotion regulation and well-being, and motivation. The interplay between SES and self-regulation was also explored, underscoring the need for further research to promote inclusivity in higher education. Insights gained from this review highlight the importance of addressing individual differences, enabling institutions to better support students during their transition to university life. The review also acknowledges its limitations, calling for continued research in this field.
Copyright (c) 2026 Nazirah Mahmud, Márta Lesznyák https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Enabling Futures: Equity and Innovation in Higher Education
Widening participation (WP) in higher education (HE) remains a global “wicked problem,” marked by persistent structural inequities despite decades of reform. This editorial introduces the Fostering Inclusion in Higher Education: Global Approaches to Widening Participation special issue, situating Australia’s experience within an international dialogue on equity and innovation. In Australia, WP has evolved over more than 80 years, driven by intersecting imperatives of social justice and national economic development. Enabling programs, fee-free, preparatory pathways, represent a cornerstone of this agenda, providing accessible routes into university for students from low socioeconomic, Indigenous, regional, and other equity backgrounds. Rather than being simply remedial, these programs function as sites of social innovation, fostering confidence, capability, and transformative agency through pedagogies grounded in care and critical engagement. Their success in improving access, retention, and graduate outcomes underscores their role in meeting ambitious national targets, including those outlined in the Australian Universities Accord, and advancing global commitments such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. International comparisons reveal shared challenges, including deficit discourses and entrenched barriers, alongside common strategies that prioritise inclusive pedagogy and holistic support. By amplifying diverse perspectives and evidence-based practices, this special edition contributes to consolidating the knowledge base of Enabling education and its equivalents worldwide. Ultimately, WP is not merely about access but empowerment, transforming HE into an engine of equity and sustainability.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Stephen Miller, Dr Trixie James https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
The Four-Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) Model in Higher Education: A Systematic Literature Review
Complex skills development in higher education is constrained by fragmented instruction, limited support for whole-task learning and increased cognitive load in online and blended formats. The four-component instructional design (4C/ID) model has been proposed as a task-centred approach designed to address these challenges. This systematic review synthesises empirical applications of 4C/ID in higher education over the past three decades. Following PRISMA 2020, searches of six major databases covered January 1992 to 7 December 2025. Fourteen empirical studies met the inclusion criteria and were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Most were quasi-experimental (n = 10), with two mixed-methods and two pre–post studies; the pooled sample comprised 1,109 students. Research clustered in Asia and North America across education and educational technology, health and computing, with a few studies in language and architecture. Across studies, implementations emphasised whole-task sequencing, scaffold fading and coordinated supportive and procedural information, often supported by digital technologies. Evidence indicates consistent gains in performance and transfer outcomes. Well-sequenced guidance reduced extraneous load and supported germane processing, though intrinsic load was higher early in whole-task learning. Common limitations included small samples, non-random allocation and limited follow-up. Overall, 4C/ID shows promise for improving learning outcomes in higher education. Future work should broaden samples and contexts, strengthen designs, standardise outcome measures and report implementation fidelity to advance both research and practice.
Copyright (c) 2026 Guojuan Qi, Lingyun Ji, Associate Professor Yumei Zhang, Associate Professor Jamalsafri Bin Saibon https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
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
Reimagining success and failure: equitable assessment practices in an age of AI
With disruption comes the affordance to not only think about things differently, but to truly do things differently. In the context of Generative AI in higher education this holds unique promise on how students are assessed, particularly from the viewpoint of equity. For decades, assessments practices and designs have been flawed; compartmentalised, standardised, and as well documented, disadvantaging to many students. In this conceptual paper, we now explore how the emergence of GenAI may help to challenge entrenched and exclusionary notion of student success in two key dimensions: distribution of knowledge and agentic assessment. We argue that GenAI creates an opportunity to move away from assessment practices that sort and rank students toward approaches that recognise diverse ways of knowing. Thus, rather than viewing GenAI as a threat to academic integrity, we propose it as a catalyst for more equitable assessment that values collaboration and student agency over individual performance and predetermined standards.
Copyright (c) 2026 Professor Mollie Dollinger, Dr Juuso Nieminen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Generating a Student-Informed Teaching and Learning Conceptual Framework for GenAI in Business Schools: A Case Study
With the rise of GenAI, business schools must prepare students for a future workforce integrated with this technology. This paper details a case study from a UK business school that introduced GenAI into its curriculum for first-year undergraduates. Through a mixed-methods survey of 149 students, the study gathered feedback on newly implemented AI-focused learning activities. The findings reveal that students are highly engaged and recognise the necessity of developing GenAI skills for their future careers. Key areas of interest include the real-world business applications of AI, ethical considerations, and future technological advancements. A significant concern for students is the desire to use GenAI in their academic work without unintentionally committing academic misconduct. Based on student feedback and existing research, this study presents a new conceptual framework for integrating GenAI education throughout business degree programmes. It offers practical guidance for educators, including a scaffolded approach to learning activities and assessments across all undergraduate levels. This research contributes an innovative model for applied GenAI learning in business education, adding to the growing body of literature on student AI literacy.
Special Issue: GenAI in Learning and Teaching Discoveries
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Michael Drummond, Dr Gemma Dale https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Fostering the process of belonging online through teaching and learning interactions
There is an established relationship between teaching and learning practices and the drive to foster belonging in Australian universities towards improved student success and retention. This qualitative grounded theory study examined the experiences of first year students and teaching staff in ICT (Information Communication Technology) to develop a process of belonging online in higher education. We found belonging is fostered by connecting interactions online through signalling practices. Drawing on this process, this paper outlines the associated principles of fostering belonging in teaching and learning. These principles are: developing signalling skills, catering for signalling preferences, proactive adjusting and matching, providing opportunities through understanding students signalling preferences, and signalling for belonging and retention. Each principle aligns with known elements of belonging in online learning environments, such as interactivity and communication. The principles make a significant contribution to online teaching and learning in ICT by proposing easy to implement online pedagogical practices that foster belonging processes for diverse students, to support their retention and success.
Copyright (c) 2026 Karla Coutts, Dr Elicia Lanham, Dr Sophie Mckenzie, Professor Jane Mills https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Intercultural learning and motivation in the second language classroom: Intersecting teacher and student perspectives
The integration of cultural topics into second language (L2) teaching is widely acknowledged as a crucial component of effective pedagogy to enhance learners’ motivation and construction of multicultural and multilingual selves. Scholars have emphasised the embedded presence of culture in language education. However, explicit incorporation of cultural topics in formal L2 contexts often presents challenges, including potential misunderstandings, overgeneralisations, and the risk of perpetuating stereotypes. In this regard, recent research supports the use of nuanced teaching approaches that respect the cultural complexity presented by speech communities. Drawing on the concept of intercultural communicative competence acquired in the formal learning environment, this study (a) investigates how L2 teachers and students conceptualise intercultural teaching and learning and (b) examines the motivational role of cultural practices in language instruction in a range of European languages. Findings demonstrate that cultural topics in the L2 classroom uphold a strong motivational force. This is often dependent on the methods used to introduce cultural topics and their related resources. This study also sheds light on the multiple obstacles faced by teachers and students ranging from lack of adequate time to curriculum and study plan constraints.
Intercultural language teaching, Language learning motivation, Intercultural communication
Copyright (c) 2026 Giuseppe D'Orazzi, John Hajek 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
Can a Failure‑Focused Workshop Decouple Competence‑Contingent Enjoyment? Evidence from First‑Year University Students
Competence-contingent enjoyment refers to enjoyment that is dependent upon one’s perceived competence in an activity. Whilst common, this pattern can have negative implications for achievement, engagement, and well-being. This study examined whether competence-contingent enjoyment existed in first-year university students, and whether a failure-focused workshop could reduce it. In total, 391 students participated, with 117 in the experimental group and 274 in the control group. The experimental group attended a one-hour lecture emphasising the benefits of failure, then completed a circuits session consisting of six fun, but challenging, activities (e.g., unicycling and juggling). The activities were selected to provoke failure and encourage students to decouple competence from enjoyment. The control group completed the same circuits session without any failure-based framing and received the lecture at a later date. After the circuits session, students rated their perceived competence and enjoyment for each activity. Overall, Pearson’s correlations revealed strong, positive relationships between perceived competence and enjoyment in all six activities. However, the strength of this relationship did not differ between the experimental and control groups. This study is the first to establish competence-contingent enjoyment in a cohort of first-year university students, however, the decoupling intervention proved ineffective. Future research should explore design variations to support students’ enjoyment regardless of competence.
Copyright (c) 2026 Luke Wilkins, Kate Perry, Marlena Calo, Minh Huynh https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Beyond Task Completion: A Theoretical Integration and Framework for Guiding Students’ ChatGPT Use for Learning
ChatGPT’s intuitive interface and instant feedback can either support learning or enable superficial task completion, depending on how it is integrated into academic work. While generative AI has rapidly entered higher education, much existing guidance focuses on policy and academic integrity rather than explaining how AI use interacts with established mechanisms of learning. This conceptual paper contributes to this discussion by developing an explanatory framework for students’ ChatGPT use grounded in foundational learning theories. Drawing on cognitive load theory and goal orientation theory and incorporating self-efficacy and task relevance as mediating constructs, the study undertakes a theory-driven synthesis of four perspectives relevant to how students engage with complex academic tasks. The framework brings these perspectives together to clarify how cognitive demands, motivational orientations, perceived competence, and perceived task value may shape students’ decisions about when and how to rely on generative AI tools during academic work. The resulting framework illustrates how these mechanisms may influence whether generative AI is used as a scaffold supporting thinking and knowledge construction or as a shortcut that bypasses essential cognitive processes. The article concludes by illustrating how the framework may inform instructional design that aligns AI use with meaningful engagement in disciplinary tasks in higher education.
Copyright (c) 2026 Elise Øby https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Mapping the Integration of AI into Business Education: Insights from a Decade of Research
This study aims to systematically map the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence (AI) integration into business education, highlighting dominant research themes, emerging gaps, and future research directions. Adopting a bibliometric analysis framework, the study analyzed 213 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2024, extracted from the Dimensions database. Bibliographic coupling and co-word analysis, facilitated through VOSviewer, were employed to uncover intellectual structures, thematic clusters, and conceptual linkages within the field. The results identified four major research clusters: AI-driven business education transformation, innovative digital pedagogies, AI-enhanced personalization of learning, and business education aligned with the digital economy. Co-word analysis further revealed three conceptual trends: technological transformation, integration of generative AI tools, and advancements in educational quality. Persistent gaps emerged concerning curriculum coherence, educator readiness, and assessment validity. This study offers actionable guidance for educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers to design AI-integrated, ethically grounded, and adaptable business education models that meet the demands of an AI-driven global economy. This study provides a comprehensive, empirical foundation for future research agendas and strategic educational reforms
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr Laurence C. Espino, Dr Camille L. Espino https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
“An intelligent response to the modern student”: Enhancing flexibility with an institution-wide, no-questions-asked extension policy
Students are coming to university from non-traditional backgrounds and have substantial caring and work commitments. Our university recently introduced an extension policy that enables students to access a no-questions-asked, automatic 7-day extension on a single assessment item for each subject they enrol in. There is no requirement for students to provide a reason or supporting documents, or for academic approval. The aim of this study was to explore the value and impact of the extension policy from the perspectives of students and academic staff. In 2024, 19,469 students accessed at least one automatic 7-day extension. The most common enrolment type was undergraduate students studying part-time (41% of all students enrolled). This group had a significant increase in success rate across 2024 if they accessed the extension (6%, P<0.0001). Students (n=501) and academic staff (n=96) completed a survey. Students highlighted the advantages in reducing stress and helping to manage work-study-life balance. Students also appreciated that they did not need to disclose any personal circumstances. The main reasons that students provided for accessing the extension was to manage work demands and to manage stress, neither of which were reasons permissible using the formal extension policy. One student summarised the policy as ‘an intelligent response to the “modern student”’. Feedback from academic staff was polarising, with many highlighting the challenges of the extension policy, particularly on academic workload and negative impacts on student accountability. The academic staff who were in favour of the extension policy appreciated the need for enhanced flexibility.
Copyright (c) 2026 Associate Professor Kelly Linden, Dr Sarah Teakel, Dr Jackie Tinkler https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Bridging Theory and Practice: Designing Immersive Virtual Reality Environments for Legal Education
Although some research has explored the use of non-immersive technologies in legal education, there is a noticeable gap in the literature concerning the design and implementation of immersive virtual reality environments within the context of law clinics. This study explores the design features and relationships between key elements of immersive virtual reality (VR) environments tailored for legal clinics, aiming to bridge the gap between practice-based learning and theory-based methods in legal education. A Delphi study involving 20 expert panelists from diverse backgrounds, including VR design, instructional design, information technology law, and criminal law, was conducted. The study identified crucial design features that VR scenarios should incorporate, including realism, informative content, adaptive difficulty levels, and multiple outcome paths based on user responses. Additionally, the research highlighted the significance of VR environments offering high levels of realism, interactivity, diversity, ergonomic and universal design considerations, and cost-effectiveness and ease of use. The findings from this study not only align with existing research on VR design but also contribute fresh insights into the interplay between these design features. This research offers valuable theoretical and practical implications by shedding light on how VR environments can enhance both practice-oriented and theory-based legal education. Furthermore, it suggests a potential role map for guiding future studies in this domain. Given the ongoing evolution of legal clinics and educational technology, further research is warranted to explore the application of these VR design features in diverse learning contexts and to assess their effectiveness in fostering specific legal skills.
Copyright (c) 2026 Ezgi Doğan, Ferhan Şahin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
Hope and its Applications: A Scoping Review
Despite a growing recognition and empirical base on hope and its value in educational contexts, there has been limited research into hope and hope-related strategies for transforming higher education (HE) teaching and learning practices. We report on a scoping review to uncover current perspectives of hope as contemplated and applied in contemporary HE teaching-learning contexts. Our study draws from six databases (A+ Education, ERIC, Education Source, Education Research Complete, PsychINFO, and Scopus) and thematically analysed 16 studies across the last decade to understand their context, theoretical framing, and practice-based orientations. Our findings highlight the range, use, and value of research into hope expressed as a multidimensional construct and variously understood through individual, sociocultural, and critical perspectives. While many studies adopt an individual view of hope as a measurable trait linked to student wellbeing and academic success, others emphasise relational, collective and community-based approaches, or frame hope as a transformative, collective force for social and political change. Each perspective engendered associated hope-based practices ranging from goal-setting, mindfulness training, dialogic and caring relationships with educators and students to cultivating possible education futures and justice-oriented teaching. We argue that this diversity reflects both the richness and the generative tensions that are thinly understood within current hope scholarship. Our findings contribute to the interdisciplinary, institutional planning and development of hope-based curricula and approaches and have implications for HE practice and the scholarship of hope.
Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Elaine Khoo, Dr Alice Beban, Dr Clare M. Mouat, Kymberley Kennedy https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0
Students' Engagement with Online Quiz-Based Flipped Classroom: The role of Gender
The flipped classroom (FC) model is a modern instructional strategy utilized in schools, colleges, and universities, where pre-class resources are provided for students to access, followed by a more active approach to learning in the class session. Literature has indicated that students often fail to engage with the pre-class resources due to insufficient engagement and support techniques, or they do so only shortly before class, adversely affecting in-class learning activities. To address these challenges, we integrated online quizzes into pre-class recorded videos and incorporated cooperative learning theory into in-class sessions to encourage students to watch videos and enhance their learning engagement. A true experimental study involving 151 students was conducted, with participants randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group (n = 78) utilized the online quiz-based flipped classroom (OQFC) model, while the control group (n = 73) followed the conventional flipped classroom (CFC) model. The 8-week experiment conducted in an ICT class revealed that the OQFC model significantly increased students' behavioural, agentic, and emotional engagement compared to the CFC model. However, there was no significant difference in students' cognitive engagement between the OQFC and CFC models. The results also showed no significant effect of gender on students' engagement. The integration of a quiz-based strategy and cooperative learning theory into the FC model has demonstrated the potential to enhance the effectiveness of the CFC model. Therefore, it is recommended that educators consider adopting the OQFC model to improve students’ engagement and learning experiences.
Copyright (c) 2026 Kamaludeen Samaila, Hosam Al-Samarraie, Bronwen J Swinnerton 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