ELEHE: editorial for Vol 6 No 1

Editorial

Anna Crouch, Rachel Maunder, Simon Sneddon, Scott Turner

Abstract

Editorial for the 2014 issue

Full Text:

PDF

References

Kell, P. and Vogl, G. (2012) International students in the Asia Pacific: mobility, risks and global optimism. Springer.

National Union of Students (2012) Student experience research 2012: Part 1: Teaching and learning: Student experience research to gain insight into the quality of the learning experience. National Union of Students. Available at: http://www.nus.org.uk/PageFiles/12238/2012_NUS_QAA_Teaching_and_Learning.pdf (accessed 7/12/14)

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

New Edition of ELEHE published

Vol 6, No 1 (2014)

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14234/elehe.v6i1

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial	PDF
Anna Crouch, Rachel Maunder, Simon Sneddon, Scott Turner	1-3

Articles

Understanding student engagement with social entrepreneurship: a case study of the University of Northampton	PDF
Terry Louis Tudor, Cleber Dutra	4-20

Learning from student expectations of higher education: a study in a public university in Malaysia	PDF
Premalatha Karupiah, Intan Hashimah Mohd Hashim, Norzarina Mohd-Zaharim	21-34

Big Ears – sonic art for public ears: Reflections on collaborative training	PDF
Franziska Schroeder, Koichi Samuels, Tullis Rennie	35-48

Work in progress

Using focus groups to enhance student voice: a work-in-progress exploration of student learning experiences in large classes	PDF
Caitlin C Finlayson	49-52

Book reviews

International Students in the Asia Pacific – Mobility, Risks and Optimism (Peter Kell & Gillian Vogl, 2012)	PDF
Rashmi Dravid	53-55

ISSN: 2041-3122

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

News: We are getting DOIs

For the next edition of the journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education DOIs will be generated for each issue, article and supplementary file. 

We are always looking for new articles. Details on the journal, including submission details, can be found at http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/about  



The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Call for papers: deadline 4th September 2013

Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education (ELEHE) is an open-access international peer-reviewed online journal, enthusiastically addressing the challenge of enhancing learning in Higher Education. The journal seeks to explore innovations which impact on student learning, and to share effective practice across different contexts. It aims to enhance the student experience of learning by an engaged commitment to the student voice.  We welcome papers which embrace the journal theme in flexible ways, incorporating interesting and innovative techniques which have been shown to impact positively on students. In line with the aims and scope of the journal, we seek articles which actively incorporate the student voice. The journal website outlines the focus and scope along with author guidelines. The deadline for submissions for the next edition is 4th September 2013.

ISSN: 2041-3122

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

update: Special edition on internationalisation

This special edition showcases seven articles on aspects of internationalising the student experience. Each article was originally a final assessed report from participants in the University of Northampton's innovative Postgraduate Certificate in Enhancing the International Student Experience.

Table of Contents

• Editorial John Butcher 1
• Introduction from guest editor Dave Burnapp 2-4

      Articles

• Improving the provision of pre-arrival information and support to international students via the use of online resources Shelley Webster 5-19
• Online support in study skills for international students at UCLAN Paul James Reid 20-30
• The Provision of Induction Activities for Imperial College London’s Collaborative PhD Students Helen Challis 31-44
• Assessment and International Students – black African Social Work students Angie Bartoli 45-58
• Boundaries, Processes and Participation: Integrating peer support through a buddy scheme Roanna Alexandra Pain 59-73
• Internationalisation in the UK HEI sector: a case study of the development of a collaborative Masters programme between the University of Northampton and the University of Madras Terry Louis Tudor 74-84
• Enhancing the International Advisory Service at the University of Edinburgh Kim Pearson 85-94

ISSN: 2041-3122



The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education Vol 4 Issue 2012

Vol 4, No 1 (2012)

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial	PDF
Rachel Maunder, Scott Turner, Simon Sneddon, Anna Crouch	1-2

Articles

Students’ views on higher education learning environments for professional teacher education	PDF
Diane Stoncel, Ann Shelton-Mayes	3-16

Assessing the impact of students facilitating workshops within the context of a collaborative cross institution project	PDF
Grant Petrey	17-31

An action research project to explore the effect of a pre-assessment intervention with undergraduate occupational therapy students	PDF
Anita Volkert	32-43

An exploration of the motivations of service users and carers involved in student social work education and the challenges that such involvement brings	PDF
Valerie Gant	44-58

Critical case studies

Using culturally relevant case studies to enhance students’ learning: a reflective analysis of the benefits and challenges for social work students and academics	PDF
Prospera Sorviel Tedam	59-69

Work in progress

Coping with the first fail: a strategic approach to student retention	PDF
Simon Smith, Andrea Lee	70-74

Book reviews

Helping Doctoral Students Write – pedagogies for supervision	PDF
Nick Sutcliffe	75-77

ISSN: 2041-3122

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Editorial Vol 3 No 1 - John Butcher

I am delighted to welcome readers to the third edition of Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education (ELEHE), published as an open access journal by the University of Northampton. This special issue presents seven articles which were prepared by participants on a ground-breaking postgraduate course run by the University of Northampton for university staff across the UK who work with international students, including support staff, international office staff, and academic staff. The articles presented in this issue of the journal were originally produced as the final assessment on the Postgraduate Certificate in Enhancing the International Student Experience course. As such, participants were required to outline amendments to their professional practice which incorporated the aims and intended outcomes of the course. Hence each of these articles represents reflective work in progress, contextualised in relation to their own roles, their own institutions and issues identified in the 
literature. I am pleased that Dr Dave Burnapp, the course leader who instigated the idea, has contributed an Introduction which contextualises the significance of the internationalisation agenda in HE, and an overview of each of the articles.


The course itself, and this special edition of the journal, complement the University of Northampton’s fourth Learning and Teaching conference Learning Global, which addressed the importance of internationalisation for universities, and in particular for learners in HE, and itself featured a pre-conference ‘Strategic Implications of Internationalising HE’ event showcasing a research project funded by the Higher Education Academy. The contemporary relevance of the internationalisation theme can be judged from the global attendees at the conference (including colleagues from Russia, China, Australia, the US and Nigeria) and the lively interest in issues around employability and assessment for international students, the role of technology in enhancing the international learner experience, and the challenge of transnational learning opportunities.


Importantly, the conference papers presented at Learning Global, and the articles included in this edition of ELEHE, offer a critical exploration of issues related to internationalising the curriculum, supporting international students and developing transnational learning partnerships. They all signpost the challenges faced by university staff and international learners in creating high quality student learning experiences. As such, they fulfil the original purpose of ELEHE, highlighted in my first editorial, to engage with the learner voice and use it to provide a research-informed critique of contemporary debates in HE.

So, congratulations to this sample of course participants who have become authors of journal articles – their persistence in adapting a piece of assessed work for publication offers another example of engagement with the student voice in enhancing the learner experience.

I am grateful, as ever, to the anonymous reviewers (drawn from the journal’s international editorial board and institutional advisory board) who diligently read and offered advice on each of the original articles

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial	PDF
John Butcher	1

Introduction from guest editor	PDF
Dave Burnapp	2-4

Articles

Improving the provision of pre-arrival information and support to international students via the use of online resources	PDF
Shelley Webster	5-19

Online support in study skills for international students at UCLAN	PDF
Paul James Reid	20-30

The Provision of Induction Activities for Imperial College London’s Collaborative PhD Students	PDF
Helen Challis	31-44

Assessment and International Students – black African Social Work students	PDF
Angie Bartoli	45-58

Boundaries, Processes and Participation: Integrating peer support through a buddy scheme	PDF
Roanna Alexandra Pain	59-73

Internationalisation in the UK HEI sector: a case study of the development of a collaborative Masters programme between the University of Northampton and the University of Madras	PDF
Terry Louis Tudor	74-84

Enhancing the International Advisory Service at the University of Edinburgh	PDF
Kim Pearson	85-94

ISSN: 2041-3122


To see all the articles in this volume go to:
http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/issue/view/3

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Editorial Vol 2 No 1 - John Butcher

It gives me great pleasure to welcome readers to the second edition of Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education (ELEHE), the University of Northampton’s flagship open access e-journal. If this is the first time you have come across this journal, I sincerely hope you enjoy what you read and feel able to recommend it to colleagues. As explained in the inaugural editorial, ELEHE is a fully refereed English language journal with an international outlook, addressing the emerging field of enhancement in higher education as it impacts on learners. The journal has a serious mission, to provide HE colleagues internationally an opportunity to publish and read scholarly work investigating the learner experience across all forms of higher education. We are driven by a commitment to participatory modes of research, especially research which explores the student journey through the student voice. Recognising scholarship around the learner experience is being undertaken by lecturers, researchers, study support staff, academic developers, librarians and policymakers, we take a broad view of our 
potential audience for this journal, and welcome both dialogue about what has been published, 
and potential contributions.

In the nine months that have elapsed since my first editorial, the even more volatile context in which HE operates seems to provide an especially pressing rationale for a journal researching the learner experience. In the UK, and globally, government spending cuts are likely to drive a
significant reconceptualisation of the student learning experience in HE. Issues likely to impact include: the rapid rise in attention given to the learning quality agenda (at a time of significant increases in fees); the increased scrutiny given to ‘graduateness’ and employability skills at a time of rising unemployment; the demand for greater flexibility in the delivery of learning, including the embedding of technology-enhanced learning as part of an enhanced learning experience.

Given all these external issues, in this second edition of ELEHE I am delighted to publish a range of articles which provide an evidence base from which to prompt critical reflection on the need to enhance the learning experience, and the barriers that might still inhibit student success. A key theme in this edition is inclusion: the extent to which universities which pronounce themselves committed to widening participation and broadening access need to scrutinise their activities to ensure a positive learning experience for all students. For example, the importance of pedagogic partnerships to scaffold the transition into HE is outlined in Lumsden et al, with a recognition that prior learning experiences need to be taken into account to increase retention and achievement for potentially vulnerable Education students. Related to this, the experience of dyslexic and non-dyslexic students on professional health courses are compared in Crouch’s article, with the support provided by Personal Academic Tutors highlighted. Extending our understanding of inclusivity in relation to HE assessment practices, Butcher et al researched some ‘hard-to-reach’ and struggling students, and as a result recommend fair and transparent assessment systems which allow all students to demonstrate what they know and can do.

A second theme arose from the university’s recent Learning Dialogues conference, at which the article from Powis was originally presented as a paper. In this, he emphasises the opportunity for universities to take account of student needs and preferences in relation to learning spaces, particularly the recognition of the places where extended learning takes place. His recommendation that universities ‘build-in’ the affective dimension for learners into their building plans is a valuable one. Related to this recognition of what students bring to their learning (and what assumptions cannot be made), Towle and Howe describe a useful methodology to elicit understanding of learners’ prior journeys through educational technology.

A third, and perhaps overarching theme, is provided by Northcott, who demonstrates the importance of Continuing Professional Development for education professionals, and its sustained impact on learner-centred teaching.

All these articles suggest the enhancement of the learner experience in HE is worthy of close scrutiny. I hope you find this second edition useful, stimulating and informative.

I am very grateful to all the authors for submitting their work for peer review, and to the anonymous reviewers (drawn from the journal’s international editorial board and institutional advisory board) for their hard work in reading and commenting on articles so promptly. The aspiration remains that ELEHE will be a biennial publication, and we aim to publish our third edition early summer 2011. For the first time, this will be a special themed edition, focussing on international dimensions to the learner experience. It will complement our next Learning and Teaching conference ‘Learning Global’ (May 2011). I look forward to receiving potential articles from a wide range of authors, addressed through:

• Substantive credible research of 4-6,000 words
• Critical case studies of institutional practice
• Shorter accounts of work in progress

Please contact the editor if you or your colleagues have ideas which merit dissemination through Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education.

Table of Contents

Editorial

Editorial	PDF
John Butcher	1-2

Articles

"We always come here" : investigating the social in social learning	PDF
Chris Powis	3-11

Collaborative practice in practice in enhancing the first year experience in Higher Education	PDF
Eunice Lumsden, Heather Mcbryde-Wilding, Hannah Rose	12-24

How might inclusive approaches to assessment enhance student learning in HE?	PDF
John Butcher, Paul Sedgwick, Lisa Lazard, Jayne Hey	25-40

‘Years after the course’: dialogues with mid-career practitioners about the resilience of professional learning from a higher education CPD programme	PDF
Joy Northcott	41-55

Experiences of non-dyslexic and dyslexic nursing and midwifery students: how best can their needs be met by Personal Academic Tutor support?	PDF
Anna Crouch	56-73

Work in progress

Transitions in higher education with technology and learning: methods for elicitation	PDF
Gemma Towle, Rob Howe	74-83

ISSN: 2041-3122


To see all the articles in this volume go to:
http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/issue/view/2

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Guest introduction - internationalisation

Abstract

For this special edition on internationalisation, Dr Dave Burnapp contextualises the articles in relation to their origins as assignments on the PG Certificate in Enhancing the International Student Experience.

Full Text: PDF

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

update: call for papers

Call for papers:The future of learning and teaching in Higher Education

Enhancing the Learners Experience in Higher Education (ELEHE) is an open-access international peer-reviewed online journal, enthusiastically addressing the challenge of enhancing learning in Higher Education. The journal seeks to explore innovations which impact on student learning, and to share effective practice across different contexts. It aims to enhance the student experience of learning by an engaged commitment to the student voice. Details about the journal focus and scope, along with author guidelines can be found here

ISSN: 2041-3122

Journal and submission details can be found at http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/about


Submission: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/author/submit/1 

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Enhancing the International Advisory Service at the University of Edinburgh

Kim Pearson

Abstract

The University of Edinburgh has a long- standing reputation as a globally recognized institution; having been at the forefront of international education since its founding in 1583. In recent years the University has striven to retain a strong position in the global arena, in terms of research, quality and accessibility of education and overall international influence. The University’s internationalization strategy sets out a plan to maintain the institution’s global standing, but also proposes a number of long-term aims. These include increasing the number of international students as well as facilitating globalization by embedding it in the ethos of the institution; something which is certainly of crucial importance in today’s multinational society (University of Edinburgh, 2009).

Full Text: PDF

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Call for papers:The future of learning and teaching in Higher Education

Call for papers:The future of learning and teaching in Higher Education

ELEHE is an open-access international peer-reviewed online journal, enthusiastically addressing the challenge of enhancing learning in Higher Education. The journal seeks to explore innovations which impact on student learning, and to share effective practice across different contexts. It aims to enhance the student experience of learning by an engaged commitment to the student voice. The deadline for submissions for the next edition under the theme of 'The future of learning and teaching in Higher Education' is 1st March 2013. However, we welcome papers at all times. Details about the journal focus and scope, along with author guidelines can be found here

ISSN: 2041-3122

Journal and submission details can be found at http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/about

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Coping with the first fail: a strategic approach to student retention

Coping with the first fail: a strategic approach to student retention

Simon Smith, Andrea Lee

Abstract

This short report presents the findings of a pilot study conducted to tackle student attrition within year 1 undergraduate business school programmes. The approach tracks across a year of study 13 Accounting and Finance students (the business programmes with distinctly the worst attrition statistics) from a cohort of 92 who failed their very first assessment in higher education. A variety of interventions were used within an action research approach, including interviews, coaching and general academic skills support classes. 12 of these 13 ‘at risk’ students successfully passed their year of study and continued their studies within the institution. Ultimately, the study presents an alternative and strategic micro-level approach that could prove useful in the continuous efforts towards improving student retention.

Keywords

Student Retention; Undergraduate Learning; Coaching

Full Text: PDF
The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Editorial - 2012

Editorial

Rachel Maunder, Scott Turner, Simon Sneddon, Anna Crouch

Abstract

An introduction to this re-launch edition of the journal by the new members of the editorial team

Full Text: PDF


The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Using culturally relevant case studies to enhance students’ learning: a reflective analysis of the benefits and challenges for social work students and academics

Using culturally relevant case studies to enhance students’ learning: a reflective analysis of the benefits and challenges for social work students and academics

Prospera Sorviel Tedam

Abstract

‘Internationalising the curriculum’, ‘multi-cultural education’, ‘culturally sensitive’ education, and ‘culturally competent teaching’ are terms often used to describe teaching and learning which provides opportunities for learning about multiple and diverse contexts in which specific aspects of knowledge can be applied. In social work education, there is a growing call for an international outlook in teaching and practice learning to enhance the experiences of learners and also to prepare graduates for working in a global context. Using a case study approach, this article will explore the particular experiences of a student of Zimbabwean origin and the adoption of an African focussed example used to facilitate the particular student’s learning. In particular, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (1977) will be discussed drawing upon themes and ideas from Africa with the aim of demystifying and making accessible social work theory to a diverse student group. The paper concludes that the use of culturally relevant case studies is an effective and beneficial strategy to engage a diverse student group and calls academics to make creative and innovative use of their skills, knowledge and expertise in the area of social work pedagogy.

Keywords

African students; international social work; cross-cultural education; social work education; social work theory

Full Text: PDF

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

An exploration of the motivations of service users and carers involved in student social work education and the challenges that such involvement brings

An exploration of the motivations of service users and carers involved in student social work education and the challenges that such involvement brings

Valerie Gant

Abstract

Since the inception in 2003 of the degree-based route for social work qualification, the General Social Care Council (GSCC) requires people who use social work services and carers to become involved in all aspects of a learners experience on qualifying social work programmes. This article reports on a qualitative study designed to explore the motivations and challenges such involvement brings. The aim was to incorporate the voices of those involved and add to the discourse on user and carer involvement in higher education. A series of focus groups occurred to investigate differing perspectives. Views from all parties regarding the learner experience were explored. Findings suggest that students had much to gain in terms of confidence and skills by involvement by users and carers from theoretical and practical perspectives. Service users and carers reported they enjoyed the experience and for some this also lead to an increase in confidence and abilities. Academic staff reported how the involvement of service users and carers brought value and ‘reality’ to classroom based learning. In conclusion, moving beyond the boundaries of ‘traditional’ classroom based learning, towards the myriad of possibilities user and carer involvement in the curriculum brings, enhances the experience of learners, academics, users and carers alike.

Keywords

Service user and carer involvement; higher education; social work

Full Text: PDF

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Assessment and International Students – black African Social Work students

Angie Bartoli

Abstract

This evaluative study focuses on the perceptions of black African (international and home) students on an under-graduate social work programme. In particular this paper will consider the more traditional assessment of examinations, where the students perceived that their grades were higher due to a familiarity with the assessment strategy. In contrast, they referred to the bewildering ‘other world’ of less familiar assessment processes which demanded a deeper level of critical thinking skills for example in assignments. This evaluation aims to consider whether the African students’ perceptions that their academic grades fared better dependent on the assessment process is in fact a reality compared to other less familiar ones.

link PDF

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index

Voices from the chat rooms: research into the experiences of Chinese students participating in transnational education programmes as reported on internet social networks

Dave Burnapp, Wei Zhao

Abstract

This paper reports on research using postings on websites and online discussion boards to explore the experiences of Chinese students participating in transnational education programmes. It develops the concept of Virtual Third Spaces and establishes themes for future research which will use primary data collection methods. The themes identified relate to: differences in the theories of education; differences in the study methods; issues relating to choice, change, and personal development; quality of the courses and colleges providing the courses; and recognition of qualifications. Issues relating to the use of English as the medium of instruction permeate all these other themes.

Full Text: PDF

The Journal Enhancing the Learner Experience in Higher Education can be found at: http://journals.northampton.ac.uk/index.php/elehe/index