Dr Kieran Balloo

Background/context. Recent evidence indicates that adolescents experiencing mental distress might be more likely to go on to attend university than those with no symptoms of distress (Lewis et al., 2021). One explanation for this is that future university students might experience greater academic pressures than their peers, which results in heightened mental distress (Lewis et al., 2021; Luthar et al., 2020). However, the mechanisms behind such pressures are unclear. The initiative/practice. In this study, we anticipated that mental distress (consisting of anxiety/depressive symptoms, social dysfunction, and loss of confidence) experienced by future university students might be specifically due to the high-stakes qualifications needed for university admission. Drawing on social comparison theory (Festinger, 1954), we theorised that future university students might make upward social comparisons with peers who they anticipate will perform better than them, and that this causes mental distress. Methods of evaluative data collection and analysis. We conducted logistic regression analyses of longitudinal panel survey data from a population-representative cohort of approximately 8000 young people. Evidence of outcomes and effectiveness. Our analyses confirmed that high-stakes qualifications appeared to be the underlying mechanism causing mental distress. Adolescents with greater mental distress were more likely to attend university in general, as well as attend a more academically selective university. Mental distress symptoms were also greater for those who planned to apply for university, but did not actually attend. By age 25, symptoms were, on the most part, no longer elevated for those who attended, or had planned to attend, university. We argue for a need to target interventions at times when adolescents undertake high-stakes qualifications at school and university.

Background:Emotional problems in childhood and adolescence are serious global health care issues in today’s society (Merikangas et al., 2010). According to numerous recent epidemiology studies, emotional problems such as anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems in childhood and adolescence (Costello et al., 2003), affecting 15 to 32 % of children and adolescents (e.g. Essau et al., 2000; Merikangas et al., 2010). This high prevalence of emotional problems among children and adolescents is concerning. When left untreated, emotional problems that begin early in life tend to be chronic and have a negative course (Kessler et al., 1994) and serve as a risk factor for other mental disorders in later life (Essau et al., 2014). This picture is even more complex for children who are looked after by the state. Higher rates of mental health problems and emotional and behavioural difficulties have consistently been found in looked after children (Minnis et al., 2006; Sempik et al., 2008). The number of children admitted in childcare institutions in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) is increasingly alarming (UNICEF, 2009). There’s strong evidence that institutionalisation not only affects the child’s mental health and wellbeing, but can have a detrimental effect on a child’s ability to form attachments and relationships and thus affect their emotional and mental health further (Arrons et al., 2010; Leathers, 2002). Nonetheless, availability and access to youth mental health services in both non-clinical and clinical settings in LMICs are limited and grossly inadequate (Saxena et al., 2011). Evidence-based treatment approaches for these young people in LMICs have received little empirical attention. Various anxiety and depression prevention programmes based on cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) have been evaluated in high incomes countries, however, there are no such programmes in the low-income island of Mauritius.Aim(s):Therefore this study will use an established transdiagnostic anxiety and depression prevention programme called Super Skills for Life (SSL; Essau et al., 2014) which involves social skills training, behavioural activation, video feedback and cognitive preparation to measure factors that predict and mediate treatment outcome among children and adolescents in institutional care settings. A recent feasibility study of the SSL programme for children in institution care settings has been found to be feasible to the Mauritian children and adapted to their individual cultural and social backgrounds. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with waitlist control group design to measure the effectiveness of the SSL intervention was used to establish the intervention as an evidence-based treatment for emotional problems in children and adolescents in care institutions in Mauritius.Methods:100 young people aged between 9 to 15 years from six institutional care settings in Mauritius were randomly assigned to the 8 sessions of the SSL intervention programme (n=50) or to a waitlist control group (n=50). The waitlist group received the intervention after the experimental group completed the intervention. Participants in both groups were assessed before, after and 3 months post the SSL intervention programme.The primary outcomes measured psychological difficulties in five sub-scales of emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity/inattention, peer-relationship problems, and prosocial behaviour. Levels of anxiety and depression were measured using the revised children’s anxiety and depression scale which produced a total anxiety and low mood score and separate scores for each of the subscales of separation anxiety; social phobia; generalised anxiety; panic; obsessive compulsive; total anxiety; and, low mood. Secondary outcomes included measures of self-esteem and cognitive emotion regulation strategies and online tasks measuring reaction time were used to assess cognitive inhibitory control and emotional attention bias.Results & Conclusion:Data analysis is still in process, however based on previous finding of SSL (Essau et al., 2014, 2019), reductions in anxiety and depression related symptoms and improvements in cognitive control and emotional regulation strategies at post treatment are expected. This RCT study is powered to detect the effectiveness of an anxiety and depression intervention programme, and will contributed to the evidence base for mental health provision for children and adolescents in Mauritius. It will have implications for stakeholders, including policy-makers, institutions for child welfare, practitioners working with children and most importantly to young people of Mauritius. Data analysis and writing up of this RCT study are currently being carried out.

Portrayals of teachers, students and universities in the popular cultural texts of dark academia are far removed from the lived realities of teaching academics in the contemporary, digital, neoliberal university. Pathways educators, who teach large numbers of non-traditional students in tertiary preparation programmes mostly online, are almost completely silenced in much of popular and academic discourse about the idealised university. This paper disrupts such romanticised representations of academia through personal reflections on four well-known films aligned with dark academia subcultures: Dead Poets Society, Good Will Hunting, The Riot Club and Mona Lisa Smile. Through their first voice writings, six pathways educators working together at a regional Australian university come together to flip the script on the fantasy academy. From six diverse origin stories, a collective voice emerges, telling a new, co-written story based on our lived experiences of teaching and learning from the underrepresented margins of the neoliberal academy.

Pathways educators, who teach into university-based tertiary preparation programmes, contribute to a unique space within widening participation. Conceptualisations of pathways educators’ identities would benefit from further theorisation to understand the challenges and possibilities of this role, so this was the focus of the current study. Ten pathways educators on academic contracts at a regional Australian university co-constructed concept maps and wrote reflections about what it means to be a pathways educator. These maps and reflections were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify patterns, which were then examined through a Third Space Theory lens. The findings highlighted a strong sense of pathways educators dwelling at the margins of academia, in liminal or in-between locations that are complex, nuanced, hard to define and often perceived as lower in status when compared to ‘traditional’ academic spaces. However, the analysis also suggested that finding a home in these fluid, unbounded, spaces might present opportunities for authentic and self-fulfilling work in the ambiguity. While institutional constraints and power imbalances are acknowledged, we also highlight potential implications for pathways educators, and other individuals in academic roles that occupy the margins, through a strength-based lens where agency is not lost but may thrive in unexpected ways.

Earlier last year (April 2018), the UK Office for Students (OfS) noted that students from underrepresented groups such as black and minority ethnic (BME) students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds were less likely to succeed at university. Coupled with this, research has shown that students from these groups are also more likely to have poorer mental health and wellbeing. However, there is substantial social and political pressure on universities to act to improve student mental health. For example, the Telegraph ran the headline "Do British universities have a suicide problem?" Thus, in June 2018, the Hon. Sam Gyimah, the then UK universities minister, informed university vice-chancellors that student mental health and wellbeing has to be one of their top priorities. Universities are investing substantive sums in activities to tackle student mental health but doing so with no evidence base to guide strategic policy and practice. These activities may potentially be ineffective, financially wasteful, and possibly, counter-productive. Therefore, we need a better evidence base which this project intends to fulfil. Currently, there is a lack of evidence and understanding about which groups of young people going to universities may have poorer life outcomes (such as education, employment, and mental health and well-being) as a result of their mental health and wellbeing during their adolescent years. These life outcomes and their mental health and wellbeing, however, are important for understanding the context of the complex social identities of the young people, such as the intersections between their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, religion and socio-economic status. Otherwise, these young people may feel misunderstood or judged. Most of the large body of quantitative research on life outcomes tend to focus on one social characteristic/identity of the student, such as the young person's gender or ethnicity or socio-economic status, but not the combination of all of these, i.e. the intersectionalities. Primarily, the reason for this has been the lack of sufficient data. This research draws on data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE), which tracked over 15,000 adolescents' education and health over 7 years between 2004-2010 (from when they were 13-19 years old), and the Next Steps Survey, which collected data from the same individuals in 2015 when they were 25 years and in the job market. This dataset also had an ethnic boost, which thus allows for the exploratory analysis of intersectionalities. Currently, there are a number of interventions being implemented to improve the university environment. However, there is a lack of evidence on how the university environment (such as their its size, amount of academic support available, availability of sports activities, students' sense of belonging, etc.) can affect the young person'students' mental health and wellbeing life outcomes. This evidence can be determined through by using the LSYPE data supplemented and by university environment data supplemented from the National Student Survey (NSS) and the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Thus this research uses an intersectional approach to investigate the extent to which the life outcomes of young persons who go to university are affected by their social inequality groupings and mental health and well-being during adolescence. Additionally, this research also aims to determine the characteristics of university environments that can improve the life outcomes of these young people depending on their social and mental health/wellbeing background.

Barriers to students’ active use of feedback are well established in the literature. Therefore, in this chapter we provide practical research-informed recommendations for how educators might create and embed opportunities for students to proactively seek out and generate feedback. Informed by sociomaterial theories, which acknowledge the social and material contexts in which learning takes place, we firstly focus on different sources of feedback information, including: the ‘self’ and ‘disciplinary colleagues’, who can provide evaluative and directive feedback information; and ‘knowledge/service users or audiences’ and ‘objects’, that can provide consequential feedback information (i.e. responses to an action that tell the learner about the effectiveness of that action). We then examine how these sources may be incorporated across different timescales, from the short-term everyday ‘rhythms’ of a discipline to ‘cycles’ of feedback loops and longer-term ‘spirals’ of learning. We ultimately aim to illuminate ways of fostering greater student responsibility in feedback processes.

Feedback literacy has served to operationalise what Carless (2015) described as a shift from a one-way transmission of feedback to students (i.e. old paradigm), to a commitment to student engagement in the feedback process (i.e. new paradigm). This evolution is providing insight into the nuances of feedback literacy and its application to practice (e.g. Carless & Winstone, 2020; Carless & Boud, 2018; Sutton, 2012), but fails to consider what feedback looks like and how it can be identified (Heron et al, 2021). Whilst certain forms of feedback are easily identifiable (e.g. written feedback on assessed tasks), others are more troublesome due to their heterogeneity (e.g. verbal feedback) and require support in recognising feedback. This is perhaps why most feedback research focuses on post-assessment written feedback. However, feedback talk is the most rich and abundant source of feedback that students are exposed to and yet it has been largely neglected, is under-conceptualised (Heron et al., 2021) and often not perceived as feedback at all, but rather as part of the dialogue of learning and teaching (Medland, 2019).We define feedback talk as part of naturally occurring classroom dialogic interactions, which is distinct from verbal feedback that is largely associated with assessment tasks. With this in mind, a pilot study (Heron et al., 2021) adopting a linguistic lens to explicate what feedback talk looks like within longer classroom conversations identified ten codes (i.e. the Feedback Talk Framework). This presentation focuses on validation of the Framework through mixed methods using a survey (n = 136) and data-led reflective interviews with staff (n=7). The interviews were thematically analysed and Krippendorff’s alpha analysis was performed to assess the reliability of participant judgements in the survey. Results suggested the Framework could be validated by collapsing the original ten codes into three key feedback talk moves: i. Informing; ii. Confirming and Validating, and; iii. Questioning. Whilst it might seem reductive to isolate feedback talk to a set of codes, they were found to provide a first step in supporting teachers to recognise and reflect upon the multitude of forms of feedback interactions taking place within their classrooms, and for creating opportunities to maximise the impact of feedback. Thus, using an empirically derived framework of feedback talk can support an evidence-based approach to teacher reflection and thus contribute to the development of teacher (and student) feedback literacy.

It is unclear whether recent increases in mental health issues reported by students are comparable between young people in and out of higher education. Furthermore, university (non)attendance may combine with individuals’ other social identities to lead to mental health inequalities. Using quantitative longitudinal data from the national cohort study, Next Steps, we conducted multilevel analyses within an intersectional framework. We examined predictors of mental health during emerging adulthood with combinations of the following characteristics: adolescent mental health (measured at age 16), university attendance, sex, socioeconomic class, sexuality, and ethnicity. The findings indicated that respondents who had symptoms of mental ill health during adolescence were more likely to attend university. At age 19, respondents who had symptoms of adolescent mental ill health were more likely to report having no close friends and lower life satisfaction. Individuals attending university were more likely to report having one or more close friends, and greater life satisfaction, independently of their mental health during adolescence. Those who had symptoms of mental ill health during adolescence were more likely to have poorer mental health outcomes at age 25. The opposite pattern was found for those who had been to university, independently of their adolescent mental health. Mixed patterns of predictions were found for respondents’ other social identities. We found that intersectional effects were additive, suggesting that characteristics are layered and independent in predicting mental health outcomes (i.e. they do not amplify each other). This has potential implications for how interventions should be targeted towards particular intersectional subgroups.

Taking higher education as a specific social context in which to explore structural and social determinants of inequalities in young people’s mental health, this study used the new gold standard for quantitative intersectionality research (Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy [MAIHDA]) as an analytical approach. Drawing on data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, we used MAIHDA to predict the odds that mental distress during adolescence, sex, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, ethnicity, and their intersections, were associated with young people’s mental health outcomes at age 25. Analyses were performed both within and outside of the higher education context to determine whether university attendance shaped any intersectional effects. The results did not reveal any evidence of intersectional effects (i.e. a multiplicative model) on young people’s mental health outcomes. Significant main effects of social identities (i.e. an additive model) were, however, found: Being female or identifying as a sexual minority increased the odds of young people experiencing mental health problems at age 25, although the odds of self-harming were half the size for sexual minorities who attended university; Black and Asian individuals were less likely to declare a mental illness than White individuals; and young people who grew up in a more deprived area and did not attend university were more likely to experience mental health problems. Implications of the findings are that mental health interventions for young people do not necessarily have to be designed exclusively for specific intersectional groups, but could instead be targeted at broad social group memberships. Since, the university environment appears to produce better mental health outcomes for some young people, further investigation is needed to understand potential benefits afforded by attending university, and to determine whether this should and could be replicated in the wider general population.

Feedback talk as part of naturally occurring classroom dialogic interactions forms the most rich and abundant source of feedback that students are exposed to. Whilst conceptualisations of feedback literacy are evolving rapidly, there is little consideration of what feedback looks like and how it can be identified, particularly in relation to feedback talk. A pilot study adopting a linguistic lens to explicate what feedback talk looks like identified ten codes (i.e. Feedback Talk Framework). This presentation focuses on validation of the Feedback Talk Framework through mixed methods using a survey (n = 136) and data-led reflective interviews with staff (n=7). Findings indicated that the original ten codes could be collapsed into three key feedback talk moves: i. Informing; ii. Confirming and Validating, and; iii. Questioning. These moves provide a first step in recognising and reflecting upon feedback talk that has the potential to support the development of teacher feedback literacy.

Recent evidence suggests that adolescents with mental health issues are more likely to go on to attend university. Reasons for this point to academic pressures that may cause mental distress potentially being greater for those who plan to attend university. We aimed to investigate this hypothesis further by examining whether the extent to which mental distress is elevated relates to the selectivity of university that young people go on to attend. Logistic regression analyses were performed on survey responses from a nationally representative data set. Young people going on to more selective universities had elevated levels of mental distress at 15 and 17. By age 25, symptoms were no longer elevated for those who had attended either type of university. We argue that additional support needs to be provided during times that adolescents complete qualifications they perceive as being high-stakes.

University preparation pathways develop students’ understanding of literacy practices for degree-level study. However, despite the crucial role of academic speaking and listening, or oracy, in student success at university, the extent to which it forms part of these courses’ literacy practices remains unclear. Ten university preparation (enabling) educators in Australia participated in semi-structured interviews about their understanding and awareness of practices in teaching oracy as part of university preparation courses. There was a variable level of awareness of oracy as a term among participants. The move to online teaching was highlighted as one of the barriers to explicit oracy teaching. More explicit recognition of the role of academic oracy in student success, as well as explicit embedding of academic oracy in the curriculum of preparatory courses, could be particularly beneficial. It is argued that this would allow students to fully engage and participate in their future university study.

Student support, in its cloak of many colours, is a rising priority for universities. Recently, the Australian Universities Accord has recognised the vital role of Enabling courses in increasing participation in higher education from underrepresented groups. Enabling education contributes significantly overall, to the nation's economic prosperity and social cohesion. While we share the Accord's vision that higher education access should be universal, we believe access without multi-faceted and holistic support (beyond improved income support) could potentially hinder equitable outcomes. Our research will shed light on what holistic student support is and the praxis of quality student support. This collaboration of seven experienced Enabling education practitioners from four Australian universities, includes examining factors that hinder and facilitate effective student support. In post-pandemic times, within neoliberal institutions and constantly shifting priorities, Enabling educators are at the coalface of supporting equity group students. Their perspective makes a valuable contribution to this complex area.

The last decade has seen a shift in the feedback literature from a transmission-focused perspective to a ‘new paradigm’ of learner-centred feedback approaches. To understand research trends and ‘hotspots’ in the literature since this shift, bibliographic analysis was used to perform a science mapping of feedback literature within a higher education context. Web of Science’s Social Sciences Citation Index was searched for literature on this topic since the new paradigm was first proposed in 2015. A keyword co-occurrence analysis was performed on 933 studies, and the following subtopics were identified: Student agency; self-regulation; online learning; student engagement; peer activities; student-supervisor dialogue; technology-enhanced feedback; assessment outcomes; e-feedback; and feedback information delivery modes. Research on peers as a source of feedback appears to dominate the field, so it might be beneficial to explore this hotspot further to determine whether the outcomes can inform and enrich future research in the other subtopics.

While no single approach to assessment design is adequate to solve academic integrity challenges, there is growing consensus that a combination of design approaches can be helpful. There is litle guidance, however for how to go about implementng this kind of multi-faceted approach to design. This paper reports on the findings of a funded project focussed on developing a website for assessment design in Pathways programs. We undertook students-as-partners workshops, staff interviews, and a literature review to inform a three-step framework for assessment design decisions aimed at supporting educators to mitigate academic integrity issues. The framework recommends assessment designers begin with the first step of designing the assessment to be meaningful and valuable for students. The second step is to incorporate a robust capacity for deterrence and detection. Two broad approaches to doing this are outlined: live demonstration or performance, and the development of close relationships between the assessor and the student work. A third step comprises an “assessment AI hygiene check” to eliminate obstacles to integrity caused by poor design, such as reusing questions, or failing to use detection software. Our framework provides suggestions and examples for each of the two first stages, and a checklist for the third.

Practitioners who teach into university/tertiary preparation programs play an important role in widening and maintaining participation by delivering foundation programs for dealing with educational inequalities. Yet, there is limited research on how these practitioners conceptualise and frame their multiple roles, values and identities. Therefore, this study explored what it means to be a contemporary tertiary preparation practitioner at an Australian university. Ten academics who teach into university preparation programs co-constructed concept maps representing perceptions about their roles. These maps were then analysed using thematic analysis to identify patterns in perceptions. The findings highlighted that although practitioners were motivated by a desire to improve social mobility, this conflicts with the neoliberal demands of education as a commodity. There was also the perception that the tertiary preparation area sits at the periphery of higher education, which contributes to its perceived lack of prestige as an academic discipline.

Despite many years of successful widening participation initiatives, equity gaps in education and employment outcomes persist. Societal systems of oppression and marginalisation mean that individuals are treated differently based on their social characteristics, but it is not clear whether inequalities in graduate outcomes are also influenced by the environment of the university attended. Drawing on life course theory, we investigated this further. Using national university statistics data, we clustered universities with similar social and cultural environments into profiles. We then linked these environmental profiles with a longitudinal cohort data set to determine whether different university environments might predict differences in education and employment outcomes. The results indicated that associations between young people’s social characteristics and their outcomes are not uniform across all universities; they appear to be dependent on their university environment. This research emphasises a need for new policies that address education and employment inequalities within certain universities.

Antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary clinical practice with effective infection prevention and control (IPC) measures is important in reducing the use of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the AMRSim tool (simulating the pre-surgical preparation of a dog patient) in influencing the knowledge, confidence levels and perception of veterinary students towards antimicrobial resistance (AMR), asepsis and IPC contributing to pre-surgical sterility. A quasi-experimental study was conducted as a voluntary sign up series of facilitated workshops independent from the curriculum for the Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Science degree program students at the University of Surrey vet school. 69 students from years 1-4 participated in the study (41; experimental group) from February to March 2020. Participants completed Jisc® online questionnaires, before (7-10 days), during (only experimental group) and after (7-10 days) the workshop. Data were analysed with Mann-Whitney U Tests. At baseline, no statistically significant differences were found between the experimental and control groups on any of the pre-tests for baseline IPC knowledge questions (p > .05). Post-tests indicated some significant improvements for the experimental group in that they agreed that they would be more likely to carry out IPC behaviours in future veterinary practice than the control group (U = 527.50, p < .001). They also demonstrated improved IPC knowledge about whether to use antibiotics when preparing an animal for surgery depending on the type of surgery undertaken (U = 432.00, p = .043). Post workshop questionnaire responses indicated that the learning experience with the AMRSim tool was enjoyable (100% positive), engaging (97% positive), changed attitude of participants towards asepsis and its role in AMR (82.5% positive) and that they understand more about asepsis than before (80% positive). Percentage of participants who felt “very/extremely informed” about IPC increased 3-fold from 26% (before) to 79% after the workshop. Participants further agreed that they would be more likely to adhere to IPC measures in clinical placements in the remainder of their undergraduate years due to the learning archived at the workshop. Further pedagogical research is being carried out using the AMRsim tool within the curriculum as this project continues.

Many interventions have been designed to facilitate higher education students’ self-regulation, so it would be beneficial to identify what approaches have been evaluated in previous research, and understand more about the components of self-regulation they have targeted. This study presents a systematic review of this previous research. A search of databases for studies published between 1st January 2000 and 31st August 2018 resulted in 230 studies being included in a qualitative synthesis. We categorized the interventions and coded the components of self-regulation targeted within each study. The most prevalent interventions included scaffolds/prompts and strategy training programs. Metacognitive self-regulation was most commonly targeted by the interventions. We discuss how some components of self-regulation receive far less attention in intervention studies.

Students’ capacities for using feedback form part of their feedback literacy, which can be viewed as a core graduate attribute. Since National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) and subject-level benchmark statements (SBSs) provide guidance about graduate or threshold outcomes, we coded a sample of these frameworks for evidence of concepts pertaining to feedback literacy. Of the four key features of feedback literacy identified by Carless and Boud (2018), only ‘Managing Affect’ and ‘Making Judgements’ were identified in the NQFs, whereas ‘Appreciating Feedback’ and ‘Taking Action’ were not present. All features were present in the SBSs, with ‘Making Judgements’ coded most frequently and ‘Appreciating Feedback’ least frequently. Indicators of feedback literacy were identified in ‘applied’ disciplines more than ‘pure’ disciplines. We highlight the need for integrating more aspects of feedback literacy into ‘pure’ disciplinary curricula, as well as finding ways for encouraging students to appreciate feedback in all its forms whilst taking action.

As one component of the feedback process, annotations on student work should focus upon providing explanations and guidance, which encourage students to use the comments to develop their abilities to act as self-regulated learners; thus promoting what Carless (2015) refers to as the new paradigm of feedback practices. This is contrary to the old paradigm in which annotations merely serve to transfer information, characterised by evaluative statements and corrective advice. It is argued that it is not only the content of the message, but also the language used, which has an impact upon the sustainability of this form of feedback practice. The current study reports on an analysis of annotations in the form of 1760 in-text comments added by markers to 52 summative essays. Findings indicated that the majority of comments were directed at the level of task performance rather than relating to the process (i.e. giving students advice about their future work and regulation of their actions). Additionally, there were positive correlations found between grades and words expressing a positive emotional tone, as well as negative correlations between grades and words which had connotations of sadness, risk and were phrased as questions. It appears that all annotations encourage the old paradigm as they focus upon the delivery of information, which minimises the potential upon student learning. It is argued that markers’ practices could be modified to incorporate appropriate language and direction which could have a more positive impact upon students learning, maximising the benefit of in-text comments.

Assessment literacy involves students having a clear understanding of standards and criteria (Price, Rust, O'Donovan, Handley, & Bryant, 2012), which allows for self-assessment (Panadero, Jonsson, & Botella, 2017) and the development of self-regulation (Zimmerman, 1990). Thus, enhancing students' assessment literacy may be one way to facilitate their development of self-regulation. Evidence suggests that in many cases, direct support is needed in order for students to become assessment literate (Nicol, 2010). The EAT Framework (Evans, 2016, 2018) provides research-informed recommendations for how to support the development of students' assessment literacy based on being explicit about requirements and standards. As a large-scale inclusive intervention used to scaffold students' development of assessment literacy, we introduced a standardised assessment brief template, built on the EAT Framework principles, across all first-year modules in a Faculty at the University of Surrey. In order to evaluate our assessment brief intervention, we endeavoured to capture the diversity of students' experiences of whether they felt the assessment brief templates supported their assessment literacy, whilst retaining the opportunity to relate these experiences to individual differences in their self-regulation. In order to acquire the insight from qualitative perceptions that would normally only be possible from interviews, but with the larger sample of participants required to quantify these perceptions, we used open-ended questions to allow for free-text comments about how students perceived their development of assessment literacy had been supported through the intervention.

Managing complex assessment interventions within higher education is especially challenging given transparency, accountability, equity, and value for money agendas impacting higher education (Caspersen, Smeby, & Aamodt, 2017; Mountford-Zimdars, Sabri, Moore, Sanders, Jones, & Higham, 2015). Institutional responses to such agendas directly impact work at the project implementation level requiring increasing agility and adaptability in the current HE climate. This paper highlights the importance of evaluative processes as a central component of project design. We describe a process to explore the experiences of those leading and managing a complex assessment intervention focused on promoting the self-regulatory development of undergraduate students in three higher education institutions in the UK. In doing so, it highlights the importance of an iterative evaluative approach embedded within the project design and the complexities inherent in trying to implement the project in practice, mindful of the need for rigour regarding the use of data, choice of methodologies, and inferences that could reasonably be deduced from the research. The need for ongoing evaluation as integral to project management is highlighted. Tools and approaches to support this evaluative process as part of 'research within research' will be elucidated and shared.

AIM: The project aimed to implement and scale up a research-informed holistic and integrated self-regulatory assessment feedback approach focused on equity, agency and transparency (EAT, Evans. 2016) with the intention of reducing differential learning outcomes for all students and especially for those from lower-socio-economic backgrounds and for Black and Asian and minority ethnic students (BAME/BAME).

Feedback literate students are more likely to generate internal feedback to monitor their progress towards learning goals and they may therefore exhibit greater self-regulatory skills. However, any relationships between feedback literacy (FL) and self-regulation (SR) may in fact be indirectly explained by assessment literacy (AL) or dependent on individuals having high levels of AL. Therefore, the current study investigated whether AL mediates and/or moderates any relationships between FL and SR. Questionnaire scales measuring FL, AL and SR were completed by 298 undergraduate students across multiple disciplines. Mediation analyses revealed that the relationship between feedback utility (i.e. the perception that feedback will be useful) and SR was fully mediated by the assessment for learning aspect of AL (i.e. the ability to use assessment tasks to augment or monitor learning). Moderation analyses indicated that the positive relationship between feedback social awareness (i.e. feedback being used to help individuals understand how they are perceived by others) and SR was only present when individuals had greater levels of the assessment for learning aspect of AL; this relationship was not present when scores on this aspect of AL were average or low. Findings are discussed in terms of how some relationships between FL and SR are either explained by AL or are dependent on greater levels of AL, but most aspects of FL still directly relate to SR.

A range of conceptions held about research methods learning have previously been identified. The current study aimed to examine in-depth shared conceptions among groups of undergraduate students, since individual conceptions are unlikely to exist in isolation. Utilising Q methodology, which links both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to uncover the subjective viewpoints that a group of individuals hold towards a particular domain, participants ranked statements reflecting different conceptions of research methods learning. Ranks were then factor analysed and seven distinct profiles of student conceptions were identified, labelled and described in qualitative detail: Big Picture Students (Aspiring Researchers), Big Picture Students (Non-Aspiring Researchers), Other-Focused and Superficial Learners, Calm and Dismissive Learner vs. Anxious and Concerned Learner, Unconvinced Students vs. Converted Student, Side-choosing Researchers, and Relaxed and Reductionist Learners. A significant association was found between these profiles and the students’ year of study; final year students displayed more ‘big picture’ views of research, while first year students showed a more superficial understanding. There was also a significant association between profiles and performance on research assignments; students who exemplified ‘big picture’ narratives performed better than those who exhibited superficial perspectives. Findings are considered in terms of how some conceptions take longer to develop and appear to be more beneficial or problematic to hold than others.

The Approaches to Learning Project (ALP), is an undergraduate research participation scheme at The University of Roehampton. The aim of the ALP is for doctoral students to plan and deliver a series of sessions for first year undergraduate students that combine research participation with relevant lectures and workshops. ALP delivery is integrated at programme level, to meet a range of learning objectives. While traditional course credit schemes provide some pedagogic value to participants, we believe that the ALP provides further and distinct benefits to the undergraduate students involved, the doctoral students coordinating it, and the wider department. We will share examples of our practice including sample ALP session content, ethical considerations and the different ways students have benefited from engaging with the scheme.

This study aims to identify the conceptualisation of overall well-being used for well-being assessment through a review of the characteristics and key components and/or dimensions of well-being scales as presented in current literature. Scopus and Web of Science were searched, and thematic analysis was conducted inductively to analyse the identified components within scales, as well as the types of well-being these scales measure. 107 peer-reviewed articles from 2003 to 2022 were included, and 69 well-being scales were identified covering nine areas of well-being. Four final themes were identified as the foundational dimensions of overall well-being: hedonic; eudaimonic; physical health; and generic happiness. Notably, these 69 scales are mainly validated and adopted in the Western context. '4 + N' frameworks of overall well-being are recommended for assessing overall well-being. This review provides researchers with a synthesis of what types of well-being have been measured and which measures have been used to assess these types of well-being for which research participants. Non-Western-based well-being research is called for that incorporates a broader range of research participants and cultural contexts in contributing to a more inclusive understanding of well-being.

Not all psychology undergraduates appear to benefit from participating in research methodology classes. This longitudinal study tracked how students’ knowledge of research methods developed throughout their three-year undergraduate psychology degree. Card sorting procedures measuring knowledge of research methods terminology were repeated at four time-points across three years then analyzed using multidimensional scaling. There was no significant improvement in students’ research methods structural knowledge after a year, but there was by the end of students’ second year. Knowledge did not improve after students’ final year of study. Various metacognitive and motivational variables were significant correlates of research methods knowledge and research skills. Structural knowledge of research methods terminology appears to be developed from formal methodology training and is not improved upon after completion of a final year research project dissertation. Improving metacognitive skills and increasing motivation for methodology classes may be linked to better development of research methods knowledge and research skills.

There is an increasing focus on structural and social determinants of inequalities in young people's mental health across different social contexts. Taking higher education as a specific social context, it is unclear whether university attendance shapes the impact of intersectional social identities and positions on young people's mental health outcomes. Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA) was used to predict the odds that mental distress during adolescence, sex, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, ethnicity, and their intersections, were associated with young people's mental health outcomes at age 25, and whether this differed based on university attendance. Data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England cohort study were analysed with the MAIHDA approach, and the results did not reveal any evidence of multiplicative intersectional (i.e., aggravating) effects on young people's mental health outcomes. However, important main effects of social identities and positions (i.e., an additive model) were observed. The findings suggested that being female or identifying as a sexual minority increased the odds of young people experiencing mental health problems at age 25, although the odds of self-harming were half the size for sexual minorities who had attended university. Black and Asian individuals were less likely to declare a mental illness than White individuals. Young people who grew up in a more deprived area and had not attended university were more likely to experience mental health problems. These findings imply that mental health interventions for young people do not necessarily have to be designed exclusively for specific intersectional groups. Further, university attendance appears to produce better mental health outcomes for some young people, hence more investigation is needed to understand what universities do for young people, and whether this could be replicated in the wider general population. •MAIHDA was used to analyse young people's mental health outcomes at age 25.•Intersectional effects were examined both in and out of the university context.•There was no evidence for multiplicative effects on young people's mental health.•Additive models were most suitable for understanding mental health inequalities.•Interventions might be best targeted at broad social group memberships.

Research-based and practical reflection tools can enable systematic analysis of practice and contribute to deeper understandings of classroom processes. An empirically based, evidence-informed reflection tool was developed to support teachers to recognise feedback talk and how it is built into classroom interactions. The tool, titled the feedback talk framework, enabled teachers to reflect on their feedback talk and effect changes in practice and feedback literacy. The feedback talk framework was refined through a survey and semi-structured interviews with teachers for use as a reflection tool and resulted in three overarching feedback talk themes: informing, confirming and validating, and questioning. Results illuminated how teachers used the tool to identify and reflect on feedback talk, strengthening our argument that using an empirically derived feedback talk framework can support evidence-based approaches to teacher reflection. Suggestions and implications for the utility of the reflection tool in a range of contexts are then provided.

Students are likely to develop scientific thinking skills through participation in research methods training courses, so any difficulties experienced during these courses might then act as potential barriers to the development of these skills. This chapter begins by reviewing common difficulties experienced by students during this training, which are categorised into the following themes: Affective Issues with Research; Negative and Naïve Conceptions of Research; and Cognitive Complexity of Research. Some of the pedagogical approaches to dealing with students’ issues are briefly discussed before presenting a qualitative phenomenological investigation of the undergraduate experience of research methods training. This chapter ends by discussing practical implications of the investigation’s findings to aid research methods instructors in reducing the chances of barriers forming.

This chapter presents voices and experiences of the author contributors of this book to foreground their views about the process of working in partnership and how this has informed their developing understandings of teaching excellence. One of the purposes of this chapter is to present authentic accounts of collaborative workings which reflect both student and staff voices. A second purpose of this chapter is to highlight how collaborative research on contextualised teaching excellence can enhance understandings and make what is often tacit more transparent and shared. The underpinning theme of the chapter is the power of a student-staff partnership approach to exploring pedagogy as reflected through collective voices.

Life course theory posits that social, structural, and cultural contexts shape individuals' life outcomes. Using this theory, we investigated whether inequalities in education and employment outcomes for young people with marginalised identities are shaped by the university environment they attended. Based on UK national statistics, universities with similar social, cultural, economic, and physical environments were clustered. These clusters were linked to the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (LSYPE) cohort dataset to determine whether different university environments predicted differences in outcomes. We observed a mixed picture with no definitive pattern for any marginalised identity. Social and economic environments played a role in predicting education outcomes of young people. Social, cultural, and economic environments were important in predicting employment outcomes. The physical environment did not have any impact. This research emphasises a need for more creative policies within certain universities that address education and employment inequalities.

Students’ engagement in extra-curricular activities can play a significant role in their development of a student identity, as well as leading to a greater sense of belonging and wellbeing. However, individual characteristics such as sociability may influence the likelihood of students engaging in extra-curricular activities. We collected mixed mode data from two online surveys to explore students’ perceptions of the impact of engagement in extra-curricular activities on their experience at university, as well as the mediating role of engagement in extra-curricular activities in the relationships between extraversion and wellbeing and sense of belonging to the University. Our data demonstrate that extraversion is positively associated with both belonging and wellbeing, and that engagement in extra-curricular activities also mediates these relationships. Our qualitative data uncover further nuances in engagement with extra-curricular activities; while many perceived outcomes are positive, some students express regret at opportunities missed, and find it challenging to balance extra-curricular activities and their studies. Taken together, these findings indicate that not all students stand to benefit equally from engagement in extra-curricular activities. Providing a range of opportunities that are accessible to a wide range of students may promote equity in participation in extra-curricular activities.

Feedback literacy is an important graduate attribute that supports students’ future work capacities. This study aimed to develop a framework through which discipline-specific feedback literacies, as a set of socially-situated skills, can be developed within core curricula. The framework is developed through: a content analysis of National Qualifications Frameworks from six countries and UK Subject Benchmark Statements for multiple disciplines; analysis of indicative subject content for a range of disciplines; and consultation with subject-matter experts. Whilst most of the benchmark statements incorporate the development of feedback literacy skills related to ‘making judgements’, attributes relating to ‘appreciating feedback’ and ‘taking action based on feedback’ are less prevalent. Skills related to ‘managing the affective challenges of feedback’ are most prevalent in documentation for applied disciplines. The resulting empirically-guided curriculum design framework showcases how integrating the development of discipline-specific feedback literacies can be enacted through authentic learning activities and assessment tasks. In terms of implications for practice, the framework represents in concrete terms how discipline-specific feedback literacies can be integrated within higher education curricula. The findings also have implications for policy: by positioning discipline-specific feedback literacies as graduate outcomes, we believe they should be integrated within national qualifications frameworks as crucial skills to be developed through higher education courses. Finally, from a theoretical perspective, we advance conceptions of feedback literacy through a sociocultural approach and propose new directions for research that seek to reconceptualise a singular concept of feedback literacy as multiple feedback literacies that unfold in distinctive ways across disciplines.

Research shows that undergraduate students have many expectations of their university as they commence studying. The current study utilised Q methodology to gain an in-depth understanding of these expectations by examining shared viewpoints between groups of students. First-year undergraduate psychology students ranked statements in their induction week on expectations of university regarding teaching and assessment approaches, lecturer behaviour, organisational and resources support and issues relating to student autonomy. Factor analysis of these ranks revealed three profiles of expectations that were labelled and interpreted holistically in qualitative detail: Expecting to put in the hard work and be supported by tutors, Expecting a different experience to high school and Expecting to strike a balance between university and everyday life. These profiles demonstrate that students’ expectations should not be discussed in homogeneous terms. Recommendations are made for educators in terms of understanding discrepancies between expectations and the service which will be provided.

A transdiagnostic prevention programme, Super Skills for Life (SSL), was delivered to young people with emotional problems in residential care institutions in a low- and middle-income country using a randomised waitlist-controlled trial.•Young people who participated in SSL, compared to those in the wait-list control group showed significant reductions in emotional (e.g. anxiety and depression) and behavioural (e.g. conduct problems and hyperactivity) problems, and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies at post-intervention and follow-up.•Among young people in the SSL group, significant improvements were noted in adaptive ER strategies (except putting into perspective strategy) and inhibitory control at post-intervention and follow-up. The present study examined the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic prevention programme, Super Skills for Life (SSL), among children and adolescents with emotional problems in residential care institutions (RCIs) in the low- and middle-income country of Mauritius using a randomised waitlist-controlled trial (RCT). SSL is based on the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy, behavioural activation, social skills training, and uses video-feedback and cognitive preparation as part of the treatment. The RCT involved 100 children and adolescents aged 9 to 14 years, from six RCIs, randomly allocated to either an SSL intervention group (IG) or a waitlist-control (WLC) group. A set of questionnaires measuring internalising and externalising problems, emotion regulation and self-esteem, and experimental tasks measuring attentional bias and inhibitory control, were completed at baseline, post-intervention and 3-month follow-up. Participants also completed a 2-min video speech task during the first and final sessions of the SSL intervention. Children and adolescents in the IG showed significant improvements in internalising symptoms (e.g. anxiety and depression), externalising symptoms (e.g. conduct problems and hyperactivity), and inhibitory control, and an increase in adaptive (except putting into perspective strategy) and decrease in maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, at both post-intervention and follow-up. These findings were not replicated among children in the WLC. The small sample size and lack of an active control group were the major limitations of this study. This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic prevention programme for emotional problems in RCIs in a low- and middle-income country.

This book explores disciplinary teaching excellence through a diverse range of student-staff partnership research projects. Despite being a highly contested term, ‘teaching excellence’ is something that universities aspire to and are expected to have. However, the editors and contributors argue that not only are definitions of excellence often broad and generic, but they lack nuanced understandings of disciplinary excellence in higher education. This book begins by unpacking some of these contested definitions of teaching excellence, followed by a series of co-authored chapters produced by students and staff who have undertaken research projects where they examine teaching excellence in their respective disciplinary areas. These chapters demonstrate that teaching excellence may be better understood as a process of becoming that is achieved through partnership between teachers and students. This book will be of interest and value to students, educators, and policy-makers concerned about teaching excellence, as well as scholars of student-staff partnerships.

The purpose of this chapter is to begin to unpack contested meanings of teaching excellence and the different ways in which excellence is explored. This includes reference to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) in the UK, as well as other national schemes. The chapter examines some of the critical perspectives of the TEF, including the increasing relevance of exploring excellence from subject-level perspectives, as well as discussions about how effectively metrics are used as measures of excellence. The chapter then highlights the value of adopting a student-staff partnership model to enable more nuanced, contextualised and individualised understandings of teaching excellence, particularly in disciplinary contexts. The chapter ends by giving an overview of each of the chapters in the book.

Feedback is most effective when students are active participants in the feedback process. However, students may need to be supported to become proactive recipients of feedback. This chapter discusses how feedback portfolios are potentially useful interventions that may facilitate students’ recipience skills of self-appraisal, goal-setting and self-regulation, and engagement and motivation. After reviewing the ways in which feedback portfolios appear to target recipience processes, we present a qualitative case study of students’ perceptions of a VLE-embedded feedback e-portfolio to understand more about the ways in which portfolios actually facilitate recipience skills, and whether any barriers are experienced by students. We also reflect on our student-staff partnership approach, particularly in relation to how this benefitted our case study data collection.

To understand the pluralization and global power of research on physical activity (PA), depression, and anxiety in adolescents and young adults, a bibliometric analysis-based science mapping of publications in this field was conducted. Scopus was searched for peer-reviewed journal articles published from 2010 to 2022, which resulted in 2,668 records, of which more than half were published from 2020 onwards. Research and collaborations were concentrated in countries in the Global North. Research trends, based on keyword co-occurrence analysis, suggest: an apparent shift towards more PA research connected to sleep, and de-emphasis on research related to weight concerns; research addressing barriers to participation in PA; an increasing interest in the mental health of university students; and the differential effects of team and individual sports on anxiety and depression. Emerging research fronts focused on alternative therapies, new technologies, and impacts of COVID-19. The findings could guide avenues for future research and policy.

The aim of teaching observations and post observation feedback in higher education is to support teachers to reflect on and improve their teaching. Yet, our understanding of tutors' (observers') and teachers' (observees') capacities for capitalising on these feedback opportunities is limited and there is little empirically derived advice for either the observer or the observee on the post observation feedback processes. We argue for the need to conceptualise and operationalise observational feedback literacy as a particular type of feedback literacy which is played out in both the design of the post observation feedback session, and in the moment-by-moment feedback talk. Drawing on the concept of student and teacher feedback literacies, this paper offers a framework of observational feedback literacy which identifies how observers and observees act in feedback literate ways. The framework foregrounds observer feedback literacy and recognises the importance of providing opportunities for observees to enact feedback.

Purpose: Simulation-based medical education has changed the teaching of clinical practice skills, with scenario-based simulations being particularly effective in supporting learning in veterinary medicine. In this study, we explore the efficacy of simulation education to teach infection prevention and control (IPC) as part of Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS) teaching for early years clinical veterinary medicine undergraduates. Methods: The intervention was designed as a 30-minute workshop with a simulation and script delivered online for 130 students as a part of hybrid teaching within the undergraduate curriculum. Learning outcome measures were compared between an intervention group and waitlist-control group using one-way between-groups analysis of covariance tests. Results: Significant differences between groups were found for outcomes measures related to short-term knowledge gain and confidence in IPC and AMS in small animal clinical practice. However, lateral knowledge transfer to large animal species clinical practice showed no significant differences. Student feedback indicated that the intervention was an enjoyable and engaging way to learn AMS. Conclusions: The intervention provided short-term knowledge gain in IPC protocols and enhanced procedural skills via active learning and motivation to learn in large groups of students. Future improvements would be to include large animal clinical scenario discussions and evaluate longer-term knowledge gain.

If little care is taken when establishing clear assessment requirements, there is the potential for spoon-feeding. However, in this conceptual article we argue that transparency in assessment is essential to providing equality of opportunity and promoting students’ self-regulatory capacity. We begin by showing how a research-informed inclusive pedagogy, the EAT Framework, can be used to improve assessment practices to ensure that the purposes, processes, and requirements of assessment are clear and explicit to students. The EAT Framework foregrounds how students' and teachers' conceptions of learning (i.e., whether one has a transactional or transformative conception of learning within a specific context) impact assessment practices. In this article, we highlight the importance of being explicit in promoting access to learning, and in referencing the EAT Framework, the importance of developing transformative rather than transactional approaches to being explicit. Firstly, we discuss how transparency in the assessment process could lead to “criteria compliance” (Torrance, 2007, p. 282) and learner instrumentalism if a transactional approach to transparency, involving high external regulation, is used. Importantly, we highlight how explicit assessment criteria can hinder learner autonomy if paired with an overreliance on criteria-focused ‘coaching’ from teachers. We then address how ‘being explicit with assessment’ does not constitute spoon-feeding when used to promote understanding of assessment practices, and the application of deeper approaches to learning as an integral component of an inclusive learning environment. We then provide evidence on how explicit assessment criteria allow students to self-assess as part of self-regulation, noting that explicit criteria may be more effective when drawing on a transformative approach to transparency, which acknowledges the importance of transparent and mutual student-teacher communications about assessment requirements. We conclude by providing recommendations to teachers and students about how explicit assessment criteria can be used to improve students' learning. Through an emphasis on transparency of process, clarity of roles, and explication of what constitutes quality within a specific discipline, underpinned by a transformative approach, students and teachers should be better equipped to self-manage their own learning and teaching.

A range of conceptions held about research methods learning have previously been identified. The current study aimed to examine in-depth shared conceptions among undergraduate psychology students. Utilising Q methodology, which links both quantitative and qualitative methodologies to uncover the subjective viewpoints that a group of individuals hold towards a particular domain, participants ranked statements reflecting different conceptions of research methods learning. Ranks were then factor analysed and four distinct profiles of student conceptions were identified, labelled and described in qualitative detail: Research methods as integral to psychology, Research methods as a digression from psychology, Research methods as disconnected from psychology and Research methods as beneficial to psychology. Some of the perspectives displayed a clear understanding about the reasons for undertaking research and learning about research methods in psychology, whereas other standpoints saw research as being something that was difficult to relate to the practice of psychology. Findings are considered in terms of how some conceptions appear to be more beneficial or problematic to hold than others and recommendations are made to educators about how they could support students to change their views.

A significant challenge currently facing the higher education sector is how to address differential student outcomes in terms of attainment and continuation gaps at various stages of students’ transitions. Worryingly, there appears to be a ‘deficit’ discourse among some university staff in which differential outcomes are perceived to be due to student deficiencies. This may be exacerbated by institutional analyses placing an over-emphasis on the presence of the gaps rather than the causes. The purpose of this primer is to provide advice about how institutions can carry out far more nuanced analyses of their institutional data without requiring specialist software or expertise. Drawing on a multi-level framework for explaining differential outcomes, we begin with guidance for gathering quantitative data on explanatory factors for attainment and continuation gaps, largely by linking sources of internal data that have not previously been connected. Using illustrative examples, we then provide tutorials for how to model explanatory factors employing IBM SPSS Statistics (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) to perform and interpret regression and meta-regression analyses of individual- and group-level (aggregated) student data, combined with data on micro- and meso-level factors. We propose that university staff with strategic responsibilities could use these approaches with their institutional data, and the findings could then inform the design of context-specific interventions that focus on changing practices associated with gaps. In doing so, institutions could enhance the evidence-base, raise awareness, and further ‘embed the agenda’ when it comes to understanding potential reasons for differential student outcomes during educational transitions.

Undergraduate students are likely to have a range of reasons for attending university and expectations about their education. The current study aimed to determine the most prevalent reasons and expectations among students, and how these differed based on their personal circumstances. First-year undergraduate psychology students completed a questionnaire on reasons for attending university and expectations of university regarding assessment, teaching, learning and organisational resources. Improving career prospects was found to be the most important reason for attending university. The most important aspect of assessment was receiving feedback clarifying things they did not understand. Being good at explaining things was the most important teaching quality. Reasons and expectations were also found to differ depending on students’ gender, age group, caring responsibilities, application route, fee status and whether English is their first language. Implications for educators are discussed in terms of bringing student experiences more in-line with their expectations.

This book examines the learning and development process of students’ scientific thinking skills. Universities should prepare students to be able to make judgements in their working lives based on scientific evidence. However, an understanding of how these thinking skills can be developed is limited. This book introduces a new broad theory of scientific thinking for higher education; in doing so, redefining higher-order thinking abilities as scientific thinking skills. This includes critical thinking and understanding the basics of science, epistemic maturity, research and evidence-based reasoning skills and contextual understanding. The editors and contributors discuss how this concept can be redefined, as well as the challenges educators and students may face when attempting to teach and learn these skills. This edited collection will be of interest to students and scholars of student scientific skills and higher-order thinking abilities.

Student-staff dialogue is often emphasised as a means of improving students' engagement with assessment and feedback processes. However, focusing on dialogue alone overlooks the complexity of students' experiences and the sociomaterial contexts in which they occur. To surface the roles of the social and the material in students' experiences, we engaged pedagogies of mattering theory, and employed a rich picture (RP) approach in which students visually depicted their experiences of assessment and feedback. We anticipated that making use of a range of icons, symbols, and visual metaphors might enable participants to think about what matters in their everyday experiences, moving beyond solely human-human interactions, to highlight the significance of the objects, spaces and material elements that are involved. RPs were analysed using a form of content analysis and the following recurrent motifs were identified: Visual metaphors depicting uncertainty; emotive faces showing impacts on wellbeing; seasons, clocks and calendars depicting the pervasiveness of processes; and figures and objects depicting human and non-human elements. Based on the findings, we argue for a shift to greater embedding of meaningful relational approaches in assessment and feedback processes.

To explore the affective domains embedded in academic development and teacher practice, a team of academic developers was invited to consider a poem and how it reflects the emotions and feelings underpinning experiences as teachers within Higher Education. We used a method of arts-informed, collective biography to evaluate a poem to draw upon and share memories to interrogate lived experiences. Our research is framed using the lens of pedagogic frailty model to see how affective and discursive encounters are produced and impact us. We contend that collective arts-based and biographical approaches can provide alternative ways for ourselves and teachers to examine their own pedagogic frailty.

In-text comments, in the form of annotations on students' work, are a form of feedback information that should guide students to take action. Both the focus of the in-text comments, and the ways in which they are linguistically communicated, have potential to impact upon the way in which they are perceived by students. This study reports on an analysis of 2101 in-text comments added by markers to 60 summative essays from two disciplines. The majority of comments, regardless of the grade awarded, were found to be directed at the task performance, rather than relating to the level of process or self-regulation. Work awarded higher grades received fewer annotations; these essays were found to include more feedback comments expressing a positive tone, with limited opportunities for informing further development. Work awarded lower grades mainly received corrective comments, as well as comments characterised by interrogative language and words expressing risk. It is argued that the linguistic style may influence engagement with in-text comments, impacting upon students' affective and emotional states, and their level of cognitive engagement with the feedback information. Recommendations for markers' practices are identified, to facilitate the opportunities for engagement and action that in-text comments might afford.

The concept of a typical pathway to becoming a student is a pervasive narrative within higher education, with moving away from home to live at university framed as the "traditional student experience". In response, recent literature has begun to trouble the thinking around student mobilities. Building on this work, this study draws upon semi-structured interviews with students who have moved away from home into university residences in order to surface the multiplicity and diversity of mobilities and transitions. Engaging concepts from posthumanist and poststructuralist theory, we propose a reconceptualisation of students' mobilities and transitions as rhizomatic, and as ongoing becomings. Furthermore, we also surface the materiality of students' experiences, acknowledging the role of the non-human within students' mobilities. As a result, we extend the emerging work attending to more complex depictions of students' mobilities, and examine the implications of acknowledging the heterogeneity, materiality and granularity of students' experiences.

The emerging literature related to feedback literacy has hitherto focused primarily on students’ engagement with feedback, and yet an analysis of academics’ feedback literacy is also of interest to those seeking to understand effective strategies to engage with feedback. Data from concept map-mediated interviews and reflections, with a team of six colleagues, surface academics’ responses to receiving critical feedback via scholarly peer review. Our findings reveal that feedback can be visceral and affecting, but that academics employ a number of strategies to engage with this process. This process can lead to actions that are both instrumental, enabling academics to more effectively ‘play the game’ of publication, as well as to learning that is more positively and holistically developmental. This study thus aims to open up a dialogue with colleagues internationally about the role of feedback literacy, for both academics and students. By openly sharing our own experiences we seek to normalise the difficulties academics routinely experience whilst engaging with critical feedback, to share the learning and strategies which can result from peer review feedback, and to explore how academics may occupy a comparable role to students who also receive evaluation of their work.