Journal of Academic Development and Education

Journal of Academic Development and Education

In Bangladesh, energy poverty in small and remote coastal communities inhibits development and exacerbates livelihood and migration pressures, social changes, and gender disparities. Climate change threatens low lying coastal areas, bringing sea level rise and increasing salinity. Cyclones and flash floods are having increasing impacts on coastal terrains, habitats, and associated livelihoods. Such challenges are faced by similar communities globally and represent significant barriers to addressing multiple UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - in particular...

The purpose of this paper is to provide a contemporary evidence-based evaluation of Online Distance Learning (ODL) in the international context. The study underpinning this paper is phenomenological in nature and uses participant observation to systematically gather data based on the authors experiences of delivering a module as part of a Trans-National Education (TNE) programme with a Chinese partner university. The main finding of the paper is that while ODL may appear to have an...

Computers and Programming is a core module for Foundation Year students at Keele University intending to progress on to study Computer Science. This paper details a three-year reflection on how this module could be better delivered. After several areas for address were identified, it was found that changes to the structure, teaching activities and assessment of the module, in keeping with the principles of constructive alignment, led to significant improvement in student assessment performance. This...

Screencasts and other video content offer an innovative means of improving communication between tutors and students and addressing student concerns about limited contact hours, which can be particularly pressing in English Literature. Our students’ comments make it clear they require further guidance and support, despite extensive feedback provided on written work and guidance provided in module handbooks. This likely results from the nature of the subject which foregrounds self-reflective learning and has fewer contact hours...

Journal of Academic Development and Education

This is a reflective piece from an individual who attended the Becoming Well Read Symposium 2021. The reflections are centred around three interlinked considerations regarding the challenges and opportunities for cultivating a reading culture within Higher Education. These reflections were inspired from listening to the keynote speaker of the event.

Anthropomorphism refers to the assignation of human characteristics to inanimate or non-human objects; whilst this concept is not new with relation to artificial intelligence in science fiction, post-2010 science fiction media provides an examination of this concept within the context of modern society, where artificial intelligence is arguably prevalent in our everyday lives. As we map out our lives with the addition of artificial intelligence, science fiction can help us understand how we can move...

Academic Reading Circles are an innovative strategy for supporting students’ academic reading practices. Based on reading circles used in more general contexts to develop students’ engagement with reading extensively, Academic Reading Circles have been adapted to the academic context to help students engage with more complex texts in their discipline. This paper will consider how Academic Reading Circles can play a strategic role in students becoming well read or in their learning process of reading...

This paper offers a critical reflection about how undertaking an MSc Advanced Clinical Practice (ACP) programme, led to a greater understanding about how cognitive processes impact on making complex clinical judgements and decisions. Insights are offered about how using this understanding can ensure safe clinical decisions are made, especially if the clinician is stuck in the corridor of clinical uncertainty. Driscoll’s (2007) ‘what’, ‘so what’, ‘now what’ model is used to facilitate this reflection. To...

From a multidisciplinary scientific Investigation of the 1916 Hawthorn Mine Crater, Beaumont Hamel, Somme, Northern France,. Hawthorn Crater is a prominent feature of the former Somme battlefield near Beaumont Hamel, Northern France. It resulted from the detonation of what is arguably the most famous of the nine mines that the British had prepared below the German lines on 1 July 1916, as part of the opening day of the Battle of the Somme. This mine...

Background Sound anatomical knowledge is essential for medical education and practice. Students and teachers alike believe that visual and spatial reasoning skills are key to learning anatomy. Many innovative teaching strategies promote deep understanding of anatomy by targeting spatial, visualization, and observation skills. Among these is the Haptico-visual observation and drawing method, a method designed to enhance the understanding of the 3-dimensional anatomical form. Methods Thirteen MSc of Human Anatomy students participated in a Haptico-visual...

Introduction: There is ample evidence of the benefits of learning across professions in the context of gross anatomy with respect to communication, teamwork and attitudes of health care students towards each other, and a smaller body of evidence that it improves anatomy knowledge when organised and overseen by faculty. There are no published studies of such interventions by students for students exploring both anatomy knowledge and attitudinal scores. The purpose of this medical (MD) student-led...