See also Academic Skills Development & Academic Literacies

MacNaughton (2003) offers 3 views of education: Conforming (passing on knowledge & control). Reforming (developing independent thinkers). Transforming (challenging inequalities). To transform we need to be able to use an Academic Literacies approach in our teaching.

Biesta suggests the aims of education are: qualification (knowledge & skills), socialisation (orientation in traditions & practices) & subjectification (the formation of the person) - a broader view of education is necessary and quality of process matters. The question 'what is quality?' is not a technical question about what works, but is a political one (about judgement).

Academic culture is not evenly accessed or experienced (Read, Archer and Leathwood, 2003). Despite the influx of students from diverse backgrounds, they continue to be disadvantaged by an institutional culture that places them as the ‘other’ (UUK and NUS, 2019; Read, Archer and Leathwood, 2003; Mirza, 1995; Spurling, 1990).

Book Review:

Kyndt, E., Donche, V., Trigwell, K. & Lindblom-Ylanne, S. (eds.) (2017) 'Higher Education Transitions: Theory and Research'. London: Routledge. by Stephen Merry

Sperlinger, T., McLellan, J., and Pettigrew, R. (2020) Who are Universities For? Bristol University Press.

From Review Essay: 'Who higher education should be for, and how we get there, is the main topic of Sperlinger, McLellan and Pettigrew’s Who Are Universities For?. The book grew out of the authors’ engagement in the Foundation Year in Arts and Humanities at the University of Bristol, a widening participation initiative that aims to make higher education – and especially degrees in arts and humanities – accessible for those who, by the virtue of social background, personal circumstances, or their combination, have previously concluded it was not for them. Despite many attempts to widen participation, higher education is still seen as a site for the reproduction of elites, in part because of the distinction between the social status of those who tend to go to Oxford, Cambridge and other Russell Group universities, and others, including students at former polytechnics and further education colleges. In this sense, opening one of England’s top universities for some of the people who would traditionally be excluded from it – and, at that, in distinctly ‘non-technical’ fields – certainly provides important lessons on how inclusive higher education could work in a politically different future'.

Bibliography:

Biesta, G. (2010) Good Education in an Age of Measurement. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.

Buckley, C. (2015) 'Conceptualising plagiarism: using Lego to construct students' understanding of authorship and citation'. Teaching in Higher Education, 20:3, 352-358, DOI: 10.1080/13562517.2015.1016418

Burns, T., Sinfield, S., and Holley, D. (2012) The Shipwrecked Shore and Other Metaphors: what we can learn from occupation of, and representations in, virtual worlds. Investigations in University Teaching and Learning. ISSN 1740-5106

Burns, T. and Sinfield, S. (2019) Take5. 'The Best Way to Embed Learning Development.' Available at: https://lmutake5.wordpress.com/2019/11/21/take5-37-the-best-way-to-embed-learning-development/

Burke, J. (2008) Writing, Power and Voice: Access to and Participation in Higher Education. Changing English, 15:2, 199-210.

Chiu, T. and Rodriguez-Falcon, O. (2016) Embracing Diversity for Attainment: An Inclusive Approach to a Redesigned Foundation Module in the Social Sciences. Learning and Language Support Services (LLSS), University of East London. DO - 10.13140/RG.2.2.32142.56643

Evans, C., Muijs, D. and Tomlinson, M. (2015) Engaged Student Learning: High-impact Strategies to Enhance Student Achievement. Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resource/engaged-student-learning-high-impact-strategies-enhance-student-achievement

Gravett, K. (2019) 'Troubling transitions and celebrating becomings: from pathway to rhizome', Studies in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/03075079.2019.1691162

Haggis, T. (2006) 'Pedagogies for Diversity: Retaining Critical Challenge Amidst Fears of “Dumbing Down.”’ Studies in Higher Education, 31:5, pp521-535.

Kift, S., Nelson, K. and Clarke, J. (2010) 'Transition pedagogy: A third generation approach to FYE - A case study of policy and practice for the higher education sector'. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5204/intjfyhe.v1i1.13

Longmire-Avital, B. (2019) 'Establishing Equity in Study Abroad Experiences: Three Recommendations'. Centre for Engaged Learning. Elon University.

O’Shea, S. (2020) 'Crossing boundaries: rethinking the ways that first-in-family students navigate ‘barriers’ to higher education'. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 41:1, 95-110, DOI: 10.1080/01425692.2019.1668746

Thanh Phùng, 'Museum of Education'. Comments on Biesta, G. (2010) 'What is education for? Good education in an age of measurement: ethics, politics, democracy' (pp. 11–27). Boulder, C: Paradigm Publishers. Available at: https://educationmuseum.wordpress.com/2012/03/22/gert-biesta-qualification-socialization-subjectification/

Wareing, S. (2019) Invisible Grail. Narratives and the Student Experience. Available at: https://www.invisiblegrail.com/blog/narratives-and-the-student-experience/

Warren, D. (2002) ‘Curriculum Design in a Context of Widening Participation in Higher Education’. Arts & Humanities in Higher Education. Vol. 1, pp85-99.

Webster, H. (2020) 'The Case for One to One – Turner Revisited'. In RATTUSSCHOLASTICUS