Dear colleagues,
We’re seeking offers to undertake blind peer-review of the following submissions to the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education (JLDHE).
If you would like to complete a review of one of the submissions, please email the designated editorial contact below.
If you haven’t reviewed for us before, please include a brief description of your interest in the topic, your relevant qualifications, expertise and/or experience in relation to the submission (up to 200 words). This might include your knowledge of the subject and/or your experience acting as a peer reviewer for academic papers or as an author or researcher in the field.
Please also join our register of reviewers and list your interests via http://journal.aldinhe.ac.uk/index.php/jldhe/user/register.
New reviewers are very welcome! We provide a developmental environment for those interested in this important community service. Why not try something new today?
| No. | Type | Title and abstract | Editorial contact |
| #1680 | Paper | An intensive block approach to teaching academic skills through a discipline: the effect on student connections, experiences, and outcomes Supporting students to transition to university remains a challenge in higher education. Ensuring that new students feel settled and connected to other students, staff, the university itself, and their subject area, alongside developing the necessary academic skills to undertake assignments in higher education, are key elements in ensuring their successful transition to their new environment. This original study reports on research into the impact of an intensive block teaching approach to teaching academic skills during the first two weeks of the first year on the student experience and student outcomes. Block teaching has been shown to increase retention, pass rates and higher-level outcomes. Since 2022, Geography students at [University anonymised] have begun their studies with a two-week intensive block module, serving as an extended induction to university. This block module has run for three years with a total of 127 students. Through a questionnaire at the end of the block, students reported that their experience helped them understand the requirements of higher education study, enhanced their understanding of a range of academic skills, and that they now knew more people through the block. The student outcomes from this approach have included 100% pass rates, high average marks, and a 10% increase in continuation rates of students from year 1 to year 2. We argue that adopting a discipline-based approach to teaching academic skills through block teaching, when organised effectively, has the potential to support students in developing academic skills, increasing their confidence, and transitioning to university. | Paula Villegas Verdu: pvv1@st-andrews.ac.uk |
| #1678 | Paper | Understanding student sentiments on digital assessments via LMS in Sri Lanka: a mixed mining approach The rapid digital transformation in higher education has accelerated the global shift toward Learning Management System (LMS)-based assessments, with Sri Lankan universities increasingly embracing this transition. This study investigates undergraduate perceptions of fully digital assessment environments, focusing on sentiment patterns, the role of language proficiency, and preferences for question types among 823 students at the University of [Redacted]. Data were analysed using sentiment analysis and association rule mining through the FP-Growth algorithm in RapidMiner 10.2. Findings reveal a largely positive outlook, with 78.7% of students expressing favourable views toward LMS-based assessments, while 10.2% expressed negative opinions and 11.1% remained neutral. The association rule mining identified “good” and “easy” as frequent descriptors, reinforcing the positive sentiment. Analysis of question type preferences showed a strong inclination toward drag-and-drop and multiple-choice formats, although 5% of respondents reported anxiety related to digital assessments. Notably, positive sentiment was consistent across varying levels of English proficiency, including those with “manageable” and “very poor” skills, despite some difficulties in understanding complex instructions and lengthy questions. These challenges did not significantly diminish overall acceptance. The findings suggest that well-designed LMS-based assessments can achieve high student acceptance even in resource-constrained environments. Accordingly, the study recommends implementing multilingual interfaces, enhancing digital literacy among faculty and students, and conducting practice sessions to reduce assessment-related anxiety. These insights are valuable for educators and policymakers seeking to establish sustainable and inclusive digital assessment frameworks in developing educational settings. | Paula Villegas Verdu: pvv1@st-andrews.ac.uk |
N.B. it is essential to be respectful of the writers of submissions to our journal, especially when they are at the draft stages. Please do not comment publicly on the list or elsewhere on any aspect of the paper title or abstract above.
Thank you, and we look forward to hearing from you!