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 |
| 1837 | Brief communication | A ‘room of one’s own’ in learning development: establishing spaces for writing for new learning developers In this essay, I use the metaphor of a ‘room of one’s own’ to explore whether Learning Development (LD), as a field, provides effectual physical and figurative spaces whereby new Learning Developers (LDers) feel empowered to write their authentic selves into professional ‘being’. Drawing upon scholarly work into the professional identity of LDers, I argue that establishing specific spaces for writing for new and ‘establishing’ LDers can aid them to find ‘a way in’ to pedagogical ‘rooms of their own’ which might initially appear inaccessible. | Carina Buckley: carina.buckley@solent.ac.uk |
| 1843 | Case study | Rewriting fairy tales: developing critical AI literacy through creative practice in higher education This case study explores how generative artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in higher education to examine creativity, bias, and representation through digital storytelling. Rewriting Fairy Tales was a hands-on workshop in which 11 students from diverse academic disciplines and study levels used AI tools to reinterpret classic fairy tales. By working with familiar narratives, participants were able to identify cultural and algorithmic bias, question authorship, and reflect on the ethical implications of AI in creative and educational contexts. Findings indicate that students became more confident and curious in their use of AI, viewing it as a useful but limited creative collaborator rather than a replacement for human imagination. Participants identified recurring gendered and cultural biases in AI-generated content, often mirroring those present in traditional fairy tales. Through creative rewriting and visual reinterpretation, students produced more inclusive, human-centred narratives that reflected their own values and experiences. The study demonstrates the value of storytelling as an accessible framework for developing critical digital literacy and ethical awareness across disciplines. It offers a replicable, practice-based model for supporting reflective engagement with generative AI in higher education, foregrounding human agency, creativity, and responsibility in an increasingly AI-influenced learning environment. | Carina Buckley: carina.buckley@solent.ac.uk |
| 1797 | Paper | Student-led approaches for reducing awarding gaps through widening participation in placement programmes: Co-creation in the design of inclusive practices in UK Higher Education This paper shares new empirical data from focus groups with 18 student participants identified as under-represented within placement programmes including students who are female, students with disabilities, ethnically-minoritised students, and students from communities with traditionally low levels of participation in higher education, as a proxy for social and economic disadvantage. Co-designed and co-delivered by a team of staff and postgraduate student co-researchers with understanding of such traditionally marginalised groups, the focus groups explored the lived experiences and perceptions of barriers to participation in placement programmes such as Year in Industry and student solutions for widening participation amongst under-represented groups, with the aim of improving degree outcomes and narrowing awarding gaps. The paper first reviews recent research on placement participation and describes the study’s methodological approach. Next, key findings are set out, highlighting six key problems and potential solutions identified by participants. Discussion organises the problems and solutions into three overlapping themes concerning informational, practical, and psychological and highlights strong alignment with existing research as well as some new insights. The paper concludes with suggestions for translating findings into practical actions relating to consistency of opportunities across academic programmes and levels, the embeddedness of placement support, integrated and representative communications strategies that prioritise single-issue emails over newsletter compilations; staff training on sense of belonging amongst students from traditionally marginalised backgrounds, and employer awareness-raising regarding placement access and awarding gaps and strategies to widen placement participation. | Carina Buckley: carina.buckley@solent.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.
We look forward to hearing from you!
With warm wishes on behalf of the Editorial Board,
Chad
Dr Chad McDonald
Managing Editor, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education
JLDHE
Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education