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 |
| 1689 | Paper | MSc students’ development of Active Empathic Listening skills in online synchronous learning clubs and beyond Active Empathic Listening skills are essential in small group learning conversations and professional practice, yet they are often assumed and rarely practised in HE. Given the growth of online synchronous learning during the pandemic and less opportunities for busy students to meet in person due to being in paid employment and other commitments, these skills require attention in online synchronous learning, where non-verbal communication can be harder to notice than in person. This paper analyses how student participants employed Active Empathic Listening skills in online synchronous learning and subsequently in professional placements and general life. In online synchronous learning, Active Empathic Listening skills comprise listening with Attention (which includes non-verbal communication), Oral Paraphrasing and Asking Open Questions. These skills, which relate to affective and cognitive dimensions of learning, can encourage empathy and engagement within a group in online conversations. In the aftermath of Covid-19 lockdowns, online academic conversation clubs were established and facilitated by a tutor researcher for MSc students to meet voluntarily to discuss their learning, develop their Active Empathic Listening skills and make friends. Informed by Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, research suggests that developing Active Empathic Listening skills enhanced participating students’ relationships, engagement and critical thinking online synchronously in the clubs. Participating students reflected on how they subsequently employed Active Empathic Listening skills in practice placements and general life. As participants in this research were all Black African students studying at a UK university, this research provides some insight into how they engaged and developed their learning skills. | Craig Morley: C.Morley@mmu.ac.uk |
| 1681 | Case study | Enhancing occupational therapy theory comprehension through peer learning: an action research case study Peer learning fosters active engagement, allowing knowledge to be socially constructed through collaborative interaction. This case study explores the effect of a peer-led workshop on first-year (level 4) occupational therapy apprentices’ understanding of theoretical models, specifically the Person, Environment and Occupational Performance (PEOP, Baum et al, 2015) model. Using an action research approach with a pre- and post-intervention group design, fourteen students completed a Likert-scale questionnaire following a core seminar and repeated it after a voluntary peer learning workshop. Findings revealed a marked shift from neutral or moderate agreement towards strong agreement in understanding and confidence, though the data collection method lacked clarity on whether it measured knowledge acquisition or perceived confidence. The study identifies potential benefits of peer learning in developing professional skills, aligning with occupational therapy’s educational standards, while highlighting methodological refinements for future iterations, including the integration of formal assessment and qualitative feedback. The outcomes have informed teaching practice and module design underscoring the potential for peer learning to support both academic and employability outcomes in higher education. | Amy Sampson: A.Sampson@greenwich.ac.uk |
| 1769 | Case study | When changing the world is not enough: a compassionate pedagogy approach to teaching with AI Although increasingly recognised in higher education assessment and teaching practices, compassionate pedagogy is often misunderstood. Designed to alleviate student distress and trauma, it can be dismissed as ‘soft’, ‘fluffy’, or patronising and detrimental to building student resilience. It can also face criticism for being ‘care-washing’, a performative display of student support that fails to cultivate the knowledge and skills required of students navigating the rapidly evolving terrain of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. This case study, co-authored by academic staff and students, explores a constructive way forward. We reflect on the delivery of a second-year research methods module on two undergraduate programmes of a UK Business School that integrated student, academic, and AI contributions in both its teaching and assessment design. In doing so, we reframe assessment as a key site of compassionate pedagogy, moving away from traditional critical approaches that emphasise transformation of the learner, and towards practices that foreground recognition, belonging, and relationality. Reflecting on student experiences and performance, we suggest that situating teaching and learning with AI within a compassionate pedagogy framework can foster engaged and inclusive learning communities that nevertheless support critical skills and knowledge. We conclude with a call to embed compassionate pedagogy more fully in AI-enhanced higher education to promote learning, belonging, and wellbeing. | Laura Dyer: L.V.Dyer@leeds.ac.uk |
| 1752 | Paper | Increasing but insufficient polyphony: are there voices that could further enrich the discussion of LD professional identities? The development of Learning Development (LD) in the UK, and its sister disciplines in other countries, has been accompanied by intense conversations and reflection on the professional identities of those involved in it. This paper traces some of these debates. Amid the proliferation of voices, it identifies growing consensus on some aspects, but also underlines numerous remaining questions and challenges. Its key contribution is, however, the focus on the potential limitations of the insights gained, based on the observation that the voices represented in published sources do not represent the full community of those working as Learning a Developers (LDers). In response it develops the rationale for a survey among Scottish LDers that addresses some of the aspects currently underrepresented in the literature by including a wider scope of voices and focussing more strongly on practice. | Steven Briggs: steve.briggs@beds.ac.uk |
| 1673 | Paper | Lecturers’ perceptions of ICT use in a South African private higher education Faculty of Education This study explores lecturers’ perceptions and lived experiences of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) integration within a South African Faculty of Education. Guided by the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research employed a mixed-methods design, drawing on quantitative and qualitative data from a purposive sample of 56 academic staff members. Six thematic findings emerged. While infrastructural provision was deemed largely adequate, persistent disparities in student access, intermittent internet connectivity, and variable technical support revealed enduring digital inequities. Although all participants had engaged in institutional ICT training, some criticised its limited contextual differentiation and pedagogical applicability. Notably, high levels of technological self-efficacy amongst lecturers facilitated the adoption of hybrid teaching practices; however, these were frequently constrained by curriculum overload, insufficient institutional backing, and a broader lack of systemic alignment. Student disengagement – exacerbated by digital fatigue and socio-economic precarity – further impeded effective ICT integration. Nevertheless, emergent practices of peer collaboration and aspirational orientations towards student-centred pedagogies suggest a nascent shift towards more transformative digital engagement. The findings underscore the imperative for responsive infrastructure, differentiated professional learning pathways, and institutional policies that explicitly confront structural barriers to ICT-mediated teaching and learning. | Laura Barnett: l.barnett@surrey.ac.uk |
| 1677 | Paper | Exploring equity in learning development and education for sustainable development: integrating community-based learning and teaching This study explores the potential of Community-Based Learning and Teaching (CBLT) to address equity issues in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) within university curricula. The principal research question guiding this cross-institutional inquiry was: To what extent can equity issues in ESD be effectively addressed through the integration of community-based learning and teaching approaches to learning development in university curricula? This question was grounded on the premise that equity in ESD is best advanced when CBLT is meaningfully embedded into learning development practices, creating opportunities for dialogue, co-creation, and reflection. By linking academic learning with lived community contexts, CBLT enables students to see themselves in the curriculum and engage with sustainability challenges in relevant, inclusive, and action-oriented ways. Using a mixed methods approach across two neighbouring institutions, the research highlights how CBLT fosters deeper student engagement, supports culturally responsive pedagogies, and facilitates critical participation in sustainability education. It also reveals ongoing challenges, including limited interdisciplinary collaboration and institutional barriers to inclusive practice. This research advances knowledge in learning development by highlighting the potential of CBLT to tackle equity challenges in ESD. It suggests that future efforts should focus on expanding interdisciplinary opportunities, ensuring culturally responsive teaching, and building stronger institutional support for community-driven learning. Ultimately, this study provides a foundation for further development in both learning development and sustainability education, with broader implications for equity-focused educational practices in higher education. | Laura Barnett: l.barnett@surrey.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