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 |
| 1788 | Paper | Students’ perspectives of the use of Riff AI tool to support the development of the skill of reflection within a first-year undergraduate transition to studying in higher education module The purpose of this small-scale, interpretivist, qualitative action research project was to find out Level 4 students’ perspectives on using Riff (a generative artificial intelligence chatbot) as an optional tool to support the development of the skill of reflection. The research was framed by Antonovsky’s (1979) Sense of Coherence Salutogenic framework which promotes comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness of information for self-help and health promotion. A focus group using semi-structured questions sought to understand the comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness of using Riff. Seven students and a member of staff acting as group facilitator participated. Subsequent coding and a thematic analysis of the main discussion themes were carried out. The findings share how Riff supports self-reflection, purposeful engagement with generative artificial intelligence and presents as a useful educational tool for those who choose to engage with it. While students were considered digital natives, the findings suggest differences between being technology-literate and information-literate. Overall, Riff presents as an optional resource for nurturing academic health with a view to strengthening students’ sense of coherence on and about reflection and the positive use of artificial intelligence within higher education. | Josh Wang: reillyjj@qut.edu.au |
| 1793 | Paper | Bridging the gap: faculty experiences and perceptions on the role of mentorship in nursing education in higher education Background: Mentorship enhances teaching, research, and leadership development in higher education. However, most existing studies are general in nature, providing limited insight into mentorship experiences in nursing education. This study addresses this gap by exploring faculty experiences, challenges, and professional development needs within the School of Nursing and Midwifery (SONAM). Material and methods: A qualitative study design was employed, using a semi-structured interview guide to collect data from seven faculty participants (mentors, mentees, and key informants). The interviews enabled an in-depth exploration of participants’ experiences and perceptions regarding mentorship. NVivo version 12 was used to organize the data then analyzed thematically using Braun and Clarke framework. Findings: The study suggests an inadequate mentorship structure in the nursing school, which led to diverse perceptions of the mentorship experienced by new faculty members. The participants observed that orientation programs did not sustain mentoring relationships. The absence of mentoring proved difficult for faculty members moving from clinical to academic roles through structured guidance for adaptation. Several challenges were identified that prevent practical mentorship functions, which included a lack of an official mentorship framework, work schedule conflicts, a lack of mentorship training and skills, and resource limitations. Conclusion: Despite existing informal peer and senior mentorship, the study recommends establishing a structured mentorship program to support smooth transitions from clinical practice to academia. It also suggests including key elements such as defined roles, work schedules, growth opportunities, clear boundaries, and social support within the mentorship framework. | Josh Wang: j3.reilly@qut.edu.au |
| 1835 | Paper | Embedding AI literacy in undergraduate curriculum: a programme-level analysis of student learning outcomes This paper presents findings from a study that examined the effectiveness of incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) literacy into curriculum design within an undergraduate programme. The study’s two primary objectives are to evaluate how module design influences the development of specific AI literacy dimensions and to assess whether a progressive approach to AI literacy development is effective across academic levels. Within the BSc Business Management programme, we implemented AI-integrated activities designed to enhance competencies across four dimensions of AI literacy: ‘Know and Understand’, ‘Use and Apply’, ‘Create and Evaluate’, and ‘AI Ethics’. Employing a mixed-methods approach combining surveys and focus groups, we examined three research questions: (1) To what extent do curriculum-embedded activities enhance AI literacy across the dimensions? (2) How does the development of AI literacy influence students’ learning experiences and transferable skills? (3) What support mechanisms do students identify as necessary? Our findings highlight that although curriculum-embedded AI activities enhance AI literacy, the extent of the impact is shaped by alignment between instructional design, academic level, and learning outcomes. In the Year 1 module, focused on foundational understanding, 71.6% reported growth in ‘Know and Understand’, with lower engagement in advanced skills (18.52% ‘Use and Apply’; 4.94% ‘Create and Evaluate’). The Year 2 module emphasised practical application, with stronger results in ‘Use and Apply’ (27.78%) and ‘Create and Evaluate’ (38.89%). The Year 3 module, designed to prioritise ‘Create and Evaluate’, most students (64.29%) reported activities linked to ‘Know and Understand’, suggesting additional support may be needed to build higher-level competencies. | Lee Fallin: Lee.Fallin@hull.ac.uk |
| 1836 | Case study | Factors impacting on academic language and learning development practitioners’ access to professional development, recognition and promotion pathways: an international case study Since 2015, there has been an expansion of professional development, recognition, and internal promotion opportunities potentially open to Academic Language and Learning Development (ALLD) practitioners (Briggs, 2025; Briggs, 2023). However, limited information beyond informal and often anecdotal community reporting is available to inform what factors inhibit or facilitate access to such opportunities. This is concerning because it prohibits evidence-based interventions that aim to address where there are inequalities of opportunity. This international study therefore sought to establish personal, institutional, national, and/or international factors associated with ALLD practitioners (n=92) reporting access to professional development, recognition, or internal promotion pathways. Several trends were identified, including country influence on access to professional recognition and contract type influence on access to internal promotion pathways. Implications of findings are considered in terms of how ALLD practitioners might be best supported in terms of their career development and progression. | Amy Sampson: A.Sampson@greenwich.ac.uk |
| 1844 | Paper | Enhancing inclusivity for stammering in higher education Support for stammering is poorly communicated and implemented in higher education across the UK. Recommendations from organisations such as STAMMA can be adopted by universities to enhance visibility and support for staff and students. This support must continue to evolve as instructional and workplace practices change. A review of the existing literature and associated account of where to focus research efforts is presented with an emphasis on the relatively recent enhanced use of technology within higher education and implications around this. A more inclusive learning and working environment for those who stammer will result in more students and staff feeling happier and supported to fulfil their potential, inclusive of those with and without a speech impediment. | Lee Fallin: Lee.Fallin@hull.ac.uk |
| 1849 | Case study | To belong or not to belong? Reimagining international student transitions: a critical comparative case study analysis This case study paper critically examines dominant higher education discourses that position belonging as a universal and desirable outcome of international student transition. Drawing on a comparative analysis of two anonymised case studies, Student A and Student B, it explores how belonging is experienced unevenly and under markedly different conditions. The cases illustrate how belonging may function as an elective, low-risk identity practice for students with extensive prior mobility, while operating as a pressured requirement for academic and personal survival for those encountering cultural transition for the first time. Informed by scholarship on identity, mobility, and cultural capital, the analysis highlights how institutional narratives of belonging often privilege exceptional, highly mobile trajectories, while obscuring vulnerability, emotional labour, and structural constraint. The paper argues for learning development and EAP practices that recognise the differentiated nature of international student transitions and resist assimilationist assumptions, reframing belonging as a contextual, negotiated and ethically complex process rather than a universal benchmark of success. | Vic Boyd: Victoria.Boyd@cityofglasgowcollege.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