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—so why not try something new today!
| No. | Type | Title and abstract | Editorial contact |
| 1608 | Paper | Doctoral supervisor responses to diversity in the doctoral candidate profile: sharing scholarship, strategies, and resources Doctoral education policies have introduced diversity into the doctoral candidate profile including different degrees, wider modes of study and increased candidates with multiple competing priorities. Universities and supervisors need to respond to these candidates’ diverse needs to move beyond empty policy commitment statements. Responding to candidate needs or equality, equity, diversity, and inclusion (or EDI) requires a sensitive approach, although not all candidates will share any barriers they face. Supervisors may draw on the narrow approach of their own experience of being supervised or may not feel that responding to diversity is their role. Supervisory practice can be bolstered with professional development, but not all universities will offer this, and these can sometimes focus solely on university regulations. Communities of Practice programmes can encourage supervisors to communally reflect on practice and engage with literature. The current literature is heavily weighted to a discussion of the barriers for candidates, related to increased diversity in the candidate profile, with a smaller number of items which focus on supervisory strategies including tips, ways to help and issues to consider. What is missing is open access to a range of scholarly approaches that supervisors have taken in collaboration with the candidate and other supervisors, which this paper aims to address. This paper discusses an ALDinHE funded project which explores how doctoral supervisors are responding to diversity in the candidate profile (or EDI) during their practice or CoP programme practitioner inquiries. It shares the findings from a literature review and a questionnaire with doctoral supervisors. | Josh Wang: j3.reilly@qut.edu.au |
| 1612 | Paper | Bite-sized brilliance: unwrapping the benefits of sandwich courses for sport science students This study explores the benefits of sandwich courses for sport science students, particularly in relation to academic performance, graduate employment and professional development. Work-integrated learning (WIL), in the form of year-long placements, provides students with real-world experience that enhances both their practical and theoretical knowledge. Quantitative analysis comparing attendance and degree grades between honours and sandwich course students at REDACTED demonstrates that placement students achieve higher academic outcomes and improved attendance records. Results indicate that sandwich course students gained higher final degree classifications and attendance records in comparison to their honour pathway counterparts. Qualitative data from alumni focus groups further highlight the broader advantages of placements, including the development of soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem-solving, alongside increased confidence and career clarity. Professional exposure and networking opportunities were identified as key factors contributing to enhanced employability, with many participants securing jobs directly linked to their placements. The findings affirm the value of sandwich placements in preparing students for professional careers, demonstrating their impact on academic success, employability, and personal growth. Despite some challenges, the study underscores the importance of embedding WIL within higher education curricula to bridge the gap between academic learning and industry expectations. | Vic Boyd: Victoria.Boyd@cityofglasgowcollege.ac.uk |
| 1616 | Paper | Enhancing reflective models in nursing education: an action research project Background: The communication and interpersonal skills module has run for three previous iterations and each one has demonstrated a high fail rate, the latest being 28%. Feedback gathered from the marking team suggested that the assignments demonstrated either a misunderstanding or lack of understanding of the reflective model and its use. Students additionally gave feedback through tutorials to confirm that they did not fully understand the concept and so did not know how to apply it to their chosen scenario. Aims: The aims of the project were to develop and evaluate an integrated scaffolding element where sections of the Gibbs’ reflective model were used systematically to build a deeper understanding and application of reflection. Methods: Each day the main teaching sessions were slightly compressed to allow for an additional brief session on an element from the Gibbs model. The section was presented by the tutor and a practice activity was given on which students worked independently. Feedback was tutor and peer given. Following each scaffolding session, students were asked to complete an anonymous evaluation of the session. Conclusions: The feedback from this action research project helped the module lead to form the basis of an evaluation on the proposed need for more detailed intervention in terms of reflection. The use of Likert scales gave a comparative display of self-perceived knowledge both before and after the class, and the more qualitative detail enabled specific feedback for future modifications and improvements. | Lee Fallin: Lee.Fallin@hull.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!
With warm wishes on behalf of the Editorial Board,
Chad
Dr Chad McDonald
Managing Editor, Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education