You are invited to submit a proposal for inclusion in a Special Issue of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education titled: Advancing Pedagogic Research in Learning Development: Translating Inquiry into Practice.
Deadlines
JLDHE is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that provides a forum for researchers writing about educational practices and theoretical and methodological approaches to learning in higher education. This Special Issue of JLDHE invites global contributions to examine and demonstrate how pedagogic research informs and transforms teaching practices.
In recent years, pedagogic research, defined as a scientific and systematic examination of teaching and learning (Gurung & Schwartz, 2009), has attracted growing international attention from diverse stakeholders in higher education, whether they are researchers, educators, practitioners, or administrators. While discourse positioning pedagogic research as the “Cinderella”, or less valuable than disciplinary research persists (Cotton, Miller, & Kneale, 2018), the intrinsic value and multifaceted benefits it brings to teaching and learning should not be overlooked. Pedagogic research has the potential to foster more inclusive learning environments, support practitioners in navigating contemporary issues amid an ever-changing educational landscape (Lin & Lam, 2025) and ultimately enrich the overall student learning experience. Nevertheless, pedagogic research is multidisciplinary by nature, and not all pedagogic researchers possess the academic training, knowledge, or skills required for such engagement. This challenge is further complicated by the fact that within academia, knowledge workers are often time-poor, constantly (re)balancing competing priorities, while responding to mounting expectations for accountability and evidence-driven practices.
This Special Issue invites contributions from researchers, educators, practitioners, and administrators across international higher education systems to share their experiences, perspectives, and good practices. We aim to capture diverse and vibrant voices on pedagogic research through a collection of articles that offer practical frameworks and insights. Together, these contributions will illuminate how pedagogic research can be leveraged to shape and reshape not only individual practices, but also institutional cultures and the wider global Learning Development community (Warnes, & Pratt-Adams, 2025).
Themes:
Potential Contributors
Potential contributors could include, but are not limited to:
- Third space practitioners including Learning Developers, Educational Developers, Librarians, and Learning Technologists.
- Academics and teachers working in higher education
- Researchers with a focus on various aspects of teaching and learning, such as curriculum design, assessment, andragogy, pedagogy, integration of technologies.
- Professional Services colleagues in areas such as employability, widening participation, access and outreach, and technology.
- Graduate and postgraduate teaching assistants.
- Co-authored submissions between staff and students.
Before submitting your proposal to this special issue of JLDHE, please familiarise yourself with the field of LD and ensure your work falls within at least one of the above themes or areas of interest. The Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) offers a range of relevant resources.
Proposal Format
Interested contributors are invited to complete the online Expression of Interest form (see below). The form will ask for a proposal of up to 300 words, including a rationale and theme, a proposed structure and approach/method, and submission type.
Proposals could be for contributions in the following forms:
- Research papers (including empirical studies and theoretical perspectives and frameworks) – up to 8,000 words.
- Case studies (including practical applications and strategies) – up to 5,000 words.
- Opinion pieces (including policy implications and recommendations) – up to 3,000 words.
- Letters (including cross-cultural and international perspectives) – up to 1,000 words.
Further information on these submission formats can be found within the JLDHE Submission Guidelines. Please note the specified word counts are inclusive of title, abstract, keywords and references.
Proposals will be reviewed by the Guest Editorial Team (below). Successful authors will be invited to develop their proposal into a full submission. All manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer-review. Contributing authors to the Special Issue will be expected to review at least one submission.
Please submit your proposal via the expression of interest form below.
Contact
If you would like to discuss an idea for a proposal, please contact Vienne Lin at viennelin@cuhk.edu.hk
Expression of Interest Form
Full Guest Editorial Team
Vienne Lin, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Paul Lam, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Simon Pratt-Adams, Anglia Ruskin University
Paul Chin, University of Bath
Mark Warnes, Anglia Ruskin University
Shaun Le Boutillier, Anglia Ruskin University
Karen Kenny, University of Bristol
Ros O’Leary, University of Bristol
Victoria Willis, University of Bath
Cressida Lyon, University of Bath
Uwe Richter, Anglia Ruskin University
Alan Hayes, University of Bath
JLDHE Link Section Editors:
Laura Dyer – l.v.dyer@leeds.ac.uk
Lee Fallin – Lee.Fallin@hull.ac.uk
Paula Villegas Verdu – pvv1@st-andrews.ac.uk
References
Cotton, D. R. E., Miller, W., & Kneale, P. (2018). The Cinderella of academia: Is higher education pedagogic research undervalued in UK research assessment? Studies in Higher Education, 43(9), 1625–1636. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2016.1276549
Gurung, R. A. R., & Schwartz, B. M. (2009). Optimizing teaching and learning: Practicing pedagogical research. Wiley-Blackwell.
Lin, V., & Lam, P. (2025). Weaving pedagogic research into teaching: Is pedagogic research optional or essential in higher education? The Curriculum Journal, 36, 340-343. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.323
Warnes, M., and Pratt-Adams, S. (2025). Building a pedagogic research community using social spaces. Journal of Excellence in College Training, 36(1), 17-29.