Introduction In this paper, I reflect on the desperate need for a backbone, a framework, for attending to holistic student experience in higher education. This emerges from my observation that although various elements of a University community proudly proclaim that they attend to student experience, rarely do they connect beyond their specialist siloes. This results... Continue Reading →

Warning: this blog will be confronting for those who like setting exams or who believe examinations are an unavoidable necessity, I have come to the belief that examinations are an incredibly flawed approach to assessment. I can use my own experience as evidence. I call it the “cram and dump” approach to gaining a degree.... Continue Reading →

The elusive goal for every institution is to be the organisation of choice. That is, it is the organisation that students flock to, where graduands are hunted by employers, where research is world leading, where teaching is research led, and where people love to come to work. And then thrown in for good measure, the... Continue Reading →

I'm delighted to have been recognized as a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA). Thank you to all who have supported me, but most of all, thank you to my students! This has been an excellent process for reflection on personal teaching and learning values and the importance for always striving: ever better,

Whatever has happened to the plaintiff cry of parents, teachers, and vigilantes calling out against the devil of screen time? Only weeks ago, a young person who spent hours online was described as bound for delinquency (Hawi & Rupert, 2015), a lifelong snoozer, typically unhealthy (Sigman, 2012), devoid of learning and social skills. Never mind... Continue Reading →

With the Universities working to respond to students in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, I’m hearing phrases like “pivot to online” and “flip to online” as though there is a switch to flick. Academics are recording full lectures and simply loading them up for their students. Near enough is good enough. It’s been a... Continue Reading →

I’ve often been mystified and amazed by those people that seem to defy the rules of natural progression and race to the top of their field at blistering speed. I call them jets. These people, I think, have some common characteristics that I’ve noticed. I wonder what would happen if the general Joe Blows of... Continue Reading →

I've decided to submit an application to the Higher Education Academy in the UK for a Fellowship. There seems to be quite a lot involved. Although a teaching and learning philosophy statement isn't exactly required (although the suggestion is that it might be helpful), I have had a go at one below. The difficulty is... Continue Reading →

Donna Pendergast & Nan Bahr (Eds) The publisher's overview: "The middle years of schooling are increasingly recognised as a crucial stage in students’ lives, one that has significant consequences for ongoing educational success. Teaching Middle Years offers a systematic overview of the philosophy, principles and issues in middle schooling. It includes contributions from academics and... Continue Reading →