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An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses papers in the issue on topics including impact of curriculum choice on the social aspects of education in Great Britain, choice of subject and assessment method in Northern Ireland and Wales, and effect of education on labor market.

In this paper, we propose a methodology to support the Curriculum Design and Development (CDD) process with the aim of aligning competences provided by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) with the ones required by companies. The proposed methodology stems from the identification of companies' training needs and aims at classifying a set of specific competences that are derived through a desk analysis of the existing academic offer. The novelty of the proposed methodology is represented by the introduction of quantitative indicators used for competences' classification which may support decision-makers in the individuation of the expected learning objectives of the curriculum. The proposed approach has been developed and tested in the context of a European Project (TrainERGY – Training for Energy Efficient Operations) involving four European countries (Italy, Poland, UK and Greece), whose objective was the definition of a transnational curriculum oriented to qualify better practitioners involved in energy efficiency operations in SMEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we attend to the pedagogical role of reflection within action research practices. We discuss educational considerations of the complex process of improving curriculum, while undertaking collaborative research in which reflection within the iterative process of action research became pedagogical. We draw upon our reflections from an action research project on research-based learning in course-based, professional graduate programs. In particular, our purpose was to think about our reflections from diverse roles and viewpoints, from associate dean, academic coordinator, instructor, and co-researchers, to explore the various ways in which our collaborative understandings informed graduate program design. Our narrative reflections allowed us to learn about our individual and collective beliefs about action research, and the ways in which our beliefs and practices shaped graduate students' experiences learning about and conducting action research. In drawing on our critical reflective processes, we show both the tensions and possibilities of collaboration in action research. We conclude, after reflecting on our collective processes engaged in this paper, that documenting researchers' experiences can be vital in action research for addressing complex educational challenges in the improvement of curriculum and programs, and in creating the conditions for enhanced student learning experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational Technology (EdTech) plays a significant role in enabling learners with disabilities to access learning at school and reduce educational and social exclusion. It also enables them to enjoy the benefits of a full school curriculum and to participate in activities in different educational arrangements. The purpose of this review was to address the existing evidence of how EdTech is being used to support learners with disabilities in order to inform future research and policymaking. It sought to contribute to an evidence base of ways to reduce barriers to learning drawing on a systematic methodology to gather evidence pertaining to access to EdTech for primary school learners with disabilities aged 6–12 years. After a thorough examination of the literature, the final sample comprised 51 published articles (43 peer-review and 8 conference papers). The review revealed examples of positive outcomes of EdTech interventions being used, particularly in special schools; however, the evidence of their efficacy is weak. The use of EdTech for learners with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries requires further, robust and long-term research that considers the involvement of learners, pedagogy and curriculum design in order to understand its impact on improving educational experiences of children with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional progression and skills development are the main expectations of mid-career managers when enrolling on an Executive MBA (EMBA), yet it can be personal development (PD) that turns out to be the unexpected benefit of management education. Joining a growing number of voices making a case for personal development and self-awareness in management education, and calling for schools to incorporate it in the curriculum, this paper advances the case for personal development as a core Executive MBA module. The paper sets out the holistic rationale and philosophic principles used to design and deliver a course underpinned by curiosity and self-reflection on an EMBA in the United Kingdom, and presents empirical findings from a survey conducted among 230 students and alumni. These suggest that the focus on reflective practice and integration of PD promotes a richer and deeper appreciation of the value of reflection for lasting and sometimes unexpected personal growth. In addition, the raising of awareness of self also brings awareness of others, and develops critical thinking in application of the MBA at work. The paper concludes with a discussion re-evaluating the subject of tacit knowledge in reflective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As UK Higher Education institutions continue to accept students from ethnically diverse backgrounds, there is now an onus and an expectation for academics to provide learning environments and experiences that are inclusive, validating and affirming. The aim of this paper is to explore, through the lens of the academic tutor, the pedagogical methods employed towards the implementation of 'cultural branching', which we define as helping ethnically diverse students to build bridges between their pre-existing knowledge and what they are expected to learn. To investigate this in more detail, the researchers interviewed 22 academic tutors across three UK Higher Education Institutions in the North of England. The findings suggest that current curriculum structures and pedagogical approaches favour the dominant non-ethnically diverse learner. Our research proposes that additional emphasis needs to be placed on developing a practical and functional approach which embeds cultural branching via technological platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International health electives pose specific ethical challenges for students travelling from to low and middle income countries. We undertook a systematic review of the literature on interventions to prepare students to identify ethical issues addressed, educational approaches and to collate evidence on the effectiveness of different strategies. We searched nine electronic databases of peer-reviewed literature and identified grey literature through key word searches; supplemented through citation mapping and expert consultation. Articles that described ethical training conducted by universities or professional bodies were included for review. We reviewed forty-four full text articles. Ten sources of published literature and seven sources of grey literature met our inclusion criteria. We identified thirteen ethical situations that students should be prepared to manage and eight generic skills to support this process. Most interventions were delivered before the elective, used case studies or guidelines. Some suggested ethical principles or a framework for analysis of ethical issues. Only two papers evaluated the intervention described. Our paper collates a small but growing body of work on education to prepare students to manage ethical issues. Ethical training should have elements that are delivered before, during and after the elective. Interventions should include case studies covering thirteen ethical issues identified here, linked to ethical principles and a process for responding to ethical issues. We suggest that evaluations of interventions are an important area for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Today, the engineering landscape is continually changing, and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have a responsibility to design curricula that address the growing demands of various industry sectors. Likewise, the roles and responsibilities of an engineer are evolving; requiring a further broadening of the current engineering curriculum. As a profession, engineering draws upon broad interdisciplinary knowledge, and when training twenty-first-century engineers, universities should follow a more comprehensive teaching and learning approach, with a focus on both technical and soft skills including the integration of leadership into engineering curricula. However, the spectrum of engineering leadership is not well-defined. Leadership is one of the most widely sought-after skills in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) industries; it is, therefore, clear that more investigation needs to be carried out into this area of engineering pedagogy. One of the most distinct gaps in the literature is that there is little or no consensus on what approaches should be undertaken to integrate leadership in engineering courses by those in academia. This paper seeks to shed light on some of these gaps, with the primary objective of the evaluation of the current state of leadership education using a nation-wide sample of BEng1 Electronic Engineering course structures and contents at Russell Group2 universities in the UK. It highlights the case study of the University of York, where there is a strong emphasis on the integration of engineering leadership and management skills within the current BEng Electronic Engineering course structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this paper is to present a curriculum design model that extends the 'Powerful Knowledge' ideas of social realist theory. The Model called 'Curriculum Design Coherence' (CDC) hypothesizes an approach in which subject concepts and the subject's epistemic structure are central to the design process to enable deep learning. The model differentiates and then links subject concepts, subject content, subject competencies, and assessment. The underlying premise is that deep learning for students is more likely if teachers utilize and make visible the epistemic structure of the area of study; the subject concepts and subject competencies to be taught and their inter-relationships as 'knowledge-that' (epistemic knowledge) and 'knowledge-how-to' (procedural knowledge). The usefulness of the model for coherence in curriculum design is currently being tested by primary and secondary school teachers in New Zealand and England. The study takes a realist approach utilizing qualitative methods including workshops, analysis of curricular materials, and teacher interviews. The model is in the early stages of testing and some initial findings indicate its usefulness along with the challenges for teachers in engaging deeply with the structure of their subject [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservative trends across western schooling contexts are signalling an explicit devaluing of social and moral learning within their official curriculum mandates. These mandates are increasingly privileging the ‘academic rigour’ of traditional subject disciplines. This paper draws on interview and observation data from a case study of a large and highly diverse English secondary school to explore this school’s prioritizing of social and moral learning. Such prioritizing is supported at this school by its ‘Academy’ status—which in the English context allows schools a measure of freedom over curriculum as part of broader government moves to increase school autonomy. The paper’s focus is on how these conservative trends are understood and disrupted to support a critical view of existing curriculum and a desire to modify and re-shape it to support more relevant and connected learning for students. The paper describes particular examples of practice at the school in the areas of Citizenship and Religious Education to illustrate this approach. Engaging with social and moral learning along these lines is argued as productive in working within and against the constraints of current conservative curriculum priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite a wide international literature on the effect of vocational and general education on school-to-work transition, relatively little is known about the role of having studied specific subjects in explaining inequalities in young people’s labour market outcomes. This paper aims to fill this gap by examining differences in employment chances of young people who left education early, either at the end of compulsory schooling or at the end of secondary school. Using data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study, a large-scale linkage study created using data from administrative and statistical sources, we found little gender differences but strong parental background differences in school leavers’ employment status and type of occupation entered. Social inequalities in labour market outcomes were only partly explained by curriculum choices. Moreover, after controlling for social origin and grades, only history and business for lower-secondary leavers and maths for upper-secondary leavers were associated with a reduction in the chances of being unemployed/inactive. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses some of the qualitative data obtained from a small number (23) of semi-structured interviews of academic staff who are involved in module design, and who are employed within one UK university. Analysing the interview transcripts produced eight main themes. One of these themes was the perceived pressures or constraints on design. Using verbatim responses given by the interviewees, a discussion of the data used to illustrate this theme compares the findings of this project with those from the existing literature. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Informal Science Learning (ISL) is a policy narrative of interest in the United Kingdom and abroad. This paper explores how a group of English secondary school science teachers, enacted ISL science clubs through employing the Periodic Table of Videos. It examines how these teachers ‘battled’ to enact ISL policy in performative conditions at the micro-scale, and how this battle reflected macro-scale epistemological and political considerations. Data from the study suggests that for some, ISL was low stakes as it was seen to have negligible impact upon performance data. As a result, there was some resistance towards enacting ISL and conflict between the formal and informal curriculum processes. Nonetheless, analysis indicates that the informants highly valued ISL despite the requirement for them to justify it over more formal and ‘effective’ approaches to learning science. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper sets out to develop a finer-grained understanding of the 'plurilingual social actor' within an Anglophone higher educational setting. Drawing on data collected as part of The Multilingual University project, I examine how a group of plurilingual postgraduate students taking modules in applied linguistics at a university in London viewed their linguistic repertoires as a resource for the taught curriculum and what their experiences can tell us about the plurilingual social actor. The study opened an institutional space for making linguistic diversity visible and for considering how it was a resource for the curriculum. The findings indicate that multilingual resources play an important role in supporting learning at postgraduate level and reveal ways in which familiarity with English medium education shapes how postgraduate students mobilise their multilingual resources in relation to the taught curriculum. Importantly, the study shows how the plurilingual social actor offers a dynamic, powerful and affirmative identity position that is well aligned with the teaching and learning agenda in higher education. It is my contention that a better understanding of this alignment will allow us to raise awareness of language-as-resource and advance plurilingual pedagogies in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the controls and influences over geography teachers' curriculum making. A tension is identified between the teacher's agency to “make” a geography curriculum and a controlling social–economic climate of accountability, performance pressure and technological change which limits the teacher's agency. The paper argues that teachers are responding to this tension by the coping strategy of “banding together” both at the school level and in wider communities. The extent of teachers' reliance on other people in curriculum making is such that curriculum making can be described as becoming “hyper-socialised”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the ways in which information about course pedagogy has been represented to potential students through national descriptors and specifications such as the United Kingdom’s Key Information Set. It examines the extent to which such descriptors provide helpful information about pedagogy, for example innovative uses of technology. The paper starts by exploring the wider context within which these descriptors have been developed, including a comparison of similar descriptions internationally. This is followed by a comparative analysis, in which two courses (one single honours undergraduate degree, one Massive Open Online Course) are classified and compared. This serves to illustrate the blind spots in classifications such as the Key Information Set. The paper concludes by arguing that further work is needed to develop classification schemes that both address explicitly the interests of potential students and are able to represent the pedagogic decisions that differentiate teaching in contemporary higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Continuing professional development (CPD) is currently high on the Scottish Education agenda. Recent curriculum reform in Scotland, with the introduction of Curriculum for Excellence, places physical education (PE) at the forefront for its role in directly supporting learners' mental, emotional, social and physical well-being. This emphasis on PE, along with concerns about the health of the nation, has resulted in a nationwide initiative providing non-specialist teachers of primary PE with the opportunity to develop a specialism in the subject through government-funded CPD programmes at postgraduate level. Using Knowles' andragogical model as a framework, this paper reports data from a larger research study that evaluated a Scottish PE-CPD initiative. This paper comprises a single case holistic study investigating the impact and implications of a PE-CPD programme through the professional learning journeys, from the outset until completion, of four teachers: a nursery teacher, a class teacher, a cluster cover teacher and a PE specialist who participated in the programme. Data were collected over one academic year using two-stage questionnaire interviews and were analysed thematically with special attention given to the emerging general themes to achieve a holistic understanding of the case. Study findings endorse the positive impact of using the andragogical model of adult learning combined with the literature-supported characteristics of effective PE-CPD programmes. Teachers' perspectives on their CPD experiences, integration of acquired learning into working contexts and teaching post-PE-CPD were then examined to determine the next steps. This led to critical reflection on the implications of the findings for the teachers' ongoing professional development. We then challenged the role that university providers play in supporting teachers' lifelong learning. Instead, we suggest new school-university partnerships and alternative ways to support capacity building and lifelong learning towards a sustainable transformational change in Scotland's primary PE. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The intentions with which hands-on simulations are used in vocational education are not always clear. Also, pedagogical-didactic approaches in hands-on simulations are not well conceptualised from a learning theory perspective. This makes it difficult to pinpoint the added value that hands-on simulations can have in an innovative vocational curriculum that not only aims at developing technical and procedural skills, but also at developing competencies and professional identity. This paper introduces a more explicit conceptual discussion regarding the opportunities for using hands-on simulations in innovative curricula. A systematic literature review aimed at positioning hands-on simulations in relation to other work-related contexts, based on their learning environment characteristics and outcomes, shows that certain constructivist characteristics and outcomes are underexposed in empirical research about simulations. The results of an additional in-depth analysis of literature specifically focusing on two fundamental characteristics of constructive vocational learning (i.e. authenticity and increasing students’ ownership) propose ideas about how hands-on simulations can have added value to innovative curricula. This paper concludes with concrete strategies for designing and implementing hands-on simulations from the social constructive learning theory with the aim of stimulating not only technical and procedural skills, but also competencies and professional identity. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Recruitment of general practitioners (GPs) in the UK has been suboptimal. There is a wealth of literature exploring recruitment into general practice and opinions of general practice, set in many contexts. This paper aims to synthesise all the elements and extract mechanisms to explain what works, for whom in what circumstances, to create a comprehensive understanding and highlight potential target areas for improvement to improve understanding and fuel interest in general practice careers. A realist review of literature and contemporary data was conducted in line with RAMESES standards. Analysis and synthesis were aided by NVivo. An initial program theory was developed following discussion with expert informers. Sections of text from included literature relating to program theory were extracted and synthesised into a final program theory using a realist logic of analysis in which recurring Context-Mechanism-Outcome configurations (CMOCs) were identified. Searches identified 27 relevant documents. Twenty recurring CMOCs were extracted, explaining how student perceptions of General Practice were influenced by placement experiences, comments from hospital doctors, medical school faculty, peers, GPs, student perceptions of lifestyle and the media. The GP placement environment plays an important role in the formation of opinions about the speciality. The impact of social influence varies depending on the student's desire to belong to a reference group and their level of self-monitoring behaviour. The 'GP lifestyle' was judged to be compatible with many students' needs. This realist review provides recommendations on how curricula can adapt to provide an accurate insight into general practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores teachers’ decision making by examining the topics that 11 history teachers from 10 schools in England chose to teach and how they approached teaching these topics. Data were gathered from curriculum documents and semi-structured interviews in which teachers’ topic choices and approaches to history were explored. Most teachers adopted a disciplinary approach to history teaching but one focused on analytical structures rather than processes. Additionally the findings suggest a large degree of uniformity in the topics chosen despite the freedom provided within the policy documents for history teaching in England. Few teachers had given much consideration to approaches that demonstrate the ‘usability’ of history for young people. This suggests a need to engage teachers more fully in robust curriculum debates given their central role in enacting curricula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers whether subject choice at 14–16 influences post-16 transitions, taking into account prior academic attainment and school characteristics, and if so, whether this accounts for socioeconomic, gender, and ethnic differences in access to post-16 education. We consider post-16 progression to full-time education, A-levels, and studying two or more facilitating subjects at A-level. We use ‘Next Steps’, a study of 16,000 people born in England in 1989–1990, linked to administrative education records (the National Pupil Database). We find that students pursuing an EBacc-eligible curriculum at 14–16 had a greater probability of progression to all post-16 educational outcomes, while the reverse was true for students taking an applied GCSE subject. Curriculum differences did not explain the social class differences in post-16 progression, but an academic curriculum was equally valuable for working-class as for middle-class pupils. Pursuing an EBacc-eligible curriculum particularly strongly increased the chances of girls and white young people staying in the educational pipeline, whereas applied subjects were particularly detrimental for girls. An EBacc-eligible curriculum at age 14–16 increased the chances of studying subjects preferred by Russell Group universities at A-level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper provides an historical but critical context for examining the relation of the pursuit of greater equality in schooling to the development of curriculum. This requires a brief account of what one means by the principle of equality, before showing the different ways in which there have been curriculum responses underpinned by philosophical understandings which need to be examined closely. These different ways are explained in terms of:• ‘rational curriculum planning’ with its detailed definition of ‘aims, objectives, methods and evaluation’—and thereby a ‘science of teaching’;• ‘forms of knowledge’ or ‘realms of meaning’ to enable all pupils to have a basic understanding of the physical, social, and moral worlds they inhabit;• the pursuit of enquiry through which, for all learners, understanding is enlarged;• provision of common curriculum experience as a basis for citizenship;• taking diversity seriously; and• equalisation of opportunities through a common system of national standards and assessments. However, in the light of greater government involvement in the minutiae of curriculum reform, mainly through changes in qualifications and examinations, there is clearly a need to ask what sort of evidence is relevant to ‘what works’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The UK Government has categorically stated in its Knowledge and Skills Statement for Children and Family Social Work what social workers need to know and be able to do when responding to concerns about children. The Hope for Children and Families modular systemic interventions programme provides evidence informed responses for targeting harmful parenting and the associated impairment of children. The training resources, developed by Bentovim et al., apply the ‘common elements approach’ and are aimed at qualified practitioners. However, there also appears to be scope for their use in social work qualifying programmes. This paper will review the development of an undergraduate children and families module using the materials. It discusses how these resources were incorporated into a learning, teaching and assessment strategy which aims to develop and test the interpersonal components of knowledge and skills alongside technical/procedural knowledge. The outcomes indicate that these resources have contributed significantly in closing the gap between study and practice by providing an applied starting point from which learners can critically engage in the complexities of what they need to know and be able to do to be effective practitioners. Further use of these resources across programmes is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: This paper retrospectively reports on an evaluation framework applied to a local interprofessional education (IPE) curriculum design. The theoretically informed IPE curriculum spans the undergraduate health and social care programmes of over 10 professions as a curriculum theme. The teaching design and its impact were informed by psycho-social and learning theories. Aims: This meta-analysis is presented to share the importance of longitudinal IPE, whole curriculum evaluation for comparisons and to advance our understandings of what works and why. Method: The meta-analysis used the Presage, Process and Product conceptual framework outlined by Biggs in 1993, and the Kirkpatrick in 1996, evaluation outcome model. Data are shared on the final overall learning from evaluating the teaching and the outcomes from students, teachers, practitioners, patients and carers. Results: The evaluation highlighted cyclical issues relating to students experiences, facilitators abilities and highlights the challenges of learning in practice which was highly praised by students. The problems and challenges were solved through the application of theory to illuminate our understandings. Conclusion: We lament at missed opportunities for the application of theoretically informed research questions that still require to be addressed. However, we share this framework as having offered a complete and comprehensive evaluation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Michael Young’s work is central to debates about knowledge and the school curriculum. In recent years he has renounced his early argument that school subjects represent the ‘knowledge of the powerful’, arguing instead that access and equality for all students are dependent on ensuring that all get access to ‘powerful knowledge’. This paper provides an interpretation of Young’s work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Rwandan genocide was perhaps the most paradigmatic human rights catastrophe in the post-Holocaust era, which challenged the mantra of ‘never again’. Yet as we approach the twentieth anniversary, it remains a relatively marginalised entity within mainstream English education. This paper argues that a study of the Rwandan genocide introduces a number of important issues, which are not emphasised within Holocaust education. It also draws upon a small-scale empirical study of 41 teachers’ attitudes in England, perceptions and experiences of teaching the genocide in a range of disciplines and demonstrates emerging patterns on how it is integrated into curricula and individual lessons. It concludes by advocating the study of the Rwandan genocide in its own right and the importance of students appreciating its contemporary relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: Physicality in human movement characteristic of indigenous sporting forms in Africa is grounded in a multitude of cultures. During the period of colonial Africa, there was the introduction of British sporting forms, policies, and practices in schools and society. It was through schools and missions that the colonists introduced sport activities, with colonial administrators and officers prioritizing athleticism over other activities, evident in after-school sports and games. Thus, schools along with Christian missions served as the instruments of colonial education, culture, and sport, with resources allocated selectively to advance racialized and classist education. Purpose: This paper explores how colonialism, particularly British forms of sport physicality, impacted African people and deconstructs how curriculum and teaching in physical education (PE) during the post-colonial era is lost to the politics of knowledge in the school–society nexus, revealing how the school curriculum serves as a contested terrain. This contestation discloses how colonial and post-colonial narratives intertwine to influence public policy and school practices in the development and implementation of PE curriculum. Themes: Examination of the literature produced themes associated with stratification of school subjects and marginalization of PE in particular – the exam-oriented and elitist-oriented education – which characterized British Africa, and made British education part and parcel of policy development and implementation, influencing the nature of education, and PE in particular. The elitist education influenced public policy initiatives, frameworks, and corresponding reforms resulting in stratification of school subjects, the use of public school expenditure, and in the type of teacher training followed. In addition, negative school-wide practices became apparent with public policy, rules, and regulations being loosely coupled with school realities, leading PE to be considered as a ‘toothless subject' in the school curriculum. Besides physicality and learning in PE are not distinguishable from sporting forms and practices, bringing out the emphasis on competitive school sport that has been used to promote nation's prestige, social engineering, and economic development. Conclusion: A development of way forward for PE in British Africa is considered critical and warranted for adequate development of children and youth and for promotion of the health welfare of society. PE plays a critical part in the nexus between education and development; including meeting individual and social welfare goals of post-colonial British Africa; and as such the needs of all children should be at the forefront of policy development and implementation. What is warranted is a development of a standard-based reform that is grounded in a strong formulated public policy that acknowledges diversity in the centralized system of education; with its implementation showing a balance of PE with after-school sport programs and incorporation of indigenous sporting forms. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite the economic, environmental and patient-related imperatives to prepare medical students to become health promoting doctors, health promotion remains relatively deprioritised in medical curricula. This paper uses an in-depth case study of a health promotion curriculum implementation at a large UK medical school to provide insights into the experiences of teachers and learners across a range of topics, pedagogies, and teaching & assessment modalities. Topics included smoking cessation, behavioural change approaches to obesity, exercise prescribing, social prescribing, maternal and child health, public and global health; with pedagogies ranging from e-learning to practice-based project work. Qualitative methods including focus groups, analysis of reflective learning submissions, and evaluation data are used to illuminate motivations, frustrations, practicalities, successes and limiting factors. Over this three year implementation, a range of challenges have been highlighted including: how adequately to prepare and support clinical teachers; the need to establish relevance and importance to strategic learners; the need for experiential learning in clinical environments to support classroom-based activities; and the need to rebalance competing aspects of the curriculum. Conclusions are drawn about heterogeneous deep learning over standardised surface learning, and the impacts, both positive and negative, of different assessment modalities on these types of learning. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

New Zealand has its educational roots in 19th and 20th century British educational systems with close similarities between English and New Zealand secondary school education structures. In the last two decades, however, secondary school education in both countries has experienced multiple and sometimes radical reforms. Educational policy has diverged markedly at times. In this article, we present the findings of research into the professional autonomy of 15 secondary school music, art and drama teachers from England and New Zealand. The aim was to explore whether teachers believed themselves to be professionally autonomous and to what extent educational policy and external structures impacted their practice. Findings suggest despite similarities between jurisdictions, England teachers report a highly performative regime that restricts, governs and isolates them and the arts in school. This contrasts a progressive, even permissive, professional environment where the New Zealand teachers believe their students' needs come first and feel primarily accountable to their local and disciplinary communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undergraduate students at Cambridge come disproportionately from independent schools, high participation neighbourhoods and high socio-economic groups (SEGs). This article examines the process of designing a foundation year (FY) for Cambridge aimed at promoting SEG diversity. The transformative potential of Bourdieu's concepts of habitus, capitals and field are explored to frame the curriculum development process. Working in an intercollegiate group and drawing on international pedagogical research, we first embarked on mapping the architecture of a FY, then analysed potential students' responses to the initiative. Our survey of 304 students suggests that those from low SEGs might be encouraged to apply by a FY. They also preferred a discipline-based, not thematic, approach to developing students' academic capital. However, financial costs and concerns about 'fitting in' constituted barriers for many students. We suggest field and pedagogical transformations that are necessary to promote SEG diversity at Cambridge, rather than a FY alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A curriculum innovation for a new UK medical school – Peninsula, launched in 2002 – was grounded in a period of radical pedagogical innovation in medical education in the UK during the 1990s. Part of this thinking was to include the medical humanities as a medium for re-thinking medical practice, especially how medical students might better learn to communicate with patients and colleagues, and how they might become agents of change in progressing medicine through innovations. In designing the curriculum, Cultural-historical Activity Theory (CHAT) was used as a model to 'think', or reconceptualise, the purposes of a curriculum. The first question asked was: 'what do patients want?' Emphasis was placed on resisting a 'will-to-stability' in adopting safe curriculum process, in favour of adopting a 'possibility knowledge' framework that celebrated dialogue. This operated through three 'spearheads', or radical aims: democratic habits, towards the feminine, and tender-mindedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores some implications of plurilingualism and translingual practice for teaching and learning in higher education. Research in this area tends to focus on the undergraduate experience whereas our focus is on doctoral supervision, a less-discussed but rich site for studying plurilingual and translingual practice. We consider linguistic aspects of research supervision interactions and linguistic practices in research sites in real world contexts. Revisiting a data set of written, self-reported, researcher profiles, the article explores how doctoral researchers and supervisors explain, and reflect on, their linguistic practices in supervision interactions and associated research practices. The data set is analysed by means of a thematic analysis informed by our reading of applied linguistics research into plurilingualism and translingual practice. The analysis highlights a wide range of linguistic practices and conceptualisations of languages in research, including, on the one hand, a separation of languages, and, on the other, a fluidity in how researchers use their diverse linguistic resources for different purposes in their research practice. The article concludes with the recommendation that researcher education should foreground language more than is currently evident in some Anglophone higher education contexts, and that this can be framed in terms of plurilingualism and translingual practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Domestic violence (DV) affects around 20% of the population globally and is linked with complex mental health conditions and difficulties in client therapeutic engagement. Developing therapeutic competency to meet the standards for independent, professional practice is a significant part of counsellor training. A competency framework for DV is a useful addition to the literature. This framework has been systematically developed from a client-informed DV counselling model (grounded theory) and integrates well with existing international publications. It highlights high level and wide-ranging counselling skills, specialist knowledge and specific personal characteristics for working with this client group, beyond the level required for independent practice. This framework could be used as a basis for pre- and post-qualification counsellor training, recruitment and assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks on the challenges of curriculum planning and creating pedagogic strategies for students and classroom setting in Great Britian. It highlights the engagement with students to teach the contemporary exercise of their chosen fields and careers in higher education. Also mentioned is the evaluative judgments concerning the credibility and relevance of students curricular activity.

In 2018 it is 30 years since the Educational Reform Act of 1988 introduced a National Curriculum to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This article questions whether this policy became something to be celebrated, commemorated or ignored. The National Curriculum for history has proved contentious in media and academic circles, but the focus has been on documentation over lived experience. In contrast, this research used an oral history approach to explore how 13 history teachers perceived, experienced and enacted the National Curriculum in their own classrooms between 1991 and 2011. The findings show this period could be closely identified with increased prescription in the history classroom and, as a corollary, a potential loss of teacher autonomy. The National Curriculum played some part in that process but, after the initial shock, was not perceived as a restrictive force. Changing responses to the National Curriculum over four programmes of study illuminate changing experiences of history teaching from 1991 to 2011, a period fraught with developments in national educational policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to describe the development of a curriculum framework for prayer in UK centrist orthodox Jewish primary schools. This process began in 2011 and continues in an ongoing way. This is the first time that there has been a communal effort across Jewish schools that focuses on this area of the curriculum. The impetus for such a framework arose following interviews with headteachers, parents, teachers, and students in Jewish schools about the aims and purposes of prayer in the Jewish day school. It also includes observations of prayer services in these schools. The qualitative research methodology adopted enabled the collection of rich descriptive data that formed the basis for the design of the framework. Subsequently materials have been written in line with the framework. It is hoped that this research will be of value to all faith schools and those interested in school prayer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The objective of this study is to describe the collaborative development of a rehabilitation guide for people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) which was adapted from an online resource for clinicians. Methods: We adapted a comprehensive evidence-informed online clinical resource for people living with HIV using a three-phase participatory process. In Phase 1, we interviewed 26 clinicians and 16 people living with HIV to gather recommendations on how to adapt and format the content to benefit people living with HIV. In Phase 2, we adapted the patient education resource using the recommendations that emerged from Phase 1. Phase 3 consisted of comprehensive stakeholder review of the revised resource on the adaptability, usability, communicability, and relevance of the information. Stakeholders participated in an interview to obtain in-depth information on their perspectives. Transcribed interviews underwent qualitative content analysis. Results: Stakeholders indicated that the e-guide had utility for people living with HIV, community HIV service organizations, and care providers. Conclusion: Engaging people living with HIV resulted in a more relevant and meaningful resource that incorporated patients’ values, needs, and preferences. Implications: Involving multiple stakeholders and user groups in the adaptation and evaluation of online patient education resources can assist in meeting patients’ needs through increasing the relevance, organization and presentation of the content, and incorporating patients’ values and needs. Implications for Rehabilitation: Online patient education resources should be adapted in order to maximize relevance and meaningfulness to patients. Involving multiple stakeholders in the adaptation and evaluation of online patient education resources can assist in meeting patients’ needs. Involving multiple stakeholders increases the relevance, organization and presentation of the content and allows the incorporation of patient values and needs. This collaborative approach with an emphasis on meaningful participation of patients and community may be of interest to others interested in promoting knowledge translation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has become increasingly common for tasks traditionally carried out by engineers to be undertaken by technicians and technologist with access to sophisticated computers and software that can often perform complex calculations that were previously the responsibility of engineers. Not surprisingly, this development raises serious questions about the future role of engineers and the education needed to address these changes in technology as well as emerging priorities from societal to environmental challenges. In response to these challenges, a new design module was created for undergraduate engineering students to design and build temporary shelters for a wide variety of end users from refugees, to the homeless and children. Even though the module provided guidance on principles of design thinking and methods for observing users needs through field studies, the students found it difficult to respond to needs of specific end users but instead focused more on purely technical issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Patchwork Text is a creative approach to learning and assessment based on short pieces of reflective writing to promote deep, meaningful reflection. A five-year study was undertaken to explore whether this approach supports postgraduate students’ personal and academic development and the factors that influenced student experience, within one UK university. Our adapted approach encompasses patches of reflection, a structured Reflective Journal, formative feedback, and action learning within a constructively aligned curriculum. Between 2010 and 2015, 100 students attended the MSc Leadership Development programme and 71% (n=71) completed a questionnaire at the end of the first module. The questionnaire contained mainly open questions. The overwhelming majority of responses (89%, n=63) reported their experience of action learning was extremely positive. Eighty-five percent (n=58) reported that the Patchwork Text approach supported their academic development. Seventy-five percent (n=52) agreed the approach was helpful in relation to their summative assessment which comprised a reflective integrated portfolio. Thematic framework analysis of the qualitative data suggests the Patchwork Text approach increased self-awareness and insight; deepened and promoted on-going reflection; and facilitated critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis thereby enabling completion of the summative assignment. Findings suggest the adapted Patchwork Text approach increased students’ self-awareness as well as supporting them with both their summative assignment and the development of academic writing skills. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article reflects on the implications for practitioners, researchers and policy-makers of the future of the humanities in primary schools in the light of the challenges facing future generations. There is wide divergence in the four jurisdictions of the UK. The humanities are perceived as important, in principle, though curriculum frameworks differ. However, the status of the humanities is often uncertain, in practice, given the current emphasis on outcomes in literacy and numeracy. There is a lack of robust research on how, and by whom, the humanities are taught. The more theoretical articles suggest that the humanities, broadly conceived, are an essential aspect of young children’s education – to enable a deeper understanding of human culture and identity, and to develop the qualities and values needed in a diverse world. Additionally, curricular breadth is required alongside a realisation that narrowly focusing on propositional knowledge is limiting. While this has implications for the whole curriculum, History, Geography and Religious Education have key roles in meeting these aims and in engaging and motivating young children. A stronger policy steer is called for, to ensure that schools give more priority to humanities education, with greater investment in professional development in Initial Teacher Education and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Public health faces the paradox of being increasingly emphasized by the key health and social care regulators and stakeholders, while remaining a largely under-represented discipline in the context of medical curricula. Enhancing medical student engagement in public health teaching is one way to address this concern. Methods: We discuss four key solutions to the challenges faced by public health educators in medical schools, and present five case studies which demonstrate innovative approaches to engaging medical students in our discipline. Results: Four different approaches have been piloted by members of the Public Health Educators in Medical Schools (PHEMS) network: (i) ensuring social accountability, (ii) demonstrating clinical relevance, (iii) mapping the core curriculum, and (iv) using technology enhanced learning. Preliminary student feedback suggests that these approaches can be used to position public health as an enabler of modern medical practice, and promote a more holistic understanding of medicine by linking patient-centred care to the population level. Conclusions: The zeitgeist in both academia and the healthcare system supports the teaching of public health within the medical curriculum; there is also consensus at the political and pedagogical level. The challenge of ensuring engagement now needs to be met at the student–teacher interface. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides insight into different expectations between Chinese and British academic culture for distance learning. The article is based on a pedagogic research project, a case study, and is centered on a distance learning course in maritime law proposed by a British university for a university in China. Some important commonalities and gps between perceptions of deliverers and receivers of the proposed course were identified. There were important differences between Chinese and UK respondents about the value of open educational resources, the sequential access to course materials, the type of technologies that were important for delivery of content and for communication, the value of peer assessment, and the time expectations for feedback. Recommendations are suggested for bridging the cultural gaps in distance learning between a British and Chinese context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microsurgery is used in a variety of surgical specialties, including Plastic Surgery, Maxillofacial Surgery, Ophthalmic Surgery, Otolaryngology and Neurosurgery. It is considered one of the most technically challenging fields of surgery. Microsurgical skills demand fine, precise and controlled movements, and microsurgical skill acquisition has a steep initial learning curve. Microsurgical simulation provides a safe environment for skill acquisition before operating clinically. The traditional starting point for anyone wanting to pursue microsurgery is a basic simulation training course. We present twelve tips for postgraduate and undergraduate medics on how to set up and run a basic ex-vivo microsurgery simulation training course suitable for their peers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this Guide is to support teacher with the responsibility of designing, delivering and/or assessing diversity education. Although, the focus is on medical education, the guidance is relevant to all healthcare professionals. The Guide begins by providing an overview of the definitions used and the principles that underpin the teaching of diversity as advocated by Diversity and Medicine in Health (DIMAH). Following an outline of these principles we highlight the difference between equality and diversity education. The Guide then covers diversity education throughout the educational process from the philosophical stance of educators and how this influences the approaches used through to curriculum development, delivery and assessment. Appendices contain practical examples from across the UK, covering lesson plans and specific exercises to deliver teaching. Although, diversity education remains variable and fragmented there is now some momentum to ensure that the principles of good educational practice are applied to diversity education. The nature of this topic means that there are a range of different professions and medical disciplines involved which leads to a great necessity for greater collaboration and sharing of effective practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the turbulent ‘dog eat dog’ environment of the learning and skills sector in England the provision and expansion of higher education taught in further education colleges (HE in FE) offers potential opportunities for greater diversification of higher education. However, it also presents significant challenges, which include developing an HE culture, managing shifting partnerships, and ensuring the curriculum meets benchmarks for quality and standards of provision. This article uses principles of appreciative enquiry to explore the experience, potential and challenge of growing HE in FE in two large colleges, one located in an urban area and the other in a rural region of central England. Both colleges reflect similarities and differences in their strategy and delivery of HE in FE and neither uses the term ‘further’ to describe its provision. This shift in branding reflects the strategic ambitions of governors and senior leaders as the curriculum offer is no longer general ‘further education’ but much more diverse, and includes HE courses delivered in partnership with four universities. Using data from governing bodies, cross-college committees and course leaders we reflect on the spaces and places for growing HE in FE and the challenges it poses for governors, leaders, tutors and students. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Work-Related Learning (WRL) has been enthusiastically embraced by UK governments since the 1990s as a means of reengaging learners in the final years of compulsory schooling. However, recent years have seen a policy shift away from WRL towards a more academic curriculum for all young people. Drawing on a qualitative study commissioned by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency, this article explores good practice in using WRL to motivate 14- to 16-year-old learners. The article aimed to refocus discussion on the beneficial effects of WRL for disengaged young people. It argues that WRL can be a powerful engagement tool as part of a holistic approach to support learners to engage or reengage in learning. It also highlights that any appraisal of the merits of WRL for disaffected learners should also consider the indirect benefits such as increased confidence and motivation to participate, which can potentially lead to hard outcomes of success. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article discusses the data obtained from an online survey of academic staff who are involved in module design and who are employed within one university. The survey was used as a baselining tool to explore the nature of current module design practice within the survey sample. Do academics consistently employ the pragmatic approaches recommended by educational developers and theorists or is module and curriculum development a more informally constructed process? By comparing the initial findings of this project with survey and interview data produced by evidence-based projects, this article suggests that module design practice is not set in stone and that we need a deeper analysis of the process of module and curriculum design in terms of social practice and socio-cultural theory in order to gain a deeper understanding of it. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In 1998 the Northern Examination and Assessment Board selected the poem 'Nothing's Changed' by the South African writer Tatamkhulu Afrika as the last of its ten Poems from Other Cultures and Traditions. Published in the NEAB Anthology (1998), 'Nothing's Changed' became a favourite at GCSE for its vivid depiction of apartheid and its effects. This article revisits Tatamkhulu Afrika's poem, situating it in the context of educational policy, the creation of the NEAB Anthology, the poem's initial use by Devon Curriculum Services in the 1990s, and its emergence as an object of national study in Britain. It examines how the poem was read under the conditions of its anthologisation and the pressures of examination, highlighting how specific reading practices typically stumbled on the problems of history, cultural representativeness, and literature's capacity to offer a transparent window onto experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]