Learning to assess in higher education: a collaborative exploration of the interplay of 'formal' and 'informal' learning in the academic workplace

During 2005 to 2010 74 Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) were funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). As the name suggests, the aim of the CETL initiative was to reward and develop expertise in teaching and learning linked to particular areas of excellence. The CETL where the authors of this paper worked focused on developing Assessment for Learning (AfL) practices (McDowell et al., 2008). The paper discusses the findings from three research projects undertaken at the CETL which can be grouped under the broad theme of the exploration of assessment practices and academic development.However, while we are all interested in the ways academics learn to assess, the disciplinary/research backgrounds and theoretical assumptions we bring to our respective projects are quite different. Hodkinson and Macleod (2010) discuss conceptualisations of learning by referring to metaphors which are commonly used ‘when learning is thought about’ (p.174): learning as acquisition, as participation, as construction, as formation and as becoming. They argue that each metaphor assumes particular approaches to understanding and researching learning, and this also applies to the projects drawn on for this paper. The projects which have generated the data considered in this paper are, on the one hand, underpinned and informed by different conceptualisations of learning, bodies of literature and methodologies. On the other hand, the institutional context within which the data were collected and the data collection methods, i.e. semi-structured interviews, are the same. This paper also explores the benefits and challenges of working collaboratively on HE research questions from different theoretical perspectives. We would like to argue that that using data generated by all three projects is a legitimate, albeit unusual, way of advancing our understanding of learning in the academic workplace since it allows us to focus on the interface between informal and formal learning rather than discussing one type of learning at the expense of the other

Inclusion Needs Through the Lens of Intersectionality: Evidence supporting The 8-Inclusion Needs of All People Framework

This paper makes a substantial contribution to the fields of inclusion and intersectionality. It addresses the recognized gap in applying intersectionality as a practical framework for creating inclusive environments for all identities and intersectionalities. Drawing upon existing consensus among researchers on the importance of intersectionality, the study conducted in 2023 employs a robust qualitative methodology involving narrative interviews with 22 participants living in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom and representing diverse identities and intersectionalities to understand their identities, lived-experience and inclusion needs to thrive in work and life. Thematic analysis of participant responses resulted in support of all inclusion needs proposed in Wilson’s (2023) 8-Inclusion Needs of All People framework; Access, Space, Opportunity, Allowance, Representation, Language, Respect, and Support. Consequently, this research paper provides empirical evidence on the applicability of the 8-Inclusion Needs of All People framework, as proposed by Wilson (2023), in addressing multifaceted inclusion needs through the lens of intersectionality to prevent discrimination and promote equity and equal outcomes for all people. Further, as underscored by the participant's insights, it is essential to pivot from conventional approaches that endeavour to assimilate individual identities into pre-existing structures towards a more progressive stance that actively create inclusive organizations to embrace the diverse tapestry and inclusion needs of all people and their intersectionalities

'It was like an animal in pain': Institutional thoughtlessness and bereavement in prison

Using the concept of institutional thoughtlessness, this article examines a range of issues embedded within daily prison life which have a detrimental effect upon the lives of those bereaved during a prison sentence. Drawing on in-depth qualitative research undertaken with bereaved prisoners, staff members and volunteers at a male prison in the North of England, the article explores how individual and institutional goals compete, compounding bereavement experiences and the management of grief. Findings demonstrate the tension between the policies and protocols prisons are tasked to follow, and unintended consequences for the individually bereaved. This article illuminates the need for far greater understanding of bereavement in the prison population and explores how a universal life experience can be particularly debilitating within the prison setting with the potential to exacerbate what is often cumulative loss among prisoners

Prospectus, January 19, 2000

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2000/1001/thumbnail.jp

Needs of Carers of People Affected by Cancer and Information Needs of People Affected by Cancer: Final Report

First paragraph: Following an assessment of the needs for, and provision of, carer support and information for people affected by cancer in British Forces Germany (BFG), it was considered that although support and information is available, there is a lack of a comprehensive and integrated system for ensuring that people's support and information needs were being consistently me

The pleasure imperative? Reflecting on sexual pleasure’s inclusion in sex education and sexual health

This article offers an empirically grounded contribution to scholarship exploring the ways in which pleasure is ‘put to work’ in sex and sexuality education. Such research has cautioned against framing pleasure as a normative requirement of sexual activity and hence reproducing a ‘pleasure imperative’. This paper draws on interviews with sexual health and education practitioners who engaged with Pleasure Project resources and training between 2007 and 2016. Findings suggest that practitioners tend to understand pleasure within critical frameworks that allow them to avoid normalising and (re)enforcing a pleasure imperative. Accounts also show negotiations with, and strategic deployments of, values surrounding sexual pleasure in society and culture. While some accounts suggest that a pleasure imperative does run the risk of being reproduced by practitioners, notably this is when discussing more ‘contentious’ sexual practices. Interviews also demonstrate that practitioners attempting to implement a pleasure agenda are faced with a range of challenges. While some positive, holistic, and inclusive practice has been afforded by a pleasure approach, we argue that the importance of a critical framework needs to be (re)emphasised. The paper concludes by highlighting areas for further empirical research

Prospectus, January 12, 2000

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_2000/1000/thumbnail.jp

Prospectus, December 1, 1999

https://spark.parkland.edu/prospectus_1999/1032/thumbnail.jp