This paper presents the findings of a survey on research activities and research cultures across the CercleS network. The survey was conducted under the auspices of the CercleS Focus Group on Leadership and Management and aimed to explore the scope of research in Language Centres; the links between institutional factors such as staff contracts and…

This article describes an exercise for a physical laboratory experiment designed to enable physical geography students to practice transferable quantitative skills through inquiry-based learning. The exercise is a deliberately simplified physical model of storm-driven coastal overwash typical of low-lying coastal barrier systems. The experiment…

This paper uses six books to investigate the early history of information literacy (IL) teaching to school-aged young people in the UK. The work was inspired by Neil MacGregor's Radio Four programme, "A History of the World in 100 Objects," which explored humankind's development via a series of artefacts. In my project, the items were…

To enhance the student experience and improve student outcomes -- continuation, attainment, and employment -- higher education providers often implement curriculum changes and evaluate their effectiveness. But as interventions often only work directly with staff, rather than students, impact evaluation is challenging. This paper explores the…

Case studies are an educational tool that can promote active learning, and make learning more accessible, by serving as frameworks for student meaning-making. This action research project focused on the student experience of case studies; aiming to understand how students respond to being taught with case studies, whether they are able to engage…

This paper draws on a multi-phase project that sought to understand and increase young children's engagement with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) objects. The paper presents findings from one aspect of this project that involved using storytelling to support young children's agency with STEM objects in a UK science museum.…

This paper discusses the implementation of exemplar essays within an undergraduate first-year diagnostic radiography module to encourage active learning and the development of academic literacies. Nine essays ([approximately]400 words each) were provided over six sessions, using lecturer-guided discussion to explore the academic virtues and…

Alongside the neoliberalisation of UK Higher Education (HE), the values of speed, competition, marketisation and individualism increasingly shape teaching and learning globally. This article takes seriously the feeling of unease expressed by lecturers and students in this context, proposing that posthumanism offers a theoretical, methodological…

The move away from transmission-based lecturing toward a more student-centred active learning approach is well evidenced in STEM higher education. However, the examination of active learning has generally remained confined to formal timetabled contexts, with assumptions made that students independently manage the transition between timetabled and…

The selection of a learning model is very crucial before the teacher carries out learning activities. Inquiry is a learning model that has existed for a long time and is recommended for use in learning activities. This study aims to map the results of studies related to inquiry learning in elementary schools. Bibliometrics is used as a method to…

Purpose: Accessing higher education (HE) in the UK has been a primary pathway for school and college leavers for the past two decades. The present study, through a case study approach, aims to explore graduates' evaluations of the usefulness of university education by examining their evaluations of skill development, employability-focused learning…

This paper analyses student perceptions of Active Blended Learning (ABL) during the transition to an institutional pedagogy at the University of Northampton. In focus groups with 227 student participants across all four faculties, we explored factors mediating student engagement with ABL. Students expressed a preference for face to face teaching…

This study addresses the attitudes of academic staff towards a large-scale pedagogic shift to Active Blended Learning (ABL). Beliefs about the shift and how it is translated into practice are explored. Four main categories are derived: 'Active Innovators' who believe change is positive and apply it to their academic practice; 'Lagging Innovators'…

STEM education is gaining more attention due to its significant contribution to educational development. The authors employed bibliometric analysis to determine how STEM education research was developing. The study aims to present an up-to-date overview of the STEM education research landscape in the context of higher education from 2002 to 2022.…

This systematic literature review presents a review of the effects of integrated language arts, science and technology (ILS&T) instruction, with an inquiry- or design-based pedagogy, in elementary schools on student achievement. To this end, an overview of the characteristics of the 19 included studies and their interventions is first…