In this insightful post, Cathy Benson, an EAP Lecturer at English Language Education in the Centre for Open Learning and Coordinator of Academic Language and Literacies for Research Students at the University of Edinburgh, explores the evolution of English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses to inclusively serve all doctoral students, irrespective of their first language. Initially focused on supporting English as an Additional Language (EAL) speakers, these courses have expanded to meet the diverse academic writing needs of all students. This initiative aligns with the university’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring every student has the opportunity to excel in their scholarly communications. This post belongs to the Oct-Nov Learning & Teaching Enhancement theme: Engaging and Empowering Learning at The University of Edinburgh

At English Language Education (ELE), our core activity consists of teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP), in various forms. Our in-sessional Academic Language and Literacies (ALL – hence my title!) provision for doctoral students includes several academic writing courses aimed at different stages of their research journey.

When these courses were first created, they were intended exclusively for international students with English as an additional language (EAL speakers). However, we became increasingly uncomfortable with this requirement, which seemed at odds with EDI principles; was it fair for students whose first language (L1) is English be denied opportunities to develop their writing skills, simply on the basis of their first language? There is a common misperception that EAP mainly involves correcting students’ grammar. In reality, EAP has always focused on discourse features, on characteristics of academic genres, on argumentation and critical evaluation, – and of course on language, but specifically the language of the academy. It is true that EAP in its early days was generally aimed at EAL speakers. However, the Academic Literacies movement [1, 2], has led to a move in our profession towards teaching all interested students, irrespective of their first language. Although none would deny that producing academic texts can pose challenges for EAL writers, there are convincing arguments that for L1 writers too, academic writing is a specific skill that needs to be developed [3].

We therefore began to offer our writing courses to all doctoral students, in the interests of inclusivity, irrespective of their L1. This has proven popular; in 2023-24, nearly 10% of enrolments were of students from majority-English speaking countries.

I have no doubt that this has been the right decision in principle; but what do stakeholders think? To what extent do these courses, designed with EAL speakers in mind, meet expectations of L1 speakers? Do they find them too weighted towards language, for example?  And how do teachers accustomed to teaching classes of EAL speakers feel about teaching groups that include L1 speakers? Do they change the way they teach? Do they worry about what they can offer these students, or is the experience entirely positive and rewarding? For inclusivity to be more than a tick-box exercise, it has to work for those we aim to include, so I wanted to be sure this was the case.

Opinions I have garnered informally from both students and teachers suggest they are generally happy, but I wanted to explore their views in more depth. A survey sent to the 2023-24 cohort of L1 English students elicited only six responses – I realise I should have sought opinions closer to the time to be able to report on a wider range of student voices. These responses provided some interesting insights though, and all pronounced themselves satisfied (2) or very satisfied (4) with their chosen course(s). Two did perceive their courses as being intended more for EAL speakers, and the suggestion from one that course publicity could be more explicit about the language element will be acted on. Others were happy with the academic language coverage; one even requested more about grammar and punctuation. Other comments were really positive; teachers were praised, there was appreciation of the feedback received, the confidence gained, the opportunities to hear about others’ research. Learning to structure texts more effectively was seen as a particular benefit. Given that this admittedly tiny sample expressed overall satisfaction, albeit with caveats, I am assuming no major changes are necessary. One concrete suggestion, for one course to “shift the focus more to critical thinking” is already in place for 2024-25.

The majority of colleagues whose opinions I sought responded very positively. They generally believed the materials and class discussions were relevant for all students. Rather than a course for EAL speakers, it is “a writing course with a focus on language choices”. Indeed, one colleague proposed that L1 speakers “oftentimes need more help than EAL speakers because they aren’t as aware of language and the culture around language…”. Opportunities for co-construction of knowledge were highlighted, as “everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, and “they can peer scaffold and fill each others’ gaps”. The greater classroom diversity was felt to be enriching, and one colleague suggested that participation in these classes can actually help promote L1 speakers’ cross-cultural awareness. Two colleagues did express caveats, though: the possibility of L1 speakers dominating, and thus changing the class dynamic, or of EAL speakers feeling inhibited by the presence of very articulate peers. It was clear, however, that for most colleagues the emphasis was very much on the advantages of L1 and EAL speakers being together in the same classes.

Not all colleagues believed the presence of L1 speakers led to a change in the way they taught, but some had made small changes to materials, one opting to include “more awareness raising and few, if any, practice exercises”, one making explicitly language-focused materials optional. Some thought their approach to feedback on L1 students’ writing might differ slightly, with “maybe less focus on more ‘mechanical’ aspects of language such as grammar and lexical choices”. And one acknowledged that the amount of time spent on certain activities might vary if L1 speakers were present. Perhaps these small adaptations contributed to the satisfaction expressed by the students surveyed?

We have sought to increase the inclusivity of these courses in other ways. We offer online versions of the courses, for the benefit of students who are collecting data overseas or would otherwise find in-person attendance problematic. We have thus been able (through Cara) to offer places to Syrian academics living in exile (mainly in Turkey). Many of these participants have been post-doctoral, but they have found the courses very useful when writing articles, for example.  It can be hard for these academics to maintain their sense of academic identity, so I was delighted when one participant told me that the course had made her want to engage in research again.

[1] Lea, M. R., & Street, B. V. (2010). The “Academic Literacies” model: Theory and applications. Theory into Practice, 45(4), 368-377.
[2] Wingate, U., & Tribble, C. (2011). The best of both worlds? Towards an English for Academic Purposes/Academic Literacies writing pedagogy. Studies in Higher Education, 37(4), 48-495.
[3] Hyland, K. (2016. Academic publishing and the myth of linguistic injustice. Journal of Second Language Writing, 31, 58-69.

Cathy benson

Cathy Benson is an EAP Lecturer at English Language Education in the Centre for Open Learning, and Coordinator of Academic Language and Literacies for Research Students.

In this post, Dr Claire Haggett emphasises the profound impact of building academic relationships between staff and students. Stressing the requirement for sustained interaction, personal engagements, and proactive outreach, she discusses how these efforts not only aid academic success but significantly enrich the university’s learning environment. Dr. Haggett teaches at the School of Social and Political Science and serves as the Cohort Lead for Honours Sustainable Development students at The University of Edinburgh. This post belongs to the Oct-Nov Learning & Teaching Enhancement theme: Engaging and Empowering Learning at The University of Edinburgh

If I start off this blog by talking about the theme song to the US sitcom ‘Cheers’, it will likely both age me and baffle some of my students (an issue I am facing with increasing regularity). But the idea that you could be at a place where ‘everybody knows your name’ has always resonated with me when thinking about academic relationships between staff and students. Of course, not everybody can know the name of each student – but I think someone should. There should be an academic who knows you, who is interested in you, and who will always be pleased to see you.

I think building these academic relationships takes three things.

Firstly, they need to be based on more than ‘one-off’ interactions. We know that students value ongoing academic support and advice; and as an internationally renowned academic institution, providing this should be absolutely fundamental to what we do. Course organisers, lecturers, tutors, and supervisors provide specific advice.  All of this is important. But it’s the ‘ongoing’ bit that can be so crucial. This means getting to know our students, valuing them as learners, and being able to support them through their academic journey.

Secondly, it means working one-to-one. Building relationships means doing something in addition to the cohort events that are the main way in which academics and students interact in the new Student Support Model.  We know that group events are valuable, peer support really matters, and that feeling part of a community is vital; but we also know that turn-out is often very low. Cohort events are important, but are never going to meet the needs of every student, no matter how much work or planning or pizza goes into them. They don’t – and can’t – provide the academic support for students that they deserve.

Thirdly, it means staff providing students with a reason to engage. We know that engagement matters. In my subject, we’ve been analysing some data on this – and in the simplest terms, and probably fairly unsurprisingly, students who engage more do better. If they turn up to classes, they get higher marks. But engagement matters outside the classroom too. If students turn up, we can also take steps to promote their wellbeing, check in with them, and make sure they have the support that they need.

The new Student Support Model doesn’t facilitate this – students now need to recognise that something may be wrong, know who to contact, and be in a position to be able to reach out; and of course, those difficulties themselves may make it extremely difficult to be able to ask for help. Students are no longer mandated to meet even infrequently with an academic – at an academic institution. We only chase the ones in real trouble, and there’s no process to catch those who are starting to struggle with their studying, could do with a boost, or who don’t know where to turn to try and do better.

Building academic relationships

This is why an ongoing academic relationship matters so much. It can provide overarching and continuing and tailored advice. It can provide a reason to engage – having a known contact, a friendly face, a place in which you will be welcome and will be valued.

Building these academic relationships is both simple and difficult. What is needed is very often straightforward – being approachable and willing. Having the resources to deliver this is more challenging. It means providing the time and space to be available. It means creating opportunities to be in contact. It means being proactive and reaching out to students. If we need to get students to engage, then it has to be in a way that they will feel is worthwhile, meaningful, and in which they feel comfortable.

But building academic relationships isn’t just about supporting students in need and trying to reach them before things get really bad; for many staff, it’s the most positive and worthwhile and rewarding part of our jobs. Because we get to talk to students. We get to hear about their ideas, their ambitions, their vision. We get to discuss what they might want to explore in their dissertation, the reading they found really interesting, the course they loved. We can talk about what’s working, what could go better, and try and provide some wisdom (or what we’ve learnt and wish we’d known).  And we get to be inspired.  My students bring me such hope – their energy, their enthusiasm, their belief that things can and should get better – is so encouraging, invigorating, and humbling. The diversity and depth of experience that students bring means not viewing teaching as a hierarchy but a mutual way to learn. Building an academic relationship means an enriched learning and teaching environment – for everyone.

Claire Haggett

Claire is a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Sustainability in the School of Social Political Science, and Cohort Lead for Honours Sustainable Development students. She was hugely honoured to win the EUSA Teaching Award for Cohort Lead of the Year in April 2024 (and still feels chuffed to bits).

In this compelling blog post, Will Zhang, a PhD student in Marketing at the Business School of the University of Edinburgh, shares a personal and reflective exploration of impostor syndrome—a common experience among high achievers in academia. Since starting his PhD journey, Will has encountered and grappled with feelings of self-doubt and fraudulence that impostor syndrome stirs, despite external success. Through his own experiences and interactions, he offers insights into overcoming these internal battles by shifting focus outward—to support and uplift others around him. Will’s approach not only helps alleviate his own impostor feelings but also enriches the learning environment for his peers, contributing positively to their educational experience. This post belongs to the Oct-Nov Learning & Teaching Enhancement theme: Engaging and Empowering Learning at The University of Edinburgh.

Ever found yourself in a room full of brilliant minds, thinking, “If only they knew I’m just winging it”? While others discuss big theories or their latest successful projects, you’re silently worrying that someone will point at you and say, “You don’t belong here.” You feel like a fraud, convinced that your achievements are due to luck rather than ability. Sound familiar?

If so, welcome to the club. You’re in good company with many high-achieving individuals here in Edinburgh. And if you don’t feel this way, congratulations—you’re among the rare few who have started their academic journey without grappling with impostor syndrome.

Impostor syndrome is that nagging feeling that you’re a fraud, and that any moment, people are going to figure it out. Psychologists Clance & Imes (1978) described it as an “internal experience of intellectual phoniness.” In other words, you doubt your own abilities and feel like you don’t deserve your accomplishments. You downplay your success, convinced that others overestimate you. Researchers even link it to anxiety and depressive thoughts.

Impostor syndrome is actually very common, especially in high-achieving places like Edinburgh. Gaining admission means you’ve already proven yourself academically, but when you’re surrounded by equally accomplished peers—from undergraduates to professors—it’s easy to feel like you don’t quite measure up. The intense competition for grades, publications, and jobs often makes it tempting to compare yourself to others, which only fuels those feelings of inadequacy.

Impostor syndrome is something I have also experienced throughout my PhD journey. In the beginning, this thought of “How did I get here? There must have been a mistake somehow” only got worse. Everyone I met here was warm, welcoming, and incredibly accomplished. It is a great pleasure to work with these brilliant individuals, but it also made me question whether I truly belong among them. The need to keep up and live up to others’ expectations can feel like running on an endless treadmill sometimes.

Two years into my PhD, I realized something important: impostor syndrome isn’t really about me.

This became clear when I was getting ready for my first tutorial teaching session. I put in a bit of effort to look the part—professional enough that the students wouldn’t call me out. I threw on a dark-colored polo shirt and some silver-framed glasses, hoping they would help me look a bit more confident. But as I stood in front of the class, I noticed a lot of nervous faces staring back. Raised eyebrows, tight lips—it was as if they were holding back a ton of unasked questions.

It struck me that the students might also feel unsure, just as I did. But only I know how talented and eager the students are, and I was the one to be lucky to have them listen to what I had to say. I soon realized that it was not about me looking clever or saying the smart things to make me look less of an impostor; it was about the students who had graciously come to learn. The moment I stopped focusing on my own insecurities and started thinking about how I could support them, impostor syndrome faded into the background.

When we feel like impostors, as I did, our natural reaction is to look inward. We focus on our appearance, things we say, and all the ways we think we don’t measure up. But this inward thinking only makes things worse. I’ve learned that having the mentality of looking outward, toward others, can make all the difference. Here’s how it can help with impostor syndrome.

Knowing that everyone might feel like an “impostor”

Looking outward means understanding others’ experience with impostor syndrome. It helps to recognise that everyone—even the most confident-seeming people, may also feel like impostors. Impostor syndrome doesn’t discriminate; it affects people at all levels of achievement, whether they are undergraduates, postgraduates, PhD students, or even professors. And you’re not alone in feeling this way, and those feelings of inadequacy aren’t a reflection of your abilities but a shared experience among high achievers.

Helping out “impostors” around us

Looking outward also means paying attention to others instead of fixating on ourselves. Engage with people around us, be present in the moment with others, or simply help people around us feel comfortable. By shifting the focus from “What’s wrong with me?” to “How can I contribute and make a difference?” you shift the mental focus away from your immediate impostor feelings and break the constant self-evaluation that fuels impostor syndrome.

When you stop asking, “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking, “How can I contribute and make a difference?” you take the focus off self-doubt. The mental energy you spend questioning your own worth can be redirected to something far more positive: making an impact.

This outward focus can be contagious. It encourages people around us to feel more comfortable and authentic in being themselves. It allows everyone to be in the moment and meaningfully engaged in the learning experience, making an ‘impostor-friendly’ learning environment for folks around us.

Will Zhang

bio here

In this blog post, Michelle King-Okoye, Lecturer in Nursing Studies and co-director at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, along with Aigli Raouna, former Clinical Psychology PhD student, Joanna Alexjuk, a Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Science (CPASS), Mathilde Lotteau, second year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology, Liam Gilchrist, second year PhD candidate studying Health in Social Science, and Magdalene Effiong, a former undergraduate student at the time of the study, highlight the experiences and challenges faced by student carers through their own personal stories. It introduces and celebrates the newly established Ambassador Scheme aimed at raising awareness and providing necessary support for student carers, showcasing their active involvement and the positive impacts of community engagement efforts. This post belongs to the Oct-Nov Learning & Teaching Enhancement theme: Engaging and Empowering Learning at The University of Edinburgh

Student carers, as defined by Carers Trust (2024), are students who care, unpaid for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support, alongside their studies.

But what is it like for students who are caring for a loved one? Are there enough support systems in place to help them with their academic journeys?

In a recent research project led by Michelle and Aigli (see our previous blog: Students with caring responsibilities), we sought to explore the experiences of student carers from the School of Health in Social Science, asking these, among others, questions, and gaining their insights into their support needs.

As part of the project, some students volunteered to participate in a support video to increase the visibility of this student group. Through this and other impact activities, students became motivated to get involved in the Ambassador Scheme and Buddy Support Group, conceptualised by Dr Michelle King-Okoye who provided support to Student Carer Ambassadors towards establishing the community group.

In this blog, we are excited to introduce you to the Ambassadors through their own words, representing students from both undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at the School of Health in Social Science.

Let’s meet the Ambassadors

Mathilde Lotteau shares her experience being a student carer and how she contributed to the awareness video. This experience changed her perceptions of the way she viewed herself, and coupled with the support she received, this encouraged her to step forward as an Ambassador for the Community Group for Student Carers. Mathilde was supported towards applying for a student led Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) grant, which was successful enabling her and the other ambassadors to move forward with this initiative.

I became a carer unexpectedly, when my brother started showing signs of a psychiatric condition. It may seem surprising, but at first it is not my brother whom I supported the most, it was our parents. No one in our family ever suffered from a psychiatric disorder, so the situation took us by surprise, and we had to adapt fast, with almost no information on what was going on with my brother. I was doing my master’s degree in clinical psychology back then, so I tried my best to use my knowledge to understand what was happening and assess the reliability of the information our parents would find online.

 Read more here

Liam Gilchrist stated that being part of co-producing the student carers’ video inspired him to become an ambassador.

There are many reasons that led me to taking on caring responsibilities while studying for my PhD at the university. It happened partly by chance, when the council housed my granny within the area of Edinburgh which I live in. I am the only family member who still lives in the city, so naturally ended up welcoming and supporting her to settle into a new life back in Scotland. Looking back over this moment in March 2020 I can see that it changed my life, but in the midst of a global pandemic and frequent lockdowns, it felt more like turning a street corner and running into a dear friend.

 Read more here

Magdalene Effiong highlighted that participating in the support video made her first aware that she was a student carer and motivated her to be an ambassador to increase awareness across student communities.

Returning to education as a parent or at an older age, especially in a foreign country without extended family support, presents significant challenges. Balancing caregiving responsibilities with academic pursuits is daunting, particularly when family, work, and school life intersect. Since embarking on my degree, I’ve grappled with feelings of isolation, compounded by caring for my daughter, who requires round-the-clock assistance due to additional support needs. Prioritising her needs often meant sacrificing lectures or missing deadlines, but my daughter’s well-being always took precedence.

 Read more here

A key aspect of the Ambassador Scheme is for ambassadors to engage with EDI committee members and the Director of Teaching and Learning to communicate the ongoing needs of student carers so that their voices can be heard and tailored support provided. We also envisage that continued support and renumeration would be offered to these students with these identified roles. The ambassadors would also act as role models for carers to pursue their educational goals knowing that they will be supported on their journey. Engaging with carers organisations, lobbying for continued resources and identifying incentives are instrumental to maintaining the Community Group for Student Carers.

Michelle King-okoye

Dr Michelle King-Okoye is a lecturer in Nursing Studies at the School of Health in Social Science, and co-director at the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships, The University of Edinburgh (currently on extended leave). Michelle has an interest in widening participation and increasing diversity for students. She also enjoys utilising innovative and novel teaching/learning activities at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

Aigli Raouna

Dr Aigli Raouna (she/her) is a former Clinical Psychology PhD student at the School of Health in Social Science (HiSS). Her research explored intergenerational pathways of risk and resilience during the perinatal period in the context of clinical and subclinical mood disorder symptoms. She is the founder of Research Bow, a PGR blog at HiSS. Twitter: @AigliR

E. Joanna Alexjuk

Dr. E. Joanna Alexjuk is a Lecturer in Counselling, Psychotherapy and Applied Social Science (CPASS), within the School of Health in Social Science (HiSS), undertaking numerous roles including Depute Programme Director / Academic Cohort Lead of the MA Health in Social Science Programme; former Co-Lead CPASS Ethics Research, and Integrity Committee; Co-ordinator of Adjustments for HiSS.

Mathilde Lotteau

Mathilde Lotteau is a second year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology. She is studying individual adaptation in families after an adolescent obtains a diagnosis of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She believes a disability affects the individual and their closest relatives and has had personal experience with a disability as she has suffered from migraines since childhood, which has made her studies challenging enough. In her spare time, Mathilde is keen on all sort of crafting and artistic activities, cooking and reading and more than happy to provide 1:1 information about the Student Carer Community Group.
Contact: Mathilde Lotteau: m.j.lotteau@sms.ed.ac.uk

Liam Gilchrist

Liam Gilchrist is a 2^nd year PhD candidate studying Health in Social Science at The University of Edinburgh. His research looks at how co-creating research together with groups living with health needs can empower communities whose voices have been excluded and challenge health inequalities. He is also a musician & music producer who is currently learning to play the saxophone.

Magdalene Effiong

Magdalene Effiong is a former undergraduate student at the time of the study. She is also a mother of three wonderful children and serves as a full-time carer for her youngest daughter who has a learning disability. In her spare time, Magdalene enjoys cooking, spending quality time with her family, and taking nature walks. Volunteering is another passion of hers, particularly helping those with additional support needs. By giving back to her community, Magdalene believes she can make a positive impact on the lives of others who may be facing similar challenges.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

A special thanks to Vito Vitacca for the video production and editing.

In this post, Prof Noel Entwistle introduces crucial insights gathered from his research into student learning dynamics at The University of Edinburgh. Exploring how teaching environments influence the study approaches of students, the findings reveal the pivotal role of teachers in fostering deep connections among concepts and enhancing overall comprehension. This post belongs to the Oct-Nov Learning & Teaching Enhancement theme: Engaging and Empowering Learning at The University of Edinburgh.

The university has been adjusting to the patterns of teaching and learning both before and since the experience of COVID, and during that process has drawn on ideas from many sources. Some of these came from research into curriculum design, ways of teaching, and the learning experiences of students. Much of this research, however, is hidden away in research journals and often makes the findings and their practical implications unclear for university teachers. I thought it might be useful to bring together a set of ideas couched mainly in everyday language, looking at teaching and student learning and influences on them. The research I have been involved in is mainly related to the academic aspects of student learning, but there are important links to be made with other aspects of the student experience.

Some years ago, an educational research project in this university (ETL Project) set out to explore the students’ experiences of teaching and learning in eight universities and four contrasting subject areas, and how different teaching-learning environments influenced students’ approaches to studying. The starting point was to find out what university teachers expected their students to have learned by the time they graduated. Obviously, there were very different specific answers across the disciplines, but most teachers seemed to be looking beyond ‘taken for granted knowledge’, towards the distinctive ways of thinking and practising in their discipline, crucial to using that knowledge. And, for this, students will need to become aware of the effects of their ways of studying.

Modes of thinking

Research had described two very different modes of thinking – deep and surface – but interviews with students showed that most of them also had a distinctive intention when approaching their studying. Students either adopted a deep approach, looking for a personal understanding, or a surface approach, geared to remembering knowledge in exams. This research gradually influenced teaching practice to put more stress on understanding and help students see how to develop a personal understanding of topics. For students, the nature of an academic understanding is often far from clear, but research interviews showed how visualisation could be used to bring ideas together into a satisfying personal understanding, as this final-year student did in her preparations for Finals.

Reading and re-reading and going to different sources of information, patterns become familiar, helping you make sense of new things that you haven’t met before, getting to see why this question is important while another one is not, or that this theory is more likely than another. Then, I [must] see the ideas in my visual space, according to how I know them, how I can picture them.  … In the end, I come to realise how everything is really related and I’m able to connect everything together and, when it comes, it is not as if I were looking for it – it just happens.

Other students also used mind-maps to organise their thinking before exams or writing an essay. Encouraging students to draw their own mind maps in a class or tutorial, followed by discussion among other students, helps them to see connections in developing an understanding. However, there are some theories or concepts that students find particularly difficult. These often involve important breakthroughs in thinking within a discipline, called threshold concepts. If students don’t grasp such ideas, they are likely to struggle with later parts of the course. This effect has implications for both teaching and course design in making sure such concepts are given sufficient teaching time and attention for students to make sense of what comes next in the syllabus.

Effects of teaching

Looking more broadly at recent changes in approaches to teaching, like those being introduced in this university, we see the importance of engaging students more actively in lectures and tutorials, with the involvement of tutors being particularly important. As a psychology student explained:

[The tutor] keeps my interest alive by presenting, not only the content, but also what matters for her. Experiences, personal understanding, knowledge – it’s all there. Teaching is about her relationship with the subject. Such tutors make me feel that studying this subject is worthwhile and I’m following her perspective to join in these explorations, to let my see, through her eyes, the issue at hand – a ‘meeting of minds’ perhaps?

Of course, a single extract from an interview cannot be convincing, just illustrative, but the ETL project also gave a lengthy inventory (scored questionnaire) to all the students taking part. Groups of items provided scores on five different experiences of teaching and three aspects of their own approaches to studying. These were then compared with self-ratings of the knowledge acquired and interest and enjoyment. ‘Knowledge acquired’ was shown to be linked with higher deep approach and lower surface approach scores, as expected, and there was a closely similar pattern for ‘interest and enjoyment’, suggesting that these aspects are equally important to the students. The following items show examples of what students were responding to.

• I was prompted to think about how well I was learning and how I might improve.
• We weren’t just given information; staff explained how knowledge is developed.
• This unit encouraged me to relate what I learned to issues in the wider world.
• Staff tried to share their enthusiasm about the subject with us.
• Staff were patient in explaining things which seemed difficult to grasp.
• Students’ views were valued in this course unit.

Bringing together more of the interview responses with the inventory findings provides support for the ways in which teaching and learning are being developed over the last few years in Edinburgh. Running out of blog space now… but it is important to keep in mind that the effects of teaching on learning depend on many other factors than those mentioned here, as can be seen in the mind map, below, while an article covering the same topics is available as complementary to this blog.

Image credit: author

Noel Entwistle

Noel Entwistle is Professor Emeritus of Education at The University of Edinburgh and previously was the Bell Professor (1978-2005). Before that he was Professor of Educational Research (1970-1978) at the Lancaster University. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Scottish Council for Educational Research, and the Society for Research into Higher Education and has honorary doctorates from the Universities of Gothenburg and Turku. He was Editor of the British Journal of Educational Psychology and Co-ordinating Editor of Higher Education. He also served as President of the European Association for Research on Learning and Instruction.