The UK cost-of-living increases from 2022 to 2023, referred to as the cost-of-living crisis, has had a sudden and unprecedented impact on students' ability to cope financially, leading many higher education students to take on work or increase their working or caring hours to make ends meet. Any increase in working commitments may impact on their…

Understanding changes to student wellbeing on design modules in a distance higher education setting is difficult. Previous research suggested that environmental, study and skills-related barriers impact the wellbeing of learners at a distance. This study sought to understand the experiences of barriers and what enabled distance design students'…

This study explores the lived experience of both in-service and pre-service apprentices studying Level 7 apprenticeship programmes. Using qualitative questionnaires, this article facilitates a thematic analysis exploring how aspects such as: rationale for enrolment; study habits; prioritisation of workload; resilience and wellbeing are experienced…

This study explores the lived experience of apprentices on a degree-level programme and their perceptions of how elements of apprenticeship study that aren't components of traditional degree study -- i.e. off-the-job training -- impact their learner journey. This article undertakes a thematic analysis following qualitative interviews with eleven…

Supporting students' success and achievement is a key mission of WP (Widening Participation) institutions such as the University of Bedfordshire. An essential step in ensuring students succeed is the development of academic writing skills -- these are vital during students' studies and when students leave university study and undertake further…

Despite its practical and symbolic importance, the role of space in higher education remains under-researched. This study develops an understanding of student experience of the campus as a learning landscape. It is based on 28 participatory walking interviews with students, including the hand drawing of a campus map. Participants tended to see…

The approach that students take in their studies at university is critical not only for their academic success but is equally important in life-long learning for their career and professional development. Cognitive science has demonstrated that retesting oneself on material when learning enhances and promotes greater retention of knowledge…

Despite a growing body of work on understanding how students perceived the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effects on existing distance learning universities have received less attention. This study aimed to understand changes in distance learning students' study habits (learning, assessment and social activities) and assess the factors…

The approach that students take in their studies at university is critical not only for their academic success but is equally important in life-long learning for their career and professional development. Heutagogy is the study of self-determined learning and it is important that we appraise how students in higher education are developing their…

The mass shift to Open-Book, Open-Web (OBOW) assessments during the pandemic highlighted new opportunities in Higher Education for developing accessible, authentic assessments that can reduce administrative load. Despite a plethora of research emerging on the effectiveness of OBOW assessments within disciplines, few currently evaluate their…

If school closures and social-distancing experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic impeded children's skill development, they may leave a lasting legacy in human capital. To understand the pandemic's effects on school children, this paper combines a review of the emerging international literature with new evidence from German longitudinal time-use…