There is a national shortfall of student Allied Health Professional (AHP) clinical placement availability in the United Kingdom. Debate exists regarding ways to improve this situation against the backdrop of National Health Service (NHS) pressures. Historically, clinical educators have adopted a one clinical educator to one student (1:1) model.…

Background: We explore the theoretical and methodological aspects of decolonising speech and language therapy (SLT) higher education in the United Kingdom. We begin by providing the background of the Rhodes Must Fall decolonisation movement and the engagement of South African SLTs in the decoloniality agenda. We then discuss the evolution of…

Over the past two decades, there has been a growing interest in the role of universities in developing generic skills, in addition to disciplinary ones, to help students adapt to a changing workplace. The need to develop these skills is particularly critical for healthcare students who must face challenges in health systems. This scoping study,…

Student belonging is well researched, with links identified between a sense of belonging in students and student experience (Pedler, Willis and Nieuwoudt, 2022), satisfaction (Fan, Luchok and Dozier, 2021), and student persistence (Ahn and Davis, 2023). Mattering refers to an individual student's perception that they are noticed and valued, and it…

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…

Background: Developmental language disorder (DLD) is a condition which affects an individual's ability to use and understand language. Terminological confusion, and the use of non-evidence-based diagnostic criteria has impacted access to services for this population for several decades. Changes in terminology and diagnosis were proposed as part of…

Background: Health Education England (HEE) and the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) have identified the need to increase placement capacity. Speech and language therapy is a shortage profession in the UK, so services need to consider innovative placement models to increase their placement offers without increasing the time…

Evidence supports the use of simulation in educating speech pathology (SP) students, however most of the research has centered on low fidelity techniques as opposed to high fidelity and immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR). Whilst there has been research on the use of VR to teach clinical skills to students in other health disciplines…

Background: Speech and language therapy (SLT) education must meet the needs of the future workforce, training enough students who are competent practitioners able to meet the workforce demands. Increasing student numbers and the impact on placement providers mean students must be equipped for learning on placement. Simulation is a way of…

Efforts to integrate the basic sciences into the ever-changing curriculum are a trending area of research in health professions education. Low-stakes, high-frequency assessment methods such as the progress test are now widely implemented in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland as a means of furthering curricular integration toward contemporary…

Discipline in the higher education classroom is a widely debated phenomenon, especially since it is defined interchangeably with classroom management, which is pertinent to schooling in non-adult institutions. This research aimed to apply the principles of discipline in a higher education context to study the impact of attitude and behaviour on…

Background: Despite the high prevalence of bilingualism in the United Kingdom, few speech and language therapists (SLTs) are bilingual themselves. Most SLT research on bilingualism has generated knowledge to inform service delivery for bilingual clients, but few studies have investigated how being a bilingual SLT influences one's professional…

A sense of belonging has been shown to enhance retention and degree completion among undergraduate students. Helping students feel a sense of belonging in a community should be a focus of today's educators. In professions, such as public health, that seek to address global issues that affect people around the world, feeling connected to a global…

The National Health Service (NHS) celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023. Its founding principles of care for all, free at point of need, funded from general taxation, a source of British pride. However the public has growing concerns about the standard of care and is pessimistic about the future. The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan (LTWP),…

An increasing amount of evidence suggests that learners within Higher Education (HE), and graduates, are struggling with their transition into the workplace. With the increased prominence of workplace learning requirements, these challenges are becoming more evident for learners during HE studies. This study aimed to identify the challenges faced…