This paper posits that the foundations of the teaching of political theory at Makerere University College obtain from British and American hegemony. The hegemonic tendencies are exemplified by the content of what was taught as political theory, the nature of the teaching staff in the Department of Political Science -- the country of origin, the…

Both of us were drawn into the writing assessment field initially through our lived experiences as schoolteachers. We worked in radically different contexts -- Martin was head of a languages department and teacher of French and German in the late 1990s in the UK, and David was a Grade 12 teacher of Academic English in Alberta, Canada, at the turn…

This study investigates the perceived benefits to academics who assess HEA Fellowship applications in one institution. Results show that the assessors experience similar benefits from engaging with the continuing professional development (CPD) scheme as those reported by applicants. The data also indicate that the scheme nurtures a…

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the everyday practices of academic work in social science to understand better academics' learning. It also asks how academic work is enacted in relation to the discipline, department and university, taking temporality as its starting point. Design/methodology/approach: The study sought to trace academic…

This paper seeks to analyse lecturers' views on how they understand academic development in order to elucidate current arguments around how knowledge is codified in higher education, and to what end. Whilst work of this nature has been carried out in a number of national and institutional contexts, much attention has been given to research…

Initiatives, like the UK ESRC's RDI/CI programmes and the Q-Step Centres, have a long-term aim of addressing the well-documented decline in the pool of academics able and willing to teach quantitative methods (QM). However, these initiatives will take time to make an impact; therefore, the upskilling of current staff is a vital strategy if we want…

The paper adds to extant professional education literature by reflecting on apparent differences in pedagogy of similar professional programmes of study, allowing deeper insight into the unique strand of higher education influenced by the professions. A comparative international case study approach is adopted of an interpretive qualitative nature…

This essay explores the problematic nature of an enforced monolingual culture promoted by the current Conservative-led UK government. It comments upon the paradoxical nature of the 2014 curriculum that promotes heritage texts and "proper" English, when such poets embraced a Bakhtinian tolerance of languages. It focuses primarily upon the…

This article reports research into undergraduate design learning through an off-campus partnership. The Sorrell Foundation's Joinedupdesign for Academies programme involved partnerships between university design departments, "failing" 11-18 schools and professional designers, in the context of a funding commitment to rebuild/renew school…

This paper illustrates how critical use of Basil Bernstein's theory illuminates the mechanisms by which university knowledge, curriculum and pedagogy both reproduce and interrupt social inequalities. To this end, empirical examples are selected from the findings of the ESRC-funded project "Pedagogic Quality and Inequality in University First…

This paper provides a review of the practices and tensions informing approaches to professional development for early career academic geographers who are teaching in higher education. We offer examples from Britain, Canada, Nigeria and the USA. The tensions include: institutional and departmental cultures; models that offer generic and…

In this article we take a critical look at education for sustainable development (ESD), which is a more contested idea than policy makers might have us believe. After a brief examination of the history of the term, we look at the recent Ofsted report into how it is being implemented (or not) in UK schools. We examine why it is a contested term and…

Describes the physics teaching conditions at Solihull Sixth Form College, a comprehensive secondary school in the County Borough of Solihull, United Kingdom. Available physics course, timetable, teaching system, laboratories and study rooms, and future developments are also discussed. (HM)

This publication is the last in a series of 12 giving the recommendations that were made for a broad and balanced education program in science for young people. This guide shows that learning to teach better science starts formally with initial training, continues through an induction period, and is consolidated through a regular in-service…

This publication provides an introduction to teaching and learning approaches for the extension topics within GCSE Physics. It highlights some specific ideas that teachers can adopt and where to find further information. It also outlines issues for managing the change. This guide contains sevens sections: Section 1 presents the policy context;…