Understanding lived literacies in Higher Education to promote inclusive practices

With a growing number of students in Higher Education (HE) in England, diversity within the student body has increased in many ways, including socio-economic and cultural background, language proficiency, learning support needs etc. Concomitantly, there is variation in how students identify as learners and their levels of engagement and satisfaction with teaching and learning.

Learning and using the conventions of ‘Academic Writing’ presents a challenge to many students, yet it forms a critical component of HE degree programmes, including those with an emphasis on professional practice skills (e.g. nursing, social work, teaching). However, in a marketised higher education context where students are identified as consumers, students may question the extent to which academic writing is a useful transferable skill for the workplace. Furthermore, modern conceptions of ‘literacies’ encompass broader aspects of text production seen in everyday social practices including writing notes, instant messages, blogs, Vlogs, posters etc. for various purposes.

This project will involve working with HE students to gain an understanding of their engagement with every day and academic text production practices in relation to their student identities as learners and consumers. The aim will be to consider how to better support their learning in more inclusive, diverse, and creative ways, relevant to their discipline.

There is an additional requirement to undertake up to 6 hours undergraduate teaching/week during semesters and to participate in a teaching skills course without further remuneration.

Contact: Prof Anna Barnett abarnett@brookes.ac.uk