Stepping Up, Standing Out: Supporting international taught postgraduates to make the most of their year in Leeds

Working with student partners in pedagogical research: Why partnership?

This episode of LITE Bites is hosted by LITE Student Partner Bianca Joseph. She talks to LITE Strategic Lead for Students as Partners and LITE Higher Education Research Support Officer Tanya Hathaway about her experience working as a student in collaboration with University staff. For more information about student partnership, read: * Cook-Sather, A., Bovill, C. and Felten, P. (2014) Engaging students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education: a guide for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey‑Bass. * Mercer-Mapstone et al. (2017) ‘A systematic literature review of students as partners in higher education’, International Journal for Students as Partners, 1(1), pp. 1–23. doi:10.15173/ijsap.v1i1.3119.

Educational gain and student futures: English for academic purposes

In this first episode of the LITE Bites series on Educational Gain and Student Futures, Bee Bond is joined by colleagues Caroline Campbell and Geoffrey Nsanja to explore how their pedagogical research sheds light on what students value, how they experience learning, and how we might meaningfully understand “educational gain” across different disciplines. Together, they discuss the role of inclusive formative and summative assessment, the hidden and relational dimensions of academic practice, and how these insights are shaping Bee’s work as the LITE Strategic Lead for Student Futures and Educational Gain. Read Bee and Agne’s article “Educational Gain: Why bother?” [https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/educational-gain-why-bother/]. You can read about Bee’s LITE Fellowship here [https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/research/fellowships/3003-2/]. References mentioned: Bakhtin, M. M. (1981). The dialogic imagination: Four essays. University of Texas Press. Bakhtin, M. M. (1986). Speech genres and other late essays. University of Texas Press. Gee, P. (2008). Social linguistics and literacies: Ideology in discourses (3rd ed.). Routledge. Hulme, A., & Evans, M. (2025). Evaluating the impact of embedded academic language and literacies provision in a School of Education and School of Music. ESP Today, 13(2), 419–440. https://doi.fil.bg.ac.rs/pdf/journals/esptoday/2025-2/esptoday-2025-13-2-8.pdf [https://doi.fil.bg.ac.rs/pdf/journals/esptoday/2025-2/esptoday-2025-13-2-8.pdf] Leki, I. (2017). Undergraduates in a second language: Challenges and complexities of academic literacy development. Routledge. (Original work published 2007) Maton, K., & Moore, R. (Eds.). (2010). Social realism, knowledge and the sociology of education: Coalitions of the mind. Continuum/Bloomsbury. Tibbetts, N. A., & Chapman, T. (2023). A guide to in‑sessional English for academic purposes: Paradigms and practices. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003193715 [https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003193715] Turner, J. (2011). Language in the Academy: Cultural Reflexivity and Intercultural Dynamics. Multilingual Matters & Channel View Publications. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.29308504 [https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.29308504] Wingate, U. (2015). Academic Literacy and Student Diversity: The Case for Inclusive Practice. Multilingual Matters & Channel View Publications. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.26931983 [https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.26931983]

From assessment to feedback in higher education

In the latest episode of LITE Bites, Alba del Pozo Garcia (LITE Fellow & Feedback Incubator Lead) joins Robert to discuss her pedagogical research on inclusive formative assessment, its practice-based implications, and the ways this has fed into her role as LITE Feedback Incubator Lead. Adding to the discussion is Izzy Harvey (Research Assistant at LITE), who is in the early stages of PhD research focusing on feedback in Higher Education. You can learn about and join the Feedback Incubator here [https://leeds365.sharepoint.com/sites/LeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence/SitePages/Feedback-Incubator.aspx]. You can read about Alba's LITE Fellowship here [https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/research/fellowships/inclusive-formative-assessment-design-and-the-impact-on-student-outcomes/]. A recording of Alba's SEC2026 presentation 'From assessment to feedback: shifting the focus' is available to view (University of Leeds staff only). You can access it via the SEC2026 Rewind here [https://leeds365.sharepoint.com/sites/LeedsInstituteforTeachingExcellence/SitePages/SEC2026-Rewind.aspx].

Assessment flexibility to embed real-professional practice (part 2)

Manoj Ravi and Mohsen Besharat join Robert Averies for Part Two of their popular LITE Bites episode [https://rss.com/podcasts/litebites/1702356/] on their LITE Fellowship 'Assessment Flexibility to Embed Real-professional practice' [https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/research/fellowships/assessment-flexibility-to-embed-real-professional-practice-after/]. Listen to Manoj and Mohsen discuss their findings from the second phase of their pedagogical research and its relevance to colleagues considering innovations to their authentic assessment and formative feedback policies and approaches. To find out more about Manoj and Mohsen's work, read their paper on a 'holistic consideration of authentic assessments' [https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03043797.2025.2480116#abstract], published in the European Journal of Engineering Education. You can also read the proceedings of the workshop [https://zenodo.org/records/17631317] they delivered at SEFI 2025.

Stepping Up, Standing Out: Supporting international taught postgraduates to make the most of their year in Leeds

In this episode of LITE Bites, Hayley Bullard is joined by Clare Wright (Professor of Linguistics & Language Teaching), Alison Leslie (Lecturer in English for Academic Purposes) and student partner Sally Heier (Research and Innovation Service) who will be discussing their recently completed project titled Stepping Up, Standing Out: Supporting international taught postgraduates to make the most of their year in Leeds. To find out more about their project, visit their LITE page [https://teachingexcellence.leeds.ac.uk/research/fellowships/stepping-up-standing-out/]which also has a link to their full snapshot of the project. Alison and Clare have also published work from their project in the Student Engagement in Higher Education Journal [https://sehej.raise-network.com/raise/article/view/1395]. Episode topics/timings 1.16 Introductions of research team 3.49 - What inspired the project: collaboration and a need for change 9.25 Research design: changing approach and putting student co-creation first 15.56 Sally’s student experience of research recruitment and the importance of active student participation 19.50 Flipping the deficit narrative of international students 26.48 Using infographics to communicate findings and strategies for dissemination 31.51 Engaging hearts and minds in HE 40.03 Outputs of the project 47.01 Advice for people considering pedagogical research 52.55 Sally’s advice for engaging students in research and advice for students thinking about getting involved