Session 28: Integrating academic skills: The Academic Achievement Teaching Resources Repository

Abstract

Session overview:

It is well-established that academic skills development is best achieved when embedded into programmes. This enables an academic literacies approach that emphasises the contextual and situated nature of learning. In the past, the Academic Achievement Team has, therefore, designed and delivered in-programme academic skills classes but, due to our limited capacity, we had to withdraw this offer. However, we started to see this as an opportunity to develop a new and original approach. This led to the development of the Academic Achievement Teaching Resources Repository, which we launched in September 2024. This is a selection of standalone classes related to different aspects of academic skills and assessment literacy. Each class is accompanied by a lesson plan and teaching notes that explain the rationale behind our academic skills/learning development practice and offer guidance on delivering the class, particularly highlighting the inclusive and empowering pedagogy of an academic literacies approach. However, we encourage their adaptation to the specific needs of each cohort and the practices and discourses of their subject. In this, not only do we recognise the tutor’s agency, but we hope to achieve a closer integration of our expertise in learning development with that of the tutor in their subject. This is, potentially, a more effective embedding of academic literacies than the sector-wide approach of occasional in-programme teaching by learning developers.

Key learning points from this session:

Along with an explanation of the repository’s design, practical suggestions for how the resources can be used and adapted will be given. The results of a staff survey will also be reported on, focusing on how it has impacted their practice and the development of their students’ learning and attainment.

Integrating academic skills: The Academic Achievement Teaching Resources Repository PowerPoint. Only LJMU staff and students have access to this resource.