All Outputs (19)

Using storyboards to explore the impact of staff development on student retention in higher education (2024)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Illingworth, S., Cowan, J., Graham, C., Shan, S., & Swanton, K. (2024, December). Using storyboards to explore the impact of staff development on student retention in higher education. Presented at 2024 SRHE International Research Conference, Online

This paper explores how staff engagement and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can influence student retention outcomes in higher education. Drawing on a detailed research project at Edinburgh Napier University, it highlights the role of acad... Read More about Using storyboards to explore the impact of staff development on student retention in higher education.

Promoting exemplary inquiry: searching for an effective pedagogical approach (2019)
Journal Article
Cowan, J. (2020). Promoting exemplary inquiry: searching for an effective pedagogical approach. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(5), 628-639. https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877x.2019.1571175

This article traces and critically analyses a personal journey in search of effective ways to promote exemplary questioning on the part of students. The article is in many ways a polemic rather than a scientific study, which emerges as much from the... Read More about Promoting exemplary inquiry: searching for an effective pedagogical approach.

Peer choice - does reviewer self-selection work? (2016)
Journal Article
Hartley, J., Cowan, J., & Rushby, N. (2016). Peer choice - does reviewer self-selection work?. Learned Publishing, 29(1), 27-29. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1010

The British Journal of Educational Technology (BJET) uses a novel system for obtaining referees by e-mailing the abstracts of submissions to a panel of over 250 referees and allowing these individuals to choose which papers they would like to review.... Read More about Peer choice - does reviewer self-selection work?.

Public feedback - but personal feedforward? (2012)
Journal Article
Cowan, J., & Chiu, Y.-C. J. (2012). Public feedback - but personal feedforward?. Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education, 4,

Academic feedback is taken here as the reporting to student writers of the strengths and weaknesses of their submitted draft work, while academic feedforward refers to constructive advice regarding possible strengthening of students’ next work. Both... Read More about Public feedback - but personal feedforward?.

Developing a Pedagogy for Interactive Learning. (2012)
Book Chapter
Cowan, J. (2012). Developing a Pedagogy for Interactive Learning. In J. Jia (Ed.), Educational Stages and Interactive Learning (1-17). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-4666-0137-6.ch001

Recent developments in higher education have seen the demise of much didactic, teacher-directed instruction which was aimed mainly towards lower-level educational objectives. This traditional educational approach has been largely replaced by methods... Read More about Developing a Pedagogy for Interactive Learning..

The learner’s role in assessing higher level abilities (2012)
Journal Article
Cowan, J., & Cherry, D. (2012). The learner’s role in assessing higher level abilities. Practitioner Research in Higher Education, 6, 12-22

This paper responds to the vision of a new assessment culture, which will be a meaningful integration of teaching, learning and assessment. It reviews the advice in the literature about assessment, and from there identifies principles for the assessm... Read More about The learner’s role in assessing higher level abilities.

Students’ choices between typing and handwriting in examinations. (2012)
Journal Article
Mogey, N., Cowan, J., Paterson, J., & Purcell, M. (2012). Students’ choices between typing and handwriting in examinations. Active learning in higher education, 13, 117-128. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787412441297

Keyboarding is a ubiquitous skill for most UK students and most coursework essays must be word-processed. However few examinations, other than for students with disabilities, permit the use of a word-processor. It is not known how students would re... Read More about Students’ choices between typing and handwriting in examinations..

Freedom to learn: a radically revised pedagogy to facilitate lifewide learning in the academic curriculum. (2011)
Book Chapter
Cowan, J. (2011). Freedom to learn: a radically revised pedagogy to facilitate lifewide learning in the academic curriculum. In N. J. Jackson (Ed.), Learning for a Complex World (122-136). Authorhouse™

Higher education has progressed fairly steadily to a common pedagogical approach which centres on the idea of alignment. In this arrangement, intended learning outcomes are identified and declared; learning activities which will enable the desired le... Read More about Freedom to learn: a radically revised pedagogy to facilitate lifewide learning in the academic curriculum..

Helping Eastern students to master Western critical thinking (2011)
Journal Article
Chiu, Y.-C. J., & Cowan, J. (2011). Helping Eastern students to master Western critical thinking. Asia Pacific education review, 6, 103-111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12564-011-9189-2

It is possible that some of the problems that confront Eastern learners when they are asked to engage in critical thinking come from the misleading association of the title with criticising negatively and even with disagreeing. In some other educa... Read More about Helping Eastern students to master Western critical thinking.

Nine examples of innovative assessment. (2010)
Preprint / Working Paper
Cowan, J. Nine examples of innovative assessment

Examples submitted by invitation to a website intended as a genera; resource in Australasia

I'm afraid I do not have a pre-publication copy

Choices of approaches in e-moderation: conclusions from a grounded theory study (2010)
Journal Article
Vlachopoulos, P., & Cowan, J. (2010). Choices of approaches in e-moderation: conclusions from a grounded theory study. Active learning in higher education, 11, 213-224. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787410379684

Much has been published in recent years about the desirable nature of facilitated interactions in on-line discussions with educational purposes. However little has been reported about the roles which tutors actually adopt in real life learning contex... Read More about Choices of approaches in e-moderation: conclusions from a grounded theory study.

Developing the ability for making evaluative judgements (2010)
Journal Article
Cowan, J. (2010). Developing the ability for making evaluative judgements. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(3), 323-334. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510903560036

It is suggested that a more specific emphasis should be placed in undergraduate education on the explicit development of the ability to make evaluative judgements. This higher level cognitive ability is highlighted as the foundation for much sound an... Read More about Developing the ability for making evaluative judgements.

Virtual relationships – behind a veil? (2010)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Cowan, J. (2010, April). Virtual relationships – behind a veil?

As a personal development tutor, mentor, or critical friend in virtual learning environments, the writer has preferred to remain a virtual personality, somewhat behind a veil. That decision was once endorsed by a student’s feedback that “It’s easier... Read More about Virtual relationships – behind a veil?.

Reconceptualising moderation in asynchronous online discussions using grounded theory (2010)
Journal Article
Vlachopoulos, P., & Cowan, J. (2010). Reconceptualising moderation in asynchronous online discussions using grounded theory. Distance Education, 31(1), 23-36. https://doi.org/10.1080/01587911003724611

This paper reports a grounded theory study of e-moderation of asynchronous online discussions, to explore the processes by which tutors in higher education decide when and how to e-moderate. It aims to construct a theory of e-moderation based on some... Read More about Reconceptualising moderation in asynchronous online discussions using grounded theory.

Dealing with affective needs in e-learning: Contrasting two cases in two cultures. (2009)
Book Chapter
Chiu, Y.-C. J., & Cowan, J. (2009). Dealing with affective needs in e-learning: Contrasting two cases in two cultures. In B. Olaniran (Ed.), Cases on Successful E-Learning Practices in the Developed and Developing World: Methods for the Global Information Economy (42-57). Hershey. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-60566-942-7.ch004

This chapter presents and contrasts descriptions of two cases of online affective support provided to support students engaged in higher level learning tasks. The cases are set in different cultures, centre upon different intended learning outcomes,... Read More about Dealing with affective needs in e-learning: Contrasting two cases in two cultures..

Breaking the Rules: writing reflectively for yourself. (2009)
Book Chapter
Cowan, J. (2009). Breaking the Rules: writing reflectively for yourself. In N. L. Mertens (Ed.), Writing, Processes, Tools and Techniques (109-113). Nova Science Publishers

The rules which epitomise good writing may on occasions be broken, deliberately and with what the writers judge to be good purpose. This can well occur when students or staff set out to engage effectively with their personal and professional developm... Read More about Breaking the Rules: writing reflectively for yourself..

External Examining: an Engineering Subject Centre guide. (2009)
Preprint / Working Paper
Cowan, J. External Examining: an Engineering Subject Centre guide

This handbook was prepared for external examiners and for use in training workshops for newly appointed external examiners.

Quality Assurance in European Engineering Education: Present and Future Challenges (2009)
Book Chapter
Cowan, J. (2009). Quality Assurance in European Engineering Education: Present and Future Challenges. In A. Patil, & P. Gray (Eds.), Engineering Education Quality Assurance (29-40). Springer US. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0555-0_2

This chapter focuses on the quality assurance (QA) of higher engineering education in the United
Kingdom and Europe, by considering eight challenges which are predicted by the writer to be of increasing
importance in the years ahead. QA in higher e... Read More about Quality Assurance in European Engineering Education: Present and Future Challenges.

Fostering an action‐reflection dynamic amongst student practitioners (2008)
Journal Article
Francis, H., & Cowan, J. (2008). Fostering an action‐reflection dynamic amongst student practitioners. Journal of European industrial training, 32(5), 336-346. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090590810877067

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore changes taking place in a curriculum design for postgraduate teaching in personnel and development, aimed at enhancing lifelong learning. A scheme is described which aims to improve the alignment for professional... Read More about Fostering an action‐reflection dynamic amongst student practitioners.