All Outputs (15)

Diversity and inclusion in UK Higher Education: staff perspectives on institutional representations and their reality (2023)
Journal Article
Richards, K., Pilcher, N., Galbrun, L., Forster, A., & Richards, J. (2023). Diversity and inclusion in UK Higher Education: staff perspectives on institutional representations and their reality. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 28(4), 647-669. https

This paper examines staff perspectives on institutional representations of a range of areas of diversity and inclusion in a key post-compulsory education sector: that of UK Higher Education (HE). The paper focuses on comparing representational statem... Read More about Diversity and inclusion in UK Higher Education: staff perspectives on institutional representations and their reality.

Stakeholder perspectives of Internationalisation of Universities in China’s non-first-tier Cities: A Case Study (2023)
Journal Article
Cruickshank, P., Luo, L., & Richards, K. (2023). Stakeholder perspectives of Internationalisation of Universities in China’s non-first-tier Cities: A Case Study. Internationalisation of Higher Education – Policy and Practice, 2023(1), https://doi.org/

Internationalisation of higher education (IoHE) is used by a growing number of non-first-tier cities in China make their universities more globally competitive. However, we only have limited understandings about the strategies, drivers and challenges... Read More about Stakeholder perspectives of Internationalisation of Universities in China’s non-first-tier Cities: A Case Study.

Scotland’s History of Animation: An Exploratory Account of the Key Figures and Influential Events (2021)
Journal Article
Mortimer, J., Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2021). Scotland’s History of Animation: An Exploratory Account of the Key Figures and Influential Events. Animation, 16(3), 190-206. https://doi.org/10.1177/17468477211052598

Scotland’s history of animation is a forgotten past accomplishment in the animation/VFX sector, with key influential animation professionals having had an impact both at home and abroad. Yet, to date, this history has not been meaningfully documented... Read More about Scotland’s History of Animation: An Exploratory Account of the Key Figures and Influential Events.

Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell (2020)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2023). Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(3), 580-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1839745

We argue that current approaches to Study Skills support are presented as being a panacea for resolving the issues presented by neoliberal approaches to educational expansion. We argue that for such a panacea to be believed pedagogically effective, f... Read More about Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell.

Measuring the effectiveness of English medium instruction shipping courses (2020)
Journal Article
Tseng, P., Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2020). Measuring the effectiveness of English medium instruction shipping courses. Maritime Business Review, 5(4), 351-371. https://doi.org/10.1108/mabr-10-2019-0042

Purpose: Shipping courses contain much technical and specialist knowledge and present particular challenges for English medium instruction (EMI). This paper aims to investigate both student perceptions of the importance and satisfaction level of EMI... Read More about Measuring the effectiveness of English medium instruction shipping courses.

Using physical objects as a portal to reveal academic subject identity and thought (2020)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2020). Using physical objects as a portal to reveal academic subject identity and thought. Qualitative Report, 25(1), 127-144

We are lecturers who help students studying subjects that use word-based writing, non-word based writing such as Mathematics, and non-text based language such as visual semiotics. To access examples of such language with subject lecturers we have fou... Read More about Using physical objects as a portal to reveal academic subject identity and thought.

How a view of language underpins approaches to supporting higher education students that facilitate neo-liberalism, and how to resist this (2018)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2018). How a view of language underpins approaches to supporting higher education students that facilitate neo-liberalism, and how to resist this. Power and Education, 175774381881180. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757743818811801

In this article we argue a particular view of language underpins approaches to supporting students in Higher Education, and that this view facilitates neoliberalism. Universities worldwide have glossaries of terms such as 'describe' or 'discuss', and... Read More about How a view of language underpins approaches to supporting higher education students that facilitate neo-liberalism, and how to resist this.

Western and Eastern Building Conservation Philosophies: Perspectives on Permanence and Impermanence (2018)
Journal Article
Forster, A. M., Thomson, D., Richards, K., Pilcher, N., & Vettese, S. (2019). Western and Eastern Building Conservation Philosophies: Perspectives on Permanence and Impermanence. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 13(6), 870-885. https://doi

In this conceptual paper, we illuminate Western building conservation philosophy practice with insights into Eastern conservation philosophy and associated aesthetic understanding. We frame dialogue recognising individual and societal perspectives on... Read More about Western and Eastern Building Conservation Philosophies: Perspectives on Permanence and Impermanence.

Constructing English-medium instruction indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan’s higher education (2018)
Journal Article
Tseng, P., Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2018). Constructing English-medium instruction indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan’s higher education. Maritime Business Review, https://doi.org/10.1108/mabr-07-2017-0020

English is a common language in the global shipping industry and many universities in non-English speaking countries in the world are now moving towards the use of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) to deliver their courses. Such a medium incre... Read More about Constructing English-medium instruction indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan’s higher education.

Academic literacies: the word is not enough (2017)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2017). Academic literacies: the word is not enough. Teaching in Higher Education, 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2017.1360270

For Academic Literacies, the world is textually mediated; written texts and what informs them reveal elements such as subject-discipline practices. Furthermore, multi-modalities, for example, visual representation, inform written text, and multiple m... Read More about Academic literacies: the word is not enough.

Challenging the power invested in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Why determining ‘English’ preparedness needs to be undertaken within the subject context (2017)
Journal Article
Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2017). Challenging the power invested in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Why determining ‘English’ preparedness needs to be undertaken within the subject context. Power and Education, 9(1), 3-17.

Higher Education (HE) institutions worldwide base international student recruitment on the assumption their preparedness in ‘English’ is assured if they reach a certain level in tests such as the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).... Read More about Challenging the power invested in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS): Why determining ‘English’ preparedness needs to be undertaken within the subject context.

An individual subjectivist critique of the use of corpus linguistics to inform pedagogical materials. (2016)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2016). An individual subjectivist critique of the use of corpus linguistics to inform pedagogical materials. Dialogic Pedagogy, 4, https://doi.org/10.5195/dpj.2016.163

Corpus Linguistics, or the gathering together of language into a body for analysis and development of materials, claims itself an assured, established method (or field) that valuably informs pedagogical materials and knowledge of language. The fundam... Read More about An individual subjectivist critique of the use of corpus linguistics to inform pedagogical materials..

The paradigmatic hearts of subjects which their "English" flows through (2016)
Journal Article
Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2016). The paradigmatic hearts of subjects which their "English" flows through. Higher Education Research and Development, 35(5), 997-1010. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2016.1138455

Much research into the use of corpora and discourse to support higher education students on pre-sessional and in-sessional courses champions subject specificity. Drawing on the work of writers such as Bakhtin (1981) and Voloshinov (1973), in this art... Read More about The paradigmatic hearts of subjects which their "English" flows through.

Avoiding dialogues of non-discovery through promoting dialogues of discovery. (2015)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2015). Avoiding dialogues of non-discovery through promoting dialogues of discovery. Dialogic Pedagogy, 3, 43-64. https://doi.org/10.5195/dpj.2015.101

International students and direct entrants—those entering a higher year of a degree—often come from socio-economic or cultural backgrounds different from traditional students, and have different educational backgrounds. It is assumed such students ne... Read More about Avoiding dialogues of non-discovery through promoting dialogues of discovery..

Contextualising higher education assessment task words with an ‘anti-glossary’ approach (2013)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2014). Contextualising higher education assessment task words with an ‘anti-glossary’ approach. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 27(5), 604-625. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2013.805443

Key ‘generic’ assessment task words such as ‘discuss’ and ‘critically evaluate’ are integral to higher education assessment. Although sources such as study skills guides give generic decontextualised glossaries of these words, much research rightly a... Read More about Contextualising higher education assessment task words with an ‘anti-glossary’ approach.