Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering (2020)
Journal Article
Pilcher, N., Galbrun, L., Craig, N., Murray, M., Forster, A., & Tennant, S. (2021). Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(2), 247-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1725451

Two ongoing and recurrent debates in the employment of academic staff are (1) how much industry experience should faculty staff have? and (2) what priority is given to research, teaching or both? Such debates take place worldwide and are particularly... Read More about Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering.

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.

Constructing English-medium instruction indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan’s higher education (2018)
Journal Article
Tseng, P.-H., 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.

What Is The ‘Academic Purpose’ Of ‘English’ In ‘English For Academic Purposes’? (2017)
Book Chapter
Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2017). What Is The ‘Academic Purpose’ Of ‘English’ In ‘English For Academic Purposes’?. In L. Tuen Wong, & W. Lam Wong (Eds.), Teaching and Learning English for Academic Purposes: Current Research and Practices. Nova Science Publishers

In this chapter, we suggest abandoning the current form of EAP for a form of EAP that is actively explorative of and taught within individual subject contexts. We argue that for students to meet the ‘academic purposes’ in academic subjects requires t... Read More about What Is The ‘Academic Purpose’ Of ‘English’ In ‘English For Academic Purposes’?.

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.

The fall and rise of experiential construction and engineering education: decoupling and recoupling practice and theory (2017)
Journal Article
Forster, A. M., Pilcher, N., Tennant, S., Murray, M., Craig, N., & Copping, A. (2017). The fall and rise of experiential construction and engineering education: decoupling and recoupling practice and theory. Higher Education Pedagogies, 2(1), 79-100. https://doi.org/10.1080/23752696.2017.1338530

From the mid-20th C., construction and engineering pedagogy and curricula have moved from long-held traditional experiential apprenticeship approaches to one ostensibly decoupling practice and theory. This paper traces this decoupling and explores mo... Read More about The fall and rise of experiential construction and engineering education: decoupling and recoupling practice and theory.

Constructing English Medium indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan's higher education (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Tseng, P., Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2017, May). Constructing English Medium indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan's higher education. Paper presented at 9th International Forum on Shipping, Ports and Airports

English is a common language in the global maritime industry and many countries are now moving towards the use of English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) to deliver their courses. Such a medium increases students’ proficiency in the common language... Read More about Constructing English Medium indicators in the shipping courses of Taiwan's higher education.

What role does (or should) higher education research play in higher education policy? An exploratory study (2017)
Report
Smith, K., Fernie, S., & Pilcher, N. (2017). What role does (or should) higher education research play in higher education policy? An exploratory study. London: Society for Research into Higher Education

Don’t Panic! You know your subject. You’re not teaching English, you’re teaching your subject in ‘English’ (2017)
Book Chapter
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2017). Don’t Panic! You know your subject. You’re not teaching English, you’re teaching your subject in ‘English’. In G. J. Lee (Ed.), Challenges in English in University in English in University Education

No abstract available.

We need to talk about IELTS, and the case for testing English 'in-subject' (2017)
Digital Artefact
Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2017). We need to talk about IELTS, and the case for testing English 'in-subject'. [Webpage]

No abstract available - read the full article here - http://wonkhe.com/blogs/we-need-to-talk-about-ielts-and-the-case-for-testing-english-in-subject/

Problematising the ‘Career Academic’ in UK construction and engineering education: does the system want what the system gets? (2017)
Journal Article
Pilcher, N., Forster, A., Tennant, S., Murray, M., & Craig, N. (2017). Problematising the ‘Career Academic’ in UK construction and engineering education: does the system want what the system gets?. European Journal of Engineering Education, 42(6), 1477-1495. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2017.1306487

‘Career Academics’ are principally research-led, entering academia with limited or no industrial or practical experience. UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) welcome them for their potential to attain research grant funding and publish world-lead... Read More about Problematising the ‘Career Academic’ in UK construction and engineering education: does the system want what the system gets?.

Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk: Are Career Academics Gatekeepers to Students’ Tacit Knowledge? (2017)
Journal Article
Murray, M. D., Tennant, S., Forster, A., Craig, N., Copping, A., & Pilcher, N. (2017). Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk: Are Career Academics Gatekeepers to Students’ Tacit Knowledge?. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, 5(2), 112-114. https://doi.org/10.14297/jpaap.v5i2.268

An opinion piece that argues for a more balanced portfolio of academic staff within faculty, whereby pracademics are ‘pivotal’ academic staff who can ‘talk the talk and walk the walk’ with students who have industrial placement experience.

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. https://doi.org/10.1177/1757743817691995

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.

Balancing rigour and relevance: Higher education researchers and policymakers need to be more open to each other (2016)
Digital Artefact
Smith, K., Fernie, S., & Pilcher, N. (2016). Balancing rigour and relevance: Higher education researchers and policymakers need to be more open to each other. [Research Professional website]

No abstract available.

The Role of Experienced Practitioners in Engineering Education: the End of an Era? (2016)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Craig, N., Tennant, S., Murray, M., Forster, A., & Pilcher, N. (2016, July). The Role of Experienced Practitioners in Engineering Education: the End of an Era?. Presented at ISEE 6th International Symposium for Engineering Education

Delivering excellence in higher engineering education is dependent on many variables. This includes programme design, delivery and content, university support and the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of faculty members. Over the past decade there... Read More about The Role of Experienced Practitioners in Engineering Education: the End of an Era?.

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..

Deconstructing 'Mono'-Lingualism: considerations of value for 'English' 'language' education in a global setting. (2015)
Book Chapter
Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2015). Deconstructing 'Mono'-Lingualism: considerations of value for 'English' 'language' education in a global setting. In L. T. Wong, & A. Dubey-Jhaveri (Eds.), English language education in a global world: practices, issues and challenges (81-90). Nova Science Publishers

Traditionally, language speakers are categorised as mono-lingual, bilingual, or multilingual. It is traditionally assumed in English language education that the ‘lingual’ is something that can be ‘fixed’ in form, written down to be learnt, and taught... Read More about Deconstructing 'Mono'-Lingualism: considerations of value for 'English' 'language' education in a global setting..

The impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: by which yardstick do we measure dreams? (2015)
Journal Article
Pilcher, N., Fernie, S., & Smith, K. (2017). The impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: by which yardstick do we measure dreams?. Journal of Education and Work, 30(1), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/13639080.2015.1122178

National Qualifications Frameworks (NQFs) are a global phenomenon. This is evidenced by their scale, coverage and intrinsic link with education policy across Europe and beyond. Research into their impact has encompassed a number of perspectives; theo... Read More about The impact of National Qualifications Frameworks: by which yardstick do we measure dreams?.

Hunt the shadow not the substance: the rise of the career academic in construction education (2015)
Journal Article
Tennant, S., Murray, M., Forster, A., & Pilcher, N. (2015). Hunt the shadow not the substance: the rise of the career academic in construction education. Teaching in Higher Education, 20(7), 723-737. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2015.1070342

Construction education is context-laden, navigating and reflecting the byzantine influences of period, place and person. Despite considerable rhetoric, in UK higher education (HE) and construction studies in particular the importance of contextualize... Read More about Hunt the shadow not the substance: the rise of the career academic in construction education.