Welcome to day 9 of the SoTL Advent Journal. Below, we have interesting reflections from Mónica Legazpi-Iglesias who considers the learning from feedback in relation to course design, Stephen Leckey who has a focus on Industry Alignment in Education and Maria Afonso with a (Dickensian) reflection on anatomy teaching at the University of Glasgow
What I learned from feedback: a reflection on its impact on course design
What I learned from feedback: a reflection on its impact on course design.
Mónica Legazpi-Iglesias.
Lecturer in Spanish, School of Modern Languages and Cultures (CoAH)
Feedback, understood as the dialogue between learners and facilitator as well as the actionable comments provided to learners sparked changes to the learning activities and to the assessment components of my Honours course: Interpreting Skills in Spanish.
This is a very popular option with clear links to employability. Although seminar groups are relatively small (15-16 students), before the changes participation in class was low. Students were reluctant to speak up even after having worked in small groups.
Language students are familiar with what is expected of them when it comes to translation. However, Interpreting involves the translation of the spoken word, and speaking in public is an anxiety inducing situation for most learners.
Student feedback revealed that a) students were not confident enough in their language abilities and b) they needed further guidance and practice regarding interpreting note-taking strategies.
So, I made changes to the learning activities. I implemented blended learning by requesting certain activities to be done in advance as preparation for the in class practical learning.
This course equips students with practical techniques to develop their linguistic and cultural competence in order to engage in consecutive interpreting (translation of a passage of a speech once the speaker pauses). Students gradually master a number of skills (i.e.: topic research, glossary building, mind mapping, information paraphrasing, note taking, etc) over the first 7 weekly seminars. Mastering these skills individually reduces the learner’s cognitive load when having to combine them in order to interpret a speech in real time.
In order to achieve higher self-efficacy, Bandura (1977), to increase the learner’s belief in their ability to succeed, scaffolding is implemented. Examples of the four types of scaffolding as noted by Hannafin, Land and Oliver (in Doo et al., 2020) are:
1) Procedural (guidance that helps students use resources such as online dictionaries, find parallel texts etc.)
2) Conceptual (guidance that helps students spot themes within their learning such as supporting students to identify key ideas in a speech; analyse text type, register, etc)
3) Strategic (guidance that helps students to approach tasks in different ways such as mind maps or bullet points to remember main ideas; alternative ways to paraphrase content to avoid mental block; different ways prepare glossaries in order to increase lexical retrieval
4) Metacognitive (guidance on the learning process itself such as prompting reflection on progress, validating students’ efforts).
Scaffolds are gradually removed and complexity increased.
Each seminar involves Active learning strategies ranging from mentimeter quizzes (to gauge engagement with reading done in advance of the seminar) to brainstorming (to agree on the key ideas of the speech) to jigsaw. Thus, focusing on tasks and how to accomplish them by collaboration in group work rather than on the perceived abilities of the individuals.
A final important addition is choice. Students can choose which segment of a speech to work on. The focus is on practising as much as possible while the facilitator monitors performance and provides feedback group by group. The more relaxed atmosphere and improved dynamics encourages peer feedback too. Moreover, students choose a topic of their choice to write a speech which is interpreted by the rest of the class in a mock conference exercise.
Flipped classroom
David Nicol’s work on “inner feedback” (2021) inspired me to introduce formal peer feedback on the course. The insight that ‘we compare our own performance against information from many sources, from books to observation of others and we generate inner feedback out of those comparisons’ led me to design the second continuous assessment task as an opportunity for learners to observe the work of others and reflect about the comparison with their own work.
Student feedback confirmed the changes to the learning activities were effective and students felt supported by the regular feedback obtained in class and felt confident in their learning progress.
Continuous assessments tasks now (10% each)
Task 1 (individual): Notes that would support the interpretation of a set speech.
Task 2 (group): Now the second task builds on the first one. Part a) notes and part b) each group provides feedback to one other group referring to rubric and assessment criteria.
Task 3 (individual): a voice recording where students would practise all skills (memory recall, intonation, etc).
The changes made have produced increased engagement, and better outcomes.
References:
Bandura, A. (1977) Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioural change. Psychological Review, 84(2), 192-215, doi: 0.1016/0146-6402(78)90002-4
Doo, M. Y., Bonk, C. and Heo, H. (2020) ‘A Meta-Analysis of Scaffolding Effects in Online Learning in Higher Education’, International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 21 (3) Available at: http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/4638/5343
Hill, C. and Astles, P. (2024) Scaffolding learning: ‘What does it mean for students?’ Open University Learning Design Team Blog. Available at https://www.open.ac.uk/blogs/learning-design/?p=1992
David Nicol (2021) The power of internal feedback: exploiting natural comparison processes, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46:5, 756-778, DOI: 10.1080/02602938.2020.1823314
Industry Alignment in Education: Progress, Pitfalls, and Honest Reflection
Industry Alignment in Education: Progress, Pitfalls, and Honest Reflection
Like many university programmes, Sport and Exercise Science aims to develop students’ industry readiness (see Burgess et al., 2025 for a review). In this blog post, I will reflect on my experiences as a neophyte Sport and Exercise Science lecturer and discuss my efforts to strengthen the connection between what we teach, and what the workplace (I think?!) requires.
Are we Making Progress?
In many ways, yes. As a sector, we are attentive to employer needs and are taking steps toward more purposeful curriculum design. Downie and Burke (2024) have done some of the heavy lifting for us, they outline the importance of first understanding graduates’ career destinations and then aligning curriculum content accordingly.
So that begs the question, what do Sport and Exercise Science graduates go on to do? According to 2024/2025 data, around 65% enter employment (full/part-time) while 20% progress into postgraduate study. Among those employed, career destinations vary widely, including roles in the sport and fitness sector (ranging from public health to elite sport), teaching, human resources, and sales (Graduate Market Trends, 2025).
To be competitive in this diverse job market, graduates need more than subject knowledge they must understand the how, what, why, where, and when of their professional practice (Kingsly, 2024). However, this raises a key challenge for educators. In a discipline with such varied career pathways, how do we ensure students develop the right combination of skills and knowledge?
The Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Scientists (CASES) undergraduate endorsement scheme offers a helpful framework, outlining the knowledge and competencies expected of future practitioners. When I joined the university a little over a year ago, I was fortunate to have six weeks dedicated to ‘getting to know the curriculum’, whereby I was able to map our existing course offerings against the skills and knowledge highlighted in the CASES framework.
Figure 1. A section of the curriculum mapping process comparing current course content to the CASES framework.
The specifics of the diagram aren’t particularly important, it’s the colour changes that carry the meaning, with darker blue indicating stronger coverage of a given competency. What the visual highlights is just how difficult it is to address every competency fully. At the same time, it has helped me pinpoint gaps which could inform the revision or addition of course content. Was the exercise worthwhile? I believe so, although it did feel somewhat reductive.
Are we Avoiding the Pitfalls?
The attempt above is an example of industry alignment, that’s good… no? Well only if it aligns to the right stuff. Who is to say that those are the skills and knowledge that truly matter? Industries evolve quickly and this short-termism could be a recipe for disaster. It wasn’t that long ago that futurists were encouraging school leavers to take up computer coding. It was seen as the next big wave, yet in the wake of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) boom those careers seem to be very limited.
Bradley and colleagues (2022) attempted to address this instability by developing Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs), which are practical indicators of competence that reflect authentic workplace tasks. Their approach moves beyond specific technical trends and focuses instead on what learners must do to function independently in real-world settings.
But it is worth noting that education is not solely about job readiness, we need to be careful not to flex too much to meet the wants of employers. Doing so could distort the curriculum, creating an overreliance on meeting employer expectations which may sideline foundational competencies such as critical thinking, independence and communication.
An Honest Reflection
Are we doing enough to understand what the right stuff is? A brief Google Scholar search shows there is surprisingly little literature on this within Sport and Exercise Science (which is a SoTL project that I am excited about). Plugging this gap would allow us to ensure our graduates (and their abilities) are prepared for the modern workplace.
A recent conversation with an employer from elite sport was enlightening. When asked what they look for in graduates, I had my pen ready to note down an extensive list of complex and degree-specific behaviours. What came back was a simple list, as graduates must: manage their time by using a calendar and block off their diary to ensure they can do essential work; take meeting notes; create, share and action to-do lists; systemise their approach to work and crucially, they need to independently problem-solve and think critically.
Now most programs will do the latter, but much of the former is not explicitly covered. Do we assume, through their time with us, students will develop these skills? Maybe it is less about the specific skills and more about the ‘nuts and bolts’ of what makes people successful in any job. Meet deadlines, manage workload, communicate effectively. These are skills, but are we teaching them?
I have developed a new option for fourth-year Sport and Exercise Science students that deliberately brings these core competencies to the forefront. The module is built around educational strategies that emphasise real-world context and foster interaction between coaches, practitioners, organisational staff, and researchers, the importance of which has been highlighted (see Fullagar et al., 2019).
A key focus will be on developing students’ decision-making abilities, as many of the roles they will enter require them to become confident, decision-making machines. I believe the first step is helping them build the self-efficacy to decide and ‘get off the fence’. By strengthening these skills, students will be better able to articulate their value to employers, enhancing their competitiveness and improving graduate outcomes. So perhaps industry alignment is about redesigning our teaching so that these essential behaviours are not only encouraged but genuinely embedded in the learning experience.
AI Use Statement – I have used Microsoft Co-Pilot to refine my writing and ensure there is a coherent flow of ideas, at various points throughout this blog. All the ideas and reasoning in this work are my own, AI was employed solely to support the expression and organisation of these ideas.
References
Burgess, K.E., Bradley, E., Dray, K., Powell, S. and Runswick, O., 2025. The state of research in teaching and learning in sport and exercise science: A scoping review. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 37, p.100573.
Bradley, E.J., Board, L., Archer, D. and Morgans, M., 2022. Presenting the case for implementing entrustable professional activities (EPA) in Sport and Exercise Sciences teaching: Application and alignment to develop student competencies. Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism Education, 31, p.100376.
Downie, C. and Burke, M., 2024. Constructive alignment: Teaching introductory gross anatomy to sport science students. Anatomical Sciences Education, 17(1), pp.47-54.
Fullagar, H.H., McCall, A., Impellizzeri, F.M., Favero, T. and Coutts, A.J., 2019. The translation of sport science research to the field: a current opinion and overview on the perceptions of practitioners, researchers and coaches. Sports Medicine, 49(12), pp.1817-1824.
Graduate Market Trends (2025) What do graduates do? 2024/25. [online] Available at: https://graduatemarkettrends.cdn.prismic.io/graduatemarkettrends/Z0Sn968jQArT1SXd_what-do-graduates-do-202425.pdf (Accessed: 24 November 2025).
Kingsly, Kelly Mua, The Future of Education: Why Aligning Curriculum with Industry Needs is Essential for Success (December 20, 2024). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=5065847 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5065847
Ghosts of Veterinary Anatomy: Past, Present and Future
A (Dickensian) reflection on anatomy teaching at the University of Glasgow
By Dr Maria Afonso
The Past
Let me paint a quick picture: it is 2006 and I am a new veterinary student at the University of Porto, Portugal, eager to learn the language of anatomy – a discipline long regarded as one of the main cornerstones of medical education. Like many students around the world, I was using the Color Atlas of Clinical Anatomy of the Dog & Cat by J.S. Boyd.
Almost two decades later, I am writing this blog post in the very space where that atlas was created. When first published in the early 90s, it was unusually innovative: most atlases relied on drawings or photographs of embalmed material, while this Glasgow-created book used fresh dissections, preserving colour and form in a way far closer to what clinicians work with (Boyd, J.S., 2000). I never had the chance to meet and thank Professor Boyd for this invaluable learning resource before his retirement, but his legacy is well remembered. Colleagues tell me that while this atlas may be his most widely known contribution, he was equally famous for drinking a pint of beer while standing on his head – a party trick he would perform in the anatomy lab to raise funds for children’s charities.
For generations, anatomy was taught in the lab in ways that would be instantly recognisable to my first-year self: the steady ballet of students moving from table to table, students gathered around carefully prosected specimens, long hours spent in dissection room… In many ways, these traditions still stand, however, a lot has also changed.
The Present
In recent years, practical anatomical education has sparked considerable debate. Many educators remain concerned about reduced teaching time within the spiral and integrated curricula that now dominate UK veterinary education, while cadaver-based teaching brings its own challenges, from ethical sourcing to the health and safety issues associated with preservation chemicals and biosecurity (Estai & Bunt, 2016; Gummery et al., 2018).
These discussions were still ongoing when, in 2020, COVID-19 abruptly shut dissection rooms, leaving specimens untouched and forcing this inherently physical subject into the digital sphere. I began my first teaching role at Liverpool’s vet school during this period, lecturing to rows of black Zoom squares while practicals continued in a limited, socially distanced format, far removed from the exploratory learning we once knew.
Colleagues at Glasgow describe a similar whirlwind: rapidly creating photographic resources, converting on-campus labs into virtual experiences and navigating a steep learning curve. Yet they also recall the period as highly collaborative, with staff supporting one another and sharing newly acquired digital skills.
When I joined Glasgow in 2021, anatomy teaching was still largely online. I helped support the transition back to on-campus delivery while working within the constraints left by the pandemic, including limited face-to-face time and reduced specimen availability.
Lessons from this period were not lost. Virtual practical resources have since been further developed and became an important bridge between lectures and lab work, helping students prepare more effectively, offering valuable revision material, and greatly improving accessibility for those unable to fully engage with time-limited in-person sessions.
The future
As we look ahead, we are undertaking a comprehensive review of anatomy teaching across the veterinary programme. This is a rare opportunity to ask ourselves and our students what is needed in a modern, integrated veterinary curriculum. With reduced time for foundational sciences and increasing pressure to introduce clinical content earlier, we must be more intentional than ever about what, how and why we teach.
The future of anatomy cannot solely rely on the approaches of the past. We want our students to have a strong understanding of functional and clinically relevant anatomy, even when resources grow tighter and expectations on the curriculum continue to expand.
This is also the moment for creative investment and collaboration. We are exploring a range of different approaches that might shape the future of our teaching such as expanding our collection of plastinated material, 3D printing of models and virtual dissection tables as supplementary learning tools. These won’t replace the experience of working with real tissue but may help us reduce reliance on chemically embalmed material, minimise health and safety risks, and enhance the student experience (Hunt et al, 2022). Ultimately, the future of veterinary anatomy at Glasgow will not be defined by a single tool or method but by our collective willingness to evolve while not forgetting about what (and who) came before.
References:
Boyd, J.S., Paterson C., May A.H. (2001) Color Atlas of Clinical Anatomy of the Dog & Cat, Second Ed. London: Mosby
Estai M, Bunt S. (2016) Best teaching practices in anatomy education: A critical review. Ann Anat. 208:151-157. doi: 10.1016/j.aanat.2016.02.010. Epub 2016 Mar 17. PMID: 26996541.
Gummery E, Cobb KA, Mossop LH, Cobb MA. (2018) Student Perceptions of Veterinary Anatomy Practical Classes: A Longitudinal Study. J Vet Med Educ. Summer;45(2):163-176. doi: 10.3138/jvme.0816-132r1. Epub 2017 Nov 3. PMID: 29767571.
Hunt, J.A., Baillie, S., Beaver, B.V., Carey, A.M.J., Cary, J.A., Delcambre, J., Foster, D.M., Hendrickson, D.A., Huxley, J.N., Mashima, T.Y. (2022) Guidelines for the Use of Animals in Veterinary Education. Washington, DC: American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges. AAVMC Task Force on the Use of Animals in Veterinary Education (https://www.aavmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/AAVMC-Guidelines-AnimalUse.pdf)
Festive Song:
Lead editor: Edward Beggan
Editors: Louise Sheridan, Shaun Bremner-Hart & Colin Mack