Overview of articles

In the Editorial, Organising Research in Teaching Intensive Higher Education: The Establishment of the Centre for Learning Innovation and Research (CLIR), CLIR members reflect collectively on their experiences in establishing a dedicated research centre in London Churchill College. They posit that the knowledge and experience gained in centralising research structures, formalising processes for undertaking collective research projects and standardising publication practices in CLIR demonstrate how scholarly inquiry may be sustained effectively within institutions whose central purpose lies in teaching.

In the article How have historians of the modern British Empire responded to the Insights offered by post-colonial theory?, Teddy Wryley-Birch argues that post-colonial theories of decolonisation in the mid-twentieth century have fundamentally reshaped and challenged earlier Eurocentric and elite-focused narratives which marginalised the experience and agency of colonised people. In his view, post-colonial theory has not produced a uniform transformation of how decolonisation theory has been presented and interpreted over time, but it has profoundly reshaped the questions that historians ask and the perspectives they prioritise.

Ilias Mahmud’s Research Report, Navigating Pluralistic Health Systems: Healthcare–seeking behaviour among people with disabilities in Bangladesh, provides a useful case study of the pluralistic health systems operating in low- and middle- income countries. The study examines how people with disabilities in Bangladesh navigate formal and informal health sectors before accessing specialised rehabilitation services. Findings indicate that delays in rehabilitation must take into account the existence of pluralistic health systems and their cultural, social and fragmented features. Dr Mahmud argues that to function effectively, disability inclusive health systems in low-and middle-income countries require earlier referral, decentralised rehabilitation and culturally competent communication with patients and families.

Mohammad Shahadat Hossain’s article, Investigating the Impact of Cyber Security Awareness Training in the field of Deepfake on Students, is based on the content of his MSc Prize winning dissertation. His case study investigates how training about cybersecurity affects the capacity of students to identify Deepfake content, given its rapid expansion across digital information platforms. He argues that the production of synthetic media by AI threatens personal security and creates substantial concerns about the provision of false information and its adverse impact on social trust. Findings from his case study indicate that purposeful cybersecurity education can provide individuals with the necessary protective abilities to identify and face present and emerging AI security threats such as Deepfake.

In the Research Protocol: Navigating the Transition from Teaching to Educational Leadership in Higher Education, authors Nick Papé, Rahman Hassan, Gerry Takamura, Russel Kabir and Ilias Mahmud investigate the motivations behind lecturers’ decisions to pursue or avoid management roles and the structural, psychological and social barriers they encounter. The project utilises a mixed-methods approach, with the quantitative phase identifying patterns, associations and predictions relating to lecturers’ decisions to transition into leadership roles and the qualitative phase providing deeper insight into the motivations, perceptions and contextual factors influencing transition. Findings from surveys and interviews will inform discussions that will focus on what emerges from the data rather than recommending ideal models or pathways.

Nick Papé’s article, Situated and Collective Meaning: Rethinking Development through Vygotskian Praxis, reconsiders Vygotskian psychology through the lens of collaborative praxis. He argues that learning is not only a cognitive process, but also a social, ethical and political act, and he questions the utility of institutional models which reduce learning to measurable outputs. The author uses empirical material drawn from mature learners and digital environments to illustrate the tension between student experience and institutional control. Findings indicate the importance of undertaking collaborative projects which offer alternative ways of organising knowledge and participation. Professor Papé argues that renewed attention should be given to memory, care and conflict and regarded as positive generative forces in the education process.

In Behind the Grade. What Students Learn That Is Never Recorded: The Silent Curriculum, authors Nick Papé and Abdur Rahim explore the forms of student learning in Higher Education that are often unseen, unmeasured and unrecorded. They argue that personal growth, emotional persistence, and identity shifts play a central role in educational experience, but remain largely invisible in curriculum design and institutional review. Drawing upon student testimony and relevant theory, they propose that that curriculum be considered not only as a structure for content but also as a site of human exchange where convention, care and recognition support deeper learning.