Journals (University of Staffordshire)
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New Wave: Driving equity in professional practice learning
No full textNew Wave: Driving equity in professional practice learning
Lucy Cox, Bristol School of Art, UWE Bristol, [email protected]
Anneliese Paul, Bristol School of Arts, UWE Bristol, [email protected]
 
Frequencies: Sound together in the live learning experience
No full textFrequencies: Sound together in the live learning experience
Roshni Bhagotra, University of the Arts London, [email protected]
Teaching the creative arts online: Using pedagogic motivation as a bridge between residential and online pedagogies
Full text linkTeaching the creative arts online: Using pedagogic motivation as a bridge between residential and online pedagogies
Rob Clarke, University of the Arts London, [email protected]
Georgia Steele, University of the Arts London, [email protected]
Ethical considerations in vocational and work-based research: a scoping review
Full text linkWorkplace-based research (WBR) becomes a vital aspect for trainees to learn through inquiry within their professional settings. However, WBR presents unique ethical challenges due to several contextual factors. This study explores the ethical principles and dilemmas involved in WBR, focusing on informed consent, confidentiality, autonomy, and power dynamics in the workplace. Using desk-based research, the study identified conceptual background for ethical practice in WBR. It argues that ethics in WBR must go beyond standard protocols, adopting a context-sensitive approach that protects both researcher and participant welfare. While the study is theoretical in scope, it recommends an operational ethical frameworks for future empirical research in vocational and workplace-based research
Supporting first-time authors: a culture of encouragement
Full text linkFirst-time academic writers often face challenges such as fear, perfectionism, and lack of confidence, which can hinder the expression of their authentic voice. This article explores how authenticity in vocational and practice-based writing is not only valuable but essential for producing credible, impactful research. While tools and academic conventions are designed to prevent bias and improve clarity, they can sometimes suppress individuality. To address this, the article offers practical guidance on using grammar, structure, and accountability tools that support, not stifle, original expression. It also discusses the role of mindset, resilience, and peer support in helping beginner writers grow their skills without compromising their voice. Finally, it outlines how the Journal of Vocational Research and Practice (JVRP) actively fosters a culture of encouragement, supporting writers through developmental feedback, mentorship, and inclusive practices. The goal is to empower new authors to publish confidently, authentically, and with academic integrity
The Hero’s Journey (in HE) Continues: Applying the hero’s journey framework to curriculum planning and course design
Full text linkBuilding on the ideas contained in Farmer\u27s \u27The Hero\u27s Journey in Higher Education: A Twelve Stage Narrative Approach to the Design of Active, Student-Centred University Modules\u27 (2019), this current paper takes the idea of using the twelve stages of the hero’s journey as a course design tool, and extends it by adding a series of diagnostic questions linked to the stages, the purpose of which is to develop Farmer’s (2019) theoretical ideas into a more practically-oriented toolkit for educators. In the same spirit, this current paper also includes thoughts from workshop participants who have begun to make use of the hero’s journey as a course design toolkit, drawing the tentative conclusion that, for some people at least, the idea provides a useful framework for course design.
Keywords: Active Learning; Learning Design; Hero’s Journey; Inclusive Curriculum; Narrative Framework; Teaching and Learnin
Thinking Through Making: exploring global challenges through creative practice introducing curiosity, play and imagination
Full text linkAbstract
This case study of teaching practice seeks to harness the potential of curiosity, play and imagination as a means to approach and conceptualise global challenges. The UN Sustainable Development Goals are used as a framework to inspire fantastical scenarios for workshops where participants from illustration and design undergraduate courses at Arts University Plymouth are encouraged to generate unconventional and seemingly infeasible solutions. These workshops spark creativity and invite reflection beyond the immediate activities, freeing participants to think optimistically about addressing complex and serious global challenges through the lens of play and imagination. Through workshops focused on tactile exploration, students are encouraged to step away from digital tools to embrace processes of making and imagining. This approach offers insights into how creative problem-solving can open up avenues for innovative thinking where the action of making and experience of imagining are as important as output and outcome
Call to action: shape the future of JVRP
Full text linkAs we bring our editorial issue towards a gentle close, this article invites readers to actively shape the journal through meaningful engagement beyond authorship. We emphasise the value of becoming a peer reviewer and highlight how dialogue and diverse perspectives enhance academic and practice-based contributions alike. The piece outlines accessible submission pathways including research articles, accounts of practice / reflections, poster presentations, and hackathon-inspired special issues designed to encourage participation from a broad community of work-based learners and practitioners. Particularly through the latter, JVRP aims to serve as a dynamic, collaborative platform that supports professional growth and sector-wide innovation. With storytelling, emotional reflection, and narrative clarity at its core, this article offers practical guidance for prospective contributors. It sets the stage for the two example submissions that follow - one written and one visual - intended to inspire readers to find their voice and contribute to this evolving, inclusive community
Embodiment in Design Education: expanding pedagogy to meet contemporary challenges
Full text linkThis paper examines two embodiment workshops in design higher education (HE). The workshops form part of a larger research project exploring the use of somatic practices to address dominant challenges impacting design education. Facilitated by a design educator and a choreographer, the workshops guide undergraduate students through four stages: Arrive, Move, Create, and Gather, using movement and creative exercises to bypass cognition and amplify embodied knowing. The study highlights the relevance of embodied practices to contemporary societal and environmental challenges, including student well-being, emotional regulation, and the development of ethical and sustainable design practices. Data collection includes body maps, questionnaires, group discussions, and observational notes. Despite a small data set, findings reveal participants’ receptiveness to embodied practices, emphasising their capacity to deepen self-awareness, regulate emotions, and access creative insights. The study demonstrates the potential of embodied practices to expand design pedagogy and foster critical, responsive approaches to contemporary challenges
The purpose and power of vocational research
Full text linkAs the second editorial in the inaugural issue of the Journal of Vocational Research and Practice (JVRP), this article explores two central commitments shaping the journal’s identity: challenging disciplinary boundaries and fostering radical inclusivity. It critiques the dominance of academic singulars and the exclusion of applied, work-based, and practitioner knowledge, positioning Work-Based Learning (WBL) and Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) as legitimate, interdisciplinary fields. Drawing on Bernstein’s concepts of classification and framing, the piece exposes the structural barriers that marginalise non-traditional voices and epistemologies. It advocates for a publishing space where pracademics, early career researchers, and professionals outside the academy can share critical, contextual insights without compromising rigour. Indigenous Knowledge and bricolage, as concepts, are highlighted as examples of alternative, valid epistemologies often excluded from dominant academic discourse. This editorial invites readers and contributors to help reframe knowledge legitimacy and embrace a more porous, practitioner-informed research landscape