Dear All,

greetings from a dreich (grey and rainy) day in Glasgow! 


I am getting in touch as we are looking for reviewers for the papers below. If you have not yet done so please register as reviewer with https://osotl.org/ beforehand so we can assign you as reviewer. 

Please get in touch with [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask] if you are able to review one of these. 



We are looking forward working with you! 



With kind regards,

Nathalie



**Paper Number 105** 

2 reviewers

**Students’ perceptions and experiences of taking a Leave of Absence (LOA) during their degree**

Although literature suggests that students may encounter a range of difficulties whilst studying at university, our understanding of the experiences of those who have to take time away from their studies during their course is limited. This study adopted a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews with sixteen students at one UK University who had taken a Leave of Absence during their undergraduate degree. The interviews explored students’ perceptions and experiences of Leave of Absence. Thematic Analysis led to the identification of three key themes including ‘Difficulties navigating Leave of Absence procedures’, ‘Satisfaction with support received’ and ‘Feelings of preparing for the return’. Overall, the data suggested that students’ experiences of Leave of Absence varied and whilst some students’ experiences were positive, others were more negative, with a need for further support and information expressed. The findings also show that students’ needs varied, and this highlights the need to avoid a ‘one size fits all approach’. In view of this, recommendations for the future are also discussed.



**Paper Number 107**

2 reviewers 

**Active learning in the undergraduate laboratory: giving students a safe space to experience low-stakes failure**

As with COVID-19, and so with national and global economic, political and climate crises, it is our young people who are the most vulnerable. In the UK, young people are experiencing a mental health crisis, and schools and universities are reporting record low levels of student engagement. Here we present a case study from a large (179 students) Foundation Year Biological Sciences module where we considered the potential for low-stakes failure teaching events to act as a tool for developing student confidence and resilience, whilst also developing scientific learning. Foundation Year university students had the opportunity to engage in a low-stakes formative laboratory session, where they developed their own microbiology experiments. This was followed by the opportunity to repeat the experiment three months later, as well as additional interactive workshops for analysis of the practical data and to reflect on their learning experience.

The students took a variety of approaches to the practical experiment with the majority describing the experiment as a positive experience. Students reported developing subject-specific skills including pipetting, plating bacteria, experimental design, in addition to transferable skills such as teamwork, problem solving, and building confidence to try something new (experiment!). Ninety-two percent of student respondents felt the experience offered a safe space for experimenting with scientific techniques. We discuss considerations for further research as well as the potential for embedding low-stakes failure within a programme of study at Higher Education.



**Paper Number 108**

2 Reviewers

**Students engage with and benefit from active learning when this is appropriately embedded in curriculum design**

The present investigation sought to evaluate the influence of active and blended learning approaches to teaching on student engagement, learning gains, confidence, and sense of belonging in their psychology course. Two-hundred and eighty-four students took part in an online survey between March 2022 and March 2023, examining their perspectives, experiences, and barriers to engagement with teaching and learning approaches in their course. Findings from our qualitative content analysis of the open responses provide evidence that students experience some benefit from active learning, as opposed to more traditional didactic methods often seen in large cohort courses. Benefits are qualified, however, by the extend of active learning and how it is presented. Our work, therefore, points towards some considerations on how active learning can be embedded within a technology-enhanced curriculum to support student engagement and learning experience.

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