By Nicola Darwood, Carol Parker, Alan Bullimore, Kate D'Arcy, Carol Matthews, Ian McDonald and Andrew Doig

Peer Review of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education: International Perspectives

Judyth Sachs and Mitch Parsell

Springer (2014)

Review by Nicola Darwood

This collection of essays, edited by Judyth Sachs and Mitch Parsell, is focused on the research behind, and the practical application of, peer review in higher education. Many of the contributors are engaged with peer review in Australia but there are also essays from academics from the UK, North America and South Africa which add to the international perspective of the study. One common belief that the contributors all hold, however, is that 'collegial review could be a powerful force for improving teaching and thereby student learning' (p.v).

Arguably, not everyone in academia is convinced of the efficacy of peer review and, as this book suggests, much depends on the motives of management as they encourage peer review. As Sachs and Parsell note in their introduction,

[a]t its best, peer review opens the classroom to review in a safe and supporting way with a focus on improvement and professional learning. At its worst, it becomes a management tool to monitor and control the practices of teachers. (p.2)

A number of contributors reiterate this point, and in chapter two (the chapter which effectively sets the tone for the rest of the book), David Gosling identifies three different types of peer review which might be used in higher education: 'evaluative', 'developmental' and 'collaborative'. He sees the latter 'as the most effective, and ethical, framework to support professional learning about teaching, learning and related issues such as course design and assessment' (p.13), emphasising the need for a form that is 'based on collaboration between the parties', that is a 'non-judgemental' form of review that benefits both reviewer and reviewee (p.17).

In the fourth chapter, Jemma Napier, Mehdi Riazi and Christa Jacenyik-Trawoger examine the culture of management in Australian higher education. Their study found that, in general, the academic staff at Macquarie University want 'a culture of leadership that encourages peer review as quality enhancement' but instead found that the leadership of the university favoured a 'formal, management based form of peer review' (p64), highlighting possible tensions when staff feel that peer review is forced upon them. The need for university policies on the issue of peer observation/ review is discussed by Maureen Bell and Paul Cooper (chapter ten) who argue that the attitude of management to peer review can affect the perception of both the status of the process and the motives behind the implementation of such policies. How senior management communicate their ideas about peer review is discussed in chapter five where Trudy Ambler, Meena Chavan, Jennifer Clarke and Nicola Matthews look at notions of collegiality, highlighting their belief that 'an open environment' is needed for effective peer review, one which is 'built on trust, support and common goals' (p.71).

William Buskist, Emad Ismail and James Groccia (chapter three) offer a practical model for peer review which might prove useful for those who are new to the process, but they also advocate formal training for peer reviewers which seems to suggest that they perceive peer review as an evaluative process, rather than one which is collaborative, with both the reviewer and reviewee benefiting from the experience. Further practical advice is offered by Michael Hitchens (chapter six) who, drawing on a number of previous studies, provides guidance for participants (both reviewers and reviewees). Reflection is obviously a crucial element of our development as lecturers and this is particularly highlighted by Marina Harvey and Ian Solomonides who describe the benefits of peer review in achieving 'an enculturation of ongoing and sustainable reflective practice' (p.146). The use of an electronic course portfolio which 'provides a window into what occurred during a particular course, highlighting what worked and what did not, showcasing the student learning that resulted and outlining modifications and goals for future iterations of the course' (p.168) is championed by Amy Goodburn (chapter eleven); her advice could be invaluable for anyone embarking on the process of application for Fellow or Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

A holistic approach to peer review is suggested by Wendy Kilfoil (chapter seven), one which enables the reviewee to identify elements of their practice which could be improved and then to choose a colleague with whom to work. While this collaboration could include an observation, it could also focus on, for example, the design and implementation of assessment tasks or the development of reflection. The holistic nature of peer review is also alluded to by Bell and Cooper who state that '[p]eer observation of teaching is one of several strategies available for peer review of teaching' (p.154). This highlights one of the negative aspects of this book: the emphasis by many of the contributors on observation of teaching rather than the mechanisms by which academics can support each other through the review of, for example, teaching materials, assessment briefs, the format and content of virtual learning environment or course design.

There is some useful advice in this book about the practicalities of peer review, but Kilfoil also emphasises the need for a professional learning community where junior and senior staff learn good practice from each other and where management encourages both developmental activities and a departmental ethos which is built on an atmosphere of trust. As one of Napier et al's interviewees stated:

[Peer review] can't just be a tick box […] It has to have a human side of it. So to be able to have this human side, we have to have relationships and to be able to have relationships, we have to be given opportunities to create [those] relationships. (p.61)

English and Reflective Writing Skills in Medicine

Clive Handler, Charlotte Handler and Deborah Gill

Radcliffe Publishing (2011)

Review by Carol Parker

For medical students, as well as postgraduate clinicians, reflective writing is challenging as it is emotive, personal and subjective. Engaging with subjectivity is often (but, I acknowledge, not always) a new experience for those from a medical background. Writers frequently wrestle with a fundamental shift in approach/perspective, from seeing the world 'objectively' (that is, in terms of hard facts or as entirely evidence-based), to acknowledging the need to trust their own thoughts and feelings through grappling with the notion of subjectivity.

Reflecting on learning experiences through clinical encounters, peer-to-peer or supervisory discussions, practical procedures, self-directed learning or conferences remains an essential part of continuing professional development for healthcare professionals. Reflection also feeds into appraisals and job applications, and is a central characteristic of meeting the requirements of revalidation. Enhancing the contribution an individual might make in medicine requires the capacity to reflect on performance.

This book will be valuable for anyone engaged in developing their own, or supporting others', reflective writing. Adopting self-criticism and self-analysis of a clinical event or encounter requires insight and independent thinking, and the ability to work through possible changes. The book attempts to support the reader to engage in reflective writing through a range of constructive approaches.

Chapter One offers a useful overview of the utility of reflective writing in medical contexts, grounding the practice by drawing on a range of definitions, ranging from Dewey's in 1933 up to Moon's in 1999. It offers a clear introduction to and rationale for reflective writing in general, situating the process in a medical context. This first chapter comprises a simple overview to reflective writing in any specialism, the writing style itself is clear and jargon free.

Chapter Two considers common pitfalls of writing 'good English', which is useful for those for whom English is not a first language, and refreshing for those for whom English at school seems a long time ago!

Chapter Three onwards consists of 'The Essays'. Perhaps these excellent resources would benefit from brief introductions to their utility. Reading the book in a non-linear fashion might be confusing if this and subsequent chapters were the first to be encountered by the reader. I wondered if a short signposting paragraph at the start of each chapter, describing how it might be used, would remedy this situation.

The framework provided draws on a range of third year University College London Medical Students' writing. Students were informed that their essays would be published as originally submitted, to highlight to the reader both satisfactory and unsatisfactory examples of reflection, and that their English writing ability would be commented on. In reviewing examples of more and less successful reflective writing, the reader has a unique opportunity to examine what is involved in developing a piece of reflective writing. These examples and comments from the marker enable the individual reader to develop professionally, regardless of what stage they are at in their clinical career.

The rest of the book provides further examples of student's attempts at reflective writing, with feedback on specific problems with suggestions as to how the writer might amend their writing to move towards a more reflective genre. These examples provide a powerful and authentic insight into the challenges of reflective writing, with useful feedback for those new to the process of responding to students' reflective writing. Overall, this is a useful resource that clearly explains the nature of reflective writing, considering common pitfalls when writing English and providing the opportunity to engage with and evaluate a wide range of real examples.

No-Nonsense Guide to Training in Libraries

Barbara Allen

Facet (2013)

Review by Alan Bullimore

Barbara Allen's new book on library training certainly lives up to its title by avoiding much of the jargon which can infiltrate works of this kind. Of the headings included I only failed to recognise (or had possibly forgotten) one concept with which I should have been familiar. Somehow the theory of 'blended learning' had become unfamiliar to me, although it is carefully defined in Chapter 7 as the bringing together of online and face-to interaction.

Blended learning is one of the key themes to this guide, since most of the training in libraries involves use of the latest technologies available. The danger is that technologies don't remain new for very long. After only a year or two QR codes already feel slightly outmoded for instance.

For many students using the library is a means to an end. That end is getting good grades, a good degree qualification and ultimately a good job. In a sense this has made things both easier and harder for librarians to justify their existence. We know that academics value our worth (or at least hope they do), but there are blurred lines about where or support overlaps with other kinds of study support equally responsible for improving grades. There are almost as many enquiries for an academic librarian these days about paraphrasing and particularly referencing, as there are about searching.

The book seems to be mainly aimed at the academic market, and from personal experience I cannot remember receiving inductions or training in a public library setting. There is however scope for one-to-one sessions with individuals joining a public library, and wanting to make best use of the resources offered. It was many years before I discovered for example that the local town library held local cemetery records on CD ROM. If I had declared local history as part of my interests in joining this could have formed a valuable part of my induction.

I enjoyed this book's use of case studies, and particularly the way different types of training are recommended for different learners. The Cephalonia method for example is advocated as a way of getting interaction from shy or introverted students. Students are given prompt cards with questions to ask about learning resources. These are they answered by library staff. We find this to be the case with large groups of international students who at an early stage of their course may not know each other well. It's also a good way to get students to practice public speaking skills.

I was shocked, however, to find that the method was pioneered at Cardiff University, and merely borrowed its Greek name from tourist inductions.

Official Knowledge: Democratic Education in a Conservative Age (3^rd Edition)

Michael, W. Apple 

Routledge (2013)

Review by Kate D'Arcy

This book is a fascinating read and I would highly recommend it. Apple analyses the ongoing struggle within education regarding the curriculum, teaching and policy at a variety of levels. He describes school as an institution which organises a large part of our lives, and highlights the controversial debate which exists between those who see schools as a vehicle to social mobility and opportunities, and those who see it as an institution which controls us socially and embodies cultural dangers for those from minority groups who feel their own culture and identities are threatened within these spaces. Although he is critical, the book is thought provoking as it makes you sit back and think about different aspects of teaching and learning we might just follow, rather than critically reflect on and look for new possibilities. The text is concentrated upon the situation in the U.S. but Apple does draw on international comparisons, including the UK.

The book starts off by discussing the politics of official knowledge and common sense and from there Apple focuses on different examples of how knowledge is transmitted into classrooms. I have selected several chapters to focus on rather than provide an overview of the whole book, which would be too lengthy for a review. The first is the 3rd chapter which concerns 'Cultural Politics and the Text' where Apple considers the relationship between the texts used in school and political discourses of power. He reminds us that textbooks are 'what people hold most dear and what society recognises as legitimate and truthful' (p.49). He tells a very interesting story about the way in which 'text book adoption committees' in the US select the texts for use in schools in their own states and specific campaigns against certain textbooks. He suggests that for some, textbooks are essential classrooms tools which support teaching and learning, but for others they are a symbol of the loss of power or factorisation of education which de-skill teachers.

I personally found the 5th chapter most interesting as Apple discusses the captive audiences schools provide. In the US, as in the UK, there have been significant cuts to budgets and this is impacting on the resources schools are using; by default these are having economic and political influences on the students. For example, he explains that in the US, schools can receive free TV equipment for each classroom if they sign up to Channel One and agree to show 10 minutes of news and commercials every days for 3-5 years! Currently 7000 schools are signed up and the news and advertisements reach 5 million students per day. Apple suggests that this is an example of the school as a commodity – learners are the target of the marketing industry – schools are 'selling' students as potential customers of products. Moreover, students receive a very different learning experience. Watching a news report is very different from reading a text book: it reports on dramatic events, action and does not usually explain issues in any depth or cover all angles of the argument/case in hand.

As I suggested, Apple is deeply critical but at the same time does provide you with new ideas. My favourite idea is in the 8th chapter which concerns 'The politics of pedagogy and the building of Community', and is that of a 'Friday Seminar'. This is an event which Apple has run for many years himself for his doctoral students, as well as other educational activists. The seminar is an opportunity to read each other's work, support each other's research and help plan cultural and political action and discussions. The product of this event is that it maintains a sense of community among educationalists and scholars and offers a way for them to critically appraise what is going on in education, and consider how to address existing politics of official knowledge. This is important in my view as it enables us to hear and debate different views and work for improved mainstream education systems which are democratic rather than structured around political and economic initiatives. Apple is highly supportive of public education and his book concentrates on important issues; reading about these certainly makes you reflect critically on teaching and learning, and think about how you might improve your own practice.

Success in Academic Writing 

Trevor Day

Palgrave Macmillan (2013)

Review by Carol Matthews

When this book landed on my desk I wondered 'Do we really need to add yet another student guide to academic writing to the mountain of such books?' Once I began reading I realised what an accessible and useful guide to academic writing this is. Its table of contents supplies all the chapters one expects; on researching, note-taking, planning, drafting and referencing. Nothing remarkable there. The book is remarkable, however, in two ways: accessibility and the inclusion in chapter two of Day's own IPACE method of understanding how to approach writing an assignment, developed in his role of writing coach.

The book's accessibility resides firstly in its conversational yet rigorous tone. Intended for undergraduates, it is designed to read more like a chat with a tutor than a formal text book. Success in Academic Writing can be read from cover to cover or 'dipped into' as the reader chooses; the stipulation being that one reads chapter one first. The processes of writing are related in clear, knowledgeable language. What really sets this guide apart from the rest of that mountain is Day's IPACE practical method of preparation for written assignments. Developed from Hickman and Jacobson's SPACE model of 1997, IPACE (identity, purpose, audience, code and experience) is a method of establishing authorial 'voice' by identifying the reasons for writing any particular task, what is being written, by and for whom in a very practical and innovative exercise.

Whether clarifying the reasons for formal academic writing, its nature and conventions, or explaining critical thinking and the art of composition, Day's practical experience and craftsmanship combine to make this a book that students and academics alike can return to time and again and never fail to learn something or find inspiration. Do we really another guide to academic writing? In short: in this case, yes, we definitely do.

The Imperial University

Piya Chatterjee & Sunaina Maira (Eds.)

University of Minnesota Press (2014)

Review by Ian McDonald

At the start of this review it is important to note that this is not an academic book in the true sense of the term, but rather a somewhat incoherent collection of ramblings from militant 'scholar-activists' (as they like to style themselves). Less charitable readers may wish to describe them as professional middle-class intellectual agitators.

The term 'scholar-activist' is an interesting one, and one which rather smacks of self-indulgence and selfishness on the part of the authors. This term, as well as the book's opening, does lead me to reflect on the fact that perhaps the authors should be diverting the majority of their time into learning and teaching and research instead of effectively acting as full-time agitators and part-time academics. I wonder what their students would make of their, apparent, priorities. I fully support academics being involved in political activities - I am a trade union representative myself - but such activities must surely be carried out in addition to someone's paid work, whereas some of those writing in his book appear to think they are paid to protest. Demonstrations and sit-ins may appear 'sexy', but they often turn violent with innocent people getting caught up in the middle. This certainly appeared to be the case with the demonstrations at the University of Birmingham earlier in the year.

'The Imperial University' seeks to examine and ruthlessly critique the concept of the 'Imperial University', which the editors argue is the correct description for the US academy as US higher education is used to defend and further America's neo-liberal and militaristic policies. The seventeen contributors examine various aspects relating to the concept of 'The Imperial University' in fourteen chapters on issues ranging from 'Militarizing Education' to 'Decolonizing Chicano Studies', and from 'Faculty Governance' to 'Black Feminist Pedagogy'.

The volume seeks to demonstrate how the authors believe scholarly dissent has been repressed in America, a phenomenon which they argue increased markedly after the atrocities of 9/11 and has led to an increase in criticism of academics who are perceived to be 'anti-America'. They cite examples such as moves by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) and other neoconservative groups who have called for a greater attention on, and scrutiny of, academics who challenge the concept of America's dominance in the world. Any attempt to curtail academic freedom, whether actual or merely conceived, must be taken seriously and I fully understand that American academics are extra-sensitive to this due to the way in which their predecessors were treated under McCarthyism. However, I feel at times the writers are themselves guilty of intolerance to those who share differing views to their own, for example, in the introduction both 'Neo-Nazis' and 'anti-abortion activists' are dismissed in the same sentence, clearly emphasising this intolerance and a failure to accept that anti-abortion activists often have genuine and heartfelt beliefs for taking the position they do. To dismiss the two groups in the same sentence shows a shocking degree of ignorance.

Through all the angry rhetoric and poorly reasoned arguments, there are some issues of genuine concern which manage to shine through. Chapter two shows a worrying link between the US military and higher education, where there is relentless targeting of ethnic minority students as potential military and secret service recruits. On the face of it the increased diversification of these services is laudable, but the chapter's author (Roberto Gonzalez) argues well that this can go too far and become coercive. He argues that society could be better served if such aggressive recruitment tactics were used by peaceful professions, such as education and medicine, whilst Victor Bascara's chapter entitled 'New Empire, Same Old University?' gives an interesting and well written account of the linkages and diversities in the histories of three overseas universities all founded in countries which were, at the time of the foundation of the universities, in America's 'possession.'

Whilst many of the issues examined in this publication are distinctly American, there are some which will resonate with British readers. Laura Pulido, in a chapter on 'Faculty Governance at the University of Southern California', discusses academic rankings, changing tenure standards and writes, in tones which will be familiar to all involved in the Research Excellence Framework (REF2014), of '…older faculty who would not, by the new standards, be considered academically competitive.' The increasingly target driven culture in higher education is an issue which is felt by academics on both sides of the Atlantic.

Whilst this publication is certainly thought-provoking, it is not one which I will be rushing to read again. Some interesting and helpful arguments are advanced, but to find them a reader will have to search through a large amount of overly aggressive and, at times rather nasty, ranting.

Philology: The Forgotten Origins of the Modern Humanities

James Turner

Princeton University Press (2014)

Review by Andrew Doig

There was a certain highfaluting pretension in me that turned my attention to the title of this book: Philology; the study of words, isn't it? Or the study of language? Or is it the study of texts? Actually, I quickly realised that I didn't really know what philology is, other than some beautifully obscure and highbrow field of academic interest. In many ways, after completing Mr Turner's book, I'm still a bit unclear on how to define philology and all the better for it (though his last words do provide a perhaps too neat, aphoristic definition, 'Philology: the love of words'). Philology: The Forgotten Origins of Modern Humanities gives a convincing understanding of what a wide ranging, historical, literal, linguistic and cultural area of study it can potentially be, or certainly what it was historically before our universities were divided in to faculties, schools and disciplines for study.

At the core of Turner's book is the idea that what we see in Modern universities as the separate disciplines of the humanities are, to a large extent, sets of intertwining knowledge that can be viewed as a whole under the study of philology. Indeed, he lucidly describes how the separation of the disciplines of literature, linguistics, history, classics and politics is principally a modern phenomenon, and that if we are to trace the origins of these disciplines, 'the trail usually leads back to one big, old thing: philology – the multifaceted study of texts, languages, and the phenomenon of language itself.'

His writing style is always accessible and frequently entertaining, which is a godsend given the 550 pages presented on what is a vast and dense subject matter. However, despite his light style, the necessary concentration of historical detail included did make the work at times, for this reviewer, a little hard going. Perseverance is to be encouraged, however, as it is both the scholarly detail and the story as a whole that make this book worthwhile.

The book is divided into three parts, through which Tuner puts forward distinct phase in the development and eventual decline of philology.

Part I takes us back to antiquity, particularly Greek, and great inventions such as the first public library, the first dictionary and punctuation; all created to aid philologists in the analysis of the slowly growing collections of written texts. This provides what, for Turner, was the golden age in which the scholar was endowed with a 'voracious and undistinguishing appetite' and a 'deep erudition ingeniously applied,' continuing through the renaissance until the late eighteenth century.

Part II is where the humanities start to form, as scholars begin to recognise patterns of similarity across areas such as languages and literatures. Gradually areas of study such as classics, archaeology and history begin to be studied in their own right.

Part III describes how, in the modern era, the polyglot, erudite, borderless subject studies coalesced into firm disciplines, and philology began to be understood as no more than the study of ancient Greek and Roman texts, or biblical studies.  Through this period of time, Turner explains how, in this process, the humanities have formed a rigidity that does not encumber, for instance, the life sciences.

In epilogue, Turner drives home his point by saying, 'Today's humanities disciplines are not ancient, integral modes of knowledge. They are modern, artificial creations – where made up lines pretend to divide the single sandbox in which we all play into each boy's or girl's own inviolable kingdom. It's a sham. Students of early America freely mingle history, archaeology and anthropology; literary scholars write history, and historians study literature.'

The bottom line to this book, if you would like one, is that if you have a passing interest in philology, then it is probably too in-depth and too entrenched in historical detail to give your time to; however, if you are keen to gain clear sight of philology as a broad field of interest and get to grips with the progress of this fascinating subject through ancient and modern times, indeed, to get a righteous sense of its worth and the scholarly world's loss at its distribution around the humanities, then you will enjoy James Turner's engaging writing style and thorough erudition.