ABSTRACT. This interactive workshop will showcase insights from the pilot phase of the University of Glasgow’s Embedding Employability Framework – an institutional approach designed to help staff make employability an intentional and visible part of the curriculum and empower students to understand and articulate the skills and employability value of their degree.

About the framework

Our framework supports colleagues to: • identify the skills and employability value that already exists within courses • surface this to students so they can confidently articulate and reflect on the skills they develop • introduce and build on experiential learning opportunities that help students apply their learning • improve the quality and depth of student learning through meaningful assessment • and utilise our skills and employability data to inform and review potential developments.

Developed collaboratively by staff and students across the university, the framework takes an extracted approach drawing out the employability and skills value from existing academic practice, which might be hidden or not given enough focus. This approach values the academic nature of degree programmes and builds on existing good practice. It is grounded in the University’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, particularly through integrating skills development within the curriculum and its commitment to supporting students to become confident, capable and future-ready graduates.

About the workshop

At this workshop, following a short introduction to the Embedding Employability Framework, four academic colleagues from different disciplines will share brief examples of how they have applied one stage of the framework in practice. These mini case studies will illustrate how employability can be embedded within diverse learning contexts, from making disciplinary and future skills more visible to students, to designing meaningful assessments and experiential learning activities that promote reflection and skill articulation.

Participants will then take part in at least two interactive activities. Each will focus on one of the framework’s stages, enabling participants to apply it to their own teaching context and share ideas with their peers. For example, one activity may invite participants to define the employability and skills value of what they teach, while another may explore ways to surface skills through reflection or experiential learning design. These discussions will be facilitated by Careers & Employability Managers and academic colleagues who have used the framework in practice.

The workshop will conclude with information on how participants can become early adopters of the framework and join a growing community of practice dedicated to embedding employability at Glasgow.

By the end of the session, participants will: • Understand the structure and purpose of the Embedding Employability Framework; • Recognise practical ways to integrate employability and skills within their teaching; • Learn from colleagues’ examples across disciplines; • Take away ideas and resources to support students in connecting learning with their future.

This workshop offers a collaborative and practice-focused space for colleagues to explore how employability can be meaningfully embedded into the curriculum, supporting the University’s shared goal of helping students recognise, articulate and apply their learning within and beyond the classroom.

ABSTRACT. The tragic case of Natasha Abrahart which reached its court conclusion in February 2024 has wide ranging implications for the ways in which universities' assess students. The Equality and Human Rights Commission in an advice note issued in July 2024 made this clear:

Think about how methods of assessment can be adjusted to still test the relevant competences while accommodating disabilities. Ideally, compile a list of replacement types of assessment to accommodate specific disabilities.

The College of Arts and Humanities had already established an Assessment Working Group, convened by Karen Thompson, in May 2024 to take a holistic look at assessment change in the College. A workstream led by Michael Bachmann specifically addressed the question of making our assessments compliant with equality legislation, and it is this work we will share at the workshop.

Participants are invited to bring examples of their own courses and assessments to discuss. The workshop will focus on practical strategies based on our work and that of our colleagues in CoSE. As well as considering the key questions of what counts as a valid competence under the legislation and where to use alternative assessments or reasonable adjustments to existing assessment methods, the session will give practical advice on the Board of Studies and quality approval mechanisms.

ABSTRACT. Supporting wellbeing and belonging in the transition to university remains a key strategic priority across the University of Glasgow’s Learning and Teaching Strategy, particularly through our commitments to inclusive pedagogy, student partnership, and relationship-building. This sparked collaborative work between Student Learning Development (SLD) and School of Education colleagues to enhance student transitions into Initial Teacher Education. This interactive workshop arises from this collaboration, approaching these strategic commitments through the lens of mattering (Flett, 2022; Seary et al., 2023). In relation to both students and staff, this is the feeling of being noticed, valued, and able to make a meaningful contribution to the University. Our workshop invites participants to engage experientially with the mattering approach, reflecting on how mattering principles might be modelled within their own teaching contexts, and what barriers staff may face in doing so.

By foregrounding staff and student experiences of mattering, the workshop responds to the sub-theme ‘Learning through a Wellbeing Lens’. Our starting point was the tension between student teachers’ need to prioritise child wellbeing, and barriers to their own wellbeing. In Initial Teacher Education, the wellbeing of the whole child is central within the Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) policy framework (Scottish Government, nd), and is used to enable teachers to support children’s wellbeing in the classroom. However, student teachers’ own wellbeing and sense of mattering in the university context are often challenged by academic, social, and structural barriers. Similarly, staff working to support these students must navigate their own pressures, such as time constraints, precarity, and competing institutional demands. This can influence their ability to model the very practices of care, belonging, and relationality that underpin mattering. Our workshop offers a peer-enabled space to explore such tensions as they appear across university learning and teaching contexts including peer learning schemes – not just in Initial Teacher Education - and to engage in reflective dialogue and innovation.

The workshop uses Lego Serious Play (McCusker, 2014) to explore mattering. Lego modelling to mediate and concretise abstract ideas has been widely used in higher and adult education, encouraging deep dialogue, exploration of physical–conceptual relationships, and reflective thinking (Chasanidou & Raikou, 2024; James, 2013). Participants will be guided through the activities, and encouraged to engage creatively and playfully with both Lego and mattering.

ABSTRACT. Helping students to develop employability skills over the course of their degrees has become a topic of increasing interest over the past years. It is a part of the University’s Learning and Teaching strategy (Pillar 3, Professional and Skills Development for Students) and has been emphasised in the Embedding Employability Framework. National employability reports, such as those from the Institute of Student Employers (ISE) and Bright Network also emphasise the importance of developing transferable skills. However, research has shown that students tend to undervalue careers-related content, especially in the early years of the degree (Tymon, 2013), and may not choose to attend extracurricular employability sessions (Bradley et al., 2021). Students also need to develop ways of signalling the skills they have developed (Williams et al., 2016), so working on signalling or evidencing skills is almost as important as developing the skills themselves.

The Level 1 Biology courses are large, with over 700 students, and engaging that many students with employability content can be challenging. To improve student participation the delivery of employability material in these courses was reimagined. Instead of short presentations on different employability topics given before labs, two scheduled practical classes were dedicated to careers material. These new “Careers Labs” first ran in academic year 2022/23 and have been embedded in the Level 1 Biology curriculum ever since.

The Careers Labs are structured as follows. One session runs in each semester during the students’ regularly timetabled lab times. The focus of the first session is on employability skills, skills development and presenting experience in a CV; the second session focusses on evidencing skills, identifying skills required in job descriptions and writing targeted cover letters. The two sessions combined provide the student with a complete tool kit for developing and signalling skills with the aim of helping them make the most of their summer by obtaining summer employment or internships.

The Level 1 Biology teaching team in collaboration with the MVLS Careers and Employability Manager designed different activities to lead students through these topics. The materials developed are subject agnostic and so can be adapted for use with any group of students. In this workshop I will take participants through a condensed version of the Careers Labs, highlighting the interactive elements, to simulate the student experience. I will also discuss briefly student feedback on the sessions. The workshop will end with a Q&A and general discussion on scaling and adapting the sessions to different contexts.

By the end of the session participants will have experienced this recently developed approach to delivering careers material and will have an opportunity to consider whether a similar approach could be used with their classes.

ABSTRACT. How can an academic course idea move from concept to completion consistently, inclusively, and at pace, across our blended, online, and micro-credential offerings? This interactive 60-minute workshop takes participants through the full LISU support lifecycle for mapping and designing course content, demonstrating partnership of integrated services enable high-quality, student-centred learning design.

Using rapid course content mapping and a time on task allocations, academics will tackle a real teaching challenge: co-create an inclusive learning and assessment approach, plan for digital delivery (including content production, digital tools, accessibility, and staff upskilling), and conclude with an evaluation strategy.

Attendees will leave with practical outputs, including our Miro Mapping board and time on task allocation spreadsheet, that you can start to reuse immediately. The session directly addresses the conference subthemes - Flexible Learning Pathways, learning through Assessment, Employability & Skills, and Learning through a Wellbeing Lens while aligning with the University’s Learning & Teaching Strategy.

This on-campus workshop offers hands-on experience covering course content mapping and design implantation, equipping participants with tools and confidence to transform ideas into impactful learning experiences.

ABSTRACT. This paper reflects on the development of Curriculum for Life (C4L), and the new innovative suite of courses designed for year two of a four-year undergraduate degree. These courses aim to 'disrupt' traditional learning and deliver critical skill development that significantly transform students’ understanding of learning, from a conforming focus on content and disciplinary trajectories to one where students practice creativity and leadership (Kiley & Wisker, 2009). In designing these courses, and critically exploring how they add value, we focused on the often overlooked transitioning that happens through an undergraduate degree. We aimed to create a framework for all C4L course that allowed convenors to surface skills, relate to real world challenges and so in turn, enhance the opportunities students had to take ownership of their own development towards successful learning and employment. The paper will explore our plans to disrupt the traditional structure of undergraduate degrees dominated by disciplinary content, that builds incrementally towards a disciplinary identity. We identify the gap formed between the traditional learning structure of tertiary education, and what must be demonstrated to employers as workplace readiness (Ferrie & Scott 2021). While the Scottish and UK Government and educational leaders such as QAA have championed entrepreneurial skills, too often students perceive these to be developed beyond the classroom in volunteering or part-time work for example, and these opportunities are not equally available. In order to create an inclusive education that provides opportunities for every student to flourish, we started by examining the changing demands of the global labour market, and worked ‘back’ to reassess how degrees can prepare students to navigate their learning opportunities effectively (McAlpine et al., 2020). Such skill harnessing is implicit in traditional programme design. For example, by the time students engage in dissertations (extended independent projects in their final year), they are expected to have transitioned from ‘regurgitators of content’ to problem solvers and project managers, both integral to an entrepreneurial mindset (Mantai & Marrone, 2022). C4L aims to make this skill harnessing an explicit part of education. Entrepreneurial skills are recognised as a critical step towards economic growth, which is why Governments have imposed an entrepreneurial agenda onto higher education. At Glasgow, we are encouraged to think beyond personal wealth, towards how we deliver the best university for the world. This led us to consider courses that also foster a democratic mindset, encouraging collaborative working to meet social, collective and justice-oriented goals. Linking with the literature that asks what education is for? And drawing on scholarship regarding successful transition to employment, we present C4L: a holistic framework for understanding the transition through the undergraduate degree towards a more certain future as students learn to develop and identify entrepreneurial and democratic skills.

ABSTRACT. This interactive workshop explores the potential of creative writing to enhance science curricula in higher education by offering students flexible and inclusive ways to engage with scientific ideas. Traditional science curricula often emphasise precision and rigid writing structures, but creative writing opens up space for personal expression, interdisciplinary thinking, and diverse voices, thus allowing students to write science differently. Through formats such as poetry, personal essays, graphic narratives and speculative fiction, students can explore complex scientific concepts while reflecting on their experience and the broader societal context. These approaches not only support deeper learning but also challenge conventional boundaries of science education, making it more accessible and resonant for a wider range of learners. The workshop draws inspiration from PhysiOdyssey, a new Open Access journal developed in collaboration with student interns. Originally conceived as a hypothetical zine in Honours coursework, the journal now publishes peer-reviewed creative work in physiology and provides students with a real-world platform to share their ideas and perspectives. Students have been involved in every stage of its development, from concept design and peer review to editorial decisions and outreach, and this workshop will be co-designed by a current intern. Participants will: • Explore how creative writing can be embedded into science curricula to support flexible learning pathways and amplify student voice. • View published student work that demonstrates imaginative engagement with scientific content. • Take part in a guided activity to write creatively about their own discipline, exploring alternative ways of engaging with scientific ideas and encouraging cross-disciplinary dialogue. • Discuss practical strategies for integrating creative writing into undergraduate science teaching to enhance engagement and connect learning to real-world contexts. The workshop is designed to be accessible to educators from any discipline and does not require prior experience with creative writing or scientific subject matter.

ABSTRACT. Increasing emphasis on development of transferable, future skills throughout degree programmes is driven by employer feedback suggesting that skills such as communication, resilience and flexibility are valued more than disciplinary skills (Isherwood, 2025; QS, 2024). Graduates’ ability to reflect and articulate transferable skills is therefore a vital part of the application process, yet students often find this difficult (Jackson & Tomlinson, 2022), and academic staff can find it challenging to embed skills reflection in credit bearing courses (Daubney, 2023). In addition, students don’t always recognise the value of skill development gained through extra-curricular activities, part time work, and volunteering, or its relevance to their future career (Chapman et al., 2023). In this session, we will share techniques used in SPN to support students to identify, reflect, articulate and apply their future skills to further their career journey. These activities are informed by the U of G embedding employability framework and we will support staff to apply these techniques in their own learning and teaching practice. Workshop activities will include: 1) Supporting students to identify future skills for their career goals using a skills gap analysis; 2) Developing students’ self-awareness of their skills through the graduate application process 3) Emphasising skills development during learning by setting a SMART goal to improve future skills; 4) Embedding experiential learning by critically reflecting on previous paid work/volunteer experiences and articulating their future skills using the SEAL reflection framework 5) Assessing students’ in the application of their skills to real world contexts. The session will draw on established University of Glasgow Psychology courses, including a credit bearing professional skills programme. The activities and materials can be adapted to other subject contexts, and we will use interactive learning activities and classroom response tools (e.g., Mentimeter) to engage the audience. Details of activities and materials can be found here: https://sway.cloud.microsoft/01nAK0gNBalFW3lw?ref=Link We will also provide a student perspective on how building a portfolio using these employability activities have helped students to understand the skills they’ve developed during their degree and contributed to their professional identity in psychology. This session will be relevant for staff who want to embed employability into their learning and teaching practice.

ABSTRACT. This workshop will explore the foundational approaches used by a team of academics who teach on the BA (Hons) Community Development at the University of Glasgow. The teaching methodologies used on the programme are deeply influenced the relational and dialogical Freirean pedagogy (Freire, 1996, 2000), which situates education as a transformative experience. This workshop invites participants to consider Freire’s (1996, 2000) principles for teaching practice as a possible guide for pedagogical design and teaching practice. This workshop will highlight the challenges with applying these approaches in the context of Higher Education (HE). Freire’s principles include the importance of creating pedagogical space where educators and learners are both subjects within the process, but not necessarily equal. Freire’s ideas not only shape the team’s teaching practice but his notion that education is an act of love (1998) resonates the relational approach that radiates beyond the classroom.

As it is with our colleagues across the institution, student retention, excellent student experience and successful student outcomes are key drivers for the work that we do. This has been more challenging as 97% of the students we work with come from widening participation (WP) backgrounds, having a range of complex experiences, including personal and learning needs. Many of our students are first in their family to attend HE. Some students struggle with confidence, motivation, and a sense of belonging in an academic institution and space. This can lead to challenges with motivation, self-belief/image and disengagement or withdrawal. Thomas (2012) advises that nurturing pastoral support occurs through personal tutoring, mentoring, and informal staff/student relationships. This can play a vital role in helping students stay on track academically. Students who receive consistent, empathetic support tend to be more open about the challenges they face and maintaining their studies. This encourages the relational care to develop through the students' journey to keep them on track (Dost and Mazzoli Smith, 2023).

The team of authors recognises the privilege they have, getting to know their students well because of the size of the programme and will work with participants in this workshop to explore how possible it is to meaningfully apply a pedagogy of care in larger student cohorts (Freire, 1998, Kennedy et al., 2025). Relational care is core to our approach and anecdotal feedback from students confirms that this aspect is highly regarded by them and impactful in their learning journeys. More concrete evidence, students’ overall satisfaction score for their time on the programme was 100% in the last National Student Survey (NSS). This significant accomplishment provides direct feedback to colleagues, supporting the team to be more reflexive and consider with colleagues across the university our shared approach to teaching and learning. This interactive workshop will offer practice examples and describe our reflexive approach to attending to student wellbeing and supporting student growth and mobility.

ABSTRACT. With the advent of wider access to AI and increased use of generative AI, many institutes have become concerned about the integrity of assessment. This has many to consider and action redesigning assessments to preserve integrity (e.g. QAA, 2023; Khlaif et al., 2025; Monsha, 2025; William, 2025). In this process, we typically ensure learning outcomes are still achieved, or adapted when appropriate, while also attending to academic integrity. However, if done without care, such a redesign can stand in tension against inclusive educational practice (e.g. Nayak et al., 2025). Inclusive educational practices promote choice in assessments, propose universal design principles and decolonisation of curricula to deconstruct traditional hierarchies of academic privilege (e.g. Williams, 2021) and together with integrity, are important values of the University Learning & Teaching Strategy. When evolving our assessments, we need to be cognisant of the risk that we could reintroduce or perpetuate such traditional hierarchies in relation to academic privilege. In this session, we will work collaboratively with attendees to review strategies for adapting assessments in the presence of AI while maintaining a strong focus on principles for assessment that are inclusive of culture, gender and diversity. Utilising the experience and imagination of the attendees, we will also gather examples and suggestions for inclusive assessment practices that retain assessment integrity and identify areas where inclusivity is being challenged under assessment design.By the end of this session, participants will have the tools to evaluate their own assessment redesign in relation to generative AI and inclusivity.