Julie Rattray and Isaac Calduch The Threshold Concepts Framework has been criticised as being too fluid because of the flexibility in the application of its characteristic features (O’Donnell, 2010; Rowbottom, 2007). The key exception to this fluidity is the transformative aspect, which has been characterised as non-negotiable (Baillie, Bowden & Meyer, 2013; Land, Meyer & … Continue reading Threshold concepts and unexpected transformations →

Chenyan Shou and Julie Rattray Research about the Threshold Concepts Framework whilst extensive, has some areas that are less well explored. The experience of liminality, though well recognised as a significant part of the framework, is under-explored. This project seeks to extend our understanding of the experience of liminality, be it to expand its theoretical … Continue reading Research Title: How do undergraduate law students experience the learning threshold of law case reading? →

Emanuel Mizzi Meyer and Land (2003, 2005, 2006) introduced and elaborated upon the notion of a threshold concept to refer to concepts in any discipline that have a transformative effect on student learning. These concepts act like ‘conceptual gateways’ or ‘portals’, “opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something” (Meyer and … Continue reading Threshold concepts in the Maltese secondary school economics classroom →

Bert Zwaneveld, Hans Sterk and Jacob Perrenet In 2015 the curriculum of the last three years of school secondary mathematics for students who prepare themselves for studying mathematics at a university, changed. In this new curriculum the three main parts are algebra, calculus and analytic geometry. Mathematical proving doesn’t get much attention. In 2018 the … Continue reading Mathematical proving as a threshold in undergraduate mathematics education →

Hebatallah Shoukry Graduate Apprenticeships are a ground-breaking initiative to create in-house degree qualified employees with key skills customized to the demand of their businesses. One of the benefits of graduate apprenticeships is the use of work-based learning approach, that ensures reflecting on practical applications in the business environment impulsively. Teaching core courses in a graduate … Continue reading Threshold Concepts in Graduate Apprenticeships →

Craig Allardice and Michael Allardice There are many challenges that face mature students when they return to study, but one that is less well acknowledged is the liminal space many find themselves in when they move from being an expert in their own discipline to becoming a novice once again, while those around them assume … Continue reading Crossing the Threshold into Law as a Mature Student →

Sharday Mosurinjohn This talk will explore threshold concepts in North American religious studies undergraduate education. Since little work has been done on threshold concepts in religious studies, my aim is to identify what threshold concepts are central to it, and how they can guide curriculum design. I distinguish religious studies as a “nodal” discipline, in … Continue reading Threshold Concepts in Religious Studies: A Qualitative and Theoretical Exploration of Threshold Concepts in a “Nodal” Curriculum →

Rachel Yoho Lexical ambiguity, topics with different meanings in varying contexts, often intersect with core and threshold concepts in multiple disciplines. In this work, interdisciplinary approaches to teaching such lexically ambiguous topics, including quick, active learning-based activities and broad class strategies, were compiled with the goal of facilitating teaching across the disciplines. These strategies will … Continue reading Developing interdisciplinary teaching resources for lexically ambiguous threshold concepts →

Anne Marie Ryan and Kerrianne Ryan In our journey to understanding of threshold concepts, we found ourselves asking: “how do we, or should we, change our teaching in response to threshold concepts?” and “can we use strategies such as being explicit, to facilitate student journeys through the liminal spaces?”. In other words, if there are … Continue reading Transfer-mational Journey: Exploring Routes through Tough Places Across the Sciences →

Morgan Hanson Scholarship on threshold concepts and faculty professional development seems to have reached a consensus on a strategy for implementing threshold concepts into a program: create professional learning communities in which faculty discuss and articulate threshold concepts for their field, and then generate lessons, courses, and program outcomes based on those threshold concepts. While … Continue reading Negotiating Pedagogical Perspectives: Adapting Threshold Concepts for a Shared Language of Writing Instruction →