Join us on Bluesky with guest Dr Chris Martin @drchrism.bsky.social on Wednesday 22nd October 2025 at 20:00 BST

When engaging in conversations with academic colleagues, the term ‘embedding academic skills’ is heard often. But what does this actually mean? In simple terms, it is about making sure that the skills needed by students – academic writing, referencing, critical thinking, research skills, time and organisation management – are taught within the chosen programmes rather than extra-curricular. When academic skills are fully embedded into the curriculum and contextualised to coursework and assessment, students tend to see greater relevance and value in developing them and are more likely to use them (Oxford Centre for Teaching and Learning, 2024; Wigfield & Eccles, 2000).

From “study skills” to “academic literacies”

Many universities offer ‘study skills’ workshops open to all students regardless of discipline. However, what counts as ‘good writing’ in Engineering may look vastly different in an arts or social science subject. Lea and Street (2006) posit that academic literacies are shaped by subject discipline, identity and power, not just by a surface-level technique. This is why the conversation about embedding skills into the curriculum is gaining traction, so students learn the ways of writing and thinking that their discipline values.

Linking to employability

Embedding academic skills is not only about getting through assignments. It is also about preparing students for the workplace after they graduate. Yorke and Knight (2006) elucidate that employability improves when skills such as reflection, teamwork and problem-solving are deliberately embedded into the curriculum in a way that makes it structurally unavoidable.

The challenges

Of course, it is not straightforward. There are some common sticking points:

• Fragmentation: Academic Skills teams and departments often work separately, meaning students are caught between them (Wingate, 2006).
• Visibility: Generic academic skills workshops can feel and are often optional. Embedding academic skills into the curriculum, making them structurally unavoidable, helps students to retain them (Bennett, Dunne & Carre, 2000).
• Staff workload: Embedding academic skills effectively requires thoughtful and collaborative curriculum design, but this is a significant task that is not always recognised or rewarded (Oxford Centre for Teaching and Learning, 2024).
• Equity: Diverse student cohorts with varying academic, cultural and economic backgrounds mean that one-size-fits-all approaches rarely work (Bennett, Dunne & Carre, 2000).
• Technological shifts: With Artificial Intelligence tools now ubiquitous, universities are under significant pressure to embed digital and AI literacies, teaching students both how and when to use these tools in an ethical way. Many employers are also seeking these new skills when recruiting (QMUL, 2025).

What works?

Despite the challenges, there are some well-tested strategies for making embedding work:

• Authenticity: Make use of life-relevant disciplinary assessments such as literature reviews, lab reports, reflective logs to teach skills in context (Bennett, Dunne & Carre, 2000).
• Make the implicit explicit: Share with students how the skills link to learning outcomes and assessments so they understand why they matter (QAA, 2009). Also make the transferability visible to students.
• Keep it low-stakes: Build in short, formative opportunities to practise academic skills without the pressure of grades (Oxford Centre for Teaching and Learning, 2024).
• Work together: Academic staff, librarians, careers services and educational developers all bring a wealth of expertise and experience. Collaboration reduces the possibility of duplication and confusion (Wingate, 2006).
• Name the identity piece: Support students to see that learning academic literacies is about joining a scholarly conversation in their discipline, not just following rules (Lea & Street, 2006).
• Embrace AI literacy: Teach students how to navigate digital and AI tools ethically and responsibly, preparing them for both university and the workplace (QMUL, 2025).

Final thought

Embedding academic skills should not be seen as a tick-box exercise in the curriculum. It is about making academic skills part of the journey itself, making them structurally unavoidable, so students not only succeed in their academic studies but also leave prepared for the workplace. As universities face multiple challenges – from widening participation to the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence – the push to embed academic skills feels more relevant than ever.

References

Bennett, N., Dunne, E. and Carre, C. (2000) Skills development in higher education and employment. Buckingham: SRHE/Open University Press.

Lea, M.R. and Street, B.V. (2006) ‘The “academic literacies” model: Theory and applications’, Theory into Practice, 45(4), pp. 368–377. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15430421tip4504_11

Oxford Centre for Teaching and Learning (2024) Academic skills literature review. Oxford: University of Oxford. Available at: https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/ctl/documents/media/academic_skills_literature_review.pdf [Accessed on 13 October 2025)

QAA (2009) Personal development planning: guidance for institutional policy and practice in higher education. Available at: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaas/enhancement-and-development/pdp-guidance-for-institutional-policy-and-practice.pdf?sfvrsn=4145f581_8 [Accessed on 13 October 2025]

QMUL (2025) Integrating AI in Curriculum: Simplifying Complexity for Broader Adoption. Queen Mary University of London. Available at: https://www.qmul.ac.uk/queenmaryacademy/educators/innovation-and-scholarship/innovative-pedagogies/centre-for-excellence-in-ai-in-education/blog/items/integrating-ai-in-curriculum-simplifying-complexity-for-broader-adoption.html [Accessed on 13 October 2025]

Wigfield, A. and Eccles, J.S. (2000) Expectancy-Value Theory of Achievement Motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(1), pp.68-81. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.1999.1015

Wingate, U. (2006) ‘Doing away with “study skills”’, Teaching in Higher Education, 11(4), pp. 457–469. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13562510600874268

Yorke, M. and Knight, P.T. (2006) Embedding employability into the curriculum. York: Higher Education Academy. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/embedding-employability-curriculum [Accessed on 13 October 2025]

Guest Biography

Dr Chris Martin (EdD, SFHEA, CPsychol) is a Senior Learner Developer within the Education Development Service (EDS) at Birmingham City University (BCU).

Chris has 17 years’ experience in both secondary and higher education, and his academic background is in applied linguistics and learner psychology in language learning. He has taught modern foreign languages (French, German and Spanish) in secondary schools across the Midlands, and he started his career in higher education as a Teaching Fellow in English for Academic Purposes. After completing his Doctorate in Education, Chris chose to pursue a full-time career within higher education and more specifically, academic and learner development. His key areas of expertise are in learner psychology (motivation, engagement, positive psychology), secondary education, student transition, authentic assessment, and academic literacy. He is also a Chartered Psychologist and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

Questions and chat

Q1 –  How do your departments embed academic skills into the curriculum rather than signposting to generic “study skills” workshops?

Q2 –   What strategies have you seen that make embedded skills visible and meaningful to students in assessments?

Q3 –  How do you balance the pressure of staff workload with the need to design skill-rich, contextualised learning tasks?

Q4 –  In your institution, how are digital and AI literacies being integrated into core course teaching?

Q5 – What models of collaboration (academic staff, librarians, careers, learning developers) work best in embedding skills?

Q6 – How do your institutions ensure that embedded skills approaches work equitably across diverse student cohorts?