Access to university and learning

Responsive pedagogy is a priority for diverse learners to successfully access learning at university in the face of continued rises in participation targets internationally. Concept mapping activities improve access to learning by employing prior knowledge as a foundation to future learning. This study draws on map and related essay data to investigate diverse international, postgraduate student conceptions of and orientations to learning in a postgraduate subject, Consumer Behaviour. Study findings indicate that learning activities that integrate diverse prior knowledge with subject learning strengthen cohort-wide structural knowledge change and transitions from surface to deep learning. Study heuristics propose that deep learning approaches among diverse students improves group and individual achievement of learning outcomes.