Addressing psychological barriers to student learning: our role as learning developers

Since the launch of ALDinHE’s Health Community of Practice (CoP) in 2021, members have been sharing practice ideas and resources via monthly activities. One activity that stimulated particular interest related to the topic of psychological barriers to student learning (i.e. low confidence, anxiety, perfectionism and imposter syndrome) and how, as learning developers, we might address these. Although healthcare students may be particularly vulnerable to these kinds of issues (Bogardus et al., 2022), they are on the rise among all students (Curran and Hill, 2019). Therefore, it is pertinent to consider how they infiltrate learning development practice and how they can best be supported. The purpose of this workshop was firstly, to explore the professional boundary issues that this may raise, and secondly, to share and explore practice possibilities. This involved showcasing ideas from the aforementioned Health CoP activity and drawing on relevant research. In doing so, we aimed to open up a wider discussion about how learning development spaces can foster emotional growth and provide takeaways that participants can apply to their own practice.