Starting a new academic year
This is my 10th year for leading the MA Health Care Practice, joined, at various points later, with students on modules of the MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, and PGDip Enhanced Clinical Practice. At Induction, September 2025, a key focus of learning was on the essence of studying at academic level 7. Induction was not just for those transitioning from level 6, and therefore new to post graduate studies, but to help advance and consolidate learning and academic potential for those already progressing through their second and third years of the MSc ACP.
This resource ...
This current resource builds on my earlier Adobe Express page, for "understanding level 7ness" (click the button, below) and focuses on what I consider to be three core, or essential Super Powers for masters level studies:
- criticality in thinking
- reflexivity, and
- boosting wider academic citizenship
The main video:
This is the slightly edited version of the live presentation I gave on 15th September 2025. If you wish to work through the original Prezi slides, the link is just below the video.
Ethics
Whilst I acknowledge not everyone in academia appreciates the term "Super Powers" related to studies, what I have chosen to call the three super powers for studying at level 7, here, dovetail into some other critically important elements of study, enquiry and research. Important to remember: the worlds of (clinical) healthcare, educational and healthcare research would be nowhere without their foundational dependence on ethics.
The application of ethics to research studies in the world of healthcare are founded on the core principles of:
beneficence:
- doing good, especially for those often excluded in healthcare provision and related studies
non-maleficence:
- not doing evil / bad, which may require critiquing the status quo, especially to eliminate disadvantage and narrow the gap between health disparities
justice:
- working to include diverse people in research, equitably, for greater / universal equality and truer sense of belonging
autonomy:
- empowering individuals to maximise their individual health, well-being and collaboration with others.
Creative digital literacy and AI
Along with research studies at level 7 is the imperative to disseminate, i.e. to share your new knowledge, findings and improvements to practice with others. Dissertations, reports, articles and conference presentations have been the staple diet for outputs in academia for a very long time; indeed, many researchers are mesured by such metrics. But the world is changing! Participants in, and consumers of, research are changing, too! The vast array of social media and digitally creative disseminations present potentially new markets and audiences, both for those who participate in research and those who are consumers of its outputs!
Students today have great opportunities to boost their inquiry methods and dissemination potential through a wide range of creative digital media, which we embed throughout our modules in these various post graduate healthcare Masters' programmes.
Want to know more?
Ethical use of AI in studies and research
Student (and teachers!) reactions to AI are so interesting. Of course, there's no getting away from the fact that we all use it, in some way or another: ask Google [sic]! There are those who say they are nervous to use it and want to resist for as long as possible, and, at the other extreme, there are those who want to use it for everything!
Our University encourages students and staff to use AI, but the key emphasis is to keep it ethical and responsible.
At the end of the day, if a student's work isn't their own, then it is someone, or something, else's.
Compassionate collegiality
At academic level 7, especially in the world of healthcare studies and research or enquiry, it is essential that students learn to be compassionate with themselves and with others with them on this special learning journey. They might often need encouragement (or permission) to discuss, share, collaborate, engage, participate, challenge, debate, question, and sometimes even fail to succeed! This list is not exhaustive. Remember: If at first you don't succeed ... But equally important to remember:
Of course, eager to raise their heads above the parapet are the twin hindrances of 'imposter syndrome', especially for those new to level 7, and self-doubt; the "I know this is a silly question, BUT...!"
Important tips for level 7 studies
#LTHEchat
When I first developed the Prezi, in the video above, I was so excited, I tweeted my excitement on Bluesky (@david-t-evans.bsky.social)! It was seen by the convenor of the Learning and Teaching in Higher Education monthly chat group (@LTHEchat.bsky.social). From that simple tweet, I was invited to write a blog and develop 6 critical questions for the #LTHEchat on 29 October 2025, 20.00hrs BST (GMT+1). The blog appears on this site as #LTHE Chat 341, along with so many interesting others.
The 6 questions for on-line chat
1) How might the use of creative metaphors, such as “superpowers,” reframe students’ perceptions of their academic capabilities and ease imposter syndrome in postgraduate learning?
Let the fun begin!
After writing the blog, I decided to have some fun in checking exploring it, from numerous angles. So, I uploaded it to notebooklm.google (AI), which gave me an accurate summary of the paper in a matter of seconds. But then the fun began! I clicked most of the buttons in the right hand panel:
- quiz - which gave me a number of questions, with 4 potentials answers for each, then feedback on why my choice could be right or wrong
- flashcards - a whole range of questions, or missing words, or tips, with the answers revealed by flipping the card over
- mind map - which really encourages a reader to learn how to do it, to apply to other works we read
- video - a 6 minute slide-set, with voice-over, discussing my paper and highlighting key elements within it
- audio - my all time favourite! This facility turns uploaded work into a pod cast, a debate between two voices, discussing, debating and critiquing a per from so many angles, in many ways using a Socratic style of probing.
This is truly awesome!
Thank you for working through this resource
I hope you have found the various elements, especially the video, informative and relevant to your studies at academic level 7. Please don't hesitate to give me feedback, and / or contact me via BlueSky, LinkedIn or e-mail.
Further resources, cited in the Prezi
Evans, D.T. (2018) FoFo – an andragogic model for learning. Cited at: https://vivatacademiavivantprofessores.wordpress.com/fofo-an-andragogic-model-for-learning/ cited on 15/09/2025
Evans, D.T. (2023a) Understanding Level 7ness: how to achieve well in your academic studies. Cited at: https://express.adobe.com/page/HF6SmCA3vUk5q cited on 15/09/2025
Evans, D.T. (2023b) Inclusive Assessments in Higher Education: This is just the tip of the iceberg. Cited at: https://drdavidtevanstel.wordpress.com/inclusive-assessments-in-higher-education/
Hayes, C. (2019) The Art of Critical Thinking. Texas, M & M Limitless Online Inc.
Holton, E., Robinson, P., Caraccioli, C. (2025) Andragogy in Practice: Case studies on innovation in Adult Learning, London and New York, Rooutledge
Thomson, P. (2025) What is criticality? Patter: research education, academic writing, public engagement, funding, other eccentricities. Cited at: https://patthomson.net/2025/09/12/what-is-criticality/ cited on: 13/09/2025
Wapkik, E. (2019) Why some of us don't have one true calling. Cited at: https://www.ted.com/talks/emilie_wapnick_why_some_of_us_don_t_have_one_true_calling cited on 15/09/2025
Wapnik, E. (2021) The '7' Multipotentialite Super Powers. The Knox School of Santa Barbara, cited at: https://www.knoxschoolsb.org/post/the-7-multipotentialite-super-powers cited on 15/09/2025
Credits:
Created with images by NKCoolper - "Open medical ethics textbook with highlighted text symbolizing the core principles of healthcare morality and professional responsibility for practitioners and researchers" • utaem2022 - "Immersive digital art installation creating colorful corridor of light" • Miodrag - "Celebration of diversity at a graduation ceremony with colorful caps raised high" • Carla Nascimento - "Long exposure photography of carousel lights and movements, Uk."