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This paper aims to explore contribution of informal learning space - Research Cafe - to enrich research learning experiences of graduate students. Developing strong research skills among graduate students is a prime focus of higher education around the world. Thereby, universities are striving to maximise opportunities that can foster and enrich students’ learning experiences of research; however, the focus is mostly confined to formal opportunities such as research method courses and thesis writing. The provision of informal learning spaces has been recognised as a useful tool for fostering research learning experiences of graduates. This reflective paper is among a few focusing on a model of student-led informal learning space for enriching research experiences in higher education in the context of Pakistan.

This paper uses a reflective approach to generate a metalogue. The research experiences shared by the participants were further reflected by the authors after each research café session. The authors then shared their collective metacognitive reflections with each other, generating a metalogue, which was used as the data set. The metalogue was analysed thematically to generate themes.

Findings reveal that the research café is an informal space to promote academic socialisation by providing a conducive environment, peer support and informal supervision opportunities to foster the research learning experiences of graduate students. Importantly, the model presented in this paper provides a complimentary pathway for boosting learning experiences.

This paper would be useful for graduate students, faculty and university manager to acknowledge the potential of informal learning spaces in promoting research learning experiences. This paper highlights opportunities for replication, and further empirical research are needed to establish the efficacy of research café.

This study contributes to the global debate about graduate research learning experiences through informal learning space, which is yet to be explored, particularly in developing contexts like Pakistan. The idea of the research café is original, as it was conceived keeping in consideration the contextual and cultural aspects. The methodology used in this paper was specifically derived which can be replicated by other researchers.

The purpose of this exploratory case study was to investigate the role of School Leaders (SLs) in building Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) in schools, as well as to expand a literature-driven PLC model within the Pakistani context.

The study involved the purposive selection of two schools affiliated with a university. The sample comprised one school leader, one academic coordinator and five teachers from each school, altogether 14 participants. The participants shared similar demographic characteristics. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, which were analysed thematically.

The findings of the study revealed that both schools have created PLCs to some extent and that school goals and culture were contributing factors in building these communities. Additionally, the SLs played a key role in promoting PLCs by encouraging teacher collaboration. The study concludes that SLs have the potential to strategize their actions to foster positive professional relations among teachers and ensure their well-being.

The study contributes to the literature on professional communities in Pakistan by validating a literature-driven PLC model. The model emphasizes collaboration among teachers, which can be facilitated by SLs. As such, the study implicates SLs in prioritizing the professional development of teachers to enhance student learning and achieve school success.

This study is unique in expanding a literature-driven PLC model within the Pakistani context, with a focus on teacher collaboration as facilitated by SLs. The model has the potential for replication in other contexts and can serve as a useful tool for future research.

Given the existing quality concerns of higher education (HE), particularly in the global South, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been seen as a panacea to improve the quality of teaching learning in HE. AI Chatbots, like ChatGPT, have created profound resonance across HE systems with both positive and negative impacts. Within HE, expectations and concerns related to the quality of HE in general, and teaching learning in particular, loom. It is yet to be investigated how university teachers use AI chatbots in their teaching inside classrooms and its potential to enhance the quality of teaching learning in HE. This chapter sheds light on these questions based on in-depth qualitative interviews with faculty members from six universities in Pakistan. Using a thematic analysis approach, the findings highlight both positive and negative aspects of ChatGPT when used for teaching in HE. Based on the findings, we developed a four-stage framework highlighting faculty members' response to integrating ChatGPT for transforming teaching learning activities. We explain that transformation of teaching learning with AI requires educators to rethink teaching and learning – navigative response – and assess its integration – evaluative response. In conclusion, we discuss how the adoption of AI chatbots provides educators with authentic assessment but will certainly require skills to properly navigate. We further discuss the findings in literature around the quality of HE making some plausible predictions regarding whether chatbots can serve as a quality enhancement tool, mainly in the global South.