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The first Special Edition of the JLDHE, published in 2010, was a collection of papers written as part of the National Action Research Network project on PDP and e-Portfolio Practice, and was called "Researching and Evaluating Personal Development Planning and e-Portfolio Practice". The second Special Edition is also a collaborative venture. It was prompted by the National HE STEM Programme project Developing Writing in STEM Disciplines (http://go.bath.ac.uk/stemwriting) which ran throughout 2010-11. Its follow-up activities (of which this special edition is one) are extending into 2013. The project was responding to the issue of graduate literacy, with surveys such as those of the Association of Graduate Recruiters (Graduate Prospects, 2008) and the Council for Industry and Higher Education (Archer and Davison, 2008) identifying the writing abilities of graduates as a key area for concern.Learning developers are acutely aware of the importance for students of acquiring the successful habits, and adopting the socially approved codes, of written language in their chosen discipline. The theme of developing the capabilities to write successfully is a very important one, especially given the extent to which value is attached to the appropriate use of language in education and employment. For this reason it is important that we explore how students can develop successful practices for their context and discipline.The HE STEM project supported initiatives aiming to identify and respond to concerns about writing in the science, technology, engineering and maths disciplines and, if there were needs to address, what form appropriate responses might take.

The Association for Learning Development in Higher Education (ALDinHE) was founded on a values-based approach: a commitment to the widest possible access to HE, and pedagogies informed by the student experience, with the aim of demystifying academic language and practices where possible. Our constitution stresses the notion of working with students as partners in knowledge creation. These themes are prominent in the UK in the light of the Browne Review and, as Phil Race points out in his article in this edition, increasing concerns about who will foot the bill for university education under the new fees regime mean that " ... the spotlight continues to focus ever more sharply on student satisfaction." At least in this respect, a Learning Development approach might be seen to be coming of age. Issue 3 of the JLDHE offers some powerful signs that this is indeed the case -and for reasons that go beyond instrumentalist or consumerist views of HE.Race argues that diminishing budgets for teaching will mean that further pressure on class sizes and on tutorial provision is likely; his response to the challenge of engagement advises learning developers to take account systematically of key aspects of learning, including motivation, ownership, active involvement, feedback and using evidence of achievement. David Baume's article also urges us to treat engagement systematically and to look beyond mere 'activity' to ensure that issues of motivation, and notions of what it means to produce 'good' work, are given greater attention. He argues that intended learning outcomes should not only be made explicit to students, but that they should " … embody or be accompanied by an account of what it means to achieve that outcome to an appropriate standard". Glynis Cousin and Paul Brett from the University of Wolverhampton call for " ... a paradigm shift in the shaping of student learning to take account of peer-peer and teacher-peer partnerships beyond those owned, supervised and instigated by institutions". They remind Hagyard and Hilsdon Editorial: Learning Development as Engagement

With the 10th ALDinHE conference about to take place in Plymouth, it seems timely to take stock of Learning Development (LD) in the UK. In our opinion, there is a lot to be optimistic about. Scholarly and research-based evaluation of activities is becoming the norm in the field, and discussion of the epistemological and pedagogical foundations of practice is increasingly necessary and visible. A quick glance at the contributions to this issue of the journal certainly supports this view. Case studies do more than share ideas and practice; they evaluate impact and consider implications. Many of the papers engage with profound theoretical questions or disseminate the outcomes of well-founded research. Some were commissioned by their institutions to investigate the subject matter or were established after successful funding bids to conduct their research.This evident progress of research-based approaches in Learning Development offers opportunities for well-informed consideration of the nature and scope of the field. Is it a distinct academic discipline -the subject of one of the papers in this issue? Has Learning Development joined the academy in its own right or is it a minor offshoot of a wider or multidisciplinary approach such as Educational Research or Educational Development? Is it a profession, with a unique set of practices and an evidence-base to support them? How is it viewed from the outside? Do we need to work collectively to enhance both the visibility and the reputation of LD -whatever it may be? The fact that we are beginning to discuss these questions suggests a potential shift in our own consciousness at least; one that may be increasingly necessary given the wider political and socio-economic circumstances in which higher education finds itself.

This is the second part of a Special Edition of the JLDHE focussing on academic peer learning. This issue includes a further ten articles (five papers and five case studies) exploring a wide range of features associated with peer learning in higher education, including issues of culture, communication, community and employability, as well as academic learning. This collection offers insights into subject-specific as well as more general approaches, and covers varying contexts, including online environments.In a subject-specific study, Jill Barber and Sadaf Ilias describe their use of peer assisted learning to raise students' awareness of the problem of antibiotic resistance. Illustrating the efficiency and effectiveness of the approach, they describe how peer assisted learning successfully cascaded knowledge from a single fourth year student to 21 second year students, and then to over 700 students from various disciplines and year groups.