Making science relevant to learners' everyday: an interview with Dr Leila Walker on ASDAN's Science Short Course

For Dr Leila Khouja Walker, science education extends far beyond memorising facts. It should empower learners to understand the world around them, build crucial transferable skills, and clearly see where their learning can take them. 

Leila brings almost 30 years of rich educational experience to her role as the PGCE in secondary science lead at the University of the West of England, Bristol. Her career began in the classroom as a science teacher before she transitioned into school leadership, eventually earning her master's degree and doctorate from Cambridge. Later, she channelled her expertise into developing international education programmes and supporting innovative STEM start-ups. 

As the co-author of ASDAN’s Science Short Course, Leila directly infused her passion for science education and this wealth of teaching and curriculum design experience into its foundation. 

"I genuinely enjoy crafting lessons and courses," Leila says. "Teaching is a craft. It is a practitioner's ultimate superpower, having the ability to intentionally craft a lesson to meet individual learners' needs." 

Making science accessible from the start 

A foundational principle of ASDAN’s Science Short Course is providing an accessible, welcoming entry point for every student. Delivered through Equitas, ASDAN's digital learning platform, the course allows learners to capture evidence as they complete activities. Educators can effortlessly track progress, personalise learning pathways, and support each learner's next steps. 

"Much of science involves explaining abstract ideas, but we must never lose sight of its true purpose: to explain the observable, everyday world around us," Leila explains. "There's an incredible amount of science that can be taught using basic, everyday items, which immediately makes the subject feel relevant and personal." 

"The initial entry point has to be accessible to everyone," Leila notes. "If you can warmly welcome learners in right from the very first day, you stand a much better chance of keeping them engaged, confident, and capable." 

Learning science through real-life contexts 

ASDAN’s Science Short Course offers teachers a highly flexible framework that can be easily adapted to their specific learner cohort. Its emphasis incremental progress and ensures that milestones and achievements are recognised and celebrated every step of the way. Having taught ASDAN courses across both mainstream and alternative educational settings, Leila has seen firsthand how they create tailored pathways to success. 

"Throughout my time as a practitioner, I encountered many students whose unique learning pathways were best served by ASDAN. It provided an invaluable alternative option for me as an educator." 

"Every activity is purposively open to interpretation," Leila explains. "Together with your students, you decide the level and direction you want to take." 

"Furthermore, the portfolio-based approach allows learners to confidently demonstrate their knowledge and skills without the pressure or reliance on a single high-stakes exam." 

"Ultimately, regardless of whether a student pursues a STEM career, the core transferable skills that ASDAN builds, particularly social and emotional skills, are absolutely vital to long-term success," she explains. "Those human skills will always be in demand. They are essential to the workforce today, tomorrow, and well into the future." 

Connecting science, sustainability and careers 

The refreshed Science Short Course, now available on our digital learning platform Equitas, also makes connections between science learning and the wider world. 

Education consultant and former teacher Liz Newbon contributed to the development of the refreshed course, helping to weave climate change and sustainability throughout its modules and challenges, alongside strengthening links between science learning, careers and the Gatsby Benchmarks. 

Liz has developed resources for a wide range of organisations and co-authored ASDAN’s Environmental Short Course. Her work reflects a belief that sustainability education should go beyond building knowledge about climate change, empowering learners to develop the confidence, agency and practical skills to help shape a fairer, more sustainable world. 

Developing skills alongside scientific knowledge 

ASDAN’s six core skills, learning, communicating, decision making, thinking, teamworking, and self-awareness, are deeply embedded throughout the Science Short Course. For Leila, making these skills explicit to students is non-negotiable. 

"A key element of successful social and emotional learning is being completely overt about it," she notes. "It's about spelling it out and actively demonstrating it. We need to explicitly tell them, 'You've just demonstrated a thinking skill, a learning skill, or a communication skill.'" 

Leila also highlights creative approaches to the curriculum: "Very little traditional science utilises the power of storytelling. Yet storytelling is an exceptional starting point for young people learning to write scientific reports. At its heart, a report is just telling the story of what you did, what you observed, and what you discovered." 

"We also don't expect an ASDAN student to stay confined within four walls," she adds. "We are actively encouraging them to get out and explore their local environments." 

Building confidence through choice and flexibility 

The course activities are carefully scaffolded to build learner confidence yet remain open-ended enough to accommodate vastly different levels of knowledge and ability. 

"Giving learners genuine choice and agency over what and how they learn makes this course incredibly inclusive," says Leila. 

"For some learners, ASDAN provides a vital alternative when a traditional route isn't working. For others, it perfectly complements their existing studies or helps them re-engage with education entirely." 

"ASDAN truly is for everyone," she emphasizes. "Especially if your learners have turned off from traditional education, look to ASDAN." 

Science literacy for life 

Looking to the future, Leila hopes the Science Short Course will inspire curiosity and deep engagement with science across broader demographics of learners. 

"Having strong scientific literacy is critical to making informed health and lifestyle choices. If young people are unable to critically assess the massive influx of information from different sources claiming to speak 'the truth,' it makes the modern world an incredibly difficult place to navigate." 

"Rather than forcing learners to simply regurgitate memorised facts for an exam, ASDAN courses showcase what students can actually do. It provides future employers with concrete, real-world examples of their transferable skills. Ultimately, employers will have a much clearer, richer understanding of the capable person standing in front of them." 

Get in touch 

Explore ASDAN's suite of Short Courses and book a curriculum consultation to discover how they can transform your learners and educational setting.