Storytelling is an important part of both classes. “[Q]uite often I’m able to () tell a story about each topic […] that we discuss in class.”, L2 says (Interview with L2) and S1 agrees: “L2 tells stories” (Interview with S1). L3 is “also a big fan of narrative so [he] love[s] the idea of talking. Love[s] the idea of storytelling. Love[s] the idea of sharing. Lived experiences.” (Interview with L3).

As he mentions, the lecturer’s or tutor’s lived experience with a topic is one kind of story told during both classes (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015, Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015 & Interview with L3). Furthermore, stories can function as real-life examples of the issues discussed (e.g. Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015, Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 29/10/2015), show diverse opinions (Class 1: Lecture 01/09/2015), serve as proof (e.g. Class 1: Tutorial 03/09/2015) and underline a topic’s significance (Class 1: Lecture 06/10/2015). Their overall aim, according to L2 and L3, is to provide a context for the abstract academic content which will help the audience to connect with it (Interview with L2 & Interview with L3). To do so, stories are either told at the end of the topic discussion as examples as explained above or at the beginning as openers introducing the topic (Class 1: Tutorial 29/10/2015 & Class 2: Lecture 03/09/2015).

If tutors or lecturers are telling personal stories, in S1’s opinion, this also means that they bring their personal lives into the classroom (Interview with S1) which “allows [the students] to challenge them” (Interview with S1). The teachers, however, are not the only ones to tell stories. By inviting the students to do the same (Interview with S3), the content also becomes connected to the students’ own world.

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