Building on my Foundations of University Learning and Teaching studies, I undertook a Graduate Certificate in University Learning and Teaching (GCULT), allowing me to study higher education in greater depth, hone my scholarly practice and enhance my teaching skills. I was awarded my graduate certificate in 2021. I felt it was important for me, as an early career academic committed to teaching, to build my scholarly base in education. The courses I undertook during my studies allowed me to explore various pedagogical strategies to enhance and support student learning. One of the most significant transformations in my understanding came with deeper engagement with humanist theories of learning, such as self-efficacy and self-actualisation (Maslow, 1987). My key take-aways have been that student learning is much more than simply measuring outcomes, it is unique for each student and can be significantly affected by how we as teachers support the self-efficacy, wellbeing, and autonomy of our learners (Pajares, 1996; Thomas, 2002; Zimmerman, 2000).