AbstractThe Science and Engineering Foundation Programme at Loughborough University has been running since October 1991. It has a heterogeneous intake of approximately 100 students. The author is responsible for the physics input to the Programme. This provides 25% of the Programme for almost all the students. The varied educational profile of students entering this course necessitated a radical rethink of course design for the author. She chose to concentrate initially on one aspect of her teaching — that of running tutorials — and used Mackinnon's cycle of reflection to assist in these deliberations. The result was both an improvement in the learning environment for students and a growing awareness on her part of the necessity to persist with the reflective process to ensure continued enhancement of the student learning experience. Reflection was found to be an important technique with wide application both within and outside the educational sphere.