Linking Research and Teaching enhancing the student experience

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Linking Research and Teaching enhancing the
student experience

• Dr Lisa Lucas, Graduate School of Education,
• University of Bristol
• Lisa.Lucas_at_bristol.ac.uk
• Learning and Teaching Week, University of
  Bristol, January 2007
• Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences

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Why Link Research and Teaching?

• Knowledge Society
• We are all researchers now Teaching and
  research are becoming ever more intimately
  related In a knowledge society all students
  certainly all graduates have to be
  researchers. Not only are they engaged in the
  production of knowledge they must also be
  educated to cope with the risks and uncertainties
  generated by the advance of science
• (Scott 2002, 13)
• Enhancing Student Experience
• Students will be the researchers of tomorrow,
  let them learn this by doing. Research provides a
  great forum for learning when you least expect
  to. I think the students get a rush out of
  finding out something they did not know before.
  They gain respect for published research and the
  effort that has gone into it. They learn to
  question research results and gain confidence in
  this questioning. (Frank Robinson, Professor of
  Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science,
  University of Alberta)

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What is research-based teaching/learning and who
is it aimed at?

• Questions
• Is it important to link research and teaching?
• How much do undergraduate students know about the
  research which goes on in departments?
• What opportunities are there for students to
  engage in research?
• Issues
• Is research-based learning primarily for honours
  and graduate students?
• What are the difficulties of engaging in research
  based teaching/learning?

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Models of the R/T link
Student-focused Students as participants
Research-tutored
Research-based
Emphasis on Research content
Emphasis on research Process problems
Research-oriented
Research-led
Teacher-focused Students as audience
Healey, 2005
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How to encourage/enhance the link between
Research and Teaching?

• National Policies and Initiatives
• Institutional Policies and Initiatives
• Disciplinary/departmental policies and
  initiatives case studies

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National Policies and Contexts enhancing the
link between research and teaching

• UK
• Polarisation of R T (Funding mechanisms - RAE
  TQF)
• Policies/Initiative to integrate TR
• Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning
  (CETLs)
• HEA supporting R/T link (RT Forum)
• HEFCE fund to support the development of
  research-informed teaching environments
• New Zealand
• Link between research and teaching is enshrined
  within legislation.
• States that teaching should be done by those who
  are active in advancing knowledge
• Evaluated by New Zealands Academic Audit Unit.

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National Policies and Contexts enhancing the
link between research and teaching

• US
• Research Councils support link between research
  and teaching
• National Science Foundation (NSF) funding
  undergraduate research
• Grant applicants have to demonstrate their
  experience of engagement with pedagogy and
  service
• Undergraduate research collaborative program
  (emphasis on participation of 1st and 2nd year
  students in authentic research) awards of 3M
  over a five year period

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• Institutional Contexts and Initiatives across
  different countries

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UK

• The Reinvention Centre for Undergraduate
  Research, University of Warwick Oxford Brookes
  University (CETL)
• Promotes new methods in teaching and learning
  with a focus on research-based learning
• Funds academics and support staff to develop
  research based teaching
• Funds undergraduates to carry out research
  (1,500)
• http//www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/resear
  ch/cetl/

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Canada

• Research Makes Sense to Students, University of
  Alberta
• Institution wide initiative under the office of
  the VP (Research)
• Specific policy and funding proposals to
  strengthen teaching/research links
• Canadian Summit on the Integration of Research,
  Teaching and Learning (annual conference since
  2005)
• http//www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/researchandstudents
  /nav01.cfm?nav0119717

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Australia

• Research-enhanced Learning and Teaching,
  University of Sydney
• What are faculties doing to develop the
  relationship between research and teaching?
  Benchmarking and Performance Indicators
• Undergraduate research schemes
• http//www.itl.usyd.edu.au/RLT/usydproject/

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• Individual Disciplinary Case Studies

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Reading and Evaluating Research Articles

• Key component of the first year programme is
  structured to introduce them to reading and
  writing as researchers (Biochemistry, University
  of Leicester)
• Journal reading clubs
• Learning the skills of reading scientific papers
  (School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology,
  University of Leeds)
• Constructing an abstract
• Evaluating data

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Building an Undergraduate Research Community

• Mechanism of Inheritance students receive a body
  of work produced by the previous group of
  students and make improvements and additions to
  it.
• Dr Chang, Chemistry department, University
  College London

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Theres a Heifer in Your Tank
research-based learning in Animal Science

• Course begins with lectures/field trips (approx
  50 - 75 cohort) Prof. Frank Robinson,
  University of Alberta
• Small groups of students (3-4) seeking answers to
  research questions such as If you had a car that
  drove on methane, how far would you travel on the
  methane produced from one cow?
• Each group must present their findings in a
  public forum of 500-700 fellow students, parents
  and staff at University of Alberta.

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Establishment of an undergraduate research journal

• Assessed final year research projects within the
  school of Biology - gives examples to
  undergraduates of how research results are
  disseminated and of standards required for
  research careers.
• Dr Celia Knight, School of Biology, University of
  Leeds
• http//www.fbs.leeds.ac.uk/students/ejournal/curre
  nt/index.htm

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Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme
(MIT Cambridge)

• Supports research partnerships between
  undergraduates and academic staff at the
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
  formed 1969
• projects take place during the academic year or
  over summer for an entire semester or longer.
• research can be done in any academic department
  or interdisciplinary lab.
• Students receive academic credit, pay or work on
  a voluntary basis

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Ethics and Undergraduate Research

• 4th year Medical course, mini research projects.
  Development of a Student Project Ethics Committee
  (established in collaboration with Uni. Of
  Newcastle Newcastle and North Tyneside Ethics
  Committee) A.L.Robinson_at_newcastle.ac.uk
• Dataset of good practice (Angela Brew, Institute
  for Learning and Teaching, University of Sydney)
  A.Brew_at_itl.usyd.edu.au