The Teaching and Research Relationship: Developing Institutional Policy and Practice

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The Teaching and Research Relationship
Developing Institutional Policy and Practice

• Cavendish Conference Centre
• 8th November 2005

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Linking Research and Teaching Through Programme
Design The Experience of Oxford Brookes
University

• Richard Huggins
• Assistant Dean, Academic Affairs,
• School of Social Sciences and Law,
• Oxford Brookes University.

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Summary

• Explicit linking of research and teaching across
  the institution.
• All undergraduate and taught postgraduate courses
  were redesigned with the requirement that they
  demonstrate how the linkages between research,
  teaching and learning are realised in the formal
  curriculum and the wider student experience.

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Specific Contexts
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Linking Research and Teaching in the UMP

• Review of evidence from approval panels of how
  course teams had embedded research and teaching
  links.
• Illustrate a range of twenty-two approaches to
  embedding research and teaching links.
• Demonstrating no one way to achieve embedded
  links.
• Variety and flexibility crucial.
• Different disciplines different approaches.

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Key Issues and successes

• Broad definition of what linking research and
  teaching might mean.
• Creation of clear and permissive framework and
  guidance through which disciplinary differences
  and different approaches can be accommodated.
• Curriculum central.
• Creation of space and process for discussion,
  reflection and engagement with programme teams.
• No one way to link research and teaching.
• Creation of designated honours modules.
• Not restrictively discipline focused.
• Increased progression in research skills.

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Lessons Learnt

• Establishing the importance of links between
  research and teaching at undergraduate level.
• Importance of sustaining the development process.
• Importance of mechanisms of change and the
  balance between guidance, encouragement, support
  and requirements.
• Clear idea of the aims and objectives of linking
  research and teaching.
• Pilots and smaller scale projects.
• Creation of core team to drive forward and engage
  with course staff as early as possible.