Linking Research and Teaching – enhancing the student experience

1. Linking Research and Teaching – enhancing the student experience Dr Lisa Lucas, Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol Lisa.Lucas@bristol.ac.uk Learning and Teaching Week, University of Bristol, January 2007 Faculty of Medical and Veterinary Sciences

2. 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)

3. 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?

4. 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-led Research-oriented Teacher-focused Students as audience Healey, 2005

5. 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

6. National Policies and Contexts: enhancing the link between research and teaching • UK • Polarisation of R & T (Funding mechanisms - RAE & TQF) • Policies/Initiative to integrate T&R • Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETLs) • HEA – supporting R/T link (R&T 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 Zealand’s Academic Audit Unit.

7. 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

8. Institutional Contexts and Initiatives across different countries

9. 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/research/cetl/

10. 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?nav01=19717

11. 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/

12. Individual Disciplinary Case Studies

13. 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

14. 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

15. ‘There’s 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.

16. 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/current/index.htm

17. 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

18. 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@newcastle.ac.uk • Dataset of good practice (Angela Brew, Institute for Learning and Teaching, University of Sydney) A.Brew@itl.usyd.edu.au