1 / 32

Mapping, Understanding and Supporting Research Teaching within College HE Networks

Mapping, Understanding and Supporting Research Teaching within College HE Networks. Claire Gray Academic Partnerships Carole Sutton School of Social Science & Social Work. RM in the college setting. Aims & Objectives

libra
Download Presentation

Mapping, Understanding and Supporting Research Teaching within College HE Networks

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Mapping, Understanding and Supporting Research Teaching within College HE Networks Claire Gray Academic Partnerships Carole Sutton School of Social Science & Social Work

  2. RM in the college setting Aims & Objectives Mapping research methods provision within college environments (Social Science plus – potential for comparison and also college focus) Identify patterns of generic and embedded practice Student confidence – methods and analysis Staff skills, needs and CPD

  3. RM in the college setting Methods and sampling 2 incentivised e-surveys – college staff and students Follow-up focus groups – also telephone interviews and message wall Respondents recruited via national College HE groupings – HEA, SEDA/UCET, ACP, AoC Also through HE and FE contacts and Plymouth University partner college network

  4. RM in the college setting College HE networks Organisational focus on teaching and learning – not research (Parry 2012) Dual-sector. HE quality expectations….without access to, or cultural background of research funding Vocational focus for much of college HE – high levels of FD, HND and CPD and professional non prescribed HE. High numbers of non-traditional learners – often low UCAS entry and returners to education. Disparity of college HE -although it does not constitute a ‘sector’, 9% domiciled students study HE in College setting (Rashid et al. 2011).

  5. RM in the college setting The context - Research within college settings: College HE policy landscape(Parry, 2009) Identity - Dual demands of institution and AB but re-affirming of identity through interaction with wider HE community. (Turner, McKenzie & Stone, 2009) Contractual expectations HE-ness and college cultural assumptions on knowledge (Lea & Simmons, 2012) Brew (2012) – reconceptualise relationships between research and teaching And what do the QAA think….?

  6. RM in the college setting Engagement with research: Do they? Should they? Does it matter? Or does college HE represent an alternative pedagogy to RM not acknowledged in traditional HEI settings?

  7. Where do you teach HE? • HEI • College • Neither

  8. How do you teach RM on your programme? • Stand-alone RM module • Integrated into other aspects of course • Both • None of above

  9. Our survey said… Social Sciences only 30.5% Stand Alone 28.1% Integrated 31.3% Both 10% None n=128, Missing=2 Higher levels of integration: Arts and Humanities (52.6%) Science and Tech (29.1%)

  10. Our survey said… Social Sciences only. Analysis by HE student headcount – college HE size 1000 plus 500- 999 1 - 499

  11. Who teaches research methods on your programme? • Specialist Research Methods teacher • All staff/staff member with some expertise in RM • Other

  12. Our survey said… 26% Specialist 49% All staff 12% Other Social Sciences only. n=113, missing=17 These results are in line with other disciplines.

  13. RM in the college setting Who is responsible for teaching RM? “All stand-alone module by people with postgraduate research methods qualifications”. “Every member of staff at ***** may potentially be called upon to deliver research methods as it is seen as a generic subject – we don’t have the luxury of specialism in any meaningful sense”.

  14. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Quantitative Methods • Very Difficult • Difficult • Easy • Very Easy • Don’t Know

  15. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Quantitative MethodsOur survey said… 9% Very Difficult 44% Difficult 32% Easy 5%Very Easy 10% Don’t Know All staff – all disciplines

  16. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Qualitative Methods • Very Difficult • Difficult • Easy • Very Easy • Don’t Know

  17. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Qualitative MethodsOur survey said… 4% Very Difficult 40% Difficult 42% Easy 8% Very Easy 6% Don’t Know All staff – all disciplines

  18. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Applying research methods to real life scenarios • Very Difficult • Difficult • Easy • Very Easy • Don’t Know

  19. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Applying research methods to real life scenariosOur survey said… 3% 38% 43% 11% 6% All staff – all disciplines

  20. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Applying research methods to future career/professional context • Very Difficult • Difficult • Easy • Very Easy • Don’t Know

  21. How easy is it to get students to engage in learning about Applying research methods to future career/professional contextOur survey said… 6% Very Difficult 48% Difficult 32% Easy 6% Very Easy 7% Don’t Know All staff – all disciplines

  22. What does research methods teaching encompass (programme managers all subject disciplines)…Our survey said…

  23. Teaching resources to support research methods delivery (progamme managers)

  24. RM in the college setting Resources available in your institution to support teaching RM. Resources for students… “It is almost impossible to get software or sufficient academic journal access. As HE provision within a FE college we simply do not have the funds”. “The use of a VLE is less important to my students than access to an experienced researcher”.

  25. Where do you mainly gain your knowledge and skills in research methods? • Own academic qualifications • Own professional training • Regular professional training (CPD) • Own practical experiences • Learning by doing

  26. Where did you gain your knowledge and skills in research methods…Our survey said…

  27. I /teaching staff have sufficient knowledge and skills to teach the following areas: • Literature searching – 89.7% • Research design - 72.4% • Research paradigms – 52.2% • Primary qualitative – 78.0% • Primary quantitative – 72.0% • Research reporting – 78.3% Staff have sufficient knowledge and skills to teach these aspects…Our survey said…

  28. Research professional development & opportunities…Our survey said…

  29. RM in the college setting RM training from college or validating partner? “Annual learning and teaching conference and additional seminar activity throughout the year”. “I wish there was a ‘you are having a laugh’ option”. Opportunities to engage in research? “I am completing my degree based at the University”. “Defo you are having a laugh now”. “College wants staff to undertake research but no time or resources given”.

  30. RM in the college setting Themes from the open responses and focus groups: Focus on RM as an academic skill – particularly in context of non-traditional and returners to education. Research paradigms not a dominant focus of RM teaching – literature searching and role of research as supporting professional practice as well as supporting academic skills of writing, referencing and engaging with research literature.

  31. And so… the emerging picture Do they? Mmm… evidence suggests patchy Should they? Staff feel they should Staff knowledge/training/support/resources Does it matter? Student experience & their professional development Building research culture and critical engagement with RM Arising issues College size Vocational nature of the awards Duality of the HE sector Questions

  32. References Brew, A. (2012) 'Teaching and research: new relationships and their implications for inquiry-based teaching and learning in higher education', Higher Education Research & Development, 31 (1),pp. 101-114. Lea, J. & Simmons, J. (2012) 'Higher education in further education: capturing and promoting HEness', Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 17 (2),pp. 179-193. Parry, G., Blackie, P. & Thompson, A. (2009) Supporting higher education in further education colleges. Policy, practice and prospects. HEFCE. Available at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce1/pubs/hefce/2009/0905/09_05.pdf. Parry, G., Scott, P., Callender, C. & Temple, P. (2012) Understanding Higher Education in Further Education Colleges. London: Department for Business Innovation and Skills. Available at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/higher-education/docs/u/12-905-understanding-higher-education-in-further-education-colleges.pdf. Rashid, S., Parry, G., Thompson, A. & Brooks, G. (2011) Patterns of Further and Higher Education in Colleges and Universities in England: A Statistical Summary and Technical Commentary. University of Sheffield. Available at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rdreports/2011/rd04_11/rd04_11.pdf. Turner, R., McKenzie, L. & Stone, M. (2009) 'Square peg - round hole': the emerging professional identities of HE in FE lecturers working in a partner college network in south-west England', Research in Post-Compulsory Education, 14 (4),pp. 355 — 368.

More Related