Transcript Document

HE ACADEMY CONFERENCE
JULY 2006
The Scholarship of Teaching:
how to build capacity in
research on teaching &
learning
A Case Study
Professor Caroline Gipps
Vice-Chancellor
University of Wolverhampton
Phase One: The relationship between
research and practice
In the field of education we have been
agonising about the impact of research
on policy or practice for quite some
time.
How do research findings impact policy
or practice (including teaching)?
Weiss (1980) uses the phrase
knowledge creep and decision
accretion to convey how research
knowledge gets only slowly into
policy deliberation and may begin to
affect policy not by a single clear
decision but through a more diffuse
process or influence (or, as the
ancients phrased it: scienta dependit
in mores – knowledge works its ways
into habits).
Phase Two: The early RAE – separation
of research and teaching
It is the RAE that has done much to
drive the separation between teaching
and research, it has devalued
curriculum development and writing
of text books, and relegated
‘scholarship’ to an ‘also ran’ activity.
Does it matter?
Various review studies found no direct link:
Ramsden and Moses saw “little or no
foundation for a belief in the existence of a
positive causal relationship between
effective undergraduate teaching and high
levels of research activity” (1992). Hattie and
Marsh (1996) concluded that “the common
belief that research and teaching are
inextricably entwined is an enduring myth.
At best, research and teaching are very
loosely coupled”.
Research activity may seriously
damage your teaching
“It would be particularly attractive to
require institutions to show, as part of
their bids for research funding:
• how they manage research to ensure
that teaching at all levels benefits
from staff involvement in research,
including research into student
learning
• how any possible negative
consequences of staff research, such
as staff absences on sabbaticals, are
minimised
• how effective synergies are
developed between the institution’s
research and learning and teaching
strategies.”
(Brown, 2002, p.31)
Phase Three: Research is good for teaching
The counter argument is based on an
assumption that research ‘is good for’
teaching. The assumption still needs
unpacking
Effective teachers must cultivate habits
of self-critical reflection on what they
teach and how they teach it;
Best practice in teaching is
increasingly based on research
techniques such as student projects
and group assignments. “Not only
teachers but also their students must
be researchers”.
(Scott 2002)
The claim to be a university, the
authority of an HE institution, rests on
the intellectual capital and activity of its
staff: all academic staff in a university
must be actively engaged in research,
scholarly reflection and knowledge
production.
Phase Four: towards research informed
teaching
The Research Forum concluded that
“research and teaching are essential and
intertwined characteristics of a
university which can be advanced from
two perspectives:
- that of the students acquiring a ‘higher
education’, and
- that of the work of academic staff
employed in higher education ……”
“…It is becoming clearer that those
students who are not learning in an HE
environment that is informed by
research, and in which it is not possible
to access research-related resources,
are at a disadvantage compared to those
who are…”
“research and teaching are essential and
intertwined characteristics of a
university”
(Higher Education Research Forum, 2004)
“less research-intensive institutions
should be supported in developing a
research-informed teaching environment”
(DfES, 2004 HEFCE Grant Letter)
For Example
• undertaking research, scholarship
and/or consultancy type activities,
either on their own or in groups
• being involved in research – related
activities, such as running student
research conferences and publishing
student research journals
• working with staff on research and
consultancy projects
• collaborating with students in other
institutions on inquiry-based learning
projects
(Jenkins
& Healey 2005)
My own list would include:
 teaching about one’s research topic
(specialist Masters level courses,
electives)
 being up-to-date in the field, which
drives the content of courses
 taking a research approach to teaching
(finding out what students know,
evaluating approaches and content)
 using your teaching as a research
area
 using research processes as part
of the teaching/learning activity
(I.e. getting students to do a piece
of research)
 learning in a lively intellectual
climate
The current HE Academy definition of
the scholarship of teaching (Prosser,
2005) is:
• evidence-based critical reflection
on practice aimed at improving
practice
• Teaching can be research-led
in the sense that the curriculum is
structured around subject content,
and the content selected is directly
based on the specialist research
interests of teaching staff
• Teaching can be research-oriented
in the sense that the curriculum places
as much emphasis on understanding
the processes by which knowledge is
produced as on learning the codified
knowledge that has been achieved;
careful attention is given to the
teaching of inquiry skills and on
acquiring a ‘research ethos’
• Teaching can be research-based
in the sense that the curriculum is
largely designed around inquirybased activities, rather than on the
acquisition of subject content; the
experiences of staff in processes of
inquiry are highly integrated into the
student learning activities
• Teaching can be research-informed
in the sense that it draws
consciously on systematic inquiry
into the teaching and learning
process itself.
(Source Griffiths 2004: Jenkins 2005, p.13)
A CASE STUDY: How the University of
Wolverhampton has built capacity in
the scholarship of teaching
2001: TQEF money was used to fund
research and innovation projects
in-house. 20 – 30 projects a year
with national dissemination.
2002: New post of Dean of Learning &
Teaching appointed.
2003: Learning and Teaching Research
Network (LTRN) set up to:
-
provide a critical mass of
researchers and postgraduate
students to support and develop
research in Learning and
Teaching
-
work closely with the Graduate
School and HR to establish
transparent career paths and staff
development to readerships and
professorships in Learning and
Teaching
-
focus learning and teaching
research towards pedagogical
publications, evaluation and
externally published outcomes
-
generate income to support the
development of pedagogical research
and scholarship in Learning and
Teaching
Senior member of staff appointed to
drive the LTRN
2004:
First National Teaching Fellow –
from this network
2004:
Cross disciplinary Research
clusters set up (Learning
Technology and Pedagogic
Research, Creating Positive
Student Experiences, Learning
Assessment and Teaching:
Encouraging Engagement)
Dec 2004 CETL awarded based on
Student Experience, Retention
and Achievement
2005:
Reading and Writing Circles
established
Application to ESRC (with
Keele and Birmingham) to run
a seminar series on Social
Diversity and Difference fails.
University funds and
organises itself.
2005:
In house research projects
emphasis moves to
dissemination and publication
via annual conference
2005:
Link with Teesside University
set up which includes a joint
residential conference; joint
work is being developed
including hosting a student
experience European network.
2005:
Three National Teaching
Fellowships awarded
2005:
CETL and Graduate School
jointly fund 6 projects for
research to inform the
curriculum
2006:
ESRC funded project on
Widening Participation (with
Birmingham University) starts
(led by Director of LTRN)
2006:
New Learning & Teaching
Strategy includes a commitment
to pedagogical research,
problem solving via research,
the embedding of scholarship;
and the development of student
learning within a researchinformed environment
IMPACT
Since 2003 there have been 4
conferences held; 41 papers
presented at conferences; 34 papers
published; and the number of staff
actively engaged in the LTRN has
grown from 0 to 65