Transcript Document

Embedding Research Skills in the
Pre-Honours Undergraduate Geography Curriculum
Helen Walkington1 & Derek France2
Case Study 2: Oxford Brookes University
Scaffolded research skills development
At Oxford Brookes University an institutional commitment has been developed
to embed undergraduate research pathways through all degree programmes
(Huggins et al., 2007). The geography programme includes a carefully scaffolded
progression of activities to develop research skills incrementally.
Year 1: Desktop research to try to answer provided research questions.
Year 2: Students frame their own questions for team-based data collection in the
field. Student teams present their preliminary findings to a panel of faculty as a
formative feedback exercise. This precedes the summative assessment several
weeks later in a conference style event.
Year 3, Semester 1: The individual authoring of journal articles based on the
collected field data is mentored by a tutor, with the best work being published in
GEOverse, an online journal (Walkington, 2008a; 2008b). All these activities take
place before students complete their dissertations. A departmental research
conference to showcase student research findings (see Figure 2) is attended by
students from all year groups, helping to create a sense of identity as geography
researchers (McGuinness & Simm, 2003; Walkington & Rushton, 2008).
1. Department of Anthropology and Geography, Oxford Brookes University, Headington, Oxford OX3 0BP, UK.
2. Department of Geography and Development Studies, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4BJ, UK,
Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
In association with: Amy L. Griffin, Lisa Keys-Mathews, Sandra K. Metoyer, Wendy E. Miller, Richard Baker
1. Abstract
Research skills need to be developed early in order to adequately
prepare undergraduates for ‘capstone,’ final project or dissertation
research. This poster considers the rationale for embedding research
and inquiry skills early in the undergraduate geography curriculum
and for making these skills explicit to students. It provides two
institutional case studies illustrating research skills development in the
geography curricula. By embedding research skill development early
and frequently, scaffolding provided throughout a degree programme
can support all geography students as they become producers of
knowledge.
2. Theoretical framework
The Boyer Commission’s (1998) call for greater undergraduate
engagement in research has been heard by many university systems
around the world. A body of literature has documented the
advantages to students of engaging with research (McGuinness &
Simm, 2003; Walkington, 2008a, 2008b; Healey & Jenkins, 2009).
There is a growing recognition that research skills are essential for all
students because knowing how to critically evaluate information and
to inquire is of increasing importance (Brew, 2006) and research
skills are required for graduates to function effectively in an
increasingly complex world.
3. Skills
Our conceptualisation of research skills is that they exist along a continuum from
simple to complex. Simpler research skills are less interdependent whereas
complex research skills are at the interface between three broad and overlapping
skill sets: critical thinking; analytical skills; and emotional intelligence. Table 1
identifies the research skills and the extent to which they are interdependent
under these broad skill sets. For example, the ability to take on board
constructive criticism (point 8 in Table 1) requires emotional intelligence and
critical thinking. In general key research skills align with the six facets of
Willison and O’Regan’s (2007) Research Skill Development Framework and the
sequence of research skills mirrors the research process but research skill
acquisition does not have to be linear. Nevertheless, there is an assumption that
all of the underlying research skills are needed for autonomous research. Figure
1 illustrates some of the practical opportunities open to Chester students to
practice and develop researcher skills
Figure 2: Showcasing student research at Oxford Brookes University
Figure 1. Chester students participating in Human & Physical Geography research projects
Case Study 1: University of Chester
Table 1: Groupings of undergraduate research skills.
Understanding the research process
A key to successful researcher skills development for students is an
understanding of the. The Enquiry and Research Design module scaffolds this
understanding for students so that they arrive at the final year dissertation as well
prepared as possible.
Year 2 term 1: Students work in small self-selecting groups on projects to
develop research objectives and collect primary data (see Figure 1) on a range of
topics. This is supported through fieldwork and weekly methodological
workshops or laboratory sessions. Students submit an individual 2,000 word
report, which demonstrates their understanding of the underpinning research
philosophies and methodologies through the analysis of primary data.
Year 2 term 2: Students work individually with tutors on pre-defined or selfdirected research topics. A literature review is used to generate research
questions. Regular small group tutorials provide students with a mechanism to
share and get feedback on their ideas and findings through annotated
bibliographies and informal discussions. Finally, students submit a 2,000 word
research proposal for a hypothetical dissertation topic, identifying specific
research aims, activities, ethical considerations, health and safety issues and a
research question with associated literature. A key to successful researcher skills
development for students is an understanding of the research process, from
thinking critically about research questions to taking a research proposal forward
to a dissertation project
Council on Undergraduate Research. International perspectives on undergraduate research and inquiry: a scholarly discussion. Pre-ISSOTL Seminar, Liverpool, UK, 19 October 2010
.
4. Conclusion
Enquiry based learning can help to draw students into a community of practice,
both within a discipline, within the curriculum and within the broader
university, by providing a shared experience upon which students can draw
(Garde-Hansen & Calvert, 2007). The two case studies are drawn from a
collection (Walkington et al., in submission) in which the associated authors
have provided best practice examples that demonstrate the importance of
embedding research experiences in order to scaffold an understanding of the
research process for undergraduates.
5. References
Brew, A. (2006) Research and teaching: beyond the divide (London: Palgrave Macmillan).
Garde-Hansen, J. & Calvert, B. (2007) Developing a research culture in the undergraduate curriculum, Active Learning in Higher
Education, 8(2), pp. 105-116.
Healey, M. & Jenkins, A. (2009) Developing undergraduate research and inquiry. Available at
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/DevelopingUndergraduate_Final.pdf
Huggins, R., Jenkins, A. & Scurry, D. (2007) Developing undergraduate research at Oxford Brookes University. Recommendations and
models for future development. Available at:
http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/research/cetl/ugresearch/developing_ug_research_at_brookes.pdf
Knight, P., & Yorke, M. (2004) Learning, curriculum and employability in higher education (London: Routledge).
McGuinness, M. & Simm, D. (2003) Linking teaching and research through departmental research conferences for student project
work, Planet, Special Edition 5, pp. 21-24.
Walkington, H. (2008a) Geoverse: piloting a National e-journal of undergraduate research in Geography, PLANET, 20, pp. 41-46.
Walkington, H. (2008b) Quality enhancement of the student experience through undergraduate research opportunities - the impact of
undergraduate research journals. Available at
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources/detail/events/conference/Ann_conf_2008_Helen_Walkington
Walkingotn, H., Griffin, A. L., Keys-Mathews, L., Metoyer, S.K., Miller, W.E., Baker, R., and France, D. (in submission) Embedding
research-based learning and inquiry in the undergraduate geography curriculum. Journal of Geography in Higher Education.
Walkington, H., & Jenkins, A. (2008). Embedding undergraduate research publication in the student learning experience: Ten suggested
strategies, Brookes E-journal of learning and Teaching, 2(3),
http://bejlt.brookes.ac.uk/article/embedding_undergraduate_research_publication_in_the_student_learning_experi/
Walkington, H. & Rushton, E. (2008) Undergraduate research conference. A first for the department of Anthropology and Geography,
Teaching News, 2(2), pp. 11-12.
Willison, J. & O’Regan, K. (2007) Commonly known, commonly not known, totally unknown: a framework for students becoming
researchers, Higher Education Research and Development, 26(4), pp. 393-409.