Research and Teaching BidsAn Overview of the Northumbria Initiative
Changing Practice and Changing Thinking
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Aims
Encouraging shifts in departmental culture and teaching styles
Motivating staff to adopt new practice and new way of thinking
Influencing positive changes in student behaviour and their perceptions of research
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Project Officer
Dedicated web pages
Baseline student survey
Tangible outputs
Cross-School project meetings
University/external conference events
Northumbria RIT publication
Research and teaching worlds coming together
Positive reaction from staff involved in projects
Optimism that students are enjoying new styles of learning promoted by the projects
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The Baseline Study
Baseline study
Research question
“What do students currently understand and experience in terms of research at Northumbria University?”
Methodology
- questionnaire
- interviews
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At the outset of RIT projects we wanted to run a baseline study to determine what was the current stage of student understanding and experience of research at Northumbria.
It was hoped that this study could be run again in two or three years time to produce longitudinal data to illustrate whether or not student understanding and experience of research at Northumbria had changed over time.
Such changes could, it was thought, be partly attributable to the Research Informed Teaching Initiative but obviously there would be other variables operating which might impact on students’ understanding and experience.
The research question, therefore, was
What do students currently understand and experience in terms of research at Northumbria University?”
As part of the Research Informed Teaching initiative it was felt it would be useful to invite Professor Healey to address staff at Northumbria about the research-teaching nexus and, preparatory to this, he forwarded some material including the results of some of his work on student experiences of research. This material included comparative studies of three universities (University of Gloucester, Royal Holloway London and the University of Alberta) and this looked particularly useful and relevant given the Northumbria initiative. While our baseline study would give us a snapshot of our current situation, it would be two years down the line before we were likely to have any comparative data. If we used a pre-existing survey from which data about other institutions had been generated we should have some comparative data in that we would be able to compare ourselves and the stage we were at with three other institutions. Professor Healey kindly gave us permission to use his questionnaire, with due acknowledgement, to survey students at Northumbria and provide us with baseline data.
A mixed methodology was used to enable triangulation of the data. Firstly a questionnaire, based on Professor Healey’s questionnaire was mounted on the Student Union website. This questionnaire comprised a series of open and closed questions and Likert scales derived from the existing literature and expanded to test new areas, such as the distinction between research and consultancy and elements of the student experience. An incentive was used to encourage students to fill in the questionnaire. This was a prize draw for £30 of Eldon Square shopping vouchers. In addition, a further prize draw for £20 of these vouchers was on offer to those students who volunteered to be interviewed.
Qualitative data was derived from student interviews. These were conducted with volunteers and interview questions were informed by, and developed from, the quantitative data acquired through the questionnaire plus advice from Professor Healey – to enable comparison with data derived in his study – and from academic staff involved in the Research Informed Teaching Initiative.
Student awareness
in their subject areas when they applied to Northumbria
“Research is not as highly valued as far as I know,
the University is more focused on teaching allegedly.”
“I knew that the Psychology Department had a good reputation
for research …they are quite high up in the league tables.
I had looked on the website”
“I looked on the Internet…If they are doing research in the
Uni it gives the Uni a better name. I would not have
wanted to go somewhere where they did not do research. “
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When asked if they were aware of the research/consultancy reputation of staff in their subject areas when they applied to Northumbria University, only 22% of respondents to the questionnaire agreed that this was the case
 
 
 
 
“I looked on the Internet…If they are doing research in the Uni it gives the Uni a better name. I would not have wanted to go somewhere where they did not do research. “
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Notice boards and posters
“On the board you can look at their results of their experiments”
Do they notice the notice?
“Unless it is relevant …I probably don’t pay attention. If a poster
was more specific to what I was doing, I would be more
curious”
“I love finding books and articles by lecturers!”
Emails, handouts, leaflets, newsletters, VLE & website
“They have their own websites and have referred us to them in
class so we can see the stuff they are doing outside. It is
fantastic”
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“The only way I have learnt if academic staff are conducting research is if they mention it in lectures or seminars. This has only occurred once.”
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enthusiastic about their subject’
and up to date”
 “Gave me insight into industry and what they would
be looking for in me and my work in terms of the
understanding between client and designer.”
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“We filled in two questionnaires, one in first year one in second. By filling these in I was able to see at first hand a good example of using a questionnaire as a research tool - one of the areas which had been previously covered on the course.”
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 “Because of my lecturer's knowledge and her research the
module is easy to understand and more interesting.
I can't wait to read her work and learn from it a bit more”
 “In the delivery of the module the staff don't come across as
reeling off the facts and figures. They share true life
experiences, drawn from vivid memory, which adds an
exciting and vibrant dimension to the class sessions”
 
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Similarly gratifying were the survey results in respect of a negative impact on student learning of the involvement of staff who taught them in research/consultancy. These contrast with the findings of Astin (1993), Astin & Chang (1995) and Jenkins et al (1998) who found that staff research-orientation and staff absences on sabbatical etc impacted negatively on students’ cognitive and affective development. In respect of all the statements pertaining to this, Northumbria scored lower than comparable institutions. The most commonly cited negative impact of teaching staff involvement in research was their lack of availability to see students but this was reported by only 10% of respondents.
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The CPD RIT Module
Promote shared learning
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Funded by HR
Flexibility
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PG awards: Cert, Dip, MA, Prof Doc
For staff who teach and support learning
Funded by HR
Modules start throughout academic year, negotiated timetables, variable session formats
Assessment format negotiable
Multiple submission dates
CPD Module on T-R Link
Open 1st session
What is research?
Evaluating your initiatives
The potential of an enquiry-based approach to link T and R
Participants’ own projects
Evidence: reviews, meta-analyses
Can include bids for funding, project reports etc.
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Provided conceptual underpinning for developments
Enjoyed working with colleagues from different Schools
Bonus to get credits
Space for dialogue
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Provided conceptual underpinning for developments
Enjoyed working with colleagues from different Schools
Bonus to get credits
Provided underpinning for good practice and projects
Provided space for dialogue
Facets of Northumbria’s Strategy to enhance Research-Teaching Links
School Based Projects
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Developing Staff and Student Engagement with up to date Evaluation Research in Sports Development
Linda Allin
Background to the Project
Research methods module does not specifically cover evaluation research, yet this was thought by staff to be a key form of research utilised within the sports development field.
Community Sports Development module had potential for engaging students with ‘real life’ evaluation research and enhancing learning, but links not established.
Staff in sports development are researchers, but insufficiently engaged with applied sports development research
Project Objectives
Through contact with key employers in the region, to identify specific evaluation research projects that could be undertaken by sports development undergraduates in conjunction with the organisation each year
To research employer views on research, the value of research to their field and the research skills needed by graduates (and feed back to students)
To develop guidelines for students in relation to working with organisations and build a database of case studies that can be used to inform subsequent modules
To develop potential research opportunities for sports development staff
Project Evaluation
Survey of reviews from students in relation to the benefits of their involvement in ‘real life’ evaluation research
Focus group with students to gain deeper understanding of their learning
Employer feedback
Longer term impact may be judged in relation to the quality of work and understanding across level 5 and 6, as well as student/staff engagement with employers and sports development applied research
Student Views
‘When you’ve actually got to go out and do it, it gives you a better understanding of what you’re doing because you know the ins and outs of it. And you know exactly what you’ve asked, the process that has been there to answer it and the results that you’ve got from it, instead of just being given a piece of paper in black and white saying ‘We did this, this and this and this is what happened’
‘We’re going out and doing this and we might be going out looking for one result and there might be something completely different happen and we’ve got to change our whole focus, because it is real and you can’t predict what’s going to happen. You’ve got to change everything to go with what you’re given or what you get from your interviews’.
‘Just how important the issues are relating to research and CSD. Not everything that is said actually gets done and there are a lot of tensions and contradictions that arise’
Benefits to learning
Students engagement in learning through first hand experience of ‘real life’ evaluation research in the discipline
Students developing research skills, and potentially contacts, relevant for employability
Staff research providing increased understanding of the place of research in sports development industry
Increased staff understanding of student learning through inquiry based approach
Enhancing Teaching through Research as Professional Practice: Developing Construction Site Safety Multimedia through Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Student Research Activities
Tim Howarth
Northumbria University
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Background to the Project’s Inception
Construction sites can be hazardous places – with around 80 fatalities per annum in UK.
There is an ongoing need to enhance construction site hazard awareness and safety management education and practice.
The project is interdisciplinary, links research and teaching within the curriculum, serves to facilitate research into practice, and provides for the development of a construction site safety awareness learning resource
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The R-T Link Project Explained
An innovative, student developed, learner-centred multimedia tool will result from the project – this documents a journey around a large construction site (the RVI Hospital in Newcastle) and contains ‘hazard hotspots’ and embedded safety-related presentations’.
A community of collaborators been engaged with the project - including students and staff of the School of the Built Environment, students and staff of Northumbria University’s media production course and a very supportive construction industry contractor.
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So ….
Media Production students undertake research into practice as they produce a film, 360o photography and the develop the multimedia learning resource for a real client – the School of the Built Environment.
Built Environment students research safety hazards and incidents occurring on construction sites – this involves desk top studies, visits to sites and interviews with construction personnel. Informative ‘hazard’ presentations are produced. These are embedded within the site film by media production students.
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Serves to develops better understanding of professional practice (both construction safety management and media production) subject knowledge, research skills (in a professional context) and appreciation of research in the discipline are all developed
The project directs students to carry out their own research – H&S practice in the context of built environment students and aspects of commercial media production for media production students
Students learn about research within a professional context – not only do they engage as ‘consumers’ of research, they are also ‘producers’ – having undertaken research within an applied professional context and delivered a research-informed output
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for student participants - enhanced knowledge and practice within a professional context
an innovative and interactive learning tool - a research output for future use within the curriculum
the opportunity to work collaboratively across traditional university discipline ‘boundaries’
potential use by Universities and other agencies across the UK construction industry – as a learning tool to enhance awareness, knowledge and management practice regarding common construction sites hazards. (H&S competence and training is a legal requirement)
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Questions (1)
Life after TQEF – what is longer term potential and how to we sustain momentum?
How do we motivate staff to engage with new innovations and what are the rewards and recognition for scholarly achievements?
What is the value to students from learning in a research informed environment and how do we demonstrate this to our current and prospective students?
Are our students given inadequate research experience or are they given such experience but fail to recognise it?
Questions (2)
(How) can we reach the masses?
(How) can we reach more successful project holders?
Engaging the decision makers:
What is their understanding of T-R links?
How similar/different is it to what is discussed on the module?
Module delivery:
(How) can an integration between a conceptual discussion of R-T links and the development of practice achieved?
Questions (3)
How successful have the projects been in enhancing research-teaching linkages?
What are some of the problems and issues in engaging staff and students in ‘real life’ action and evaluation research?
How sustainable are the projects?