Linking teaching and discipline based research in National, Institutional and Department strategies: International perspectives on Vietnam

Alan Jenkins

Professor Emeritus , Oxford Brookes University

(UK) HE Academy and QAA Scotland Consultant

Discuss one or more of these questions

1. What makes higher education higher ?

2. In what ways is a university different from a high

school ?

3. In what ways is a university different from a high

school –from the perspective of undergraduates?

4. What makes your university/college different

from other universities in Vietnam – from the

perspective of undergraduates?

Exploring your views

This session is about linking teaching and

research

What do you mean by ‘linking teaching and

research’

and is it an important issue in Vietnam and

or your institution – why or why not!?

Aims : …

Help clarify your views on teaching /discipline based research

relations

Set out the international debate on teaching /discipline based

research relations

Set out the research evidence

Give an over view of how various national systems handle this issue –

and how some of them have sought to bring teaching and

research together

Set out a range of strategies that institutions and departments can

do to bring together teaching and research

Explore the relevance of this to Vietnam / your institution

About Alan Jenkins

UK born : 1959-62 Geography undergraduate at University College London, UK

1963-66 School teacher British Columbia Canada

Graduate School : 1966-69 University of Madison Wisconsin USA

Long taught human geography and contemporary China studies in higher education mainly in UK at Oxford Brookes .

Then moved into educational/faculty development

Now Professor ( Emeritus ) Oxford Brookes University (UK) and educational consultant

Available from the HE Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/rtnexus.htm

www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/resources/publications/DevelopingUndergraduate_Final.pdf

Some international perspectives

The New Zealand Education Amendment Act (1990) defines a university as where

“teaching and research are closely interdependent and most of their teaching is

done by people who are active in advancing knowledge.”

“Why does every University…. have to be doing research, teaching and scholarship and

struggling to do it in so many areas? Why can't we have Universities that make a

conscious decision to specialise in outstanding teaching and scholarship but do

very little research? Why can't we have formal affiliations, one specialising in

teaching and another research, between our domestic Universities?” (Brendan

Nelson, Minister for Education, Science and Training, Australia, April 2005)

“Our view is that university research often detracts from the quality of teaching. We

regret the continuing elevation of research and the systematic neglect of the

quality of instruction.” (Pocklington and Tupper 2002, 7 – about Canada)

What about ‘Research Intensive’ Universities? One perspective

"..The research universities have often failed,

and continue to fail their undergraduate

populations, thousands of students

graduate without seeing the world - famous

professors or tasting genuine research." (U.

S.) Boyer Commission on Educating

Undergraduates in the Research University

(2003,3)

Some ‘difficult’ research evidence

Loosely Coupled

“Based on this review we concluded that the common belief that teaching and research

were inextricably intertwined is an enduring myth. At best teaching and research are

very loosely coupled" (Hattie and Marsh, 1996)

At Arms length

Students at “arms length” from the worlds of university research (Brew, 2006)

Student indifference : Some research in professional disciplines including business and health ….have

revealed that some /many students and staff /faculty don’t necessarily value a research focus

Research Active

(One UK study …) Increasing the number or proportions of research-active teaching staff in lower RAE-rated

contexts

is unlikely to affect the quality of student learning. However, the results do suggest that more could be

done to help more students to experience the benefits of research-stimulated teaching environments,

not between different types of research context, but within each context” (Trigwell 2007) (emphasis added).

A Vietnamese perspective

“The picture of the nexus of teaching/learning and research at higher education

systems in the developing countries in Asia and Pacific Region, due to their

poor research capacity, is totally different than that of developed countries.

So the focus in the developing world must be first to strengthen and revive

university system’s research capacities…..

The Vietnamese Government in its “Five Year Socio-Economic Development Plan

2006-20010” specifies priority to higher education system. With the World

Bank Loan higher education project, it is designed to strengthen teaching

and research in Vietnamese universities by building research capacity,

supporting integration between university teaching and research and

facilitating and establish closer linkage between universities and the

industries, national,regional and international cooperation in university

teaching and research.” Phuong Nga Nguyen, 2007 (emphasis added)

Acting on the Research Evidence

“The aim is to increase the circumstances in which

teaching and research have occasion to meet….

Increase the skills of staff to teach emphasizing the

construction of knowledge by students rather

than the imparting of knowledge by

instructors......

Ensure that students experience the process of

artistic and scientific productivity."

(Hattie and Marsh, 1996, emphasis added )

One UK Government perspective

“… we want all students to access the benefits exposure to

teaching informed by research can bring…. …….We’re

doing this because we believe an understanding of the

research process – asking the right questions in the right

way; conducting experiments; and collating and

evaluating information – must be a key part of any

undergraduate curriculum; whether or not those involved

in delivering it are actively engaged in research activity

themselves.” (Bill Rammell, Minister for Higher Education

2006, 3) ( emphasis added).

Linking research and teaching: why is it important?

• For many it is what distinguishes higher education and or what distinguishes strong ‘research universities

• In an age of ‘supercomplexity’ (Barnett 2000), and given the increased significance of the knowledge economy) ….all students – certainly all graduates – have to be researchers (Scott 2002, 13)

• Can help academic staff manage what is often experienced as two different jobs –teaching and research

• May help build the research capacities of academic staff

My Perspectives

Student ‘understanding’ of the complexity of knowledge lies at the centre of higher

education. (Ron Barnett)

From the level of the academic, the student … and the institution there are tensions

between teaching and research

We need to maximise the (potential) synergies and minimise the conflicts

This requires actions at a variety of levels :In many institutions the department is the key

level of analysis and action?

There will be significant variations by disciplines/departments in how they conceive and

deliver the potential links between teaching and research

The link at undergraduate level is both most problematic and most important ?

•

Different ways of linking teaching and research

• Learning about others’ research

• Learning to do research – research methods

• Learning in research mode – enquiry based

• Pedagogic research – enquiring and reflecting on learning

STUDENTS AS PARTICIPANTS

EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH CONTENT

EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH PROCESSES AND PROBLEMS

STUDENTS AS AUDIENCE

Research-tutored Research-based

Research-led Research-oriented

The nature of undergraduate research and inquiry

Introducing students to staff research: department of

mechanical engineering, Imperial College, London, UK

This activity was a feature of the first year course in Mechanical Engineering at

Imperial College London in the l990s

In January of their first year mechanical engineering students were divided into

10-15 groups of 4-5 students

Each student group was given an engineering ‘artefact’ e.g. a safety razor; the

bottom frame of a bicycle. In the next few weeks these student groups

could knock on the doors of any of the department’s research groups

and ask questions around the issue of ‘what research are you doing that

might effect how this artefact will look like and function in c5 years time?’

Later all groups presented a poster which provided a summary of their findings

The poster session was held in large public space in the department with some

700 attending; academic staff, support staff, postgraduates and first year

and other students

Analysing a case study: department of mechanical engineering, Imperial College

In groups

Consider the case study and discuss

A Using the concepts in the diagram what forms of

teaching /research relations do you see there?

B From a head of department’s perspective what

has had to be done to set up this project eg

what have staff been told /encouraged to do ?

Some national strategies to bring teaching and research together – and perhaps relevant to institutions and departments

Research Councils – National Science Foundation (USA) grants

requiring selective undergraduate ….student involvement

Auditing – New Zealand – all institutions were required to

demonstrate …

Enhancing – Scottish Quality Assurance Agency – national funded

project to support institutions and disciplines

Funding – England – Research Informed teaching fund and some

‘centres of excellence’ in selected institutions

Promoting and Publicising – UK Higher Education Academy –a

range of publications , conferences and consultancies to

institutions

Some institutional strategies to bring teaching and research together-note these could be done at departmental …level?

Developing institutional awareness and institutional mission

( eg Hampshire College, USA: Linking research and teaching is

key element of the college’s mission(http://www.hampshire.edu/)

Developing pedagogy and curricula to support the nexus

Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Undergraduate

Research Opportunities Program (http://mit.edu/urop/) –for

selected students

Oxford Brookes University (UK): Building undergraduate

research into the curriculum From 2007 all Schools /

Departments required to develop a structured approach to

developing all students as researchers in all course programmes

Institutional Strategies to Link Teaching and Research

Developing research policies and

strategies to support the nexus

Developing staff and university

structures to support the nexus –key

issues are probably relationships

between research and teaching policies

and issues of promotion and reward

Strategies for Linking Teaching and Research

within Courses and Programmes

Strategy 1: Develop students’ understanding of the role of

research in their discipline(s)

Strategy 2: Develop students’ abilities to carry out research

Strategy 3: Progressively develop students’ understanding

Strategy 4: Manage students’ experience of research including

Support students in making clear to them the employability elements

of research

Your conclusions are

What of this seems very relevant to your

institution/your role at your institution?

What of this seems irrelevant /

inappropriate ?

What –if anything –should now be done to

progress this agenda at your institution?