Scholarly activity, curriculum development and student involvement

Mick Healey, Alan Jenkins and John Lea 24 June 2014

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Scholarly activity, curriculum development and student involvement

Aim - To review the contribution of CBHE in the development of research-based learning

Collected - Over 50 mini-case studies from UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand and United States

“All undergraduate students in all higher education institutions

should experience learning through, and about, research and

inquiry. …

We argue, as does much recent US experience, that such

curricular experience should and can be mainstreamed for all or

many students through a research-active curriculum. We argue

that this can be achieved through structured interventions at

course team, departmental, institutional and national levels.”

(Healey and Jenkins, 2009, 3).

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Core principle

New models of curriculum … should all … incorporate research-based study for undergraduates (Ramsden 2008, 10-11).

A positive research and teaching link primarily depends on the nature of the students’ learning experiences, resulting from appropriate teaching and learning processes, rather than on particular inputs or outcomes (Elton 2001, 43).

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Scholarly activity, curriculum development and student involvement

For the students who are the professionals of the future, developing the ability to investigate problems, make judgments on the basis of sound evidence, take decisions on a rational basis, and understand what they are doing and why is vital. Research and inquiry is not just for those who choose to pursue an academic career. It is central to professional life in the twenty-first century. (Brew 2007, p. 7)

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Scholarly activity, curriculum development and student involvement

Which of the following do you think refer to practices in:

a) CBHE/HE in FE; and b) universities?

1. Biotechnology students work as part of a research team

2. Psychology students research students’ quality of life

3. Engaging students in applied research through a community sports development consultancy project

4. Student-led research journal in business

5. Using undergraduates to evaluate student experiences of teaching and learning

6. How research will change engineering artefacts

7. Engaging students with the latest research and publications

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Spot the College

1. Biotechnology students work as part of a research team – Massachusetts Bay Community College

2. Psychology students research students’ quality of life – York St John University

3. Engaging students in applied research through a community sports development consultancy project - University of Central Lancashire

4. Student-led research journal in business – Newcastle College

5. Using undergraduates to evaluate student experiences of teaching and learning – Warwick University

6. How research will change engineering artefacts – Imperial College London

7. Engaging students with the latest research and publications - Adam Smith College and Dundee College

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Spot the College

STUDENTS ARE PARTICIPANTS

EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH CONTENT

EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH PROCESSES AND PROBLEMS

STUDENTS FREQUENTLY ARE AN AUDIENCE

Research-tutored Research-based

Research-led Research-oriented

Curriculum design and the research-teaching nexus (based on Healey, 2005, 70)

Engaging in research discussions

Undertaking research and inquiry

Learning about current research in the discipline

Developing research and inquiry skills and techniques

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Source: Healey, Flint and Harrington (2014)

Students as partners in learning and teaching in higher education

In the UK there is a lively debate in academic literature about STAFF scholarly activity in HE in FE

There is also a lively debate about the possible hybrid nature of the pedagogical context, i.e. it borrows from its proximity to wider FE and HE contexts

There is also a lively debate about the influence of the wider mission of FECs to be engines of economic growth, and of the effect of their corporate/managerial ethos on HE provision

Are there positive lessons to be learnt from this context?

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UK review of literature

In the UK there are currently almost 300 FECs running HE courses; representing 10% of total HE provision; with over 100,000 FTE student numbers; some colleges have over 3,000 FTE students

In the USA it is estimated that nearly half the country’s undergraduates (around 12 million students) are studying in community colleges, and around 25% of those will subsequently transfer to four-year schools

In Australia there are around 175 HE providers, but only 40 are designated universities. The rest of HE is provided in colleges with a growing provision in publicly funded institutes of vocational education (TAFEs)

Should we rally against these developments, or embrace them?

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International context

What is implied by arguing that we need to enhance the scholarship of staff in CBHE contexts?

Are colleges helping us all to widen notions of scholarship in HE?

Could student scholarly activity be considered a key impact measure?

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Some key questions

I want you to position yourself on a line according to the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements

Talk to the person next to you about why you have positioned yourself where you have and as a consequence you may need to ‘move’

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CBHE Line-up

“To enhance the quality of learning in CBHE it is more important to focus on engaging students in research and inquiry than raising the research expertise of staff.”

Strongly ----------------------------- Strongly

agree disagree 14

CBHE Line-up

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Boyer context for CBHE

p52

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Examples of ways in which learners may engage with Boyer’s four scholarships

Types of scholarship

Illustrative example of ways of engaging learners

Scholarship of discovery

Engage in inquiry-based learning; undergraduate research and consultancy projects; co-research projects with staff.

Scholarship of integration

Engage in integrating material from different sources, including across disciplines; integrate life and work experience with academic studies; reflect on implications of studies for personal development.

Scholarship of application / engagement

Engage with local, national, and international community service projects; volunteering; knowledge exchange projects; apply knowledge and skills in work-based placements.

Scholarship of teaching and learning

Engage in mentoring; peer support and assessment; collaborative group work; learners as explicit partners in educational development and inquiry.

In pairs, each skim read at least ONE different year one case study (3.1 – 3.8 pp 22-27).

Discuss whether and how any of the ideas may be amended for application in your contexts.

5 minutes

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Strategies for engaging students at the beginning of their courses

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Strategies for course teams to introduce year one students into research and Strategies to introduce year 1 students into research and knowledge complexity

1. Create a strong opening activity that involves students doing guided research

2. Help students to read academic literature critically

3. Involve library and other learning support staff

4. Demonstrate how research mindedness can support future employability

5. Guide students into the nature of research in their discipline(s)

6. Provide opportunities for students to make their research public

7. Recognise that students will find such work challenging

8. Ensure how the students are assessed supports research mindedness

9. Involve upper level students in supporting student research in year one

Strategy one – develop students’ understanding of the role of research and inquiry in their discipline

Strategy two – develop students’ abilities to carry out research

Strategy three – progressively develop students’ understanding

Strategy four – manage students’ experience of research

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Course and programme strategies for engaging students with research & inquiry

http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/projects/detail/ntfs/ntfsproject_Gloucestershire10

Developing and enhancing undergraduate final-year projects and dissertations

In a different pair, each skim read at least ONE different case study (5.1 – 5.12 pp 41-49).

Discuss whether and how any of the ideas may be amended for application in your contexts.

5 minutes

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Course team, departmental and institutional strategies

1. Celebrate and share what is already in place

2. Create opportunities for staff and students to experiment

3. Review and enhance what is in place

4. Ensure initial training in teaching and subsequent CPD includes an emphasis on supporting student inquiry

5. Require and support all programmes to be redesigned

6. Reshape the timetable structure

7. Create alternative learning spaces 22

Strategies to increase the skills of staff to support student inquiry

“The relationship between teacher and learner is …completely different in higher education from what it is in schools. At the higher level, the teacher is not there for the sake of the student, both have their justification in the service of scholarship” (von Humboldt 1810)

“It [a university] is a place of teaching universal knowledge. This implies that its object is, on the one hand, intellectual, not moral, and, on the other, that it is the diffusion and extension of knowledge rather than the advancement. If its object were scientific and philosophical discovery, I do not see why a University should have students…” (Newman 1854)

“What we urgently need today is a more inclusive view of what it means to be a scholar – a recognition that knowledge is acquired through research, through synthesis, through practice, and through teaching. We acknowledge that these four categories – the scholarship of discovery, of integration, of application, and of teaching – divide intellectual functions that are tied inseparably to each other” (Boyer 1990)

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Conclusion 1: A CBHE contribution to higher education?

• There are many similarities in the different ways in which CBHE and universities engage their undergraduate students in research and inquiry although there are subtle differences in the amount and level of their involvement.

• We found strong evidence of colleges engaging students in research and scholarly activity at curriculum level, but little evidence of this being embedded at institutional level.

What implications might these conclusions have?

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Conclusion 2: Some implications?