Research-led
education
at the
University of
Exeter
Moving
forward for
2012
Dr Dilly Fung
Education Enhancement
D.Fung@exeter.ac.uk
Overview Part 1
1. Research-led education and the University vision
2. Theory into practice:
Maria: experiencing research as curriculum content
2. Carlo: experiencing learning as practising research
3. Identifying the full spectrum of high quality practices
4. Direct relationship with graduate skills , attributes and
employability
1.
3. What the University is excelling at now; four examples1.
2.
3.
4.
Students as agents for change
Interdisciplinary initiatives such as Big Dilemma
Research communities as evidenced by staff awards
The ASPIRE accreditation scheme for staff in research-led
education
Overview Part 2
4. Proposal for enhancement for 2012
a) Bringing together research and teaching staff
b) Mapping and communicating research-rich
moments through the curriculum in all subject
areas
c) Introducing University-wide, research-rich
experiences:
 ‘Meet Your Professor’
 Grand Challenges/capstone courses
Overview Part 3
5. Next steps
a. Development and discussion of exemplar models for
University wide, research-rich moments
b. College reviews:
i. Curriculum design
ii. Subject-level events and initiatives
iii. College-level events and initiatives
iv. Embedding University initiatives
c. Submitting JISC bid on digital literacies
d. Embedding research-led characteristics into quality processes
e. Marketing our strengths in providing the highest quality
research-led education
Research-led:
embedded in
the University
mission
‘… students benefit
from – and want to
be taught by –
academics at the
leading edge of
their fields. Thus
high quality
research-informed
teaching is our aim.’
Steve Smith, Vice-Chancellor,
University of Exeter Strategic Plan 2011
Student
Learning
Partnership
‘As a research intensive
university, research is at
the heart of all we do. ..
We want you to be able
to share the excitement
of research, of working
alone and with others
to think, challenge and
extend the boundaries
of knowledge.’
Research and teaching synergy
Research-like
learning
experiences for
students
Internationally
renowned
research staff
Research-rich
communities
Research-led
Education
A high quality,
international research
profile enables us to
build a rich research
community and an
academically rigorous
learning environment.
Quality teaching is
characterised as enabling
students to think
analytically, critically and
creatively, within and
across subject and
international boundaries
– just as the best
researchers do.
So what is
research-led
education?
Putting
theory into
practice
The research-teaching nexus (Healey and Jenkins, 2006)
STUDENTS ARE PARTICIPANTS
Research-tutored
EMPHASIS ON
RESEARCH
CONTENT
Research-based
Engaging in
research
discussions
Undertaking
research and
inquiry
Learning
about current
research in the
discipline
Developing
research and
inquiry skills and
techniques
Research-led
Research-orientated
STUDENTS ARE AUDIENCE
EMPHASIS
ON
RESEARCH
PROCESSES
AND
PROBLEMS
What does this
theory mean in
practice for an
individual
student?
The lived experience
of each student will
be different, but
following Healey’s
model we can
conceptualise a
range of ways of
experiencing
research-led
education.
Emphasis on research content: Maria’s experience
 Maria attends classes
where latest research in
the field is shared and
explored
 She selects option
modules to follow up on
individual areas of
specialist interest
 She discusses implications
of latest research for
limitations of knowledge
in her own subject area
Developing as a researcher: Carlo’s experience
 Carlo learns through
engaging in research-like
activities, as an individual
and in research ‘teams’
 He develops, practises and
evaluates a range of
research perspectives and
methodologies
 He develops specific
research techniques, with
associated practical,
academic and
employability skills
Research-rich moments: by level of delivery
University
-level
for example
• Prestigious
researchers as
speakers
• Interdisciplinary
initiatives such
as ‘Big
Dilemma’
• Researchrelated work
experience
opportunities
College &
subject level
for example
•College staff –
student research
conferences
•College/subject
peer-reviewed
journals
•Events/classes
where PGR/PGT
students working
with and inspire
UGs
Programme &
module level
Students
assessments
for example
for example
•Inspirational
engagement with
staff research
• Learning activities
which echo
research activities
•Stopping off
points for students
explicitly to reflect
on challenge of
creating new
knowledge and on
limitations of
current knowledge
•Research-skills
portfolios
•Projects (individual
gp) & dissertations
•Team-based
problem solving
tasks
•Conference-style
research abstracts,
peer review,
presentations and
symposia
Direct links with graduate attributes,
skills and employability
When students learn as junior
partners in their research
communities, they not only develop as
subject specialists, but also acquire a
spectrum of high level graduate and
employability skills, from problemsolving, teamwork and project
management to leadership, the
highest level communication skills and
digital literacies.
University
of Exeter
strengths
What are
we doing
well now?
What else is special at the University of Exeter?
• RESEARCH
COMMUNITIES
as evidenced by staff
awards
• STUDENTS AS
AGENTS OF
CHANGE
•UNIVERSITY-WIDE
INTERDISCIPLINARY
OPPORTUNITIES FOR
STUDENTS
• ‘ASPIRE’ STAFF
ACCREDITATION
SCHEME
Student opportunities which add value now
• UNIVERSITY-WIDE
INTERDISCIPLINARY
OPPORTUNITIES
•Big Dilemma initiative
•High profile researchers as
speakers
• STUDENTS AS AGENTS
OF CHANGE
• Student-led research-style
projects which impact both
students’ quality of
learning and their research
skills development
Highly regarded and qualified staff
• STAFF AWARDS
• Highlight best research
communities and most
inspiring use of research in
teaching enthusiastically
cited by students
ASPIRE
Cutting edge
research
seminars and
debates (e.g. in
Geography, Film,
Classics and
Ancient History)
+ Outreach
projects
(e.g. Physics)
Accrediting
Staff
Professionalism
In
Research-Led
Education
Teaching
which
sustains
focus on
research
• ‘ASPIRE’ STAFF
HEA ACCREDITATION
SCHEME
• Leading the field in our
staff development focus
on academic practice
and on research-led
education
Proposals for enhancement for 2012
Bringing together research and teaching staff
A Research-Led Education
Forum for bringing together
representative senior teaching
staff and researchers, along with
senior professional staff leading
on research-led education,
would enable us to capitalise
upon our strengths in this area.
Mapping and communicating research-rich
moments through the curriculum in all subjects
Key
Level 1
Programme/module
assessment
Level 2
Subject-wide
opportunity
Level 3
College-level activity
University-wide
activity
Research and the student journey
• Publicity
• Choice
Pre-arrival
Attracted
by research
Settling in
• Induction
• First formal
learning
experiences
First steps
in research
• Learning in class
• Learning
beyond and
between classes
Establishing
participation
Practising
research
Introducing University-wide, research-rich
experiences: ‘Meet Your Professor’
We can provide:
• A template for a research-led, small group
induction experience for first year students
• Student brief: to provide a communications
artefact (e.g. PowerPoint; leaflet; web page)
which introduces the work of a senior staff
researcher to a non-specialist audience
• Student task: involves meeting and questioning
their ‘professor,’ in small groups, to understand
his or her aims and activities as a researcher
Introducing University-wide, research-rich
experiences: ‘Grand Challenges’
• A range of issues or dilemmas would be
offered for study either within or between
Colleges. These would relate to cross cutting
University strategic research themes e.g.
sustainability; climate change.
• Teaching and learning approaches would be
interactive – possibly using enquiry based
learning methods – and there would be a
focus on developing and assessing graduate
level employability skills including digital
literacies.
Next steps include:
QUALITY
PROCESSES
COLLEGE
ACTIONS
MARKETING
Marketing campaign
(external & internal)
to characterise and
raise the profile of
the University of
Exeter’s research-aslearning USP
College-level
reviews to map
explicitly and
enhance researchrich moments for
students at all
levels, within and
beyond
programmes
Embed specific
quality indicators for
research-led
education into
evaluation reviews,
including Periodic
Subject Review
Reference
Healey, M. and Jenkins, A. (2006) ‘Strengthening the teaching-research
linkage in undergraduate courses and programs’ New Directions for
Teaching and Learning 2006: 43–53. Accessible online (18 03 11) at:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tl.244/abstract