Principles of integrating research
knowledge into teaching: a
knowledge transfer perspective
Dilanthi Amaratunga & Sepani Senaratne
Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment
The University of Salford
13th September 2006
BEECON 2006
Background

Why do we need to explore strategies
to transfer research into teaching?




Changes in higher education system
Evidence that research is inadequately fed
into teaching
Absence of an automatic link
Need to enhance student learning and
research skills
Background to research on
R&T Link

Quantitative approaches Vs. Qualitative
approaches

Quantitative approaches have proved there is
very little or no correlation (e.g. Hattie & Marsh,
1996)

Qualitative approaches - depict a strong belief
in the existence of a symbolic relationship (e.g.
Robertson and Bond, 2001), but fails to diagnose an
explicit relationship between R&T
Presentation Outline




Research objectives
Research Methodology
Literature and Case Study Findings
Generic Principles
Research Objectives-1

Phase I:



Review existing state of the art literature
on transferring mechanisms of research
knowledge into teaching
Identify gaps between the current practice
and future requirements
Develop a framework including guidelines
to transfer research knowledge into
teaching for Built Environment (BE)
discipline
Research Objectives-2

Phase II:




Testing and validation of the framework
(BE perspective)
An in-depth literature review beyond BE
Application of the framework in other
disciplines
Identification and development of generic
principles to enable effective transfer of
research knowledge into teaching practices
across a wider community
Phase I - Work Plan
Literature Review
WP1
Exploratory Case
Study
WP2
Generic model
development
WP3
Validation
WP4
Phase II - Work Plan
Final Report
Literature update
WP2
Dissemination
Workshop
Conference &
workshop feedback
Interview sample
selection
ILTHE conference
2004
Case Studies
- Stage 01
SCPM’s L&T week
2004
Salford L&T
conference 2004
Other updates
WP1
Validated model &
guidelines for BE
Case Studies
- Stage 02
WP3
Stage 01 - Data
Analysis
Stage 02- Data
Analysis
Development of
generic ‘principles’
& process maps
WP4
Conferences
(ILTHE 05 &
Cobra 05)
Journal papers
Dissemination
in networks
(CEBE, L&T)
WP5
Policy Issues - 1

Separation of quality assessments
mechanisms for research and teaching


RAE, TQA
Inequitable Funding Mechanisms


Research being more rewarding?
More focus on research, as it leads to
career advancements
Policy Issues - 2

Changes in Higher Education



Focus on Learning - Dearing report (1997)
HEA (formally ILTHE) – improve teacher's
standards
LTSN Network - to disseminate best
teaching practice
R&T Relationship-1

Different types (Badley, 2002)
Research-only
institutions
Research as a
generator of
uncertainty
Research as a
scholarship
Research
interact with
teaching
Teaching-only
institutions
Marital relationship
Female
partner
Holy alliance
Scholarly relationship
A really useful link
Teaching as a
way to address
uncertainty
Teaching as a
scholarship
Teaching interact
with research
Teaching
Research
Male
partner
Impending divorce
R into T as a knowledge transfer
process - 1



R&T link as a knowledge transfer process - Initiating the
R&T link in a department and feeding research
knowledge into teaching is insufficient; the transfer
needs to ensure that such knowledge is absorbed and
used by students after a transmission
KT factors - Absorptive capacity, Strength of tie, Causal
ambiguity, Reliability of source, Motivation,
Organisational context
For an effective transfer and learning, providing students
with learning opportunities is insufficient; it is equally
important to evaluate student learning
Knowledge Transfer & Learning-2


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In the knowledge society research and
teaching are no more separable activities
The impact of the knowledge society has
been to make research and teaching even
more transgressive (Scott, 2004).
Research and teaching are seen as activities
where individuals and groups negotiate
meanings and build knowledge within a social
context (Brew, 2003)
Phase II - Work Plan
Final Report
Literature update
WP2
Dissemination
Workshop
Conference &
workshop feedback
Interview sample
selection
ILTHE conference
2004
Case Studies
- Stage 01
SCPM’s L&T week
2004
Salford L&T
conference 2004
Other updates
WP1
Validated model &
guidelines for BE
Case Studies
- Stage 02
WP3
Stage 01 - Data
Analysis
Stage 02- Data
Analysis
Development of
generic ‘principles’
& process maps
WP4
Conferences
(ILTHE 05 &
Cobra 05)
Journal papers
Dissemination
in networks
(CEBE, L&T)
WP5
Key Issues-1

Formal processes vs. informal processes

“the ideal situation is to transfer research
indirectly to teaching. I believe that people who
do research are better at teaching. Academics
need to be practitioners as well as teachers.”

However,“it is practically difficult for lecturers to
be on the cutting edge of research on every
subject that they lecture due to the diversification
of subjects.”
Key Issues-2

What aspect of research that needs to be
transferred

“it is not necessarily about gaining research

“what is more important is to teach students the
knowledge but more importantly gaining skills like
critical thinking… If you give research knowledge
it just give them a list of answers. But, research
skills will facilitate students’ thinking process.”
research process i.e. how to do research.
Research results could be used as a vehicle.”
Key Issues-3

Matching teaching modules with staff
research


“it is often difficult to have an exact match
between the actual real world research and the
teaching module objectives.”
“research what we are doing is not directly
relevant to teaching programmes. Most of staff
here is researching on social science aspects. The
teaching programmes are aimed at technological
subjects …”
Key Issues-4

Transfer at different levels and students
groups

“broadly, research expertise should increase with

“part-time students expect practical knowledge
more than research knowledge.”

the level of studies.”
“some students are struggling to find a strong link
between their objective of getting a marketable
degree and the introduction of cutting-edge
research to the curriculum.”
Key Issues-5

Influence from quality assessment
mechanisms

“TQA considers research-informed teaching.”

“organising teaching around research is easier.
RAE does not hinder this activity.”

However, “RAE has made academics to mainly
focus on research output, i.e publications. What is
needed is staff to undertake good research and
disseminate their knowledge to society in a
broader sense.”
Key Barriers-1

In teaching-biased departments

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Absence of a research culture
Less funding and support
In research-biased departments

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High workload, time restrictions and
resource limitations
Less motivation and financial incentives to
do teaching
Key Barriers-2

Less interaction and the division between
research-active staff and teaching-only staff


“research staff do not have opportunities to work
with others and discuss and disseminate their
research.”
Student motivation and participation

“student motivation is a barrier to a degree. It is
difficult to get good participation of students for
certain subject modules.”
Key Enablers-1
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Mission statement

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“our school strategy is geared to enhance
research-informed teaching. It is central in our
mission and a core part of what we do.”
Research strength and staff motivation
External links with professional bodies
Opportunity to use students in labourintensive research
Interdisciplinary working
Key Suggestions-1

Creating a cultural change

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“I do not think that RtoT transfer should always
take place by researchers going into students’
classroom to teach. Students should be provided
with access and awareness of current research
through effective dissemination.”
“research-active staff members and researchinactive staff members team together to deliver
undergraduate and postgraduate modules.”
Key Suggestions-2

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University level drivers
Using research staff effectively in teaching
activities
Create a balance between teaching and
research
Departmental support, in terms of resources
allocation, changing policies, valuing teaching
and changing recruitment policies
Principles of RtoT Transfer-1

Principle one
Academics need to be effectively research-active so their
teaching will be naturally research-informed.

Principle two
Academics need to consider effective teaching methods
such as student-focused teaching; and, stimulate
students’ critical thinking by providing them with research
training and knowledge.

Principle three
Academic departments need to appropriately balance an
academic’s research and teaching workloads so that
experienced research-active staff are engaged in
teaching across all levels.
Principles of RtoT Transfer-2

Principle four
Academic departments should consider formal
processes to transfer research into teaching to stimulate
research-informed teaching. Guidelines are developed to
aid such a formal process (see Generic guidelines,
2005).

Principle five
Following such a formal transfer process, academic
departments should maintain and evaluate its success;
especially student-learning followed by such a transfer.
Principles of RtoT Transfer-3

Principle six
Research into teaching should not be a separate
process; it should take place everywhere across a
department so that it is built into the culture of that
department with an appropriate balance between formal
and informal processes.

Principle seven
At a broader level, the university should create an
academic community of practice where academic
departments, disciplines and, a university as a whole or
networks of professionals interact through face-to-face
settings to disseminate research knowledge to a wider
community.
Principles of integrating research
knowledge into teaching: a
knowledge transfer perspective
Dilanthi Amaratunga & Sepani Senaratne
Research Institute for the Built and Human Environment
The University of Salford
13th September 2006
BEECON 2006