Engaging students in
research and enquiry at
the edge of knowledge
Connected
Curriculum
A distinctive
approach to
research-based
education
ConnectedCurriculum@ucl.ac.uk
@UCLConnectedC
www.ucl.ac.uk/connectedcurriculum
“At University College
London, our top strategic
priority for the next 20
years is to close the divide
between teaching and
research. We want to
integrate research into
every stage of an
undergraduate degree,
moving from research-led
to research-based teaching.”
UCL President and Provost, Professor Michael Arthur
Enhancing education
through participation in
research and enquiry
Connected Curriculum is an institution-wide initiative
which aims to ensure that all UCL students are able
to learn through participating in research and enquiry
at all levels of their programme of study. It’s about:
• Educating through dialogue and active, critical enquiry
• Creating an inclusive research and learning community
• Making connections across modules, programmes
and beyond the classroom
• Creating assessments that mirror ‘public engagement’
in research
• Equipping students to address interdisciplinary challenges
• Exploring critically the values and practices of
global citizenship
• Engaging students as partners in their education, and as
co-producers of knowledge, improving the experiences
of both students and staff
Connected Curriculum is a way of framing and
developing the future of education at UCL in line with
the UCL 2034 strategy.
Thinking about the nature and practice of research
The term ‘research’ signifies very different kinds of activity in
different subject fields. The Connected Curriculum initiative
encourages individuals and teams within each discipline to
think deeply about the nature and practices of their own
research, and to invite students at all levels to learn through
engaging in some of those distinctive practices.
It also promotes interdisciplinary questions and challenges,
encouraging both staff and students to question critically
the nature of evidence and knowledge production across
different subject fields in our digitally mediated world.
Improving the experience for both students and staff
Through engaging in research and enquiry, through taking
students to the edge of knowledge, and through changing
the nature of the dialogue between staff and students,
UCL will offer a rich and rewarding education experience.
Students will be better equipped with a range of essential
skills needed for an unknown future; they will be more
engaged with their learning, and will be more autonomous
thinkers. This will also improve the staff experience, enabling
inspirational dialogue. Connected Curriculum, in parallel
with UCL Arena, will encourage staff to think about their
educational provision and also enhance their professional
standing, which will be valuable in promotion.
Image credits
Bartlett year 1 students in B-made workshop; Stonehouse Photographic
A Black History Month Event at the Petrie Museum, October 2014
Students
connect with
staff and their
world-leading
research
Co
n
Students
connect with
each other,
across phases
and with alumni
C
cted urricu
ne
A throughline
of research
activity is
built into each
programme
Students learn to
produce outputs
– assessments
directed at an
audience
lum
Learning
through
research &
enquiry
Fu
ng 2015
Students make
connections
across subjects
and out to the
world
Students
connect
academic
learning with
workplace
learning
UCL’s Connected
Curriculum framework
The core principle is learning through research
and enquiry. This flexible framework, and its six
dimensions, is designed to inspire programme
teams to enhance the connections across years
of study, between staff and students, and even
between disciplines.
The six dimensions of the framework
01 Students connect with staff at UCL and have an
opportunity to learn about ongoing research. They may
investigate the work of one or more academics in more
detail, for example through the small-group induction
activity, ‘Meet Your Researcher’. Personal Tutors provide
support and guidance by taking an overview of students’
progress and may have an advisory role with researchbased activities.
02 Students experience a connected sequence of
learning activities that help them, step by step, to become
more able to undertake research. In the final part of
their programme, students undertake an independent
‘capstone’ research project appropriate for the subject.
Programmes can even build in a ‘vertical’ module that
runs from the beginning to the end, across years, which
allows for more fluidity in learning and assessment in that
connected core.
03 Students have opportunities to make conceptual
connections between their own subject and other
disciplines. They can elect at some stage to study with
students and staff from outside their main subject field and,
in line with UCL’s commitment to making an impact for
good in the world, explore concepts of global citizenship.
This may be through UCL’s Global Citizenship programme.
04 Programmes give students the chance to connect
academic learning with wider learning and skills; for example,
teamwork, project management, creativity, enterprise and
leadership. Students become increasingly aware that they are
developing a rich range of understandings, skills, values and
attributes to take into their professional lives, and are able to
articulate these.
05 Students are aware of and can connect with external
audiences through opportunities to produce assessment
‘outputs’, for example journal articles, blogs, presentations,
exhibitions or videos. These assessments will communicate
students’ new learning with those beyond UCL and, where
possible, make an impact on local and even international
audiences.
06 Students often value greatly a sense of belonging, of
being part of a learning community. This sense of community
can be enhanced in a number of ways: through team-based
activities or group projects; through small group tutorials
led by an academic tutor or Personal Tutor; and through
engaging with one another across phases of study and with
alumni, for example through peer mentoring.
Using the framework flexibly to inspire and
share good curriculum design
The Connected Curriculum framework is designed to be
applied flexibly by departments and faculties. Good practice
from across UCL will be published through the UCL Teaching
& Learning Portal to inspire others. Quality Assurance
processes, including Internal Quality Reviews, will ask
departments to describe their developments in curriculum
design, specifically by showing how modules and
programmes map onto Connected Curriculum.
The Connected Curriculum
will ensure UCL is a global
leader in the integration
of research and education,
underpinning an inspirational
student experience.
Get involved,
share and inspire
The success of Connected Curriculum relies on the whole
UCL community, staff, students and alumni, getting involved
– embracing the key dimensions of curriculum design, and
inspiring each other with good practice. The core team,
which includes Connected Curriculum Fellows seconded
from across UCL, is leading the activities and setting up
regular events through UCL Arena for debate and discussion,
as well as sharing inspirational practice.
Find out more about UCL Arena by visiting
www.ucl.ac.uk/arena
Visit the Teaching & Learning Portal
www.ucl.ac.uk/teaching-learning
Register to be a Connected Curriculum Partner
Consider getting involved by subscribing to the
Connected Curriculum Partners’ email list.
Research into Connected Curriculum
We are taking the opportunity to study the effects of
developing a research-based curriculum. Please contact us if
you would like to get involved, whether as a researcher or as
a participant in the study.
Students as Partners
The UCL ChangeMakers initiative provides additional
opportunities and funding for staff and students to work
together on the ideas, issues and projects that are important
to them.
Find out more about UCL ChangeMakers by visiting
www.ucl.ac.uk/changemakers
Join a working group
A number of working groups – which report to a Connected
Curriculum development group and a steering group – have
been set up to allow the discussion and development of
themed areas, such as assessment, digital infrastructure
and quality review. This allows a large institution-wide
strategy to become a shared endeavour.
Find out more and get in touch
UCL is committed to developing a Connected Curriculum
and inspiring students through research-based education.
For more information, including details about the working
groups as well as Frequently Asked Questions, visit
www.ucl.ac.uk/connectedcurriculum
The Connected Curriculum team is available to answer
enquiries and to offer assistance developing courses and
programmes. Please email
ConnectedCurriculum@ucl.ac.uk
To cite this brochure
Fung, Dilly (2015). UCL Connected Curriculum: A
distinctive approach to research-based education.
University College London, UK. Available online:
www.ucl.ac.uk/connectedcurriculum