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Teaching in the context of research
Dr. Ian Stansfield
School of Medical Sciences
Definitions; what is research-led teaching?
1. Teaching by individuals who are exponents of a given subject; teaching by active
researchers
2. Teaching that engenders an understanding of how knowledge and understanding are
derived
3. The involvement of students directly in deriving new knowledge and understanding;
teaching students through their supervised involvement in research activity
Benefits and outcomes
The transition that every student makes from education at school to education at a research-led
University is marked by a paradigm shift in that student’s appreciation of what constitutes
knowledge and understanding. Knowledge for a school student is a resource presented in
immutable form either in a textbook or in the form of their classroom teacher. In contrast, through
study in a research environment, students increasingly gain acquire an appreciation of how
knowledge is derived, and through this process, of the fluid nature of what is latest knowledge.
When students learn in a research environment, their approach to the boundary of what is known
will be marked in the most able students by increasing appreciation of the uncertainty inherent in
the latest ideas and hypotheses.
The advantage conferred by learning in such an environment is firstly the respect engendered for
the endeavour of research. More importantly, students begin to acquire the intellectual ability to
challenge accepted wisdom, begin to question knowledge and understanding at increasing
distances back from that leading edge of advancing knowledge. This process of questioning of
hypotheses and testing of ideas represents the essence of the research process. This occurs in
stages; firstly there is the appreciation of how information is derived, then the understanding of the
discovery process, and finally the excitement of participating in discovery itself, which the best
students will take full advantage of.
Not only is the student discovering things for themselves, participating in the addition to human
knowledge, but for the first time in their University careers, they have that opportunity to donate to
human knowledge, rather than be just recipients in the academic process; that switch in role, from
audience member to generator of knowledge, the feeling that they can work as a component of a
research process, to add to what is known and potentially what is taught, is a profound experience
for the best of students. The process reinforces, like no other teaching experience, that the
contribution they may or not make at University lies in their own hands; those who can rise to that
challenge can reap a tremendous educational reward. All these benefits recommend teaching in
the context of research. Only a full appreciation of the process by which knowledge and
understanding is accrued allows its true value to be gauged by the student.
Mechanisms of teaching in a research context
Teaching in a research context should achieve the aims of introducing students in a staged
process to research; (a) Gaining an appreciation of how information is derived (b) understanding of
the discovery process, and the rigorous examination and oversight of new knowledge (c) active
participation in research
Some examples of current practice in Sch. Medical Science degrees are provided overleaf.
ResGrp 021
1. At Levels 1 and 2
(i) Levels 1 and 2; teaching requires students to synthesise reviews of current understanding in a
a given subject area, through surveys of research review literature and other reliable sources of
scientific understanding; understanding of the nature of conflicting information.
(ii) Level 2; teaching introduces students to the concept of the literature, and begins to introduce
literature reviews as a source of information
(iii) Level 2; practical-based teaching for science students can incorporate elements of
experimental design and hypothesis testing
2. At Levels 3 and 4
(i)
Level 3; teaching can increasingly make use of literature reviews and some primary literature
(ii) Level 3; practical-based teaching for science students can incorporate elements of
experimental design and hypothesis testing
(iii) Levels 3 and 4; consideration of research paradoxes and controversies; students presented
with examples of conflicting research findings or ideas, as subjects for debate and discussion.
(iv) Levels 3 and 4; continuous assessments are rewarded for demonstrating appreciation for how
information is derived, encouraging resort to the primary literature for information in
preparation of assessed work.
(v) Level 4; teaching solely using the primary literature; no text books used
(vi) Level 4; detailed consideration of the primary literature within a given subject area in tutorial
settings; students can be asked to consider the different methodologies, approaches and
conclusions exemplified in a group of five, linked research papers.
(vii) Level 4; active involvement of students in an assessed research project; project constitutes
‘real’ research seeking to answer novel questions; project assessment by thesis, and by a viva
examination involving detailed questioning by an academic panel, testing contributions to new
knowledge.
(viii) Level 4; involvement of students in a review/referee process on published material;
assessment of review output.
(ix) Level 4; tutored reading of the primary literature, and preparation for an examination involving
reading and understanding of an unseen piece of primary literature under exam conditions;
testing of that understanding.
3. The role of industrial placements and internships
Considerable untapped potential exists, particularly with undergraduate science programmes, to
expose students to research environments other that the academic one. Students in between
levels 3 and 4 can be placed for one year in an industrial setting in which research is being actively
conducted. In this way, students gain not only by seeing research conducted in a real world
situation, but through receiving research-training from practitioners whose expertise is driven by
the testing conditions of a commercial environment.