Tracking the Integration of Research into Teaching

Tracking the Integration of Research into Teaching

John Hoddinott & Brad WuetherickUniversity of Alberta

Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

What is the Canadian Context?What is the Canadian Context?

• Canadian institutions have seen an incredible increase in the proportion of their revenue coming from sponsored research

• There has also been a tremendous increase in tuition fees charged for undergraduate programs

• There have been calls for increased accountability for the quality of undergraduate learning (from the public, students and faculty)

The University of Alberta ContextThe University of Alberta Context

• 29,000 undergraduate, 6000 postgraduate students, 1750 academic staff – 4th largest Canadian research university ($415 million in externally sponsored research revenue)

U of A Operating Revenue vs. Research Revenue

U of A Operating Revenue vs. Research Revenue

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

500,000

600,000

1979-80

1983-84

1987-88

1991-92

1995-96

1999-00

2003-04

OperatingDollarsResearchRevenue

The Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of AThe Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of A

Why did we get interested in the issue?• July 2001 - New VP (Research)

arrived and in process of familiarizing himself with campus asked Faculties to identify informally what they were doing to integrate teaching and research (focusing on undergraduate research opportunities)

The Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of AThe Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of A

• September 2003 - the VP (Research) and Dean of Graduate Studies decided to create the Research Makes Sense For Students initiative– Communication– Policy Development– Coordination of Research

The Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of AThe Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of A

• November 2003 - Alan Jenkins was brought to campus to conduct a focus group to discuss linking teaching and research

The Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of AThe Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of A

• December 2003 – created the Working Group on Teaching and Research– Brought together champions from

across campus to help with the initiative

– From the start engaged the academic staff association and two campus student associations

The Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of AThe Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of A

• Working Group submitted report – “Integrating Research and Teaching at the University of Alberta: Creating a Foundation for an Inquiry-Based Life”– Conceptualizing the Integration– Developing the Curriculum– Facilitating the Integration

The Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of AThe Integration of Teaching and Research at the U of A

• Conducted an environmental scan of campus, using the Associate Deans (Research) as our faculty contacts, to determine what was being done to integrate teaching and research– Boyer Commission (1998) and Jenkins

et al. (2003) as framework

Sydney Graduate AttributesSydney Graduate Attributes

• Research and Inquiry

• Information Literacy

• Personal and Intellectual Autonomy

• Ethical, Social and Professional Understanding

• Communication

Research and InquiryArts – U of S

Research and InquiryArts – U of S

• Graduates of the Faculty of Arts will be able to create new knowledge and understanding through the process of research and inquiry.

• possess a body of knowledge relevant to their fields of study, and a firm grasp of the principles, practices, and boundaries of their discipline;

• be able to acquire and evaluate new knowledge through independent research;

• be able to identify, define, investigate, and solve problems;

• think independently, analytically and creatively;

• exercise critical judgement and critical thinking to create new modes of understanding.

Research and InquiryArts – U of A

Research and InquiryArts – U of A

• All professors regularly bring their ongoing research interests and activity as well as their research results into the classroom. In addition, faculty members holding research grants (mostly from SSHRC, but sometimes from NSERC or CIHR) use their grants to hire students as research assistants. Most often those hired are graduate students, but undergraduates have had limited possibilities to work with researchers, especially during the summer.

Information LiteracyFine Arts - U of S

Information LiteracyFine Arts - U of S

• Graduates of the Sydney College of the Arts will be able to use information effectively in a range of contexts.

• be able to effectively source information and images within the framework of their research plan timeframe.

• be able to critically evaluate the quality and relevance of information and images that may support their creative work.

• have some understanding of the social and cultural issues relevant in the use of information and images for their research.

• be able to use, where appropriate, the latest contemporary media and technology so that information and images can be sourced, applied and documented appropriately for each project/art work.

Information Literacy(Fine) Arts - U of AInformation Literacy(Fine) Arts - U of A

• Data from Arts no Fine Arts references.

• (PHIL 365 and PHIL 366) employ lots of computer resources—MOOs and the like—and the PHIL 101 supersection has students writing journals, engaging in discussions, etc., as well as getting course materials from web pages.

Personal and Intellectual AutonomyMusic – U of S

Personal and Intellectual AutonomyMusic – U of S

• Graduates of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music will be able to work independently and sustainably, in a way that is informed by openness, curiosity and a desire to meet new challenges.

• be intellectually curious and able to sustain intellectual interest

• be capable of rigorous and independent thinking • be open to new ideas, methods and ways of

thinking • be able to respond effectively to unfamiliar

problems in unfamiliar contexts • be able to identify processes and strategies to

learn and meet new challenges in scholarly work, composition, teaching and performance

• be independent learners who take responsibility for their own learning

• recognise and be able to undertake lifelong learning through reflection, self-evaluation and self-improvement

• have a personal vision and goals and be able to work towards these in a sustainable way by establishing good work practices in music scholarship, composition, teaching and performance

Personal and Intellectual Autonomy(Arts) Music – U of A

Personal and Intellectual Autonomy(Arts) Music – U of A

• No references in any Arts Faculty material

Ethical, Social and Professional Understanding: Business – U of SEthical, Social and Professional

Understanding: Business – U of S

• Graduates of the Faculty of Economics and Business will hold personal values and beliefs consistent with their role as responsible members of local, national, international and professional communities

• Display a deep respect for others and integrity in all aspects of their personal, professional and life as a global citizen.

• Identify the ethical issues in business, government and society in relation to personal and professional contexts.

• Demonstrate the capacity to deal with ethical issues in their personal and professional lives.

• Work with people from diverse backgrounds with inclusiveness, open-mindedness and integrity.

• Demonstrate an ability to participate in a broad range of complex and changing social, political and economic contexts.

Ethical, Social and Professional Understanding: Business – U of AEthical, Social and Professional

Understanding: Business – U of A

• ACCTG 311 Students do financial analyses of listed companies and write papers on controversial issues such as business ethics

• in BUS 201 (a second-year course with an enrolment of 400+), students are asked to prepare a business plan in groups

CommunicationScience – U of SCommunicationScience – U of S

• Graduates of the Faculty of Science will recognise and value communication as a tool for negotiating and creating new understanding, interacting with others, and furthering their own learning.

• An ability to explain and present ideas to different groups of people in plain English.

• An ability to write effectively in a range of contexts and for a variety of different audiences and purposes.

• An understanding of the effect and use of symbolic and non-verbal communication, such as body language, facial expression, pictures, icons and symbols.

• An ability to present and interpret data or other scientific information using graphs, tables, figures and symbols.

• An understanding of group dynamics and an ability to work as a member of a team, and to take individual responsibility within the group for developing and achieving group goals.

• An ability to take a leadership role in successfully influencing the activities of a group towards a common goal.

• An ability to actively seek, identify and create effective contacts with others in a professional and social context, and maintain those contacts for mutual benefit.

CommunicationScience – U of ACommunicationScience – U of A

• (Research) course involves research experience with a faculty member and requires approximately 8 hours/week. It is taken in the final year of the program. In addition, this research course involves a written report and a final oral presentation that is given to an audience of undergraduate students, graduate students and academic staff. Instruction is given to the students to help them prepare for the oral presentation.

• A number of upper level undergraduate courses involve a component in which reports are written or oral presentations are made based on a review of the chemical literature.

Institutional ContextsInstitutional Contexts

• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

• University of Sydney (PIPPI)

– Philosophy

– Institution-wide

– Power

– Performance

– Incentives

More InformationMore Information

More information about the integration of teaching and research at the

U of A can be found at:

http://www.ualberta.ca/researchandstudents

John: john.hoddinott@ualberta.caBrad: brad.wuetherick@ualberta.ca