Realizing the Vision Humboldtian: Supporting Undergraduate Research for All Students in All Disciplines

“… universities should treat learning as not yet wholly solved problems and hence always in research mode”(Humboldt, 1810 )

Please • Sit in groups of 3-4 ….• Ensure you have session handout from your

conference pack

Discuss whether Humboldt’s vision is what should and could be ‘delivered’ for all undergraduate students in all disciplines in ( German ) higher education. For the moment these discussions are private!

Alan Jenkins; Professor Emeritus Oxford Brookes UK; Consultant UK H.E. Academy

and QAA Scotland

• Teacher and to an extent a researcher of (Human) Geography and Contemporary China studies • Founding editor of the Journal of Geography in

Higher Education • Then moved into educational development and

developed interests in generic and discipline based educational development

• Research and policy interests in teaching /discipline research relations and in adapting US style ‘undergraduate research’ to other national contexts

Materials to support this session

Plenary session full handout –39 pages on Conference web site Power points for this session and linked workshop on conference web site Range of publications at http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/research/cetl/ugresearch/ http://resources.glos.ac.uk/ceal/resources/casestudiesactivelearning/undergraduate/index.cfmThese are publicly available for you to use …Myself and Mick Healey like travelling !

Available from the HE Academy http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/rtnexus.htm

Session structure

1 Setting the scene2 Exploring your views 3 Different ways of integrating teaching and

research4 Analysing a Case Study 5 What is undergraduate research?6 Case studies of mainstreaming undergraduate

research and inquiry 7 Conclusion: your perspectives 8 Issues of curriculum design and coherence9 Conclusion: my perspectives

Three Key Perspectives

• Universities should treat learning as not yet wholly solved problems and hence always in research mode.” Wilhelm von Humboldt on the future University of Berlin (1810, cited by Elton, 2005, 110)

• “In constructing links between research and teaching the discipline is an important mediator.” Healey (2005, 67)

• "..The research universities have often failed, and continue to fail their undergraduate populations, thousands of students graduate without seeing the world - famous professors or tasting genuine research." Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University (2003,3)

Undergraduate research and inquiry: line-up

‘Undergraduate research should be for ALL undergraduates’

Strongly ------------------------------ Strongly

Agree Disagree

Undergraduate research and inquiry: line-up

“It would be easy to ‘mainstream’ undergraduate research and inquiry for all students in all disciplines in my institution”

Strongly ------------------------------ Strongly

Agree Disagree

What is meant by linking teaching and research?

The University’s account argues strongly for the continuing and crucial value of the link between teaching and research … In practice …the audit team found that there was very little systematic reflection within the University about just what was meant by the claimed interdependence of research and teaching.” Higher Education Quality Council (1997: 3) Audit of Exeter University.(emphasis added)

Different ways of linking teaching and research

• Learning about others’ research

• Learning to do research – research methods

• Learning in research mode – enquiry based

• Pedagogic research – enquiring and reflecting on learning

STUDENTS AS PARTICIPANTS

EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH CONTENT

EMPHASIS ON RESEARCH PROCESSES AND PROBLEMS

STUDENTS AS AUDIENCE

Research-tutored Research-based

Research-led Research-oriented

The nature of undergraduate research and inquiry

Introducing students to staff research: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College, London • In January of their first year mechanical engineering

students were divided into 10-15 groups of 4-5 students• Each group was given an engineering ‘artefact’ e.g. a

safety razor; the bottom frame of a bicycle…. In the next few weeks groups could knock on the doors of any of the department’s research groups and ask questions around the issue of ‘what research are you doing that might effect how this artefact will look like and function in c.5 years time?’

• Later all student groups presented a poster which provided a summary of their findings

• The poster session was held in large public space in the department with some 700 attending; academic staff, support staff, postgraduates and first year and other students

Analysing a Case Study: Three questions

1. Use that framework to decide what form of undergraduate research /inquiry is apparent there ? Are students in research-based or research-led mode …? Are they participants or an audience for faculty research?

2. Think organisationally-what has the (head of) department done to set up this activity?

3. How transferable would this be to other disciplines?

Geography at UCL London: Note the similarities and differences with Imperial

• All year one students do an assignment in term one, in which students interview a member of staff about their research.

• Each first year tutorial group is allocated a member of staff who is not their tutor.

• Tutorial groups are given three pieces of writing by the member of staff along with a copy of their CV and arrange a date for the interview.

• Before the interview students read these materials and develop an interview schedule.

• On the basis of their reading and the interview, each student writes a 1,500 word report on a) the objectives of the interviewee's research….c) how the interviewee's research relates to his or her teaching, other interests and geography as a whole (emphasis added).

What is undergraduate research and inquiry?

“An inquiry or investigation conducted by an undergraduate student that makes an original intellectual or creative contribution to the discipline”

Council for Undergraduate Research

Adopts a broad definition of the undergraduate as researcher to describe student engagement at all levels in research and inquiry into disciplinary, professional and community-based problems and issues

University of Gloucestershire

“Programmes that support undergraduate research should: – Encourage and enable students to learn in ways that parallel or

reflect the ways faculty/staff themselves research/learn in their discipline/professional area.

Jenkins 2008

Our argument: a ‘research active curriculum’All undergraduate students in all higher education institutions should experience learning through, and about, research and inquiry.

We argue, as does much recent US experience, that such curricular experience should and can be mainstreamed for all or many students through a research-active curriculum. We argue that this can be achieved through structured interventions at course team, departmental, institutional and national levels. ( Healey and Jenkins, 2009, 3)

Why value undergraduate research in the ‘mainstream’ undergraduate curriculum

“For the students who are the professionals of the future, developing the ability to investigate problems, make judgments on the basis of sound evidence, take decisions on a rational basis, and understand what they are doing and why is vital. Research and inquiry is not just for those who choose to pursue an academic career. It is central to professional life in the twenty-first century.”

Brew (2007, 7)

Analysing Case Studies

In your groups analyse one or more of the case studies in the conference handout.

To what extent does the case study demonstrate that undergraduates can learn through doing research?

To what extent does the way students learn in the case study ‘parallel ’ how faculty research in that discipline? To what extent would key features of the case study be transferable to other disciplines?

There will be no plenary discussion. You have till ….

Mainstreaming undergraduate research and inquiry: your conclusionsWhat conclusions / observations do YOU now make about the view that all undergraduate students should:

“experience the process of artistic and scientific productivity” (Hattie and Marsh, 1966, 544)

and in particular that this should be achieved by ‘mainstreaming’ undergraduate research and inquiry

YOUR observations are …

The Experience of QAA Scotland

National Quality Assurance intervention re teaching /research linkages in disciplines and institutions http://www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/

“While there are wide ranging innovative examples of practice and policy in all institutions, much of this is implicit and not systematically developed or supported….

While the evidence was strong of effective examples of practice at final year level (e.g . some form of research project), institutions / departments / schools need to ensure that these research attributes are developed systematically through programmes from year one in a structured manner.” (Jenkins 2009)

Course team and department strategies • Review understanding and practice of

undergraduate research and inquiry • Develop a set of related curricula interventions

starting in year one • Give students experience of undertaking research

and inquiry with different levels of independence• Link undergraduate research and inquiry to

student employability • Ensure assessment practices and policies support

students as researchers • Include all and be selective

Mainstreaming undergraduate research and inquiry: My Conclusions• Getting students to learn through doing research is a powerful way to re-link teaching and research for all students

• Adopting a broader definition of undergraduate research than is currently common is a way forward which should benefit the learning of students in institutions with a range of different missions

• For some people though this may dilute what is undergraduate research

• Key institutional challenges include introducing inquiry / research in year one; balancing opportunities for all and for selected students; and ensuring a structured research experience through all undergraduate programmes. Could Bologna help that process?

• Institutional and national research policies could more effectively support undergraduate research and inquiry

Four web sites Adapting US undergraduate research to the UK and other international contexts www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/sociology/research/cetl/ugresearch/

Leading, promoting and supporting undergraduate research in new universities (England) http://resources.glos.ac.uk/tli/prsi/current/ugresearch/index.cfm

Council for Undergraduate Research (North America) www.cur.org

Academy web site on Research and Teaching http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/ourwork/research/teaching