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Meeting the aspirations of teachers and researchers: the role of the Library 25 June 2019
Caroline Thomas
Director,
Library and Learning Support Services
Introduction
(Supporting teaching and research at the University of Surrey)
» The University of Surrey:
• context and identity
• key strategies
» Aspirations of our ‘teachers’ and for ‘education’
• and the role of the Library
» Aspirations of researchers
• and the role of the Library
» Supporting research-informed teaching
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University profile
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University
of
Surrey
founded
1968 13,289FT and PT
UG
Students2,526 PG T
Students
1,027Research
Active
Staff£44.8m Research
Income45REF
201426
Guardian
League
2020
PG R
Students 1,085
University profile - benchmarking
Our research-focussed aspirations
» Bath
» Birmingham
» Bristol
» Exeter
» Lancaster
» Nottingham
» Southampton
» Warwick
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Our teaching-focussed aspirations
» Aberdeen
» Dundee
» Kent
» Lancaster
» Leicester
» Loughborough
» St Andrews
REF / TEF and institutional identity
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» WonkHE analysis of comparative performance
» University of Surrey sits in the top, right quadrant representing high performance in both the REF (2014) and the TEF (2017)
A ‘dual intensive’ institution
Challenges
» Strategic balancing• of aspirations for ‘teaching and learning’ with
those for ‘research’• maintaining performance
» Funding • supporting / cross subsidising the infrastructure• priorities for investment
» Meeting expectations / achieving satisfaction • teachers • students • researchers
» Institutional identity• marketing • culture
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Opportunities / benefits
» Access to a significant resource base
» Access to external collaborative partners placements
» A research-rich teaching and learning environment
• research-led or research-informed teaching
• research-rich curriculum
» Institutional confidence and self-belief
The UoS Research and Innovation Strategy
» Our ambition:
• to become a leading global university performing impactful research and innovation, graduating excellent researchers, and achieving outcomes which make important contributions to society
» Strategic Goals:
• enhance our research excellence and grow our overall
• increase and enhance the research infrastructure and make support services more researcher-centric
• grow our PGR, postdoc. and ECR community
• contribute greater economic, environmental, health and social benefit to society through enhancing our impact and innovation.
» Top-level measures of success:
• 5 years:
• reach a top 20 position in Research Excellence Framework (REF)
• reach a top five position in our cluster in the forthcoming Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF)
• be in the top 200 in international league tables such as QS, THE or ARWU.
• 10 years:
• reach a top 15 position in appropriate national league tables
• be in the top 100 position in global league tables such as QS, THE or ARWU#universityofsurrey 7
The UoS Education Strategy:
» A mission: to provide talented and motivated students from all backgrounds, and of all nationalities, with an
outstanding education. We draw on our excellent research and partnerships to equip students with the knowledge ,
professional skills and personal qualities to achieve their ambitions.
» An educational vision: that will create the conditions for our students at every level of study and from all
backgrounds, to:
• draw inspiration from, and contribute to, our culturally diverse and dynamic academic community
• gain the excellent critical, analytic, creative, digital, and practical capabilities
• develop the personal attributes which will equip them for personally fulfilling lives and sustainable careers.
» A learning environment: that is student-centred, with an emphasis on practice-based learning
» A research rich curriculum: that provides opportunities for students to:
• engage with research as a process across the length of the programme
• engage with the products of research
• experience research approaches typical of the discipline
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The LLSS mission
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» Engaging with our physical, virtual and scholarly services, the Surrey community is empowered to discover, critique, create and share knowledge.
» Through access to inspirational spaces, sector-leading resources and inclusive approaches to academic and personal development, we enable all to achieve their potential.
Aspirations of researchers (1):
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Discovery and critique:
» immediate discovery of, and access to, all relevant resources
» to keep up to date with all publications in their field
» support for literature / systematic reviews
Creating and sharing: (scholarly activity)
» dealing with publishers (and their licences)
» navigating the ‘open access’ landscape
» promoting and maximising the impact of their research outcomes
» accessing the “bibliometrics” associated with their work
» developing a single researcher identity (ORCID)
» storing, managing and preserving their data
» locating other researchers working in the fieldhttps://researchdata.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2015/01/09/research-data-
spring-a-few-more-days
Aspirations of researchers (2)
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Our approach:
» Processes, systems and tools – that make the researcher’s life easier:
• easily available advice
• mediated services where possible
• OA deposit and RDM
• provision of a single core infrastructure
• minimal bureaucracy e.g. minimal form filling
• seamless interfacing between systems
• single sign on
• automated cascading of data / outputs (e.g. ResearchFish’, UoS Web-profiles)
• self-access to bibliometrics and collaboration tools
Aspirations of lecturers / teachers
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Discover:
» reading list systems that are easy for them to use
» guarantees that students will have access to materials
» opportunities for students to read beyond ….
» access to a variety of content platforms/providers (!)
» access to primary source and research collections
» exciting and creative learning opportunities
Critique:
» support for the development of academic and research skills (analysis,
evaluation, critical thinking)
» support for the development of digital skills
» support for the adoption of inclusive approaches to teaching and learning
But also:
» data on levels of student engagement and understanding
Aspirations of students
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Discover:
» easy, and guaranteed, access to all resources (content) needed
• downloadable, PDTs
» efficient direction to other sources via
• reading list systems
• recommendation services (bX)
» simple to use referencing tools (avoid Plagiarism)
» integrated online / physical learning experience
Critique:
» development of academic and research skills
• curriculum-embedded activities
• archival / primary source activities
• PGR / UG mentoring schemes
Aspirations of students
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Create:
» spaces that are inspiring and inviting and that foster creativity
Share (and contribute):
» be actively involved with collection / content development
• Guest Curator programme / Decolonisation Project
» to work in partnership
• inform the content of ‘development programmes’ (STAR)
• peer-mentoring activities (PAWS)
» as researchers to disseminate their own research
• Surrey Undergraduate Research Journal
Students need us to:
» be accessible, approachable and to listen
» develop efficient, and engaging, virtual systems.
Experiences of the relationship between research and teaching
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A. Research and teaching are mutually incompatible activities
B. Little or no connection between research and teaching at undergraduate level
C. Teaching is a means of transmitting new research knowledge
D. Teachers model and encourage a research/critical inquiry approach to learning
E. Teaching and research share a symbiotic relationship in a learning community
Research and teaching – the balance for the academic ?
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Teaching absent No teaching undertaken: the academic is a researcher
Research absent No research undertaken: the academic is a teacher
Research separated Teaching and research both undertaken by the academic, but independently
Research drained Academic’s time / energy spent on research, to the detriment of teaching
Teaching drained Academic’s time / energy spent on teaching, to the detriment of research
innovation
Research-informed Research and teaching are connected, with some resources used to do both.
Research informs teaching.
Teaching-informed Teaching is used to inform research (generally pedagogic)
Research integrated Teaching and research seen as complementary components of academic practice
Examples of research-influenced teaching (1)
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» Chemistry: involving final year students directly in the work of departmental ‘research groups’
» Engineering: incorporating academics’ research into final year modules; using practical sessions within early modules as a means of contributing to ongoing research.
» Politics: involving the ‘student as researcher’ in data coding and subsequent application of theory into practice; use of student-owned social media networks for conducting research surveys
» Nursing: using evidence-based practice as the link between the curriculum and research
Examples of research-influenced teaching (2)
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» Languages: informing the content of specialist
final year modules
» Psychology: actively including the most recent research studies of the academic;
» Health Psychology: using specific interests of the students as research topics.
» Guildford School of Acting: ‘practice as research’ i.e. actively bringing together theoretical, philosophical and practical approaches that allow for creativity and development of new ideas.
Questions
» Your own institutional identity ... and the balance of challenges and opportunities ?
» Is it possible to balance the aspirations?
» What is your institutional experience of research- led teaching ?
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