Research-Informed Teaching Tool Kit

David Smith, Katie Shearn

Joanne Lidster, Girish Ramchandani, Jon Wheat, Mel Lacey

Student Researchers: Libby Allcock, Lewis Partington

Hannah Brierley, Ben Robinson, Tamas Sebok

Overview

Research-informed teaching is a term used to describe the different ways in which students are exposed to research content and activities during their time at university. Depending on your discipline this could also be called practice-informed teaching. Linking research and teaching by research-informed teaching benefits our students by:

  • providing students with meaningful and deep learning experiences.

  • enhancing the student experience of real-world practice and cutting-edge thinking.

  • developing critical thinking.

  • improving student confidence.

  • enhancing employability.

  • developing digital and networking skills.

  • increasing the profile of undergraduate research.


Research involvement gives authenticity to students’ learning and provides experiences of current techniques and how current knowledge is expanded.


Curriculum Design Principles

A four-year body of research involving over 600 students from across the university has been used to draw together the following five key Curriculum Design Principles to embed research and practice into teaching.

1) Embed research and practice skills at course level and develop them through the course. Moving students from consumers of research and best practice to creators of research and best practice.


2) Academic research and practice can form the basis of taught content and be used as direct examples of applied knowledge.


3) Accessing research literature is a high-level skill and requires scaffolding.


4) Research and practice skills should be taught in context and task linked.


5) Research undertaken by the students should be co-created, with students involved in the design process.