It is crucial to approach research evidence with a critical and rigorous mindset and to be doubtful of its credibility and applicability before accepting it as truth. This is the viewpoint presented by Morrison (2020) in "Taming Randomized Controlled Trials in Education." However, teachers can benefit from incorporating pedagogic narrative research evidence into their teaching practice to serve as a starting point for exploring potential solutions that may work. This approach is supported by Stoll et al. (2018) in their self-assessment tool for teachers, "Evidence-informed Teaching." 

Bringing these two perspectives together, the Department for Education commissions research into "What Works?" and publishes the findings in the Education Endowment Foundation's (EFF) teaching and learning toolkit. However, the research mainly focuses on teaching 5-16-year-olds. To supplement this evidence, a rapid review focusing on flexible teaching and learning approaches in higher education settings has been conducted.

Morrison, K. (2020). Taming Randomized Controlled Trials in Education. Taylor & Francis.

Stoll, L., Greany, T., Coldwell, M., Higgins, S., Brown, C., Maxwell, B., & Burns, H. (2018). Evidence-informed teaching: Self-assessment tool for teachers.

Additional evidence

Quality Assurance Agency (QAA)

Explaining contact hours: Guidance for institutions providing public information about higher education in the UK https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/contact-hours-guidance.pdf

Contact hours: A guide for students https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/quality-code/contact-hours-student.pdf?sfvrsn=5046f981_8

Building a taxonomy for digital learning https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/guidance/building-a-taxonomy-for-digital-learning.pdf

QAA Hallmarks of Success Playbooks https://www.qaa.ac.uk//en/membership/current-year-membership-themes-and-topics/beyond-covid-19-the-future-of-digital-and-blended-delivery/hallmarks-of-success

Office for Students (OfS)

Information for students: A guide to providing information to prospective undergraduate students https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/2db81e6b-e4c7-4867-bc5d-ff67539d13e8/guide_to_providing_info_to_students.pdf

Blended learning review https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/blended-learning-and-ofs-regulation/

Department for Education (DfE)

DfE ‘What Works?’ https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-works-network

EEF Teaching and Learning Toolkit https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/news/eef-launches-updated-teaching-and-learning-toolkit

Evidence-informed teaching: Self-assessment tool for teachers https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10042947/

Policy paper: Realising the potential of technology in education https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/realising-the-potential-of-technology-in-education

Sharing planning tasks in secondary schools https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/sharing-planning-tasks-in-schools

Advance HE

Flexible Learning Framework https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/teaching-and-learning/flexible-learning