Teaching Matters

45 - Rajaraman Eri

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Teaching Matters 2016 | Presentation Details | 7 DecemberDec 2016

Title

Student perception of Teaching-research nexus (TRN): Greater need for utility of research into curriculum


Author(s)

Frances Fan*, School of Education, Faculty of Education
Susan Salter*, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health
Rajaraman Eri*, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health


Subtheme

Locally and Globally Engaged Learning and Teaching


Presentation Type

Poster


Room

Foyer


Time

12.30-13.20


Abstract

Research informed teaching (RIT) is a term usually referred to as Teaching-Research Nexus (TRN).  It can be defined as the link between multiple discipline research and how it translates into learning and teaching (Brew, 2010; Visser-Wijnveen, Van Driel, Van der Rijst, Verloop and Visser, 2010, Williams 2013). The idea of RIT not only involves high quality research in various disciplines but also draws on research about curriculum design and increasing student participation in research work (Lingard and Renshaw, 2010; Gresty and Edwards-Jones, 2012). RIT at times is misunderstood to include only pure basic research that does not include educational research. In fact, RIT is an important aspect of pedagogical content knowledge as described by Boyd and Smith (2016).  On the other hand, research work done by Pascarella and Terenzini (2005) based on student-surveys, indicated that research productivity and high quality teaching are at the opposing ends of the spectrum. We conducted a student survey at the UTAS Faculty of Education on TRN with questions related to understanding, perception, curriculum, learning experience, and value of research skills.
A survey was conducted with 78 students, majority of whom are students from undergraduate degrees and a few from Higher Degree Research students. Descriptive statistical tests, such as means and medians were calculated. Non-parametric tests, including Kruskal-Wallis tests, were also conducted to examine differences between the different participant groups. Key results include a better perception of lecturers’ research being appreciated by students in addition to a majority of students viewing research as an important aspect of their university learning experience. All the statistical and qualitative analyses of the survey will be presented along with the study’s potential impact on future learning and teaching.
References
Williams, C (2013). Radiography, Volume 19, Issue 1, February 2013, pp. 56-61
Lingard, B and Renshaw, P (2010). Teaching as a research-informed and research-informing profession. Connecting inquiry and professional learning in education: International perspectives and practical solutions, pp.26-39.
Gresty, KA and Edwards‐Jones, A (2012). Experiencing research‐informed teaching from the student perspective: Insights from developing an undergraduate e‐journal. British Journal of Educational Technology, 43(1), pp.153-162.
Boyd, P and Smith, C. (2016). The contemporary academic: Orientation towards research work and researcher identity of higher education lecturers in the health professions. Studies in Higher Education, 41(4), pp.678-695.

Resource

Download presentation (requires University of Tasmania login) (PDF)

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