This short video provides some general framing for the module and introduces key questions when it comes to teaching and research integration.
Welcome video
Session notes
Introduction
Hello and welcome to the module “Creating meaning by involving students in research”
In this module, we will take a closer look at how to integrate teaching and research in different ways
My name is Patric Wallin and I have been actively working with integrating teaching and research in different courses, as well as doing research to better understand how we can create meaning in this process.
The goal in this module is not to provide a blue-print of how to integrate teaching and research, but rather create interest and curiosity, stimulate discussions, and provide an arena for reflection and what might be possible in the different courses that we teach.
The divide
During the last years there has been an increased focus on education and teaching as an important part of what we do at universities. New promotion system and guidelines have been designed, the requirements for pedagogical competency have increased, this particular module is part of this…
While I believe it is important to recognise pedagogical merits, I find it strange and disturbing that we frame it in opposition to research. I find this divide unnecessary and dangerous. It is not that one is more important that the other or that we need to pay particular addition to just one of them. It is both of them together that matter and we should try to divide them.
Similarities
If we think about it, research and teaching have a lot of things in common. They are both ultimately about learning, curiosity and critical thinking. We engage in similar processes when we do research that we hope that our students engage in when we teach. So why are we so keen to divide both tasks rather than seeing them as similar.
I would further argue that by acknowledging similarities between teaching and research we can re-create our own and the students positions.
“Education must begin with the solution of the teacher-student contradiction, by reconciling the poles of the contradiction so that both are simultaneously teachers and students.” (p. 59)
Why is it important
So why is this important and for whom.
We live in a complex world with more and more specialised knowledge, where production continues to get automatised. We also live in a world where democracies are under thread and where inequalities in societies increase at a rapid pace.
The ability to understand and interact with research is not something that is only important for students that stay in academia. It is a fundamental part in a democratic society. It is important that as many students as possible have a deep understanding of research and underlying research processes, regardless if they go and work in industry, for the government, in higher education, in schools, or create their own business - or not work at all.
“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.” (p. 7)
The integration of teaching and research is not only a question for a specific course or program, but also a question about what role universities should play.
The role of the university
We need to ask what role our university should play for society. What is the goal of higher education?
We are not going to answer this questions here
But regardless of what goal we envision, I would argue that we should aim our best to make the way there and the experiences as meaningful as possible.
Meaningful for us and for students.
There are many different ways to create meaning, but in this module we will focus on creating meaning by involving students in research. And I will argue that this is at the heart of higher education
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