Student experiences of the relationship between teaching and research consultancy: the case of a new university

Abstract

The relationship between research and teaching in higher education has been the subject of much academic inquiry and research activity over the last decade and a half. The majority of these investigations have been conducted from the perspective of the academic teacher and researcher, but recently there has been a growth of interest in asking about the nature of the student learning experience in relation to research, and this study adds to what is known about the way students understand and experience (staff) research. Firstly, it may be argued that learning through teaching and research is the primary function of higher education. Secondly, the integration of research with teaching finds a resonance with the enhancement of learning through inquiry that it promotes. The rise in interest in academic scholarship an.d professional and pedagogic development has also promoted new approaches to academic work, where the division between research and teaching is seen as simplistic, and overlooking critical linkages. So the nexus is complex and not necessarily one-way, with teaching having an equal share in the balance. The research uses a mixed-method approach over two stages of data collection. Initially an electronic questionnaire survey is conducted to obtain an appropriate sample population of students and to determine the aspects of the student learning experience to be tested further in the subsequent smallgroup discussions. These discussion groups build on the questionnaire to explore the issues it raises, and allow students the chance to develop and articulate their experiences of and beliefs about, teaching and research. Nearly 200 students figure in the questionnaire survey and 17 are included in I the subsequent small-group discussions. There are both undergraduates and postgraduates at each stage of the data collection. The research takes place in a single new university and is the first to ask students explicitly about consultancy, seen as a complement to previous investigations specifically into research. From the research undertaken it can be concluded first that students are generally positive about research and consultancy. There are disciplinary differences in the findings which support the findings of previous studentcentred research, as well as variations between levels of study. lt is argued that the negative consequences of research and consultancy can be largely resolved through readdressing staff-student relationships and effective management of the relationship between teaching and research at departmental level. A model of student learning is proposed which responds to the main findings of this current research by reconceptualising the relationship between academic staff and students The relationship between research and teaching is central to this model