Role of pedagogic research and reflection in CETL bids

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The role of pedagogic research and reflection in
CETL bids
Mick Healey University of Gloucestershire and Barr
y Jackson Middlesex University
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• we would like to see business plans at stage
  two show how the CETL will
• acquire and utilise a capacity to draw in
  pedagogic research and evaluation and to
  undertake research into its own practice .
• (HEFCE Guidance Notes for Stage Two Bids para 5)

3

• We recognise that not all proposed CETLs will
  begin with the same level of exposure to
  pedagogical thinking relevant to their particular
  activity, or have similar numbers of staff active
  in this area. Nevertheless, we would like to see
  all stage two bids engage actively with the
  Invitation to Bids expectation that CETLs should
  show evidence of pedagogic reflection, engagement
  with relevant literature and debate in confirming
  the excellence of their practice and how the CETL
  will enable this to be taken further.
• (HEFCE Guidance Notes for Stage Two Bids para 20)

4

• Our aim is
• To provide feedback on stage 1 and to facilitate
  discussion of scholarly and research based
  approaches to the development of your CETLs

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Itinerary

• I Introduction
• II Feedback from stage 1
• III Scholarly and research based approaches
• IV Underpinning your case for excellence
• V Contributing to the development of pedagogy
• VI Conclusion

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Brief biographies

• Mick
• Director Geography Discipline Network
• Chair of University Scholarship of Learning and
  Teaching group
• HE Academy Accreditor and Adviser to GEES Subject
  Centre
• National Teaching Fellow
• Research interests scholarship of teaching
  linking research and teaching active learning
  learning of disabled students
• Barry
• Pro Vice-Chancellor, Director of Learning
  Development
• Vice Chair of SEDA
• Member of assessment panels for CETL, FDTL5, NTFS
• Member ISL Steering Group, ALT Policy Forum, LLAS
  Subject Centre

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A health warning
8
Feedback from stage I

• The case for excellence in some bids was informed
  by critical and evidence-based reflection on
  practice and further supported by a clear
  description of how that excellence was to be
  further developed. While some subject-based bids
  tackled issues of importance to that subject
  area, the pedagogic practice was sometimes
  relatively commonplace and unable in itself to
  support the claim for excellence.  

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Feedback from stage I

• Some bids showed a degree of insularity and
  distance from acknowledged excellent practice in
  the particular subject or thematic area.
• The assessment panel made favourable judgements
  on bids that supported their case with internal
  and external evidence which showed the following
  
• - evidence, closely and actively related to
  the area of the proposed CETL, of reflective
  pedagogic analysis and review  

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Guidance on Stage 2 bids

• Bids need to show evidence of reflective analysis
  of approaches to pedagogy and how this reflection
  has informed and influenced practice
• Bids should show how staff are already
  contributing to existing pedagogical thinking,
  research and relevant literature

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What constitutes pedagogical scholarship?

• Three levels of scholarly activity
• Scholarly, reflective approach to practice
  (internally verified, contributes to personal
  theory, supports personal action)
• Scholarship (internally verified, contributes to
  local theory, supports local action, may be
  broadly disseminated)
• Research (externally verified, contributes to
  pedagogical theory, may not directly support
  action)
• Adapted from Trigwell (unpublished conference
  presentation 2004)

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Scholarly and research based approaches

• SoT has three essential and integrated elements
• Engagement with the scholarly contributions of
  others on teaching and learning
• Reflection on ones own teaching practice and the
  learning of students within the context of a
  particular discipline
• Communication and dissemination of aspects of
  practice and theoretical ideas about teaching and
  learning in general and (about) teaching and
  learning within the discipline
• Martin et al. (1998)

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Sources of engagement with scholarship

• Effective engagement through
• personal enquiry and reflection
• team enquiry and reflection
• systematic local activity, action research,
  evaluation
• networks and sources of expert people
• published reports of others scholarly activity
• published research and theory

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Underpinning your case for excellence

• In groups of c4 people
• Discuss how you can best show your awareness of,
  and contribution to, pedagogical scholarship and
  research related to the area of excellence
  claimed in your CETL
• 5 minutes
• Be ready to feedback ONE idea (suggestion - have
  another in reserve in case another group also
  comes up with your idea)

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Scholarly and research based approaches

• Martin et al. (1998 ) argue that teaching will
  only be properly valued in higher education when
  it is publicly seen to be a scholarly pursuit.
  This means communicating the way we as scholarly
  teachers
• take account of the interplay between
  disciplinary research and the education of
  undergraduates
• rigorously investigate teaching and learning
• consider university teaching as a process of
  critical reflection on practice, open to the same
  kind of collegial scrutiny as research

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Contributing to the development of pedagogy

• Scholarship and research into learning varies
• formative evaluation
• action or classroom research
• a major educational research project
• Range of methods
• Quantitative, qualitative and mixed
• Questionnaires, interviews, focus groups,
  observation, diaries, inventories, tests etc
• Choice influenced by questions asking,
  theoretical framework, and discipline

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Contributing to the development of pedagogy

• What will your CETL contribute to our knowledge
  and understanding of pedagogic practice?
• On what evidence will you base this claim and who
  will collect and analyse it?
• How will you communicate your increased
  knowledge and understanding to others?

18
Contributing to the development of pedagogy
In your groups of c4 people Discuss how your
CETL can best contribute to our knowledge and
understanding of pedagogic practice 5 mins Be
ready to feedback ONE idea (as before have
another in reserve in case another group also
comes up with your idea)
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Conclusion
"The improvement of learning and teaching is
dependent upon the development of scholarship and
research in teaching Prosser Trigwell (1999
8)
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Conclusion

• Please take a moment to write down on separate
  sheets of paper
• TWO ways in which HEFCE / Higher Education
  Academy can support the development of pedagogic
  research and reflection
• TWO ideas you have taken from this session which
  you will take back and discuss with the other
  members of your CETL team