ABSTRACT
Background The links between teaching, learning and research in higher education have been the subject of debate across many discipline areas. Much of this work refers to the meta-analysis of Hattie and Marsh (1996), who found no relationship between the research productivity and the effectiveness of teaching, leading to the recommendation that universities should try to increase the links between teaching and research. Recent literature has considered the relationship between research and different modes of learning in Geography, with ‘inquirybased learning’, the ‘research teaching nexus’ and ‘research-informed teaching’ being the subjects of extensive discussion and debate (e.g. Jenkins, 1995; Jenkins, 2000; Perkins, 2002; Scott, 2002; Healey et al., 2003a; Jenkins, 2003; Griffiths, 2004; Lee, 2004; Healey, 2005; Spronken-Smith, 2005; Le Heron et al., 2006; Healey & Jenkins, 2009; Haslett, 2009). The connection between teaching and research is generally assumed to be positive, with excellence in research often claimed as a clear link to teaching excellence (e.g. Jenkins et al., 2003). Scott (2002) argues that students need to be researchers and researchers need to be teachers, underscoring the view that research and teaching are inextricably linked (Brew, 2006). Some have said that to make an issue of such links implies that they are not inherent and emphasizes the possibility of the separation of research and teaching by those driving higher education policy, particularly in the UK (e.g. Lee, 2004). Whatever the
outcome of such debates, it seems clear frommost of the literature of the last few years that a shift has been advocated in the way in which curricula are designed; this shift puts inquirybased learning at the core of the undergraduate experience and encourages the idea of students as active stakeholders or scholars in a research community, reflecting the practice of academic staff (e.g. Hodge et al., 2008; Healey & Jenkins, 2009). There is ample evidence that involvement in inquiry-based learning and research
activity engenders student ownership of learning and enhances knowledge and research skills acquisition (e.g. Goodlad, 1998; Bauer & Bennett, 2003; Chang, 2005; Justice et al., 2007; Willison & O’Regan, 2007; Healey & Jenkins, 2009). When attempting to develop curricula that encourage inquiry and research skills development, extend students to their limits, foster independent learning and cultivate employability, finding new ways for staff and students to work together seems to be regarded as a key challenge (Healey et al., 2003b; Healey, 2005; Healey & Jenkins, 2009). Although inquiry-based learning can occur at any point in the undergraduate programme (e.g. Willison & O’Regan, 2007; Healey & Jenkins, 2009), the final year is often regarded as a place where it can flourish, building on previous learning experience. The dissertation, or independent research project, is seen as an opportunity to engage with the research process from start to finish and is widely considered to be the peak of undergraduate student study in geographical, earth and environmental sciences (Harrison & Whalley, 2008). Apprenticeships, internships or work placements are becoming increasingly common especially towards the latter part of undergraduate programmes and give students an opportunity to ‘learn by doing’, develop a range of transferable skills and gain experience relevant to a potential career (Morgan & Turner, 2000; Neill & Mulholland, 2003; Poulter & Smith, 2006). Students are sometimes directly involved in staff research when they are employed as research assistants, typically during vacation time. However, it is rare to find student research assistantships built into undergraduate curricula in the UK; exceptions include the University of Leeds, which has an optional research placement in Geography (Palmer, 2009) and the University of Gloucestershire, where students in geography and environmental sciences can choose to become involved in projects linked to external organizations and companies (McEwen et al., 2004).
