Bradford College Research Programme - Overview 2010

Bradford College

• 20k+ students

• Wide range of provision

• FE - HE Progression

Definitions

• We use the RAE definitions of research and scholarly activity.

• Scholarly activity fits better for us in terms of the areas we investigate which are primarily focused on teaching and learning.

The Research Programme Approach

• Inject sense of focus & urgency• Identify & isolate resources • Clear responsibilities• Clear costings • Clear timeframe • Linkages across projects

Funding structure

• £3,500 @ £50p/h = 70hrs

• 16 projects

• Allocated in line with delivery of outputs

Action research main methodology

• Encourages practitioner reflection

• Low disruption on timetabling

• High impact on practice

• Cyclical in nature

Research Infrastructure

• Support & Resources

• Funding support

• Ethical aspects

Key resources to support research

• Project support

• Research Support Librarians

• Funds

Externally Funded Projects

• Pathfinder – HEA • SPaCE-FD – JISC • Nintendo Wii• Digital Creativity Lab

Definition

• “A VRE helps researchers in all disciplines manage the increasingly complex range of tasks involved in carrying out research”

JISC 2005

Virtual Research Environment

• Teaching observation*

• Learner observation

• Ethical aspects of collaboration

*Refs. Swinglehurst, Russel and Greenhalgh 2007 Bennet and Barp 2008

2008 – 2009 Research Projects

• 12 reported at conference forming the research cohort:Examples: e-assessment & Feedback formative or futile? E-portfolios honed in on actual needs

BAR Conference 2009

BAR Conference 2009

Benefits of Research Projects

• Informing better teaching

• Staff development – competency & skills

• Making connections across and beyond disciplines

2009 – 2010 Research Projects

• Challenge of funding

• Conference (cancelled)

• Taking the agenda further

• Forming the research cohort

Staff Development

• Support during the research • Develop individuals through ‘doing’

research• Putting it into practice • Completing the cycle

Overall Experience

• Evaluation of the programme

• Project manage but allow experiments

• Reflect regularly but keep momentum

• Lessons Learned – listen to the researchers

All about people

http://www.learnerinformatics.com

Questions and Comments

Ronan O’Beirne M.Ed. FCLIPAssistant Director for Learning Development and Research

Blog: www.learnerinformatics.com