Meeting the aspirations of teachers and researchers: the role of the Library 25 June 2019

Caroline Thomas

Director,

Library and Learning Support Services

Introduction

(Supporting teaching and research at the University of Surrey)

» The University of Surrey:

• context and identity

• key strategies

» Aspirations of our ‘teachers’ and for ‘education’

• and the role of the Library

» Aspirations of researchers

• and the role of the Library

» Supporting research-informed teaching

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University profile

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University

of

Surrey

founded

1968 13,289FT and PT

UG

Students2,526 PG T

Students

1,027Research

Active

Staff£44.8m Research

Income45REF

201426

Guardian

League

2020

PG R

Students 1,085

University profile - benchmarking

Our research-focussed aspirations

» Bath

» Birmingham

» Bristol

» Exeter

» Lancaster

» Nottingham

» Southampton

» Warwick

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Our teaching-focussed aspirations

» Aberdeen

» Dundee

» Kent

» Lancaster

» Leicester

» Loughborough

» St Andrews

REF / TEF and institutional identity

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» WonkHE analysis of comparative performance

» University of Surrey sits in the top, right quadrant representing high performance in both the REF (2014) and the TEF (2017)

A ‘dual intensive’ institution

Challenges

» Strategic balancing• of aspirations for ‘teaching and learning’ with

those for ‘research’• maintaining performance

» Funding • supporting / cross subsidising the infrastructure• priorities for investment

» Meeting expectations / achieving satisfaction • teachers • students • researchers

» Institutional identity• marketing • culture

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Opportunities / benefits

» Access to a significant resource base

» Access to external collaborative partners placements

» A research-rich teaching and learning environment

• research-led or research-informed teaching

• research-rich curriculum

» Institutional confidence and self-belief

The UoS Research and Innovation Strategy

» Our ambition:

• to become a leading global university performing impactful research and innovation, graduating excellent researchers, and achieving outcomes which make important contributions to society

» Strategic Goals:

• enhance our research excellence and grow our overall

• increase and enhance the research infrastructure and make support services more researcher-centric

• grow our PGR, postdoc. and ECR community

• contribute greater economic, environmental, health and social benefit to society through enhancing our impact and innovation.

» Top-level measures of success:

• 5 years:

• reach a top 20 position in Research Excellence Framework (REF)

• reach a top five position in our cluster in the forthcoming Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF)

• be in the top 200 in international league tables such as QS, THE or ARWU.

• 10 years:

• reach a top 15 position in appropriate national league tables

• be in the top 100 position in global league tables such as QS, THE or ARWU#universityofsurrey 7

The UoS Education Strategy:

» A mission: to provide talented and motivated students from all backgrounds, and of all nationalities, with an

outstanding education. We draw on our excellent research and partnerships to equip students with the knowledge ,

professional skills and personal qualities to achieve their ambitions.

» An educational vision: that will create the conditions for our students at every level of study and from all

backgrounds, to:

• draw inspiration from, and contribute to, our culturally diverse and dynamic academic community

• gain the excellent critical, analytic, creative, digital, and practical capabilities

• develop the personal attributes which will equip them for personally fulfilling lives and sustainable careers.

» A learning environment: that is student-centred, with an emphasis on practice-based learning

» A research rich curriculum: that provides opportunities for students to:

• engage with research as a process across the length of the programme

• engage with the products of research

• experience research approaches typical of the discipline

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The LLSS mission

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» Engaging with our physical, virtual and scholarly services, the Surrey community is empowered to discover, critique, create and share knowledge.

» Through access to inspirational spaces, sector-leading resources and inclusive approaches to academic and personal development, we enable all to achieve their potential.

Aspirations of researchers (1):

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Discovery and critique:

» immediate discovery of, and access to, all relevant resources

» to keep up to date with all publications in their field

» support for literature / systematic reviews

Creating and sharing: (scholarly activity)

» dealing with publishers (and their licences)

» navigating the ‘open access’ landscape

» promoting and maximising the impact of their research outcomes

» accessing the “bibliometrics” associated with their work

» developing a single researcher identity (ORCID)

» storing, managing and preserving their data

» locating other researchers working in the fieldhttps://researchdata.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2015/01/09/research-data-

spring-a-few-more-days

Aspirations of researchers (2)

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Our approach:

» Processes, systems and tools – that make the researcher’s life easier:

• easily available advice

• mediated services where possible

• OA deposit and RDM

• provision of a single core infrastructure

• minimal bureaucracy e.g. minimal form filling

• seamless interfacing between systems

• single sign on

• automated cascading of data / outputs (e.g. ResearchFish’, UoS Web-profiles)

• self-access to bibliometrics and collaboration tools

Aspirations of lecturers / teachers

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Discover:

» reading list systems that are easy for them to use

» guarantees that students will have access to materials

» opportunities for students to read beyond ….

» access to a variety of content platforms/providers (!)

» access to primary source and research collections

» exciting and creative learning opportunities

Critique:

» support for the development of academic and research skills (analysis,

evaluation, critical thinking)

» support for the development of digital skills

» support for the adoption of inclusive approaches to teaching and learning

But also:

» data on levels of student engagement and understanding

Aspirations of students

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Discover:

» easy, and guaranteed, access to all resources (content) needed

• downloadable, PDTs

» efficient direction to other sources via

• reading list systems

• recommendation services (bX)

» simple to use referencing tools (avoid Plagiarism)

» integrated online / physical learning experience

Critique:

» development of academic and research skills

• curriculum-embedded activities

• archival / primary source activities

• PGR / UG mentoring schemes

Aspirations of students

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Create:

» spaces that are inspiring and inviting and that foster creativity

Share (and contribute):

» be actively involved with collection / content development

• Guest Curator programme / Decolonisation Project

» to work in partnership

• inform the content of ‘development programmes’ (STAR)

• peer-mentoring activities (PAWS)

» as researchers to disseminate their own research

• Surrey Undergraduate Research Journal

Students need us to:

» be accessible, approachable and to listen

» develop efficient, and engaging, virtual systems.

Experiences of the relationship between research and teaching

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A. Research and teaching are mutually incompatible activities

B. Little or no connection between research and teaching at undergraduate level

C. Teaching is a means of transmitting new research knowledge

D. Teachers model and encourage a research/critical inquiry approach to learning

E. Teaching and research share a symbiotic relationship in a learning community

Research and teaching – the balance for the academic ?

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Teaching absent No teaching undertaken: the academic is a researcher

Research absent No research undertaken: the academic is a teacher

Research separated Teaching and research both undertaken by the academic, but independently

Research drained Academic’s time / energy spent on research, to the detriment of teaching

Teaching drained Academic’s time / energy spent on teaching, to the detriment of research

innovation

Research-informed Research and teaching are connected, with some resources used to do both.

Research informs teaching.

Teaching-informed Teaching is used to inform research (generally pedagogic)

Research integrated Teaching and research seen as complementary components of academic practice

Examples of research-influenced teaching (1)

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» Chemistry: involving final year students directly in the work of departmental ‘research groups’

» Engineering: incorporating academics’ research into final year modules; using practical sessions within early modules as a means of contributing to ongoing research.

» Politics: involving the ‘student as researcher’ in data coding and subsequent application of theory into practice; use of student-owned social media networks for conducting research surveys

» Nursing: using evidence-based practice as the link between the curriculum and research

Examples of research-influenced teaching (2)

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» Languages: informing the content of specialist

final year modules

» Psychology: actively including the most recent research studies of the academic;

» Health Psychology: using specific interests of the students as research topics.

» Guildford School of Acting: ‘practice as research’ i.e. actively bringing together theoretical, philosophical and practical approaches that allow for creativity and development of new ideas.

Questions

» Your own institutional identity ... and the balance of challenges and opportunities ?

» Is it possible to balance the aspirations?

» What is your institutional experience of research- led teaching ?

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