What is RiT
In
2006 the Higher Education Funding Council for England HEfCE awarded
£40 million to universities for a Teaching Informed by Research
initiative. The finding was allocated in inverse proportion to the
2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) outcomes. It was introduced
to maximise the impact of research on teaching in teaching intensive
universities. Following the receipt of funding, the University
developed its Research
Informed Teaching (RiT) Strategy [PDF]
The
RiT agenda, similarly to other educational development initiatives
has at its centre the concept of change. In this case, the change we
were hoping to achieve was aimed at a number of levels:
- transforming
students' learning experiences of research within and outside of the
curriculum;
- enhancing
academic practice (including both research and teaching);
- growing
research skills and activities of staff as well as students;
- supporting
Heads of Departments (HoDs) in approaching and tackling research and
teaching as strategically and practically integrated activities;
- creating
the conditions for thriving 'scholarly knowledge building
communities'.
This
work was led by a lead researcher (Dr Petia Petrova) employed by the
Teaching and Learning Directorate to pursue this agenda. In the
period between 2007-2010 the Directorate was engaged in:
- exploring
current RiT practice within the UK and internationally;
- researching
students' and staff's conceptions and experiences of research;
- developing
RiT
guidance materials [PDF]
- developing,
designing and maintaining a wiki to support staff in integrating
their scholarship, research and professional activities with their
teaching practice;
- working
with departments in developing a considered, informed by research,
curriculum; facilitating departmental workshops or away days;
- providing
guidance on the development of departmental RiT statements and
action plans;
- supporting
individual members of staff in pursuing research – teaching links;
- facilitating
the Teaching Research Methods Group, which supports colleagues who
teach research methods units;
- designing
and commissioning the piloting the Junior Research Institutes (jRI)
initiative, aimed at welcoming students to the community of
scholars.
