Pedagogic Research Workshop - 24th July 2007

This workshop, provided by the East Midlands Pedagogic Research Network and hosted by engCETL, offered an opportunity to find out more and meet other colleagues working with East Midlands CETLs.

Participants were asked to consider the following question before they arrived at the workshop and their replies were analysed as part of the workshop activities: How might students benefit if their lectures know about and do some pedagogic research?

The welcome included reference to the relevance of pedagogic research to the CETL initiative.

The sessions were:

“Enhancing the student learning experience”? Liz Willis, Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre
What is Pedagogic Research? Dr Sue Morón-García, engCETL
Collecting the Evidence – An introduction to research methods & methodologies and data collection methods (Questionnaires, Interviews and focus groups, Case Studies, Direct Observation), Professor George Brown, eng CETL and Nottingham University

Doing pedagogic research means using various research methods to investigate, understand and improve your teaching and your students' learning. It means being aware of 'the teaching and learning literature', that is, showing that you can relate what you do to what is understood by good practice; it is not necessary to agree with that literature, it is of course possible to critically comment with reference to experience.

The Research Assessment Exercise definition is useful in understanding what is considered pedagogic research as is an article by Mike Prosser in academy exchange, issue 2, pages 8-9.
“Pedagogic research in HE will be assessed where it meets the definition of research for the RAE. It is research which enhances theoretical and/or conceptual understanding of:
• teaching and learning processes in HE
• teacher and learner experiences in HE
• the environment or contexts in which teaching and learning in HE take place
• teaching and learning outcomes in HE
• the relationships between these processes, outcomes and contexts.”
pt 60 RAE 2008 Generic statement

The research methods used can be qualitative (e.g. interviews, focus groups) or quantitative (e.g. questionnaires) or a mixture of both. You may decide to draw from different methodologies (e.g. grounded theory, ethnography, action research, or activity theory) in designing your research and analysing your data. This workshop, aimed at those working with East Midlands CETLs, provided participants an opportunity explore what is meant by pedagogic research, relate it to their own practice and provide them with the basis on which to develop their own teaching and learning research in the future.