Drivers for Change in Ireland: A. Government Policy:

1. Embedding Research into Undergraduate Curricula in Ireland & the need for a mapping exercise Dr. Bettie Higgs, University College Cork, Ireland Context: There are 7 Universities within the Republic of Ireland, 13 Institutes of Technology, and 18 smaller H.E. institutions. This poster does not represent the extent of research in undergraduate curricula nationally, but makes the case for further research. It sets out some recent national drivers, and presents the findings of an initiative at University College Cork. Case Study University College Cork To prepare students for postgraduate research needed a fresh look at the undergraduate curricula. Here we found that there was an array of final year projects or ‘capstone’ courses that included some original research. Occasionally this research was made public. UCC Strategic plan (2009-2014) states: “ There will be opportunities for all students to engage in scholarly activity from their first year of undergraduate studies” “A key element of UCC’s teaching and learning strategy is a continued emphasis on undergraduate education, with an increasing focus on students becoming participants in research” A key performance indicator to measure success is: “All modules that incorporate elements of student research will make this visible in the book of modules, via module descriptors, learning outcomes, or modes of assessment” In 2009 funding of €92,000 from the National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning was used to support this strategy. • Undergraduate Research is carried out at several levels: • Learning about research and Literature review, Critical appraisal of current research, etc • Scoping and developing a research proposal • Carrying out original research/data collection • Dissemination of original research • Drivers for Change in Ireland: • A. Government Policy: • Postgraduate student numbers are to double as part of the development of 4th level Ireland. However PhD projects have been taking > 4 years, raising issues of funding and completion. • Embedding authentic research into UG curricula, creating a seamless transition to PG, was seen as part of the answer. • International strategic reviews and influence from N. America, Australia and the U.K. (Seminars: M. Healy, A. Jenkins, A. Brew) • All of these caused senior managers to be open to the message that research should be embedded into the curricula from 1st year undergraduate study onwards (Brew, 2005) • Now explicit in many institutional strategic plans • The National Qualifications framework – the development of research skills is a critical learning outcome to be attained by all undergraduates • Accreditation by some professional bodies requires research skills. • B. Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning: • Encouragement of authentic undergraduate research as a teaching and learning strategy • Researchers reporting the benefits of undergraduate students carrying out authentic research, such as increased student engagement in learning and deeper understanding (Brew, 2005; Higgs, 2007) • Students reporting increased enjoyment from participation in research, compared to listening to a researcher lecturing • Development of an Irish Journal for undergraduate research • An increase in work-based learning, service learning, science shops and other field-based studies, providing huge opportunities for authentic research. • Small scale research funds available within institutions, and particularly funding from the Irish National Academy for the Integration of Research Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL). Examples of Undergraduate students conducting research are increasingly being reported at Teaching and Learning conferences and Disciplinary conferences A mapping exercise is needed to assess the national situation. “We give grants so that students can present at conferences” ASPiRE (Advancing student participation in research excellence in Medicine) “The conference was a great way of promoting research for students at undergraduate level. I would have liked it if the conference had been a bit longer” Final year student, Applied Social Science, University College Cork • Academic staff who are initiating change in teaching and learning strategy are often working in isolation within a discipline where disciplinary research dominates the agenda. One of the objectives of this funding was to encourage colleagues to discuss aspects of teaching and learning at the programme level. • Criteria to be met by applicants for funding: • Your discipline has a Teaching and Learning Strategy available • Building research skills in undergraduate curricula is part of your departmental strategy • Programme learning outcomes explicitly refer to research skills • Student assessment strategy encourages development of research skills • Sustainability of the endeavour had to be demonstrated. Research Awareness and Readiness Evaluation (RARE) at Dublin Institute of Technology “aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the research-orientated, research-based and research-led measures introduced to undergraduate teaching” and shows “this approach can engage and motivate students and allow development of teamwork, problem-solving, and project planning” (McDonnell et al, 2010). Proc. NAIRTL 3rd Conference Acknowledgements: To Catherine O’Mahony, NAIRTL.