Educational research

The Learning Enhancement Team has a dedicated educational researcher who supports teaching staff and program leaders to gain valuable insights into their teaching practices and the student learning experience through the design and application of a range of context specific and bespoke evaluation practices. This is informed through reference to the educational research literature. Our Educational researcher assists with:

conducting program level reviews that inform strategic decisions about curriculum structure
implementing course level evaluation leading to effective curriculum design
support for human ethics approvals for educational research
survey design and development
coordinating focus groups
scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects

EAIT Teaching Focused Community of Practice

Purpose

The purpose of the CoP is to promote the continuing transformation of teaching and learning in the Faculty through evidence-based practice and engagement with teaching and learning research in a reflective environment. The CoP adopts an action learning approach to encourage staff to further engage with T&L.

CoP supports staff by:

Fostering innovation in teaching practice based on experience, shared knowledge, evidence and research.
Disseminating information about engineering, architecture and information technology education research.
Identifying suitable methods to evaluate T&L innovation and practice.
Supporting staff applying for recognition of their teaching practice through awards (e.g. Faculty or UQ-based, HEA).
Promoting the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning or SoTL /Educational research within the Faculty.
Encouraging collaboration between staff through sharing ideas about teaching and cross-disciplinary work (e.g. teaching grants).
Strengthening the existing culture of teaching and learning in the Faculty.
Supporting staff at any stage of developing their teaching research – from scholarly teaching, through to the scholarship of teaching and learning through to expertise in disciplinary educational research.

The last point is developed further in Table 1 (adapted from Streveler , Borrego and Smith, 2007). Table 1 indicates typical activities that would be discussed within the CoP. Other areas of practice that are supported by the CoP are covered in Table 2.

Table 1. Exploring teaching and learning – from excellent practice to educational research.

Excellent teaching	Scholarly teaching	Scholarship of Teaching and Learning	Educational Research
Involves the use of good content, teaching methods and the development of pedagogical content knowledge	Involves gathering evidence, informed by best practice and knowledge, invites collaboration and review	Involves evaluation of teaching practices and student learning; is open to critique, can be built on by others, involves asking questions, inquiry and investigation	Begins with a research question Ties the question to learning, pedagogical or social theory

Excellent teaching

Scholarly teaching

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Educational Research

Involves the use of good content, teaching methods and the development of pedagogical content knowledge

Involves gathering evidence, informed by best practice and knowledge, invites collaboration and review

Involves evaluation of teaching practices and student learning; is open to critique, can be built on by others, involves asking questions, inquiry and investigation

Begins with a research question

Ties the question to learning, pedagogical or social theory

Table 2. Framework for scaffolding T&L activities within the CoP (adapted from Cruz et al., 2019).

	Emergent exploration	Considered exploration	In depth exploration
Innovation and Ideas	Develop ideas about your teaching practice or student learning in your discipline in response to an identified need for innovation or change	Adaptation of existing tools, frameworks, learning designs to suit specific context	Novel approach to teaching and learning in the discipline incorporating experience, expertise and awareness of alternatives and risk
Examples:	Discuss your ideas about T&L with a colleague or mentor Pitch your idea for a T&L project to a subgroup with disciplinary expertise for encouragement and support Innovation in T&L practice and approaches to student learning and engagement e.g. through development of novel learning environment
Knowledge and Preparation	Develop pedagogical content knowledge	Explore T&L literature more deeply	Contribute to the state of knowledge of educational research in your discipline
Examples:	Attend T&L seminars or CoP in your area of interest Review T&L research literature relevant to your field
Practice and Evidence	Explore your own T&L practices with a view to change	Implement evidence-based changes to T&L in the classroom	Constructively critique the established T&L evidence-base in your area
Examples:	Apply your ideas for change to your own practice based on your experience and/or the literature Evaluate practice in light of outcomes and the literature
Scholarship and Review	Evaluate the changes to your T&L practice	Analyse your practice and research with regards to wider literature	Contribute to T&L research knowledge base through theory or practice based research
Examples:	Write up your findings for a conference presentation or journal article Present T&L research at a conference Write a chapter or book
Collaborate and Network	Make links with colleagues with similar T&L interests or challenges	Share the findings, e.g. at an internal event such as School TLC, Faculty T&L Forum, institutional T&L week	Establish links with others outside of your institution or in cross-disciplinary fields
Examples:	Participate in a T&L Community of Practice (CoP) Attend T&L Conference in your discipline
Culture and Environment	Join or establish a T&L group	Support others to explore their teaching practice	Mentor and support others in the development of their T&L disciplinary expertise and
Examples:	Apply for a Faculty or UQ T&L Award or nominate and encourage others to apply Focus on T&L through EAIT yearly T&L Forum Participate in discussions leading to revision of policy Recognition of T&L through promotion

CoP Meetings

The group will meet 8-10 times per year (or as required/needed) to share ideas, foster collaboration and develop new ideas.

Possible themes for discussion are:

Applying for T&L Grants
Getting started with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning ( SoTL )
Conducting educational research
Educational Theory
Writing up your T&L research for publication

Educational research

Purpose

CoP Meetings

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