Research‐led teaching: moving from a fractured engagement to a marriage of convenience

Abstract

There are many reasons to develop closer links between research and teaching. To do this, we argue the need to move beyond university rhetoric that fractures the engagement of teaching with research and instead focus on the development of what is necessary to bring these two core academic activities closer together. Opening with a review of the current literature on research‐led teaching, the paper then highlights the various debates about whether or not the divide between research and teaching can be broached. We then explore a number of often contradictory myths that we argue universities subscribe to in their efforts to bring teaching and research together as they simultaneously create structures to separate them. The paper seeks to better ‘marry’ research and teaching activities in higher education settings, concluding with a set of principles that could be used by university leaders to guide the implementation of research‐led teaching.