Research-intensive University Research Articles

What Is It Like to Do Community-Engaged Research? Lessons Learned From University Researchers’ Perspectives

Community-engaged research calls on us to rethink ourselves as researchers and to address lopsided researcher-researched relationships. As a group of university researchers, we participated in a research-practice partnership that included a research-intensive university, an internationally recognized professional learning network, a ministry of education funder, and a school district in Alberta, Canada. Despite the long-standing, collaborative relationships between these organizations, a spin-off research partnership slid into traditional research practices that limited the project’s potential. To critically reflect on these events, we engaged in eight cogenerative dialogues and three semistructured interviews to examine key moments in the partnership more closely. Our findings highlight how limitations in our fields of view as well as significant changes at crucial points in the partnership affected our ability to engage in sustained community-engaged research. We discuss critical learnings about this partnership in particular and offer recommendations that will help future research-practice partnerships assess and sustain their collaborations in meaningful ways.

The role of pedagogy and the curriculum in university students' sense of belonging

The special issue aims to explore the possibility of pedagogy and curriculum design for promoting ‘belonging’. Relevant to this aim is the question which we address in this proposed paper: To what extent, and in what ways, do students understand their learning experiences (i.e. of pedagogic and curricular practices) to be relevant factors in contributing to their sense of belonging? This paper draws from a study into students’ sense of belonging that has so far run for two years, in Winter-Spring of 2019-20 and 2020-21. Building on existing research that has systematically sought to understand the dimensions and factors shaping students’ sense of belonging in higher education, our mixed-methods study combines three methods of collecting data from students: a Sense of Belonging Scale, an open-ended questionnaire item, and in-depth semi-structured interviews. The data captures the views and experiences of ~500 students at one research-intensive university in the UK. Our findings have implications for teachers and institutional policy by revealing how particular pedagogic and curricular practices can both enable and undermine students’ sense of belonging, as well as the limits of pedagogy/curricula in influencing belonging. We also explore how these factors interact with students’ biographical characteristics, with some students facing particular challenges with regards to ‘belonging’. We conclude that pedagogy and the curriculum have their main influence not directly, but rather by contributing to a broader ‘academic sphere’, within which students do or do not develop a sense of belonging.

Supporting thinking about thinking: examining the metacognition theory-practice gap in higher education

Metacognition is the knowledge and regulation of one’s cognition and has been associated with academic performance across all levels of education, including higher education (HE). Previously, a gap has been reported between extensive metacognition research and elaboration of theory versus minimal inclusion of metacognition in teaching practice in primary and secondary education. The present study investigated whether this theory-practice gap extends to HE. Furthermore, we took a novel approach to evaluating academics’ broad and implicit inclusion of metacognitive supportive practices (MSPs) in their teaching practice. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to evaluate awareness of metacognition and inclusion of 16 MSPs in undergraduate teaching among 72 academics in scientific disciplines at a UK research-intensive university. We found that a minority of academics (27/72, 37.5%) were familiar with metacognition and, of those who were, they typically emphasised knowledge of cognition, rather than regulation of cognition. Nonetheless, all respondents incorporated at least two MSPs in their teaching, although typically in a limited fashion, emphasising knowledge and understanding of discipline content rather than cognitive regulation. Compared to academics without a teaching qualification, respondents holding or working towards a teaching qualification used significantly more MSPs, earlier in their career, and used significantly more MSPs aligned with regulation of cognition. This study demonstrates that the metacognition theory-practice gap extends to HE and highlights the scope for staff development programmes to better support students’ metacognitive development relevant for their studies and post-graduation careers.

Development and evaluation of two interventions to improve students’ reflection on feedback

National student surveys reveal that feedback is an aspect of the education experience with which students are less satisfied. One method to increase student engagement with their written feedback and to improve feedback literacy is promotion of critical self-reflection on the feedback content. We describe two interventions aimed at improving students’ reflective practices with their feedback. In a School of Psychology at a UK research-intensive university, we designed, implemented and evaluated two interventions to improve students’ reflection on, and engagement with, their feedback. The first intervention was a feedback seminar, which comprised a modified version of the Developing Engagement with Feedback Toolkit, adapted for our context and online delivery. The second intervention was an interactive assessment coversheet that was designed to promote self-reflection and dialogical feedback practices between student and marker. We provide a summary of the development of these interventions and share evaluations of both components. Overall, our evaluation demonstrated that these interventions can be a useful opportunity for students to engage with their feedback practices and develop feedback literacy. However, variability in student experiences and inconsistencies across markers, despite these interventions, were barriers to success. We contextualise this with our own reflections and end with recommendations for educators.

The Variables that Predict Science Undergraduates’ Timely Degree Completion: a Conceptual Model

Science undergraduates’ timely degree completion (TDC) has become increasingly important for students themselves, universities, and society, due to issues such as cost, efficiency, and productivity, respectively. This study investigated the potential effect of several variables on TDC of Bachelor of Science (BSc) students at an Australian research-intensive university. Results showed that two time-dependent variables (TDVs)—gender and Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR)—predicted TDC. Two time-independent variables (TIVs)—the number of discipline majors and specific year level academic achievement—also predicted TDC. Students who completed on time had a significantly higher mean weighted average mark (WAM) than non-TDC students, for each year of study, and more females than males completed their BSc in a timely manner. The primary determinants of TDC were gender, number of discipline majors, and WAM at each of years 2 and 3. Our conceptual model of TDC indicates the predictive interrelationships among these TIVs and TDVs. A more informed understanding of the study’s outcomes among university stakeholders has considerable potential to enhance the engagement, scaffolding, achievement, and TDC of science undergraduates.

International Student Revenue and International Rankings Success: A Case Study of Australian University Research Strategies

Abstract The publication of the first major international university rankings in 2003 opened up a new era in the internationalization of higher education, with universities around the world reorienting their research efforts toward securing success in international (as opposed to domestic) ranking systems. This has generated a potential principal-agency problem, as nationally-funded universities increasingly seek international validation. This opens up the possibility that a focus on rankings success might actually lead universities to implement policies that undermine their educational missions. This paper examines Australian universities’ pursuit of international rankings over the first two decades of the twenty-first century as a case study in the internationalization of higher education, with a focus on the behavior of Australia’s Group of Eight (Go8) research-intensive universities. Two major findings emerge. First, many Australian universities seem to have excessively expanded their international student enrolments as a way to generate the funds needed to compete in the ‘rankings game’. Second, many Australian universities seem to have prioritized research in fields that yield higher returns in rankings outcomes. These findings provide circumstantial evidence that Go8 universities may have compromised their educational missions in the pursuit of rankings success.

Conducting clinical research in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic: Challenges and lessons for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology research.

BackgroundThe novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) presented new and unanticipated challenges to the academic training and performance of clinical research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels of training. This highlighted the need for reimagining research designs and methods to ensure continued generation of knowledge – a core function of a research-intensive university. Whilst adhering to government regulations geared towards protecting both the research participants and researchers, innovative research methods are required.ObjectiveThe purpose of this scoping review is to explore published evidence on innovative clinical research methods and processes employed during COVID-19 and to document challenges encountered and lessons that the fields of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology can learn.MethodsElectronic bibliographic databases including Science Direct, PubMed, Scopus, MEDLINE, ProQuest were searched to identify peer-reviewed publications, published in English, between 2019 and 2021, related to innovative clinical research methods and processes applied where in-person contact is regulated.ResultsSignificant challenges with conducting research in the COVID-19 era were identified, with important lessons learned and numerous opportunities that have relevance for this pandemic era and beyond. These findings are presented under 10 themes that emerged that highlight important considerations for research methods and processes during a pandemic and beyond. The findings of this study also raise implications for telehealth from which low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where resource challenges exist, can benefit.ConclusionChallenges and opportunities identified in this review have relevance for the field of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology as far as current and future (beyond COVID-19) clinical research planning is concerned.

Social Role and Role Congruity Influences on Perceived Value of Women’s Leadership at Southwestern Research Universities

This qualitative survey study, framed by social role and role congruity theories, explored the perceptions and experiences of 33 women faculty and academic administrators at doctoral-granting highest research-intensive universities located in the Southwestern region of the U.S. The purpose of the study was to expand on our understanding of how social role and role congruity theories can explain and further our understanding of how women are perceived to be valued as leaders in the higher education space, and how society supports this continued valuation. For purposes of this study, social value is explored through the operational processes of higher education organizations. Findings from this study show that the participants perceived that women’s credibility as leaders continues to be questioned, resulting in less perceived value; the accepted role of women as leaders in higher education continues to be influenced by greater society; society continues to perceive leaders should be men; and organizational practices continue to support systemic barrier to women’s leadership success. By understanding the perceptions and experiences of women regarding their perceptions of value as leaders in higher education, we can begin to address and eliminate systemic barriers to further better support their advancement into leadership roles.

Not all Bloom and gloom: assessing constructive alignment, higher order cognitive skills, and their influence on students’ perceived learning within the practical components of an undergraduate biology course

ABSTRACT Students must develop higher order cognitive skills (HOCS) that allow them to think critically and use their learning in novel situations. However, little is known about how including HOCS in teaching and assessment affects students’ perception of learning. We combine quantitative and qualitative data to determine whether the inclusion of HOCS and the presence of constructive alignment influences students' perceptions of learning within the first-year practical components of an undergraduate biology degree at a UK research intensive university. We applied the Blooming Biology Tool (BBT) and Bloom’s Dichotomous Key (BDK) to quantify the proportion of HOCS present during practical sessions and their related assessments and found that a combination of tools can be used to reliably assess the requisite cognitive skills required to complete tasks. Students completed an online survey and provided free-text responses regarding which practical sessions they perceived had the most beneficial effects on their learning. Students valued both LOCS and HOCS for their learning but could only recognise and value HOCS in practical sessions featuring high proportions of HOCS. Our research provides methods for assessing and improving constructive alignment in the teaching of biology and furthers our understanding of when students will recognise and value HOCS.

Knowledge Spillovers, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems and the Geography of High Growth Firms

Knowledge created outside the firm, but within the same region, is a key enabler of high-growth firms. This paper develops an entrepreneurial ecosystems conceptual framework focussing on knowledge spillovers and regional absorptive capacity, to account for interregional differences in high-growth firm rates. This is tested using panel data from 378 regions in Great Britain. Knowledge creation (SME-engaging and research-intensive universities, innovative firms) and knowledge spillovers (primarily through vertically related industries) reveal to be of key importance. Other key regional enablers of high growth firms pertain to entrepreneurship culture, talent, intermediate services, networks, finance and demand growth.

Widening access and participation for learning introductory microeconomics: using students' own contextualised storytelling

The fear of mathematics has long posed a barrier to wider participation and access for students to make sense of introductory microeconomics. The use of students' own written, contextualised stories as an assessment task was used to address the problem. Data was collected from a survey of 122 undergraduate and postgraduate students at an Australian leading research-intensive university to evaluate the impact on student learning. Preliminary findings suggested students' own contextualised stories helped them to meaningfully connect their learning to personal life experiences, link their learning to topical news events, and to appreciate the value of learning economics. Postgraduate students tended to value using contextualised stories twice as much as undergraduate students. The assessment task provides teachers of introductory micro economics insights into the value of students' own contextualised storytelling for learning, while also having implications for wider access and participation of mathematically challenged students from diverse backgrounds.

MHealth video gaming for human papillomavirus vaccination among college men-qualitative inquiry for development.

BackgroundHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Persistent infection with HPV can cause various cancers; however, HPV vaccination can prevent infections associated with high risk, cancerous strains of the virus. As it relates to HPV, college age men have been identified as one of the catch-up vaccination groups. Among college age men, gaming is an extremely popular extracurricular activity. Further, video games have emerged as a popular public health intervention tool. Therefore, this study aims to collect qualitative data on how to develop, implement and evaluate the effectiveness of a gaming intervention to increase HPV risk perceptions, improve self-efficacy and increase intention to receive the HPV vaccine among male college students (18–26 years old).MethodsFour focus group sessions ranging from eight to ten individuals were conducted among male college students from one large research-intensive university in the South. Using grounded theory, data from focus group interviews were coded using NVivo software to identify emergent themes.ResultsParticipants emphasized that although customization was not viewed as important by college aged males, the ability to tailor in game experiences or experience different things each time they played (creative freedom) was more important. They encouraged that the digital game be created on a mobile platform, incorporate health messages, and be informative to reach their population. Furthermore, they suggested innovative way to disseminate the game, which included having health department/health care providers prescribe the game to patients as an end of clinical interaction strategy.ConclusionsCollege age men, are natural avid gamers, enjoy game play, and can engage in learning online or offline. While platform preference varies among gamer type, college age men in our study emphasized that mobile based gaming is the most advantageous way to increase knowledge/awareness and encourage positive in game behavior which can impact out of game behaviors such as vaccination. Because of the level of access and natural disposition of mHealth technology seen as an “extension of the self”, games for health developers should consider the mobile platform as the ideal for the target demographic.

Sensitivity Toward Gender and Sexually Diverse Populations: Development of a Scale.

Individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or nonbinary (LGBTQIA+) experience inequitable access to and utilization of health care services. Nurses' lack of awareness and sensitivity may contribute to this phenomenon. This article describes the development and validation of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Sensitivity Scale (GSDSS). A sample of 210 undergraduate nursing students from a large research-intensive university completed the scale online. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Factor analysis illustrated a three-factor construct of the scale (i.e., General Education Experience, Cognitive Awareness, and Comfort With Interactions); Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged from .66 to .91, and the total scale alpha coefficient was .782. The GSDSS has evidence of construct validity and reliability, and can be used in studies that include nursing and other health professional students. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(7):383-389.].

Initial Efforts to Manage IPE during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Reports from the Big Ten Academic Alliance

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic required higher education institutions to quickly transition to a virtual platform. This was challenging for those involved in interprofessional education (IPE), given the goal that students from two or more professions learn about, from, and with one another. The Big Ten IPE Alliance is a subgroup of the larger Big Ten Academic Alliance. The purpose of this paper is to share the collective experiences of multiple large, research intensive universities in addressing the challenge of implementing IPE programs under the conditions established by the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: To better understand how the Big Ten schools dealt with the transition to virtual learning for didactic and clinical IPE given the COVID-19 pandemic, a subset of representatives from the Big Ten IPE Alliance met to discuss best practices for virtual learning in the IPE realm. Each participating university completed an electronic 14 question survey related to their IPE curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic from March 2020 thru August 2020 and the responses were analyzed. Results: Four categories were identified as needing to be addressed to develop and implement successful interprofessional didactic and clinical experiences. The categories identified included content/assessment, virtual technologies, faculty and facilitators, and learners. Conclusions/Recommendations: Consider including authentic and innovative mechanisms to deliver IPE experiences that meet the learning needs and accreditation requirements. Interinstitutional collaborations such as within the Big Ten IPE Alliance can be beneficial in assessing current and future best practices in IPE.

Engineering students’ perceptions of the role of work industry-related activities on their motivation for studying and learning in higher education

ABSTRACT A number of key graduate outcomes related to industry-based interventions and work-industry-related activities (WIA’s) are specified by the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance for all Engineering Degree Programmes. A paucity of research regarding student perceptions of these WIAs and their role in student’s motivation for learning motivates the current study. Understanding student perceptions of WIA is critical to ensuring the effective integration of WIAs into engineering education. This study explores the perceived motivational effects of WIAs with which students engage through the lens of self-determination theory. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nineteen master’s students studying in two research-intensive Swedish universities. Six themes emerged from thematic analysis. The themes describe the impact WIAs can have on student motivation in terms of their perceptions of (1) relevance for the development of knowledge and skills, (2) influence on the student’s future profession identity, (3) utility for gaining industrial experience, inclusive of research experience, (4) relevance to student’s programmes of study, (5) industry marketisation agendas, and (6) alignment with industry needs over the student’s own needs. The motivating and demotivating aspects of WIA’s based on these themes are discussed to improve the collaboration between industry and academia in engineering education.

Negotiating identities in western academia: an autoethnographic study of international doctoral students in Australia

ABSTRACT This study is a critical-autoethnographic exploration of the intellectual trajectories of three international doctoral scholars in an Australian research-intensive university in terms of the development of their academic identities. It looks at the various institutional and discursive forces that influence their academic adjustments and how they navigate their intellectual and scholarly journeys while studying abroad. In particular, the paper investigates the tensions inherent in the intersection of institutional governmentality and individual sense of empowerment within and outside the third space. International doctoral students experience both overt and covert pressures to conform and accept institutional norms to ‘fit in’ when coming to study in Australia. Rather than simply adapting, they also ‘fight out’ against these norms, thereby reconfiguring their academic identities through interactions with supervisors, senior colleagues, and wider academia. Using narratives from their learning experiences, the study locates the interface of these two forces and the creation of a third space – emerging from how these three novice scholars bring in their own learning academic conventions from their home countries in an Australian academic community. This research has implications for understanding international doctoral students’ stories of becoming academics.

Exploring Virtual Teaching Approaches Among Pediatricians During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: A Virtual Ethnographic Study.

During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, Canadian postsecondary institutions were forced to rely on online teaching to comply with physical distancing recommendations. This sole reliance on virtual methods to deliver synchronous teaching sessions in medical education was novel. We found little empirical research examining pediatric educators' experiences. Hence, the objective of our study was to describe and gain a deeper understanding of pediatric educators' perspectives, focusing on the research question, "How is synchronous virtual teaching impacting and transforming teaching experiences of pediatricians during a pandemic?" A virtual ethnography was conducted guided by an online collaborative learning theory. This approach used both interviews and online field observations to obtain objective descriptions and subjective understandings of the participants' experiences while teaching virtually. Pediatric educators (clinical and academic faculty) from our institution were recruited using purposeful sampling and invited to participate in individual phone interviews and online teaching observations. Data were recorded and transcribed, and a thematic analysis was conducted. Fifteen frontline pediatric teachers from our large Canadian research-intensive university were recruited. Four main themes, with subthemes, emerged: (1) the love/hate relationship with the virtual shift; (2) self-imposed pressure to increase virtual engagement; (3) looking back, moving forward; (4) accelerated adaptation and enhanced collaboration. Pediatricians adopted new delivery methods quickly and found many efficiencies and opportunities in this shift. Continued use of virtual teaching will lead to increased collaboration, enhanced student engagement strategies, and blending the advantages of virtual and face-to-face learning.

Time-based changes in authorship trend in research-intensive universities in Malaysia

ABSTRACT Considering the fact that publications serve as an important criterion to evaluate the scientific accomplishments of an individual within respective fields in academia, there has been an increasing trend to publish scientific articles whereby multiple authors are defined as primary, co-, or corresponding authors according to the roles performed. This article analyzes the authorship pattern in 4,561 papers (including 60 single-authored papers) from 1990 till 2020 of 94 academics who hold a position as professors and are affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine at three different research universities in Malaysia. Only 708 papers (15.5% of 4,561 papers) were authored by less than three authors. In 3,080 papers (67.5% of 4,561 papers), those academics appeared as coauthors. Using different years as cutoff periods, it was observed that the appearance as coauthor in the papers had steeply risen around the years: 2006, 2007, 2008 and onwards. The increased number of authors in the multi-author papers and the appearance of the selected academics as coauthors reflect the extent of boosting of collaborative research in that period which corresponds to the adoption of the “publish or perish policy” by the Ministry of Higher Education in Malaysia.

Breaking the mould: a comparative study of ‘radical’ university curriculum reforms in a context of global-local policy flows

ABSTRACT Curriculum has become a core element of universities’ competitive positioning, internationally and nationally. This paper presents a longitudinal analysis of policy processes and outcomes associated with ‘radical’ university curriculum reforms that resulted in divergence from institutions’ own historical patterns and national conventions and traditions. The empirical investigations draw on a policy trajectory conceptual framework and focus on how two research-intensive Australian universities navigated global–local policy flows throughout their curriculum transformations. Findings revealed that each reform project manifested proactive policy learning and, ultimately, agency, as global and national influences were articulated into local contexts, with the effect of ‘breaking the mould’ of relatively standardised university curriculum provision in Australia. At the same time, the analyses revealed a similar pattern of intensified bureaucratisation of curriculum governance within the two universities, as well as the compromising of initial reform objectives in key curriculum areas such as interdisciplinarity, internationalisation and so-called twenty-first-century skills.

Methodological Training in Special Education Doctoral Programs: A Mixed-Methods Exploration

Doctoral education is the primary time in which scholars learn about research methodologies and begin to develop their own research agendas and skills. Yet, to date, few research studies have examined graduate students’ perceived value of, and access to, training in multiple research methodologies. The purpose of this study was to explore special education doctoral students’ experiences at research-intensive universities in relation to mixed methods, quantitative, and qualitative methodologies. Using a mixed-methods research design, we explore the extent to which research judgments, skills, paradigmatic values, and methodological identities are diverse and how those features interact when doctoral students judge research. First, doctoral students were invited to participate in a survey (replicating McKim, 2017). Then, students who volunteered during the survey were individually interviewed about their methodological training and identity. We present the results and discuss how they can inform personnel preparation for the next generation of research scholars and consumers.