Pedagogic research and scholarship is an important area of growth in Higher Education, and presents exciting opportunities to explore and enquire into teaching and learning environments, undertake projects that improve knowledge of the student experience, and interrogate understandings of academic activity and identity.
Launched in June 2006, the Pedagogic Research and Scholarship Institute (PRSI) has a cross-institutional mission to promote and enhance pedagogic research and scholarship across the University.
The PRSI seeks to promote pedagogic research and scholarship in a number of ways. Inter alia, it will:
- Support teaching and research links
- Fund PedR & scholarship projects
- Provide links to national and international projects
- Promote and coordinate PedR funding opportunities, and pursue the Institute’s financial sustainability
- Encourage external networking and maintain publicly available database of activity and expertise
- Share examples of good practice in teaching and learning that result from pedagogic research and scholarship
- Organise inter/national conferences, workshops, visiting speakers & seminars
- Support PedR and scholarship conference participation and publication
- Promote and encourage staff to register for PedR degrees
- Publish the University’s Learning And Teaching in Higher Education journal, (LATHE) and other PedR and scholarship materials
- Celebrate achievements in PedR and scholarship internally and externally
Pedagogic research and Scholarship represents an important part of the University’s academic activity, and helps to guarantee links between teaching, learning, and research. HEFCE announced in 2006 that one stream of funding arrangements under the Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF) would be to support "teaching informed and enriched by research". In line with the philosophy behind this decision, the Institute will support the role pedagogic research and scholarship plays in improving the learning environment for all students.