Case Studies

Example 1
evidence based practice materials

Example 2
building group work skills

Example 3
building research communities

Example 4
project based learning activities

Example 5
research and teaching: an intrinsic link

Example 6
the link between cultural identity and research

Example 7
An inextricable link - theory into practice

Example 8
Teaching connoiseurs of research

Example 9
Exploiting the link in course design

Example 10
innovative practice linking engineering methods and principles to constructing a winning product

Example 11
research and links to critical pedagogy

Example 12
Four examples to promote the synergy in history

Example 13
Students' perspective on linking research and teaching

Example 14
Two students'
perspectives

Associate Professor Gerry Turcotte in English Studies

In our program we have always been teaching materials that are very closely linked to our research interests. I think that is one of the things that make us a dynamic program working at the cutting edge of contemporary theory. If you are not up-to-date with the research, you are simply too far behind on the teaching materials. Materials are very contemporary so that the two are inextricably linked. For example, a big part of my teaching is Aboriginal issues so we are constantly responding to an actual current political climate. The stories of "The stolen generation" are part of our contemporary Australian writing subject as they are the newest narratives that really re-define the field.

In the fields of post colonial theory, Aboriginal studies and contemporary writing, the field is changing day by day, month by month and you have to keep there with your research. The field of post colonial studies is a huge industry in publishing that goes into our teaching which has to be meshed, otherwise we would really be teaching antiquated material and the students would not be at the cutting edge.

I think it is safe to say that students are often attracted to institutions that have researchers who are at the cutting edge of whatever material they are studying. People like to go where people are making discoveries and publishing the key research articles so, from that point of view, I think students are very much aware of what research is.

One of the things we teach in the English program is what is research and how to go about research, so the two go together. You are showing them the material but also showing them how to become researchers as well. For us creative writers what we produce is part of what we teach. What legitimates us as researchers is that we are not just reporting on other people’s work, we are producing it and as a scholar, I think that is very important.

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