Overview

A curriculum that is research-informed incorporates research into the curriculum and teaching environment. All students should experience learning through research and inquiry (Healey and Jenkins, 2009). Alliance (2017) outlined a range of different ways this can be achieved (your curriculum may use a blend of these different approaches or just one approach):

• Research-tutored: where students learn through critique and discussion between themselves and staff.
  
  
• Research-based: where students learn as researchers and undertake research.
  
  
• Research-led: where students are taught about up to date research in their discipline.
  
  
• Research-oriented: where students learn research processes and methodologies.

Adopting research-informed teaching practices

Alliance (2017) outlined research-informed teaching approaches. Your curriculum may use a blend of these different approaches or just one of these approaches:

• Research-tutored: where students learn through critique and discussion between themselves and staff.
  
  
• Research-based: where students learn as researchers and undertake research.
  
  
• Research-led: where students are taught about up to date research in their discipline.
  
  
• Research-oriented: where students learn research processes and methodologies.

Ways in which research-informed teaching can be incorporated into teaching and curriculum include:

• The curriculum uses up to date research which is regularly discussed with students.
  
  
• Students can critically analyse research papers.
  
  
• Students can conduct small scale research or inquiry or elements of the research process such as a literature review or analysis of primary data that has been provided for them.
  
  
• Students publish in discipline journals, magazines, or at conferences. There are a growing number of journals and conferences aimed at undergraduate and novice researchers.
  
  

Advance HE has also published case studies of different approaches to research-informed teaching