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Fostering Strong Partnership Between Teaching and Research

Divina M. Edralin, DM

Abstract

This article pursued the argument that there should be a strong partnership between teaching and research to enhance the learning process. A strong relation between research and teaching is generally understood to be a defining feature of a modern university and of academic identity. With the increasing centrality of research, it means that with the adequate support from the university, the faculty should spend considerable time both on instruction and research. There are four strategies that can be implemented to foster a strong partnership between teaching and research in the long-run, namely: reconfiguring the existing curriculum to improve the quality of instruction; adopting a strategic research agenda in the next five years which can be internally and externally funded; adopting a research-based and value-based learning paradigm; and imbedding the culture of teaching and research partnership in the educational process.

Keywords: teaching and research partnership, learning process, culture of research, research, research process

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Introduction Teaching, research, and community extension service are the three primary functions of institutions of higher learning. Among the three functions, the partnership or complementation between the teaching and research functions of the university is a perennial issue in higher education and one that has received considerable and fresh attention in recent years. In this article, I would like to pursue the argument that there should be a strong partnership between teaching and research to enhance the learning process. According to Clark (1997) a strong relation between research and teaching is generally understood to be a defining feature of a modern university and of academic identity. As such, it seems that in our own time, faculty research occupies an ever more pivotal position within the university structure (Serow, 2000). With the increasing centrality of research, it means that with the adequate support from the university, the faculty should spend considerable time both on instruction and research. The challenge is to find a balance between teaching effectiveness and research productivity to enhance the learning process. The integration of teaching and research enhances the learning process. The learning process according to Kolb (1984) is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience. Knowledge results from the combination of grasping experience and transforming it." This learning process is characterized by: (1) best conceived as a process, not in terms of outcomes; (2) a continuous process grounded in experience; (3) requires the resolution of conflicts between dialectically opposed modes of adaptation to the world; (4) a holistic process of adaptation to the world; (5) involves transactions between the person and the environment; (6) process, not in terms of outcomes; and creating knowledge that is the result of the transaction between social knowledge and personal knowledge. Refer to Figure 1.

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Figure 1. The Learning Process adapted from Kolb (1984) Moreover, Kolb's (1984) learning theory sets out four distinct learning styles, which are based on a four-stage learning cycle. In this respect, Kolb's model differs from other frameworks since it offers both a way to understand individual learning styles, which he named the "Learning Styles Inventory" (LSI), and also an explanation of a cycle of "experiential learning" that applies to all learners. In the context of the learning process, I believe that teaching is both an art and a science in which knowledge and skills are assumed to be effectively taught, and should be clearly understood by the students. The primary person who is responsible in facilitating learning inside the classroom is the teacher. The teacher is assumed to be equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary in teaching the course. The teacher should be able to facilitate learning according to the unique characteristics of each student, and must utilize the appropriate methods, materials, and within a conducive environment for learning. Research, on the other hand, is the process of data gathering for a particular purpose that is done in a systematic or scientific
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method. It facilitates better understanding of what is happening around us by validating facts and/or phenomena, developing new ideas or interpreting facts and figures. Research is a systematic process of answering a question or a problem, involving the methodological formulation of a theoretical framework and methodology; collection, analysis, and interpretation of pertinent data; and presentation of recommendations from which courses of action can be taken (Edralin, 2006, p.1). Research is either basic or applied. Basic research seeks to contribute to knowledge through the development of a theory or concept, while applied research seeks to provide solutions to problems through the development and evaluation of processes, policies, and other activities that require specific courses of action. Refer to Figure 2.

3. Development of the theoretical framework

5. Collection, analysis, and interpretation of data

Source: Edralin, 2006

Figure 2. The Research Process

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Discussion Based on my premise about the learning process, teaching, and research as shown in Figure 3, I have noted that many universities in different countries claim a close relation between teaching and research, as well as a strong critical orientation. Qualitative studies focusing on academics' perceptions and experiences have most often indicated a strong belief in the existence of, and need for, a symbiotic relationship in which involvement in research enhances teaching and, to a lesser extent, involvement in teaching stimulates research (e.g., Jensen 1988; Neumann 1992, 1993; Rowland 1996; Smeby 1998). Together, academics and students constitute a community of practice in which 'teaching' encourages learning through the practice of research. Concretely, faculty and students in the field of science such as courses in medicine, physics, biology, and chemistry undertake various types of researches as part of their learning process. According to Serow (2000), a series of research reviews has concluded that the overall relationship between faculty members' scholarly productivity and their performance as teachers is much less a zero-sum game than critics have suggested (as cited in Braxton 1996; Feldman 1987; Hattie and Marsh 1996). In the words of one of the reviewers, "research does not interfere with teaching effectiveness. This conclusion is particularly salient in research universities in which research receives strong confirmation" (Braxton 1996, p. 8). It was also observed that despite the proliferation of teaching awards and other public affirmations of the importance of teaching, there is little doubt that salary, promotions, and tenure at research universities continue to depend more on research productivity than on instructional performance (Hearn 1999; Fairweather 1996).

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L E A R TEACHING N RESEARCH I N G
Figure 3. Learning as a product of integrating teaching and research

Specifically, the synthesis of teaching and research are lucidly written in the vision-mission-strategy statements of many universities. As cited in the Oxford Brookes University [UK] Learning and Teaching Strategy, the University is committed to enhancing the links between research activity and teaching in order to ensure that students and staff benefit from learning and teaching in a research environment (http://www.brookes.ac.uklbrookes/LTS.html). In addition the top ten world universities in 2010 as listed in the Times Higher Education published by Thomson Reuters (2010), confirms my observation that teaching and research are partners in the pursuit of higher learning. To wit as stated in their website document: (1) Harvard University - The range of research activities at Harvard is broad and deep. Research is supported by more than $750 million of sponsored research funds each year, and it is carried out both in the departments of the ten Schools and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and at more than 100 research centers, on campus and around the world. Researchers
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include faculty members, visiting scholars. post - doctoral fellows, and graduate and undergraduate students, and they collaborate with colleagues across the University, at affiliated institutions, and at other research institutions. (2) California Institute of Technology - To expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education. We investigate the most challenging, fundamental problems in science and technology in a singularly collegial, interdisciplinary atmosphere, while educating outstanding students to become creative members of society. (3) Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Today MIT is a world-class educational institution. Teaching and researchwith relevance to the practical world as a guiding principlecontinue to be its primary purpose.The soul of MIT is research. For 150 years, the Institute has married teaching with engineering and scientific studiesand produced an unending stream of advancements, many of them world-changing. (4) Stanford University - The synthesis of teaching and research is fundamental to Stanford. All faculty members do scholarly research, most often in association with graduate students or advanced undergraduates. Stanford is noted for multidisciplinary research within its schools and departments, as well as its independent laboratories, centers and institutes. Several national research centers are located at Stanford, including the Department of Plant Biology in the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the National Bureau of Economic Research. (5) Princeton University - As a world-renowned research university, Princeton seeks to achieve the highest levels of distinction in the discovery and transmission of knowledge and understanding. At the same time, Princeton is distinctive among research universities in its commitment to undergraduate teaching. From the advancement of mathematical theory and sociological understanding to the development of cleaner-burning fuels and novel electronic devices, research at Princeton aims to advance the frontiers of human knowledge and improve societal well-being.

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(6) University of Cambridge to contribute to society through the pursuit of education, learning, and research at the highest international levels of excellence. Cambridge is one of the worlds leading research universities. It has more than 80 Nobel Prizes to its credit, more than any other single university in the world. The University has developed and is developing a number of interdisciplinary initiatives. Current ones include: Cambridge Conservation Initiative, Cambridge Infectious Disease, Cambridge Neuroscience, and Cambridge Stem Cell Initiative. (7) University of Oxford - Achieving and sustaining worldclass excellence in every area of our teaching and research is at the heart of the University of Oxford's mission. For the intensity, breadth, quality and impact of its research, the University of Oxford has few peers anywhere in the world. Our over-arching research objectives are to lead the international agenda across the Universitys disciplinary spectrum and through interdisciplinary initiatives, and make significant contributions to society regionally, nationally and internationally through the fruits of our research. (8) University of California Berkley - UC Berkeley is consistently rated among the top institutions in the world for the quality and breadth of its research enterprise, for the scholarly distinction of its faculty, for the excellence of its Ph.D. programs, and for the amount of funding received in support of its research programs. UC Berkeley's core research community is made up of some 1,600 full time faculty, 10,000 graduate students, and approximately 1,400 post-doctoral fellows from throughout the world. In addition, many undergraduate students participate in cutting-edge research projects as part of their coursework. (9) Imperial College London - Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a sciencebased institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research. With its Mission as Imperial College embodies and delivers world class scholarship, education and research in science, engineering, medicine and business, with particular regard to their application in industry, commerce and healthcare. We foster multidisciplinary working internally and collaborate widely externally.

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(10) Yale University - Yale is also a major research university. Led by a distinguished faculty, it carries on its education and research on the graduate level in our graduate and professional schools: the graduate school of arts and sciences, divinity, engineering & applied science, forestry & environmental studies, law, management, medicine, nursing, public health, and four schools of the arts: architecture, art, drama, and music. The University is home to one of the worlds great libraries and three outstanding public museums and galleriesPeabody Museum of Natural History, the University Art Gallery, and the Center for British Artthat help to enrich the cultural climate of the university and city. Teaching and research at Yale University are organized through the schools, departments, and programs. In the Philippines, some of the top universities have also affirmed in their website documents the importance of the partnership between teaching and research. I would like to enumerate specific examples: (1) University of the Philippines - as the only national university in the country, the University of the Philippines System takes pride in being the pioneer in higher education through academic excellence, outstanding research, public service, and modernized facilities. As it approaches its centennial, the University aims to further improve its academic and research programs across the System and works towards strengthening its units outside Metro Manila. (2) Ateneo De Manila University - As a University, the Ateneo de Manila seeks to preserve, extend, and communicate truth and apply it to human development and the preservation of the environment. The University seeks all these, as an academic community, through the exercise of the functions proper to a university, that is, through teaching, research and service to the community. (3) De La Salle University - The University will become a leading research university in Southeast Asia. With its corps of eminent faculty ably supported by visionary leaders and technology-enabled professional services, the institution will offer excellent multidisciplinary programs and build a community of learners and scholars who value the pursuit of new knowledge within the perspective of Christian ideals and values. In an
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academic environment permeated by excellence and scholarship, the institution will train leaders, competent professionals, scholars, researchers and entrepreneurs, who will participate actively in improving the quality of life in Philippine society. (4) University of Sto.Tomas - excellence in research and research training is a central concern of the University of Santo Tomas. It is committed to the pursuit of truth and the preservation, advancement and transmission of knowledge in the arts and the sciences, both sacred and civil. It also aims to become "an acknowledged expert in key areas of research in the pure and applied sciences." (5) University of San Carlos We aim to develop competent and socially responsible professionals and lifelong learners in an environment that fosters excellence in the academic core processes of teaching-learning, research, and community extension service. Our mission is to provide timely, relevant, and transformable academic programs responsive to the needs of the local, national, and global communities in a rapidly changing world. Yet it remains the case that in the Philippines, similar to the United States, as elsewhere, that "the academic profession is largely a teaching profession," whose members spend considerably more time on instruction, advising and related tasks than on research and publication. How is this problem addressed? At the macro level to address this problem, the Commission on Higher Education, The Faculty Development Program (FDP) is a major component of the Higher Education Development Project (HEDP), a set of reform-oriented interventions aimed at improving the quality, equity and efficiency of Philippine higher education. The FDP seeks to upgrade the academic qualifications of tertiary faculty to masters and doctorate degree levels. Since 2004, CHED has been providing scholarships for faculty to pursue Masters or Doctorate degree. As of December 2008, 256 out of the total 1,737 grantees who started their studies in SY 2004-2005 through the program graduated. The remaining 1,481 who started in School Years 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 are in the process of completing their degrees under the program.

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Likewise in 2008, the National Higher Education Research Agenda (NHERA) of 1998 2007 underwent evaluation and processing. The creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) with technical staff was made possible through CSO No. 115 S. 2008. The TWG assessed the accomplishments of NHERA 1 in accordance with the following: higher education research policy environment, administrative and technical support for research, financial support for research grants, support to graduate education and publications, recognition of research talents, and research capability programs. 178 faculty/researchers were given travel grants in 2005 2008 to present their research outputs to various international conferences. On the other hand, to address the problem at the micro level, operationally, universities in the Philippines (and this is also true to universities abroad) have provided incentive schemes such as deloading in teaching to conduct research, research honorarium, funding for operational expenses, training for research and publication, physical facilities like laboratories and computers, and publication venues. Similarly, one international study has shown that faculty are regularly evaluated on the basis of both teaching and research. As such, many research universities have created special awards for outstanding instructors, established centers for teaching and learning, enforced minimum teaching standards for promotion and tenure, and increased the instructional load of some faculty (Glassick et al. 1997; Rhoades et al. 1999). In other countries, many institutions have respond to reduced governmental support by encouraging professorial enterprise in contract research, product development and other forms of corporate consulting and collaboration (Gibbons 1995; Slaughter and Leslie 1997). As described by one observer, the increasing demand for funds from universities and research institutes gets a similar response worldwide: support yourselves! That is to say, connect yourselves with industries and the government, offer your knowledge and your capacity to generate knowledge, and charge for it (Sutz 1997, p. 15). Ultimately, there is a need for a higher education that allows the integration of research, teaching, scholarship and learning in a culture of inquiry (Brew 2003). Already there are reports of practical initiatives that are intended to encourage a visibly closer
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relation at all levels (e.g. Jenkins et al. 2003). We must stop merely asserting a close relation between research and teaching and start exploring carefully the nature of the relation as it exists and as it might exist in universities of the future like La Consolacion College Manila. The goal is to increase the circumstances in which teaching and research have occasion to meet, and to provide rewards not only for better teaching or for better research but for demonstrations of the integration of teaching and research. (Hattie, J. and Marsh, H. W.,1996, pp 529533). Such then, is the complexity that individuals and institutions have to confront in delivering on teaching/research relations. Here are some strategies that can be done: (1) All higher education institutions and all degree programs should educate all students to understand how knowledge is constructed through research and to understand the research process; (2) All higher education institutions should support (and require) all academic staff to be scholars/aware of current research developments in their discipline and in the teaching of their discipline (Healey, 2000); (3) All higher education institutions should provide adequate financial support; (4) The Commission on Higher Education, other government institutions like DOST should provide adequate financial support to the research centers of academic institutions pursuing research; (5) adopt twining of small and big universities for the issue/topic based researches; (6) establish a national research forum; (7) develop programs for selected undergraduate/graduate students to do research with selected faculty; (8) secure assistance from the private sector in terms of access to data, on-the-job training sites, and laboratory facilities; (9) hire faculty who are both competent in teaching and research; (10) conduct continuing faculty development in teaching and research; (11) imbed research in all courses; and (12) recognize faculty who are able to balance and integrate teaching and research through promotion in rank, salary incentives, financial support to attend international conferences to present research paper, and the publication of research output. Finally, what can an institution of higher learning do now, like La Consolacion College Manila, to foster a strong partnership between teaching and research in the long-run? There are four strategies that can be implemented. These are: (1) reconfigure
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the existing curriculum to improve the quality of instruction by adopting a combination of the following: Hybrid Courses; Modular Courses, Problem-based Learning, Integrating IT in Teaching; Cooperative Learning, Competency-based Learning, Strategic Alignment of Courses, Transformative Learning, and Honors Program for Academically Gifted/Motivated Students; (2) adopt a strategic research agenda in the next five years which can be internally and externally funded. The following research topics can be included: Innovation, Organization Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, Servant Leadership, Corporate Governance, Corporate Social Responsibility, Women Entrepreneurship, Supply Chain Management, Environmental Issues, Knowledge Management, Global Tourism, Corruption and Bankruptcy, Workplace Spirituality, Wellness, and Decent Work; (3) adopt a research-based and value-based learning paradigm where learning becomes evidence-based anchored on ethical values; and (4) imbed the culture of teaching and research partnership in the educational process where the faculty find passion in combining high levels of research productivity with their own undiminished enthusiasm for teaching to enhance the learning process. References Ateneo De Manila University. (2006). Ateneo de Manila University: Mission-vision. Retrieved May 13, 2011, from http://admu.edu.ph/index.php?P=8 Braxton, J.M. (1996). Contrasting perspectives on the relationship between teaching and research. In Braxton, J.M. (Ed.), Faculty teaching and research: Is there a conflict? (pp. 5-14). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Brew, A. (2003). Teaching and research: New relationships and their implications for inquiry based teaching and learning in higher education. Higher Education Research and Development, 22(1), 3-18. Caltech. (2010). California Institute of Technology: Mission statement. Retrieved May 15, 2011 from http://www.caltech.edu/at-a-glance

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Clark, B. (1997). The modern integration of research activities with teaching and learning. Journal of Higher Education, 68(3), 241-255. Clark, D. R. (2000). Kolbs learning styles and experiential learning model. Retrieved May 20, 2011, from http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/styles/kolb.html Commission on Higher Education. (2010). Commission on Higher Education: Annual report 2009. Retrieved May 13, 2011, from http://202.57.63.198/chedwww/index.php/eng/ Information/CHEDpublications/Annual-Reports Czarnocha, B. & Prabhu, V. (2006). Teaching-research and design experiment two methodologies of integrating research and classroom practice. Ess Working Paper/Pedagogy. De La Salle University-Manila (2005). De La Salle UniversityManila: Mission-vision. Retrieved May 15, 2011, from http://www.dlsu.edu.ph/inside/misvis.asp Edralin, D. (2006). Business research: Concepts and application (3rd ed.). Malate, Manila: De La Salle University Press, Inc. Fairweather, J. (1996). Faculty work and public trust: Restoring the value of teaching and public service in American life. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Feldman, K.A. (1987). Research productivity and scholarly accomplishment of college teachers as related to their instructional effectiveness: A review and exploration. Research in Higher Education, 26(3), 227-298. Gibbons, M. (1995). The university as an instrument for the development of science and basic research: The implications of mode 2 science. In Dill, D. And Spor, B. (Eds.), Emerging Patterns of Social Demand and University Reform: Through a Glass Darkly (pp. 90-104). Oxford: Pergamon. Glassick, C., Huber, M. & Maeroff, G. (1997). Scholarship assessed: Evaluation of the professoriate. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Hammersley, M. (2007). Educational research and evidencebased practice. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

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Hattie, J. & Marsh, H.W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching: A meta analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 507-542. Hearn, J.C. (1999). Faculty salary structures in research universities: Implications for productivity. In Tierey, W. (Ed.), Faculty Productivity: Facts, Fictions, and Issues (pp. 123173). New York: Falmer. Imperial College London (2011). Imperial College London: Our mission. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/planning/strategy/strategicplan Jenkins, A. (2001). How (or whether?) To Integrate Research into Classroom Teaching for all Students and all Higher Education Institutions. Innovations in Undergraduate Research and Honors Education: Proceedings of the Second Schreyer National Conference 2001. Paper 20. Retrieved May 19, 2011, from http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/nchcschreyer2/20 Jensen, J. (1988). Research and teaching in the universities of Denmark: Does such an interplay really exist? Higher Education, 17, 1-26. Kolb D. (1984). Experiential learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Kolb D. (1999). The Kolb Learning style inventory, Version 3. Boston: Hay Group. Oxford University. (2011). Oxford University: About research at Oxford. Retrieved May 8, 2011, from http://www.ox.ac.uk/research/about_research_at_oxford/inde x.html Massachusetts Institute of Technology (n.d.). MIT fact 2011: Mission and origin. Retrieved May 15, 2011, from http://web.mit.edu/facts/mission.html Neumann, R. (1992). Perceptions of the teaching research nexus: A framework for analysis. Higher Education, 23, 159-171. Reuters, T. (2010). The world university rankings 2010: Times higher education. TLS Education Ltd. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/worlduniversity-rankings/2010-2011/top-200.html
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Robertson, J. & Bond, C. (2005). The research/teaching relation: A view from the 'Edge'. Higher Education, 50(3), 509-535. Springer. Retrieved May 17, 2011, from http://www.jstor.org/stable/25068108 Rowland, S. (1996). Relationships between teaching and research. Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 7-20. Serow, R. (2000). Research and teaching at a research university. Higher Education, 40(4), 449-463. Springer. Retrieved May 18, 2011 from http://www.jstor.org/stable/3448010 Slaughter, S. & Leslie, L. (1997). Academic capitalism: Politics, policies, and the entrepreneurial university. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Smeby, J.C. (1998). Knowledge production and knowledge transmission: The interaction between research and teaching at universities. Teaching in Higher Education, 3(1), 5-20. Stanford University (n.d.). Stanford Facts: The Stanford challenge. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from: http://www.stanford.edu/about/facts/research.html Sutz, J. (1997). The new role of the university in the productive sector. In Etzkowitz, H. & Leydesdorf, L. (Eds.), Universities and the Global Knowledge Economy: A Triple Helix of University-Industry-governmernte lations (pp. 11-20). London. The President and Fellows of Harvard College (2011). Harvard University: Research. Retrieved May 12, 2011, from http://www.harvard.edu/research/index.php The Trustees of Princeton University (2011). Princeton University: Office of the dean for research. Retrieved May 15, 2011, from http://www.princeton.edu/research/dean/ UC Regents (2011). University of California Berkley: A premiere research university. Retrieved May 17, 2011, from http://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/berkeley-research-numbers University of Cambridge (2011). University of Cambridge: The universitys mission and core values. Retrieved May 12, 2011 from: http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/mission.html

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