VIRTUAL Prague Research & Teaching Conference
Abstract
This presentation reports preliminary findings of a research project conducted within a comprehensive built environment faculty in Australia. The project has built upon Healey and Jenkins’ framework (2009) that considers multiple forms for productive intersection of teaching and research activity. Our study engaged participants currently performing diverse faculty roles to explore these multifaceted relationships in higher education.
Central to the investigation is a case study exploring the development and implementation of a new subject. The subject is designed to embed active research projects, allowing students to engage with research and learning in multiple capacities. The approach seeks to bridge theoretical knowledge and practical application in built environment disciplines. The paper presents facets of research-teaching integration identified through the study, highlighting both challenges and benefits. These findings consider both individual and institutional perspectives, (Hattie & March (1996); McKinley et al (2021)) offering insights into the complexities of aligning research activities with educational objectives in built environment disciplines. The study contributes to the broader discourse on contemporary research-informed teaching and practice-based learning through the lens of this specific case. The findings have implications for curriculum design, faculty development, and the enhancement of student learning experiences in built environment education and related fields. Healey, M., & Jenkins, A. (2009). Developing Undergraduate Research and Inquiry. York: Higher Education Academy. Hattie, J. & Marsh, H.W. (1996). The relationship between research and teaching: a meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 507-542. McKinley, J., McIntosh, S., Milligan, L. & Mikolajewska, A. (2021). Eyes on the enterprise: problematising the concept of a teaching-research nexus in UK higher education. Higher Education, 81, 1023-1041.
A/Prof Kate Tregloan is Associate Dean (Teaching and Learning), and Director of the Built Environments Learning + Teaching (BEL+T) group, in the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, University of Melbourne. The BEL+T group applies creative problem-solving and design-led approaches, evidence-based research methodologies and project-focused consultancy to improve teaching quality and student engagement in built environment disciplines. Kate focuses on education and its contributions to interdisciplinary impact, the built environment, and addressing community need.
Natalie Miles is a registered Architect, design teacher, and PhD candidate in the Melbourne School of Design, Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is also a member of the Built Environment Learning & Teaching group (BEL+T), developing ‘best-practice’ advice and training for the faculty. Natalie’s interdisciplinary research focuses on socio-spatial networks, including schools and social infrastructures, and design pedagogies for Built Environment disciplines.
Dr Bridget Keane is a Lecturer, Learning and Teaching in the Built Environments Learning and Teaching group (BEL+T) in the faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning at the University of Melbourne. Her teaching and creative practice focus on the role of design in the context of climate crisis and positioning the designer as one of many interacting agents within complex ecological, material, and economic systems. Her current focus is on bringing this thinking to the support and expansion of knowledge of pedagogy in the built environment disciplines with the recent publication, “Designing Landscape Architectural Education: Studio Ecologies for Unpredictable Futures” co-edited with Rosalea Monacella and published by Routledge.