4 January - 10 January 2010

At the start of the New Year and the new decade we consider the productive relationship between teaching and research at Leeds Met, with some thoughts below from our Director of University Research, Carlton Cooke, and a reflection from Jon Finn.

Leeds Met strives to enhance the quality of student experience at all levels and on all programmes of study.  In any university community this is, among other things, best achieved through maximising the synergies between assessment, learning and teaching and research.  Our staff inspire our students and vice versa, but also the very nature of studying material in either the context of ALT or research or both combined can be inspiring for those involved, affecting career paths through positive choices.  Often such inspiration is not obvious or planned for in the undergraduate teaching session or independent study, but with the benefit of reflection these everyday but inspiring events can be acknowledged as sowing the seeds for future careers inside and outside academia.  There is much debate about the place of research in ALT and vice versa, and how best to use the synergies between them to enhance the student experience, but as is often the case examples best illustrate how the inspirations and synergies at the interface of research and ALT can work to best advantage.  Jon Finn's reflection below is a fine example for us all to reflect on at the start of a new year.

Carlton Cooke
Director of University Research
Carnegie Professor of Sport & Exercise Science

Reflection

Teaching and research: a reciprocal relationship

Often teaching and research are discussed as separate entities.  However, when I consider my own narrative, and consult the students whom I have taught and worked with on research projects, this does not resonate.  Let me explain by giving an example.

As an undergraduate, I attended an excellent lecture on the subject of imagery within the context of sport psychology, sparking an interest which eventually led to several research projects and publications.  These outputs later helped me gain employment as an academic at Leeds Met.  Here, fuelled by my research experiences, I was able to teach undergraduates about this subject.  From this teaching some students reported the same spark I had experienced, beginning their own imagery-based research projects.  Their CVs too have largely benefited from their research.  One particular example was a project that was presented at last year's Inaugural World Conference of Soccer & Science, and which will soon be published as a book chapter*.  Based on such experiences, my students and I consider teaching and research to be reciprocal, with teaching sparking initial interest, and research enabling a detailed understanding of the subject.  We can then communicate knowledge to others, truly maximising the student experience at every step.

Jon Finn
Carnegie Research Institute

*Finn, J., Grill, A., & Bell, D. (in press) A comparison of PETTLEP imagery, physical practice and their combination in the facilitation of non-dominant leg kicking accuracy. In B. Drust, T. Reilly & A. M. Williams (eds) International Research in Science and Soccer. Padstow: Routledge.

Update

The latest publication in the Leeds Met Press series on learning and teaching is on Course design for increased student satisfaction by David Baume (author of last year's booklet on Writing and using good learning outcomes).  Good course design is fundamental to successful teaching and the maintenance of standards. Students are at the heart of everything we do at Leeds Met, and this booklet is designed to ensure that the design and operation of courses are transparent to all. If students clearly understand the scope, content and structure of courses from the outset, they are more likely to be satisfied with results. Copies will be distributed to all academic staff individually later this week, together with copies of the latest issue of the ALT Journal.  To order bulk copies please contact publications@leedsmet.ac.uk.

Sally Brown
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic)
S.Brown@leedsmet.ac.uk