The teaching-research nexus in the Humanities and Social Sciences in Higher Education

This study, presented in two separate parts, will critically examine research and teaching in the Higher Education sector, both in the UK and internationally. It will take as a starting point that this relationship has often been assumed and that the evidence base underpinning such assumptions needs to be both questioned and developed. The focus is on current and future relationships, not only for the impact of research on teaching but also that of teaching on research.
The international project is a comparative study that systematically reviews the evidence base to explore what policy structures create a mutually supportive environment for teaching and research. It explores how effectively these policy structures work to realise a stronger relationship between research and practice. The review highlights gaps in the knowledge base and offers evidence-informed reflections on the higher education policy context in the UK.
The UK project is a scoping and survey study that addresses the policy priorities of the both the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) and Research Excellence Framework (REF) and the wider influences on universities, such as increases in student fees and the potential impact on funding related to Brexit.
Together, these two projects serve to significantly increase the opportunities for debating the emerging issues from policy and practice and support the stimulation of questions for wider debate.