9.8 Your Research

Depending on the institution and instructor's situation, the amount of time teaching gets can be quite varied. A common ratio is 40-40-20; research, teaching, service. Is there a link between teaching and research?

Usually the courses an instructor teaches relates to some combination of the instructor's schooling, discipline, and research. In some cases, there is little to link teaching and research, but in some cases there is. Sometimes the link is at the fundamental levels of methods and concepts, those used in research and while the instructor's research is not relevant, the methods are. In these cases, the instructor can bring insights into the classroom.



There are times when the research directly relates to the course and this presents to the instructor a wonderful opportunity to share their passion, interests, and insights; things only possible in the instructor's class and which are unique.

Courses at the junior level do not really require the deep, deep insights, but they still benefit from some insider insights, discussions about where the methods and concepts are used and why they are useful to learn.

Senior courses and grad courses probably deserve the deeper stuff, the longer discussions. Not all students will like the perceived tangents and they have to carefully voiced (it cannot be about you and how smart you are, it has to be about the methods and the value they bring to the students). However, there will be students who will appreciate the effort and consideration. They will realize that this is something they got to experience and to hear, and students in other classes, at other institutions did not.

You have to be careful about name dropping and such, but if you have had special experiences using the methods, if you are perhaps a pioneer, one of the world renown experts, it is likely that you have some great stories to share and to inspire the students. Of course, your own expertise will depend on how deep and broad your own studies and research have been.

It is likely that you share some history, where the methods, theories, and concepts came from, some of their successes, some of the failures and controversy (if there is any). Students like to know that they are being instructed by an expert in the topic. You do not have brag and be over the top, but you can demonstrate what you know by the narratives and examples. You can bring other experts to class and do a discussion with them. You can do mini-cases or more detailed examples and then do a deeper dive or analysis of what is being assumed or being taken for granted. Students should know when to use something, when not to use something, and how to use it. They should also know what good usage looks like and what shoddy usage looks like. They should know what to look for that suggests that things went south; when to believe the results and when not to. They need to know the limitations of the theories and concepts. You can use your background to create imagery and cognitive eye-candy and help the students develop a deeper level of knowledge. Bring your expertise into the classroom!

Further reading

• Tight, M. (2016) Examining the research/teaching nexus, European Journal of Higher Education, 6, 4, pp. 293-311.