Birmingham University is a Research Intensive Institution and will be in 2026. We do research from atoms to the atmosphere, from sharks to Shakespeare. Research permeates all our teaching and students are engaged in research and research related activities at all levels.
Our research success and our investment in research directly and explicitly benefits our students However, we can be complacent; we assume that delivery of Research Intensive Teaching (RIT) and it’s benefit is obvious. It isn’t and we are missing out on articulation and promotion of one of our major strengths. We need to reflect on what RIT is, where it is delivered and how it actually benefits our students. Where there are gaps we need to plug them.
As we develop our teaching to 2026 there are two questions we need to answer so we can clearly articulate the intertwining of research and teaching at the University of Birmingham:
1) What are the components of RIT delivery throughout our programmes, from when the students enter to when they graduate? (I think there are four!).
2) What is the impact of our RIT? In other words, what do our graduates get from RIT and most importantly, how can we tell that this RIT has made a difference?
We should be proud of the mantra ‘investment in research is investment in students’ but we need to get the evidence from across the campus.
These two posts are focussed on the same topic – teaching in a research-intensive university. As Jeremy says – we need to challenge ourselves by asking questions about what RIT means in practice in THIS university (surely we can identify something unique). I wonder what Jerry’s four components of RIT are – and whether they are the same as yours?
Jerry’s second question is also critical – believing in RIT without being able to evidence impact is no longer aceptable. So…what is your evidence?
The four (or was it five) RIT elements were discussed at last Friday’s RIT workshop. This helped clarify elements of what this means and ways we can enhance things now, often in relatively simply ways. As Jeremy says, impact evidence is key and we need start this process now. Some useful suggestions on this did come out of the workshop.
As soon as it is finalised, I will post to this site the agreed U21 Position Statement on teaching excellence in contemporary research intensive universities