Topic outline
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TIRTL is the Teaching Innovation and Research Team (for Learning).
1. Vision
Active and collaborative engagement to inform and advance teaching practice
2. Mission
To develop, share and disseminate outputs* based on innovation and advances in teaching and learning practice
*NB: outputs in this definition is broad and can be taken to mean any or all of the following (and more): research outputs, digital and other artefacts (e.g. simulators, applications, etc.), supervision, presentations, abstracts, resources, etc.
3. Purposes
- To provide a research concentration based within the School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences with a focus on learning and teaching research,
- To provide a research concentration membership opportunity for teaching-focussed staff, and other teaching/research academics with research interests in this domain,
- To encourage and support career advancement opportunities for teaching-focussed staff,
- To provide further guidance, advice and inspiration for the School’s teaching community to help prepare it for changes in future teaching ‘worlds’,
- To encourage and support research that leverages the existing expertise of the school in biomedical sciences.
4. Scope of research
The School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences has resolved to develop a recognisable research group in the teaching and learning realm. Specifically, we are seeking to tackle problems and questions concerning the science of how people learn, and how to advance teaching practice with innovation, with a particular focus on the tertiary education setting.
Research activities conducted by the group would include:
- Studies of learning in relation to quantitative measures, such as physiological and biochemical markers, imaging studies, behavioural analysis, and data analysis of learning analytics,
- Evaluation studies of teaching practice,
- The development of novel approaches to teaching.
5. Membership and out of school network
TIRTL is an open, collaborative entity including staff and researchers from other units and schools. All teaching-focussed staff will be encouraged to take part in the team, and in periodic meetings and activities. Engagement with external stakeholders and casual tutors will also be encouraged.
Our principal collaboration is with the Teaching Innovation Unit (TIU) to access any additional data sources, learning innovations and research interests.
There is also the potential to reach out to other schools for their expertise and/or interest in collaboration in this area (e.g. School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy’s Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory). Links with other schools in the Division of Health Sciences (School of Nursing and Midwifery, School of Health Sciences) has been identified as critical.
6. Leadership
The group is initially led and energised by local champions of innovative and reflective teaching practice. These people will help to drive and organise the group’s activities.
Click here to see TIRTL leadership academics