Centre for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching | Informed by cutting edge research and practice

Through enactment of this principle, the curriculum will be based on insight, research, innovation, practice and evidence which is regularly refreshed and connects learners to local, regional, national and global challenges and innovation.

The curriculum will scaffold learning opportunities for students to conduct their own research and scholarship, while noticing and challenging the historical paradigms framing Western research approaches.

In embedding this principle, USW course teams reflect on questions such as:

How does the course enable learners to engage with cutting-edge employer/industry/staff-led research at each level of learning?
What opportunities exist for students to develop research and practise skills, and share their outputs with others, both internally and externally?

Group of FBCI researchers discussing work at an academic research event in the Zen room at Cardiff campus

Biological Sciences Wildlife Ecology Researchers setting up a drone.

Where this principle is fully embedded, these reflections will evidence a curriculum:

Where cutting-edge research and practice informs course design, content, and enactment.
Where USW staff research informs the curriculum and promotes student partnership working.
Where students actively see themselves as researchers from day one (embedded within active learning).
Where research and practice skills, and a critique of the historical paradigms framing Western research are scaffolded throughout the curriculum.
Where the curriculum is USW research/industry/employer informed, and promotes the development of criticality, ethically robust data-led research skills and the USW Graduate Attributes.
Where at each level opportunities are scaffolded for students to share their outputs with others both internally and externally.

Watch this video to find out more (4m 53s) NB: The videos below were recorded in 2021. Since when, the participants have since moved into different roles at USW

A wheel with different headings relating to the curriculum design principles. Research-led is highlighted in pink.

A Short Guide, with a Checklist

To help you implement the 'Informed by Cutting-edge Research and Practice' USW Curriculum Design Principle, we have produced a short guide providing you with its role in curriculum design and assessment; the USW context which applies to it; information about literature supporting this principle; links to further reading; and a checklist to help you identify how well the principle is embedded in your modules.

Download our guide to 'Informed by Cutting-edge Research and Practice'

For further reading, literature informing our thinking around curricula informed by cutting edge research and practice includes, but is not limited to:

Carnell, B. and Fung, D. eds., 2017. Developing the higher education curriculum: Research-based education in practice. UCL Press.

Jenkins, A. and Healey, M., 2009. Developing the student as a researcher through the curriculum. Innovations in practice, 2(1), pp.3-15.

Walkington, H., 2015. Students as researchers: Supporting undergraduate research in the disciplines in higher education. The higher education academy, 1, pp.1-34.