Research Teaching Integration – master thesis writers as creators of knowledge

Research Teaching Integration (RTI) is not a new phenomenon Humboldt emphasized teaching methods including students in discussions and thereby turn them into creators of knowledge as the hallmark of universities. Among other things, Humboldt is cited as saying “universities should treat learning as consisting of not yet wholly solved problems and hence always in research mode.” (Wilhelm von Humboldt 1810 cited by Elton, 2005, p. 110). Today universities face challenges such as increasing demands for internationally competitive research results and for more students to complete their education more rapidly and enter employment immediately. Combined with cutbacks the ambition about RTI can be hard to implement: Research and teaching become competitors rather than mutually supportive activities (Hattie & Marsh, 1996). In Great Britain examples of “teaching-only universities” has occurred. However, today RTI is renewed in various ways. At the University of Copenhagen RTI is one of four central elements in the 2023 Strategy Plan for the University (UCPH 2017). However, ambitions of improvement is one thing, but how could you do this in practice? In my paper, I will elaborate on how students’ can become creators of knowledge by participating in RTI designed cluster supervision during thesis writing. Bowden and Marton’s two forms of knowledge creation, i.e. knowledge as learning (students) and creation of new knowledge (researchers) can be seen as intertwined (Bowden, Bowden & Marton 1998). Doing so, one may detect the possibilities of making the students aware of the qualities of designing and conducting a research project and making the supervisors/ researchers aware of the students’ potential in relation to their research. I present results from two research projects about students getting feedback in clusters during thesis writing. To what extent do students create (new) knowledge and thereby practice RTI. References: Bowden, J. A., Bowden, J., & Marton, F. (1998). The University of Learning: Kogan Page. Elton, L. (2005). Scholarship and the research and teaching nexus. In R. Barnett (Ed.), Reshaping the university: new relationships between research, scholarship and teaching (pp. 108-118). Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill/Open University Press. Hattie, J., & Marsh, H. W. (1996). The Relationship Between Research and Teaching: A Meta-Analysis. Review of Educational Research, 66(4), 507-542. doi: 10.3102/00346543066004507 Råd, D. F. (2012). Forskningsbaseret uddannelse i det værdiskabende universitet. In D. F. Råd (Ed.), (pp. 1-9). København. UCPH (2017) Talent and collaboration – Strategy 2023, University of Copenhagen.