This paper addresses the challenge of creating
synergy among the increasingly more specialised and centralised supports for
four key higher education activities - research, writing, teaching and learning
- which frequently fail to capitalise on their shared territories and common
ground. There is a wealth of research about the distinct areas of learning,
teaching, researching and writing in higher education (Anson 2015; Geller and
Eodice 2013; Sorcinelli et al. 2006;
Thaiss et al., 2014; Trowler et al.
2012); however, there is a dearth of scholarship addressing these four areas
more holistically (Boyer 1990). In many
institutions, central support for these four areas continues to grow,
repeatedly in a reactive rather than strategic manner, in the form of sometimes
overlapping programmes or activities, centres, institutes and other units
(Thiass et al. 2012). This responsive
growth, often influenced by external forces, can result in the goals,
structures and services of these central supports being less than optimal. Our
paper proposes that dialogue and research, across units and institutions, will
illuminate intersections and contribute to institutional transformation based
on complementary, coherent and integrated provision.
Specifically, our paper outlines the goals, and
progress to date, of a European COST Action where we aim to address the
identified challenge by classifying, as ‘frontier taxonomies’, the common
ground in terms of shared purposes, processes, knowledge, values and skills
among centralized institutional supports for research, writing, teaching and
learning in order to capitalise on their synergies. In addition, it aims to suggest advantageous
models and practices for supporting these four areas that are mindful of the
availability of new technologies and assessments and that prompt a reworking of
current institutional supports.
European colleagues facilitating
this discussion acknowledge financial support provided by the EU Framework
Programme Horizon 2020 through COST (European Cooperation in Science and
Technology) funding for Action 15221
http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/ca/CA15221
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