The Cinderella of academia: Is higher education pedagogic research undervalued in UK research assessment?

Abstract

Academic research is increasingly driven by research assessment exercises (in the UK, by the Research Excellence Framework, REF). These aim to compare outputs of researchers in each university with those elsewhere, but evaluation efforts have suffered from widespread criticism. The status of pedagogic research in higher education (HE)–once described as the ‘Cinderella’ of academia, but now an increasing part of university research activity–has also prompted some controversy. Both policy-makers and academics have raised questions about whether such research is appropriate for submission, and confusion exists over the distinction between pedagogic research and ‘scholarship of teaching and learning’. This project, funded by the UK Higher Education Academy, explored the experiences of HE pedagogic researchers in REF2014, and found evidence of barriers to participation. These included concerns about quality, expertise of reviewers, and local and intra-institutional politics, all of which may have limited the inclusion of HE pedagogic research.