This document discusses developing a scholarship profile for a teaching-focused university. It outlines five types of scholarship: institutional scholarship focused on university operations; scholarship of teaching through investigating pedagogy; scholarship for teaching in developing teaching materials; scholarship of professional practice applying findings to social issues; and discipline-based scholarship extending academic fields. It emphasizes that scholarship at teaching universities still requires peer review and should have external impact through contributing to academic knowledge. Developing a balanced scholarship portfolio involves negotiation and supporting academics through training, projects and external funding opportunities.

1. Developing a
Scholarship profile for
a teaching-focused
university
Alan Tait
Professor of Distance Education and
Development The Open University
Visiting Professor, AU Herning

2. What is a University?
 As opposed to a College?
 A Company?
 Humboldtian notion of research led
 Standard model
 Creation of Knowledge
 Transmission of Knowledge
 Public service

3. Teaching only
University?
 Reproduction of knowledge only?
 Reputation and ‘brand’

4. How do we understand
Scholarship?
 Discovery: build new knowledge
through research
 Making connections: new knowledge
across disciplines
 Application: address social and
technological problems
 Teaching: dissemination,
transformation and extension
 Boyer 1990

5. Peer review and
Scholarship
 All forms of Scholarship require peer
review, not just ‘Discovery’
 Includes publication, external grants,
peers in professional practice

6. Open University
 1 Institutional scholarship
 2 Scholarship of teaching
 3 Scholarship for teaching
 4 Scholarship in support of
professional practice
 Discipline based scholarship

7. Institutional Scholarship
 Investigation of questions of interest to
strategy and operation of the
university

8. Scholarship of teaching
 Investigation of one’s own or others’
teaching, including the investigation of
pedagogy, including assessment and
design

9. Scholarship for teaching
 Scholarly activities that contribute to
development of teaching materials,
modules and curricula
 May work across disciplines
 May involve professional practice

10. Scholarship of
professional practice
 Application of findings and innovation
to address social and professional
issues

11. Discipline based
Scholarship
 investigation that extends area of
academic discipline

12. Developing a portfolio of
scholarship
 University portfolio can include all 5
types
 Size and shape of portfolio will change
over time
 Managed through dialogue and
negotiation
 Explicit and purposeful

13. Evaluation of
Scholarship
 Externality: must be capable of
external recognition
 Subject to judgement of peers
 Capable of use and elaboration by
others
 Outcomes of Scholarship should have
an impact externally and build
academic contribution of the university

14. Staffing issues
 How to manage transition from where
you are now to where you want to be?
 In framework of 5 types of
Scholarship?
 PhD’s
 Training and support
 Projects and publications
 Importance of external funding and
peer review

15. Scholarship strategy
 How to propose size and shape of AU
Herning Scholarship portfolio?
 What targets to set?
 What help would academics need?
 What help would academic managers
need?
 Barriers?