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In this article, we sought a relation between orientation to higher education and curricular experiences, and elucidated the nature of transformative curricular experiences. Twenty-four graduates from humanities and science degrees in the year 2000 were interviewed approximately five years later to obtain their retrospective views on the purpose of higher education, as well as their undergraduate experiences of teaching and learning. Drawing on phenomenographic principles, four orientations to higher education were generated. Four participant cases are analyzed, representing each orientation to higher education. In the "gaining a qualification" orientation, graduates valued being told what to learn, as well as learning practical skills. For the "preparation for a job" orientation, graduates wanted lecturers who were good at conveying information, but they also valued project work, having some autonomy over learning and practical applications. In the "developing skills and learning how to think" orientation, graduates valued being challenged and learning in groups, but also wanted to learn professional skills. In the "growing as an individual" orientation, graduates valued being challenged, gaining different perspectives, developing critical thinking, learning about theory, interacting with lecturers, research, and study for its own sake. Some curricular experiences transformed thinking about the purpose of higher education, including learning through discussion in small groups, authentic learning tasks including inquiry-based assignments, exercises in developing critical thinking, opportunities to interact with teachers, opportunities to develop practical skills, experiencing different cultures and personal growth through lifestyle and social experiences. Our research has implications for advising students, as well as for teachers aiming to encourage a deep approach to learning.

This article, based on narrative inquiry, explores how academics with/out formal leadership positions experience and understand themselves as leaders in their everyday working contexts. A single case of a fixed-term academic was chosen to illustrate how different analytical lenses -- "plot analysis" and "discourse analysis" -- can unpack the complexities of experience associated with non-positional leadership, a topic scarcely represented in studies of leadership in higher education. Two interdependent plots -- the heroic plot and the victimised plot -- were found to recur throughout the participant's narrative. These plots signified the conflictual dynamics and the unique subjectivity in which this person made sense of himself as a leader. The analytical lens was then shifted to pay greater attention to the ways in which broader networks of discourses were at play within this participant's narrative. Using discourse analysis, the discourses of autonomy and masculinity, among others, were present in constituting the unique subject positions the participant took up. The article concludes with a summary of methodological contributions this study offers to the field of leadership in higher education. (Contains 5 notes.)

New Zealand is unique in the global tertiary education environment because there is a legislative requirement that teaching and research are closely interdependent and that most teaching in universities and all degree-granting institutions should be done by people who are active in advancing knowledge. Moreover, the Tertiary Education Strategy calls for "a research culture within which undergraduates learn to take a research-based approach to their lifelong educational Canament." Thus there is a strong imperative for research and inquiry to be part of the undergraduate curriculum. In 2006 the authors were part of a research team that gained a substantial external grant from the government to document and analyze the use of inquiry-guided learning (IGL) in undergraduate education in New Zealand. This article draws on that research by first providing some background on the research project and highlighting some key findings and then considering different approaches to including IGL in an undergraduate curriculum. In the first case--the appetizer, the authors discuss how inquiry can be included in a large first-year sociology class, and in the second case--the entree--they examine how inquiry is embedded throughout an ecology degree program. The intent is to present theoretical concepts from the research and to offer practical advice for faculty seeking to include inquiry within an undergraduate curriculum. (Contains 2 tables and 3 figures.)

Inquiry-based learning (IBL) is promoted as a teaching approach that can enhance student learning outcomes. IBL can be categorised according to scale (e.g. tasks, course/module/paper, degree), mode (structured, guided, open) and framing (information or discovery-oriented). Our research used a survey instrument to determine how student perceptions of learning processes and intended learning outcomes (ILOs) varied in response to courses with different modes and framing of IBL. The survey was completed by 940 students in 15 IBL courses across a range of disciplines and levels. All types of IBL courses were well rated by students for encouraging learning processes and ILOs congruent with a well-designed inquiry experience. Regarding modes of IBL, there was a clear hierarchy from open (most highly rated) to guided and then structured inquiry. For the framing of IBL, courses using discovery-oriented IBL were more highly rated than information-oriented IBL. Overall, the most highly rated course design was open, discovery-oriented IBL, but other types of IBL remained important in terms of developing research and inquiry skills. To determine whether all types of IBL courses are promoting enhanced ILOs compared to more traditionally taught courses, a comparative study should be undertaken. (Contains 2 tables and 6 figures.)

This study involved a meta-analysis of 10 cases of inquiry-based learning (IBL) in undergraduate education to determine the factors which both enable and constrain its use. The enabling factors were found to include: teacher attributes--being student-centred, reflective but rebellious; course design attributes--questions stimulating learning, collaborative learning, progressive development of inquiry skills, required student preparation and constructive alignment; department and institutional attributes--IBL being more accepted if permeating a whole programme, the pivotal role of supportive senior management and assistance by staff developers. The major constraints were gaining philosophical buy-in to inquiry approaches; supporting transition to inquiry; developing self-reflection skills; and coping with varied assessment products. Departmental and institutional challenges included timetables and room allocation and the difficulty of recruiting teachers in a research intensive environment. Some strategies are suggested to help overcome these barriers. (Contains 3 tables and 1 note.)

Inquiry-based learning has been promoted as a student-centred approach that can strengthen the links between teaching and research. This article examines the potential of inquiry-based learning to strengthen the teaching-research nexus by analysing three case studies: a "structured inquiry" third-year endocrinology medicine module, a "guided inquiry" second-year political communications course and an "open inquiry" third-year ecology course. The relation between teaching and research differed significantly amongst these three cases and led to a reconceptualisation of inquiry-based learning. A model was then developed to link the focus of learning (using Levy's framing of information or discovery-oriented inquiry) with the level of independence and the potential strength of the teaching-research nexus. The findings show that, if teachers are aiming for strong links between teaching and research, they should adopt an open, discovery-oriented inquiry-based learning approach. However, more structured and guided forms of inquiry can be useful to progressively develop particular inquiry skills. (Contains 3 tables and 4 figures.)

In recent years there has been a move towards the strengthening of teaching and research links in the undergraduate curriculum. Inquiry-based learning offers an opportunity for students to engage in research tasks and consequently students can develop valuable research skills, as well as working on projects aligned to staff research interests. This paper describes a third-year undergraduate geography inquiry project exploring the factors that impact on personal exposure to nitrogen dioxide. Students were required to wear passive pollution samplers over a two-week period, and to collect information about their daily regimes. The project involved analysing the air pollution exposure and relating the exposure to factors such as time spent in various environments, and meteorological influences. Standard course evaluations and focus-group data provided a means to evaluate the success of the project. Course evaluations have improved since the introduction of the project and students value the project because of the greater understanding that comes from being a research subject, learning about the research process and the development of analytical skills. However, students had not fully realized the range of research skills they had acquired through the project. In the future, the aims and outcomes of the project will be made more explicit and the reflective element will be expanded to ensure students reflect on their learning in the course. The teaching team must be cognizant of the fact that inquiry exercises can take geography students outside their comfort zone in terms of learning styles, and thus provide appropriate support. (Contains 2 notes, 1 table and 2 figures.)

This paper encourages readers to experiment with inquiry-based learning (IBL) in their courses in the interest of identifying more diverse styles of instruction, and developing a wider understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of the methodology. The aims of the paper are to unpack the meanings of IBL, describe some uses of IBL in geography, and discuss their benefits and challenges for students and teachers. IBL is essentially a question-driven, philosophical approach to teaching that involves active, student-centred learning. The teacher acts principally as a facilitator or mentor, guiding and encouraging students through the inquiry process. Examples of IBL are presented, ranging from questioning exercises embedded in the class, through to entire courses or degrees using an inquiry-based approach. Students can benefit greatly from IBL since they are active in the learning process, can have improved understanding, more enjoyable learning, develop valuable research skills, achieve higher-order learning outcomes and perform better academically. Teachers can also benefit through a strengthening of teaching-research links and the clear gains in student engagement and learning. However, in order for IBL to be effective, teachers must be encouraged and supported to take on this facilitating role. When IBL elements are embedded in a more traditional curriculum, particular care needs to be taken so that students and teachers are carefully oriented to the expectations regarding the outcome of learning and teaching in this mode. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

Our study explored undergraduates’ experiences of the research culture at a research-intensive university in southern New Zealand. In 2009, 1281 students responded to a survey that probed aspects of the research culture. Data were analysed through descriptive statistics and an inductive analysis of comments. Survey results for final-year students compared very favourably to students at UK and Canadian research-intensive universities and, indeed, our students reported higher ratings for some measures. It was clear there was increased awareness and experience of research in more advanced years of study. Overall, undergraduates reported mainly positive experiences of the research culture, such as increased understanding of the topic, greater motivation and inspiration, as well as learning research skills and practical applications of theory. Although encouraged by the results, there is much room for improvement. First-year students have lower levels of awareness of the research culture and few opportunities to engage in research. Current initiatives are underway to raise the profile of undergraduate research and it is hoped that surveys in future years will demonstrate an improvement in student realisation of the research culture within which they study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inquiry-based learning has been promoted as a student-centred approach that can strengthen the links between teaching and research. This article examines the potential of inquiry-based learning to strengthen the teaching-research nexus by analysing three case studies: a 'structured inquiry' third-year endocrinology medicine module, a 'guided inquiry' second-year political communications course and an 'open inquiry' third-year ecology course. The relation between teaching and research differed significantly amongst these three cases and led to a reconceptualisation of inquiry-based learning. A model was then developed to link the focus of learning (using Levy's framing of information or discovery-oriented inquiry) with the level of independence and the potential strength of the teaching-research nexus. The findings show that, if teachers are aiming for strong links between teaching and research, they should adopt an open, discovery-oriented inquiry-based learning approach. However, more structured and guided forms of inquiry can be useful to progressively develop particular inquiry skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the experiences of a group of academics learning to teach with problem-based learning (PBL) and how a community of practice (COP) supported this transition. An action-research project evaluated both PBL experiences and group processes. Teachers were enthusiastic about PBL but experienced a variety of problems during the transition. Those new to teaching had particular difficulty taking on the PBL role of 'facilitator'. All teachers struggled to work within the 'rules' of PBL. Of specific concern was the varied input teachers provided for their tutor groups and possible inequalities for student learning. The COP enabled professional learning about teaching PBL, but the dynamics of the group were perceived as too hierarchical. The group could have functioned better if it had adopted the principles underpinning a COP so that teachers could take a more critical stance towards how they operated within the group and how they taught PBL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]