Dr. Jeff Zabudsky

Industry-driven applied research

Overcoming the research/undergraduate dilemma

By Dr Jeff Zabudsky

The prospect of a new class of post-secondary institutions — undergraduate teaching universities — is challenging the two schools of thought framing the debate over the role of research and its connection to the undergraduate experience. One position argues that faculty-driven research is inextricably tied to the quality of the learning undergraduate experience. This position assumes that a rich faculty research agenda is crucial to the life of an academic, with the effects trickling down to undergraduate students in the form of enhanced and up-to-date curriculum.

The other side of the debate holds that most undergraduates in the traditional university are taught by non-research sessional faculty, and where they do encounter a tenure track professor there is very little, if any, positive impact of faculty research on their educational experience. Indeed, some will argue that the preoccupation of a robust research regimen is detrimental to the overall experience of undergrads.

But there are signs that a new approach to undergraduate education is emerging, one that will draw on the particular strengths of Canada's polytechnics and colleges in the areas of applied research and teaching.

First, provincial higher education policy in several jurisdictions has taken up the issue of the undergraduate experience in a number of new ways. British Columbia has transformed a number of its university-college institutions into teaching universities. Alberta has created a new framework that has legislated differentiation, resulting in the transformation of two colleges into undergraduate teaching universities. Similarly, Manitoba has created a new primarily undergraduate university through the transformation of a community college. In Ontario, the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, a research centre that helps inform policy making, is calling for greater differentiation in the Ontario post-secondary system.

Also helping to frame the Ontario debate is a book titled Academic Reform by Clark et al that advocates for the creation of dedicated undergraduate teaching universities that would be covered by omnibus legislation similar to that found in Alberta. The authors argue that these new institutions would be more cost effective for government and provide more meaningful and effective learning experiences for many more Ontario undergraduates.

As well, the omnibus legislation would act as an effective constraint on any aspirations the new universities may develop towards offering graduate education.

The need for change and alternative approaches is evident. Perhaps most tellingly, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada recently issued a report titled The Revitalization of Undergraduate Education in Canada in which Mount Allison University president, Robert Campbell, is quoted as saying, "We all feel and know that the character of the undergraduate experience has deteriorated in our lifetime, especially so in the last decades. And we know in our heart of hearts that this experience can and should be much better."

Whether in scholarly discourse or public policy making, the issue of the interplay between research and teaching is prominent. However, as much as differentiated institutions are discussed and anticipated, there has not yet been a complementary discussion about how a differentiated approach to research might better engage and serve the needs of undergraduates.

Most traditional university research is based on a model wherein a principal faculty researcher is the centre of a research ecosystem that includes faculty colleagues, funding agencies, and graduate students. But there is another form of research that should be considered integral to the mandate of new teaching universities. This research is more industry-driven, and places an industrial "problem", rather than a faculty member, at the centre of the research ecosystem.

In recent years, several Canadian polytechnics and colleges have seen the future and leveraged their strong industry connections to build research capacity and provide enriched learning experiences for students through industry-driven applied research.

Some of these projects have been funded through relatively new federal funding envelopes such as NSERC's Colleges and Communities Partnership Program and FedDev's Applied Research and Commercialization program. Through applied research supported by these funds, economic benefits are flowing in the form of research and development, business process and technology innovation and productivity improvements, most notably in small and medium enterprises where research and development capacity is often lacking. Many of these projects take advantage of the rich network of program advisory committees that exist in colleges and polytechnics to better understand and anticipate industrial trends. They also make extensive use of student cooperative placements to provide paid, on-the-job research work experiences.

Through this applied form of research that is tightly linked to curriculum, undergraduate students benefit from direct exposure to innovation projects and graduate with real-world problem solving skills. By working closely with industry partners, undergraduate researchers become acculturated to the field of practice and enhance their understanding of what professionalism means in a particular sector. This enriched preparation of next-generation employees becomes a significant value-add for industry.

One objection that has been raised to the creation of new undergraduate teaching institutions is the view that research cannot be separated from teaching given that research fundamentally informs the academic experience of the undergraduate student. This challenge can be overcome if we take a broader view that sees research projects integrated into curriculum, fully involving undergraduates and, critically, engaging industry to ensure the research remains applied and relevant to immediate needs.

The prospect of the formation of new undergraduate teaching universities in Canada is an exciting one. With their strong historical and cultural emphasis on the undergraduate experience, vibrant connections to industry, and now the emergence of applied research that informs the teaching enterprise, there are a number of polytechnics and colleges, including my own institution (Sheridan College) that are ready to step up to the challenge.

Dr. Jeff Zabudsky is president of Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning.