Higher Education, Research and Innovation
About the research group
HERI is a pan-university research department with as focus connections between education, research and professional practice. Increasingly these connections a positioned in transdisciplinary environments, such as living labs, studio’s and hubs.
Multiple-layered approach
Applied professors in universities of applied sciences generally have an external, vocational focus. HERI is internally oriented on higher education as such. Changes or improvements in higher education always require a multiple-layered approach due to its intrinsic complexity. This approach is an essential characteristic of the HERI work, in which we have attention for:
1. The individual level (student, employee, professional);
2. The group (curriculum, research);
3. The faculty, university, and (inter)national policy.
Scientific knowledge base
HERI research is characterized by developments of higher education practice, executed in close collaboration with its practitioners. Practical approaches are founded in a sound scientific frame. This creates the possibility to integrate new knowledge across multiple cases. This assists us in creating new approaches, new empirical knowledge and new theories for research and practice. Through this way of working, HERI systematically contributes to higher education practice as well as to our collective international body of knowledge. It also makes HERI a interlocutor for all in higher education.
Five strategic themes
1. Transdisciplinarity
Higher education increasingly resides outside of the HE buildings. Living labs, studio’s, hubs and neighborhood campuses are examples of this development. Partners from education, research, professional practice and the wider society are involved in the activities. The presumption of including multiple roles, as addition to multiple disciplines, results in a higher level of innovation quality and an easier implementation process. Additionally is presumed that this richness a high quality learning environment for students generates. However, the daily reality in the labs illustrates that these theoretically sound concepts still a lot of attention require in practice. An actual integration of perspectives reaches beyond mere cooperation, and needs to change the essential approach of each partner. Students often are not a full partner: partly because they most often still are too junior, but partly because their educational program dictates how their time in the collaboration is spend. Therefore, for each new project, transdisciplinary work requires a revision of current practices – within the lab, but also related to the values, norms, and discourses of its influential contexts. This integration has shown to be complex. Within this theme HERI focuses on understanding, and improving innovation and learning processes within transdisciplinary settings.
2. Professionalism
‘Professionalism’ is at best a vaguely described and multifaceted concept. However, it is also an essential concept, as higher education institutes have been given the responsibility to help develop individuals to professionals. Where students are considered future professionals, also for current professionals is clarity of concept and practice important.
The conceptual model of professionalism(opens in new window) by Griffioen is foundational for the research and development within this theme. The model distinguishes between professional knowledge, professional identity and professional action (see also the figure). The presumption underpinning this model is that each of these elements of professionalism will develop over time in students as well as professionals. The distinction between the three elements and professionalism as a whole provides us with the opportunity to empirically capture such development. It furthermore assists in gaining insight in the particular professional balance of individuals in particular contexts. In this theme, the conceptual model is further developed through empirical research among students and staff of higher education institutes.
3. Research-education nexus
The development to knowledge institutes brought multiple challenges to universities of applied sciences (UAS) in the Netherlands and beyond. UAS have been addressing the implementation of research through the installation of lectoren (Dutch for professors) since 20 years. However, still a lot of work is needed for shaping actual connections between research and education at the multiple layers of higher education institutes.
HERI focuses within this theme on furthering the understanding of research-education connections, and on its implementation across university organisations.
4. Curriculum Co-Creation
The complexity of designing curricula is increasing. Traditionally were teaching and designing education autonomous activities. Currently, teamwork is more often required, pressing lecturers to collaborate with researchers and other partners. Also students are more often involved in the curriculum design work.
All these partners bring their own expertise, their own background, and beliefs. This combination increase the complexity of curriculum design processes, as content, pedagogy, curriculum design theories, and now knowledge of and experiences in collaborative work is needed. The wider organizational characteristics again increases the collaborative work.
HERI studies the collaborative, co-creative activities of teams of curriculum designers within the curriculum co-creation theme.
5. Change in higher education
Whenever change is needed in higher education practice on HERI’s core theme’s, a change process is required. Often these changes are large scale and multiple-layered across one or more organizational units. There is limited hands-on knowledge about change processes in higher education that is well founded and usable.
Within this theme HERI focusses on change processes related to the other themes. This often results in new activities and tools for change processes elsewhere.