Making things difficult: Developing a research approach to teaching in higher education

This paper describes and reflects upon a part-time MEd course, which has been developed at the University of Sheffield Division of Education, for lecturing staff from different departments in the university. The purpose of the course is to develop the quality of teaching across the institution. Here the author, in collaboration with Len Barton, who co-tutored the course, explores some of the issues which arise from planning and working with the lecturing colleagues who were the course participants. Central to its development is the idea that improvements in teaching are likely to follow from the sustained reflection and research of higher education lecturers into their own practice and the social context in which it arises. Having started the course in 1992, our discussion is necessarily tentative at this stage, and further evaluation is under way. We would therefore welcome any correspondence to us at the University of Sheffield concerning the issues which we address.