Undergraduate students are often expected to be participants in academic research. However, decisions relating to student participation in research are typically based on speculation or educator assumptions rather than a solid research base. We conducted three studies to investigate student experiences of research participation. These included…

This article adds to an ongoing conversation in gerontology about the importance of training and involving older people in research. Currently, the literature rarely distinguishes between the one-off involvement of older citizens in research projects and the development of research groups led by older people that sustain over time as well as the…

A high proportion of PhD candidates in science and engineering fail to complete their degrees. This paper reports the results of a series of workshops where experienced researchers and supervisors were brought together with PhD students to discuss and develop a model of the PhD process. The objective was to help students develop a more rounded and…

The traditional "lone scholar" view of an Arts and Humanities doctoral student sits uneasily with the skills-based discourse underpinning policies aimed at enhancing researcher development and employability. This paper reports on a case study of a research training programme for doctoral students in the Arts and Humanities at a UK…

This article engages, from the point of view of the higher education (HE) department and practitioner, with the realities, and explores the rhetoric, of the "research-teaching nexus" with reference to the role of research and research skills, in the context of the student experience in higher education. The ultimate questions are: How…

This collection of 18 essays are based on sessions and keynote speeches at the Staff and Educational Development Association (SEDA) Conference held at Dyffrwn House, Cardiff (Wales) in November 1993. They represent the reworked and distilled thoughts of the presenters after they had had the experience of leading a workshop on a related topic. The…

This collection of conference papers includes contributions from the United Kingdom and the United States on the research function of higher education. Part 1 considers the national systems, focusing on three subthemes: past and present trends, issues in funding research, and connections with industry. Papers include: "The Dynamics of…

This paper assesses some of the framework issues, of policy and provision, which affect the connections between teaching and research in higher education. The presumption of an essential linkage between research and teaching has in recent years been eroded by the sheer quantities of the system. In spite of the enduring appeal of the Humboldtian…

This practical guide offers a British perspective to beginning, pursuing, and completing a research degree and is designed to aid graduate students in addressing a wide range of new and unfamiliar roles, expectations, and needs. Some issues addressed are specific to foreign students. An introductory section describes the guide's rationale and…