THE major function of lecturers at universities is to teach and do studies. There are differing points of perspective that argue the two sports should either complement or contradict every different.
In reality, there had been allegations wherein academics who’re too targeted on studies fail to deliver the equal stage of enthusiasm to the lecture halls of their function of supplying expertise to their students, therefore affecting the pleasant, or bringing approximately a bad impact on coaching.
Associate Professor Dr. Wan Zuhainis Saad, the director of the educational excellence department on the Ministry of Education’s branch of higher training, stated that for academics, it is straightforward to quantify research paintings in terms of the number of grants or a wide variety of guides. In lots of promotion sporting events, studies outputs had been given huge scores.
“For younger personnel, the career course may be immaculate for advertising through research but no longer so in teaching. Subsequently, teaching personnel will receive extra attention to their research paintings and fulfill the minimal necessities of teaching,” she mentioned.
“Research can be impactful in a superb manner for teaching if researchers are capable of joining their findings to the applicable guides or deliver possibilities to undergraduate college students to take part inside the research work of their labs,” Wan Zuhainis brought.
But she remarked that it might be exclusive or the opposite manner round if researchers had been doing research merely for the sake of it, with no connection to the curricula or undergraduate teaching.
Professor Dr. Ishak Yussof, the pro-vice-chancellor (Strategy & Corporate Development) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), said research tasks convey new records and knowledge that should be shared with students.
“The conventional roles of a university are teaching and studies to grow society and contribute undoubtedly to the countrywide economic improvement. Thus, apart from offering training essential for personal improvement, the feature of universities is to offer professional education for high-level jobs required via us of an’s economic system. It is important to ensure that the college’s research is getting used in the coaching and studying techniques,” he discovered.
Professor Mahendhiran Nair, the deputy president (Research and Development) at Monash University Malaysia, said, “Research connects us to new knowledge within the area; identifies boundaries of contemporary knowledge; informs us on what wishes to be studied, re-tested and researched similarly; and what measures to take to overcome the restrictions of present-day understanding. Research is crucial to update one’s expertise base and to permit a horizon of recent opportunities,” he stated.
“Only research-inspired scholars or lecturers can be able to reveal their college students to new ideas, discoveries, and expertise through first-hand enjoy. All others are borrowed reviews and thoughts.
“Furthermore, research-intensive universities across the globe are also at the vanguard of modern and innovative path curriculum layout and coaching pedagogy. Through their studies, they’ll not simplest constantly enhance their guides, but hold these guides up to date in an international that is constantly changing at a rapid tempo,” he divulged.
“Research isn’t pretty much extending and generating new expertise. However, it’s also about fixing issues and evaluating present-day regulations and practices,” said Professor Dr. Mohamad Kamal Harun, deputy vice-chancellor (Academic and International) at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM).
“Any a part of studies — identification of the problem, the theories, the technique, or the findings — can be teaching topics and study room dialogue factors. Academics are tasked to nurture vital thinkers and innovators, consequently students too should be exposed and capable of dissecting cutting-edge troubles and provide viable solutions,” he said.
RESEARCH IN THE CLASSROOM
Professor Dr. Noorsaadah Abd Rahman, deputy vice-chancellor (Research & Innovation) at Universiti Malaya, given the right pedagogy and lesson plans, studies and teaching can complement each other.
“For instance, teachers who’re researching a specific topic would be able to formulate assignments and organization work which might be more arms-on and practical, consequently bearing in mind a deeper experience of concept toward the subject rather than providing superficial or 2nd-hand understanding from textbooks or references supplied by using third-parties — along with the authors,” she talked about.
At Universiti Malaya, similarly to analyze in their respective fields, Noorsaadah said lecturers are also advocated and given support to behavior studies on their coaching exercise, thru a pretty small furnish referred to as Learning Improvement & Teaching Enhancement Research (UM LITER).
“Lecturers who adopt Scholarship of Teaching & Learning (SoTL), Action Research and Educational Research, can use the findings from their studies to replace their curriculum layout, enhance teaching delivery and most importantly, decorate scholar learning,” she said.
“For a studies college like UKM, it’s far ordinary to bring studies to the lecture rooms, now not handiest for technology or technical-based subjects but additionally among the social sciences classes.
“For technological know-how-based topics, it is compulsory for the scholars to get involved with laboratory works which are regularly carefully associated with analyzing projects mainly amongst postgraduate students. For technical subjects like engineering or IT (Information Technology), college students are regularly being requested to provide you with initiatives to supply prototypes that are also research-based,” stated Ishak.
Research elements also are embedded within the teaching and studying of social technology subjects.
“Students carrying out surveys or task unique investigations on precise problems will gift their findings within the schoolroom beneath near supervision by using their lecturers, which is a norm amongst social, technological know-how college students.
“To fortify and similarly inspire such practices, UKM has decided to award 50 in keeping with cent of the training expenses inside the shape of studies grants to teachers who supervise research students. In doing so, we accept as true with that scholars will advantage in terms of pioneering frontier expertise thru studies sports,” he discovered.
To carry research to the study room, Mahendhiran stated traditional and didactic coaching procedures must provide a way to more innovative and experiential gaining knowledge of tactics, supported via building sturdy fundamental information to find out the truth the use of the nice scientific methods, improvements, and culture.
“Sound essential information supported using experiential learning with a sprint of ardor and proposal will pass a protracted way in supporting students contextualize and follow what they examine in lifestyles. It can be a super recipe to enhance their getting to know revel in and exceptional of existence,” he said.
PATHWAY CHOICES
But does this mean that teachers need to put more cognizance on research at universities?
Professor Dr. Kamila Ghazali, the deputy vice-chancellor (Academic & International) at Universiti Malaya, said the institution places equal emphasis on teaching and studies.
“We do not lose sight of 1 over the other as both are very crucial for the university and u . S. In terms of annual value determinations as well as the merchandising exercise, studies are classed based totally on the output and acquisition of offers, even as teaching is assessed primarily based on pupil evaluations of publications taught and supervision of postgraduate students.