Knowledge Production and the Research-Teaching Nexus: The Case of the Built Environment Disciplines

Discussion about the nexus between research and teaching in higher education has so far tended to take place at a generic level, with comparatively little attention paid to the significance of subject-based variations. Drawing on an educational development project involving four UK universities, the article considers the research-teaching nexus from the standpoint of the built environment disciplines. It reviews some ideas about the nature and meaning of research, and draws attention to key differences in the modes of knowledge production employed in practice-oriented fields, such as the built environment disciplines, and other fields. It addresses the notion of research-led and research-based teaching and learning, and elaborates on the range of ways in which knowledge production and student learning can be brought together.