Teaching and Research – How the Duo are not Mutually Exclusive

Abstract

Teaching and research in academia have long been viewed as two different fields with a fuzzy, if not crisp, boundary. Nonetheless, the past few years have witnessed encouraging acceptance of their nature of complementing each other, rather than mutually exclusive endeavors. This paper highlights the dynamic relationship between these two essential pillars of higher education and presents some case studies to support the hypothesis. It also discusses how students stand to gain from the integration of Research-informed teaching pedagogy and effective usage of modern simulation, modeling, and analytical computer-aided design tools. The paper also underscores the need for higher technical educational institutes to develop a sustainable ecosystem where educators find these roles supporting each other and seamlessly transition between the two. The various takeaways of the case studies presented here assuredly suggest the potential benefits of research-enabled pedagogical practices in enriching students learning and improving retention capabilities.