Education Commons^™

Classrooms On The Frontier: Integrating Original Research Into Lectures, Matthew D. Meng, Lucas Rentschler

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

The role of an academic is often spread across two main areas: researching and teaching. Although some argue that the scarcity of time, energy, and commitment precludes the ability to do both well, and are therefore substitutes, we argue that these roles can be complementary. That is, by incorporating original research into the classroom, several benefits can be gleaned by both faculty and students. We feel that if done correctly, a professor’s research and teaching can mutually benefit, as well. To illustrate and support this argument, we have included two specific examples of using original research to teach relevant concepts …