Welcome presentation by Professor Simon Haslett at the Research-Teaching Practice in Wales Conference 2013. It briefly introduces the context of the link between research and teaching in Welsh universities, providing recent proxy data indicating that the more research-intensive universities receive higher student satisfaction results. Prof Haslett is Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor at the University of Wales.

1. Research-Teaching Practice in Wales:
Welcome
Professor Simon Haslett
Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor
Presented at the Research-Teaching Practice in Wales
Conference, Gregynog Hall, University of Wales
Monday 9th September 2013

2. The R-T Nexus Action Set
• Higher Education Academy Welsh
Institutional Group set up the
Research-Teaching (R-T) Nexus Action
Set in February 2009 at Newport.
• Representatives from Welsh HEIs at
biannual meetings.
• Gregynog Conference (Sept 2009)
• Swansea Meeting (March 2010)
• Publication of book (June 2010)
• Undergraduate Research Workshop,
Carmarthen (Sept 2010)
• R-T Practice workshop, Aberystwyth
(Feb 2011)
• 2nd Gregynog Conference (Sept 2011)
Action Set Blog
http://nexus-wales.blogspot.com/

3. Sharing best practice
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/York/documents/ourwork/nations/wales/Wal
esRandTNexusENGLISH_Jun10.pdf

4. Future shape of the HE sector in Wales?
Each "region [in Wales] should have research
intensive (in which we will increasingly focus our
QR funding in support of sustainable excellence
and relevance to Welsh Assembly Government
objectives) and strong community/widening
access focused provision“ (HEFCW, Dec 2010).
Does this vision imply that each region would
comprise one research intensive and one access
(teaching?) focused institution?

5. Research vs Teaching in Wales
100
1000
10000
100000
74 76 78 80 82 84 86 88 90
GoogleScholarScore
National Student Survey 2013 (Question 22: Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the course)
UW:TSD
Cardiff
Aberystwyth
Bangor
Swansea
RESEARCH-FOCUSED
TEACHING-FOCUSED
USW (GS Glamorgan and
Newport combined)
Glyndwr
Cardiff
Metropolitan

6. References
• Haslett, S.K. (ed.) 2010. Linking research and
Teaching in Wales. Higher Education Academy.
• Haslett, S.K., 2013. A ranking of UK universities
research impact based on Google Scholar results.
http://profsimonhaslett.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/a-ranking-of-uk-universities-
research_8.html [accessed 8/9/13]
• HEFCE, 2013. Teaching Quality Information data.
http://www.hefce.ac.uk/whatwedo/lt/publicinfo/nationalstudentsurvey/nationalst
udentsurveydata/2013/ [accessed 8/9/13]