Abstracts - Earli

adaptive instructional support could be designed that avoids the motivational and cognitive pitfallsof such overprompting. In particular, a gradual fading of the prompts might offer a possiblesolution.E 1429 August 2007 14:30 - 16:30Room: 0.81 OrtvaySymposiumUniversity teachers’ conceptions of relations between teaching anddisciplinary researchChair: Jan van Driel, Leiden University, NetherlandsOrganiser: Jan van Driel, Leiden University, NetherlandsOrganiser: Jan Elen, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BelgiumOrganiser: Sari Lindblom-Ylänne, University of Helsinki, FinlandDiscussant: Lynn McAlpine, McGill University, CanadaScientific and educational relevance The nexus between teaching and research is a recurrent issuein higher education which gained renewed attention in Europe under influence of the Lisbonagenda and the Bologna process. In this context, the League of European Research Universities(LERU) was founded in 2002 to safeguard Europe’s pre-eminent position in basic academicresearch, among others by strengthening the teaching-research nexus in the educationalprogrammes they offer. Since the way academics perceive this nexus informs their approach toteaching, it is important to investigate their conceptions of teaching, disciplinary research andknowledge in relation to each other. This symposium brings together the results of four empiricalstudies on university teachers’ conceptions of these issues. In previous research it was found thatacademics perceive a strong link between research and teaching as an essential part of their jobsatisfaction (Jensen, 1988). Robertson and Bond (2001) found that the epistemological frameworkof academics determined their approaches to research, learning and teaching. In this context, theyidentified disciplinary differences related to research traditions and teaching approaches. Thestudies in this symposium build on this previous research by exploring academics’ conceptions ofthe relationship between teaching and teaching in research intensive universities, all members ofLERU, comparing these conceptions over various countries and different disciplines. To broadenthe scope, these studies will be discussed from a North American perspective. Aims of thesymposium By focusing on academics’ perceptions of the connection between teaching anddisciplinary research, this symposium aims to provide insights into how they make sense of thisrelationship and how it shapes their approach to (regulation of) teaching. Since academics have adirect impact on student learning, these insights are essential for policy makers and trainers in thecontext of strengthening the teaching-research nexus in university education.The influence of the programme level on the implementation of the teaching-research nexusAn Verburgh, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BelgiumJan Elen, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BelgiumThe nexus between teaching and research is a recurrent issue in higher education. Although awidespread belief of a positive nexus exists, the empirical evidence of a correlation between– 286 –