Teaching to Research

At the Common Core, we see research as integral to enhancing teaching and learning. Through teaching courses and leading co-curricular projects, we invite you to engage in research—whether exploring your discipline, pursuing interdisciplinary work, or investigating your own classroom practices through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). This engagement makes you a more reflective and innovative teacher while connecting you to a vibrant community committed to understanding how students learn and how we can teach more meaningfully.

No matter if you are a lecturer and professoriate staff, tutor, or teaching assistant, research can transform teaching from routine into discovery, inviting you to question assumptions, test new approaches, and contribute meaningful insights that benefit not just your own students, but the broader academic community. You can model the curiosity and critical thinking we hope to inspire in our students, while deepening your own expertise and renewing your passion for the work we do together.

What type of research is possible?

  • Disciplinary or interdisciplinary research related to CC courses
  • Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), for example on pedagogies, assessments, or educational technologies
  • Research related to CC co-curricular projects
How to get started?
 
  • Reflecting on teaching challenges and mistakes
  • Conversations with students about their learning needs
  • Reading the literature and exploring under-researched topics
Ethical issues
 
  • If you are planning to collect data from human participants (e.g. students or teachers) for publication purposes, you will need to apply for ethics approval. See Research Services – Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC).
  • Student participation in your research must be voluntary. Clarify that their grades will not be affected.

Tips from teachers

  • Reflect regularly. Think about your teaching philosophy, approaches, and classroom experiences.
  • Start small and specific. Focus on one question that about your teaching or your students’ learning. What works? What doesn’t? Why do students struggle with a particular concept?
  • Build on what you’re already doing. Look at your existing topics, assignments, or discussions through a research lens.
  • Find your people. Connect with colleagues who share your curiosity, whether through Common Core research groups, interdisciplinary collaborations, or informal conversations.
  • Document as you go. Keep notes on what you observe, what surprises you, and what questions emerge. These informal reflections often become the foundation for deeper inquiry.
  • Share your findings. Start by sharing with colleagues in TALIC seminars, presenting a poster at the HKU Teaching and Learning Festival, then move on to conferences when you’re ready, and eventually consider peer-reviewed papers.