5 - Navigating the Uncertain Path of Research Partnerships: The Role of ICT
Corresponding Author(s) : John Kwame Boateng
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 16 No. 1-2 (2018): Journal of Higher Education in Africa: Special Issue on Scholars on the Move: Reclaiming the African Diaspora to Support African Higher Education
Abstract
In this article, we share experiences of the nature of an infant collaboration and how information and communication technology (ICT) is at its heart. We situate our discussion in the broader discourse surrounding educational research collaboration. The main issues we address are: (i) the peculiar nature of our collaboration; (ii) the main collaboration stimuli; (iii) the anticipated benefits and costs of the collaboration; and (iv) the role of ICT. We show that while ICT is invaluable to our collaborative work and its future prospects, it requires a great deal of commitment to nurture, grow and maintain. Although the initial objective of our research network is to examine how technology mediates student–instructor interaction, through ICT we are moving the frontiers of this collaboration to other areas of expertise, interest and strength. Through the log of our communication via Skype, WhatsApp, phone calls and other channels, we demonstrate how beneficial ICT is to our collaboration. We conclude with other possible forms that this network could take and emerge into, given the composition of the research network.
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- Abramo, G., D’Angelo, C.A., Di Costa, F., and Solazzi, M., 2011, ‘The Role of Information Asymmetry in the Market for University–Industry Research Collaboration’, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 84–100.
- Adams, J., 2013, ‘Collaborations: The Fourth Age of Research’, Nature, Vol. 497, No. 7451, pp. 557–560.
- Adams, J.D., Black, G.C., Clemmons, J.R., and Stephan, P.E., 2005, ‘Scientific Teams and Institutional Collaborations: Evidence from US Universities, 1981–1999’, Research policy, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 259–285.
- Al-Ruz, J.A., and Khasawneh, S., 2011, ‘Jordanian Preservice Teachers’ and Technology Integration: A Human Resource Development Approach’, Educational Technology and Society, Vol. 14, pp. 77–87.
- Beaver, D.B., 2001, ‘Reflections on Scientific Collaboration (and Its Study): Past, Present, and Future’, Scientometrics, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 365–377.
- Bindler, R.C., Richardson, B., Daratha, K., and Wordell, D., 2012, ‘Interdisciplinary Health Science Research Collaboration: Strengths, Challenges, and Case Example’, Applied Nursing Research, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 95–100.
- Bozeman, B., Fay, D., and Slade, C.P., 2013, ‘Research Collaboration in Universities and Academic Entrepreneurship: The-State-of-the-Art’, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 1–67.
- Castro Sanchez, J.J., and Aleman, E.C., 2011, ‘Teachers’ Opinion Survey on the Use of ICT Tools to Support Attendance-Based Teaching’, Journal of Computers and Education, Vol. 56, pp. 911–915.
- Chen, C.H., 2008, ‘Why Do Teachers Not Practice What They Believe Regarding Technology Integration?’ Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 162, pp. 65–75.
- Chompalov I., Genuth, J., and Shrum, W., 2002, ‘The Organization of Scientific Collaborations’, Research Policy, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 749–767.
- Cummings, J.N., and Kiesler, S., 2005, ‘Collaborative Research across Disciplinary and Organizational Boundaries’, Social Studies of Science, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 703–722.
- D’Este, P., Guy, F., and Iammarino, S., 2012, ‘Shaping the Formation of University–Industry Research Collaborations: What Type of Proximity Does Really Matter?’ Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 537–558.
- Gazni, A., and Didegah, F., 2011, ‘Investigating Different Types of Research Collaboration and Citation Impact: A Case Study of Harvard University’s Publications’, Scientometrics, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 251–265.
- Gordan, M.D., 1980, ‘A Critical Reassessment of Inferred Relations between Multiple Authorship, Scientific Collaboration, the Production of Papers and Their Acceptance for Publication’, Scientometrics, Vol. 2, pp. 193–210.
- Grey, M., and Connolly, C.A., 2008, ‘“Coming Together, Keeping Together, Working Together”: Interdisciplinary to Transdisciplinary Research and Nursing’, Nursing Outlook, Vol. 56, pp. 102–107.
- Hicks, D.M., Isard, P.A., and Martin, B.R., 1996, ‘A Morphology of Japanese and European Corporate Research Networks’, Research Policy, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 359–378.
- Hoch, P.K., 1987, ‘Migration and the Generation of New Scientific Ideas’, Minerva, Vol. 25, pp. 209–237.
- Howells, J.R., 1995, ‘Going Global: The Use of ICT Networks in Research and Development’, Research Policy, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 169–184.
- Huang, M.H., and Lin, C.S., 2010, ‘International Collaboration and Counting Inflation in the Assessment of National Research Productivity’, Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 1–4.
- Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, 1989, The Responsible Conduct of Research in the Health Sciences, Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/1388
- Katz, J.S., and Martin, B.R., 1997, ‘What Is Research Collaboration?’ Research Policy, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 1–18.
- Kent, N., and Facer, K., 2004, ‘Different Worlds? A Comparison of Young People’s Home and School ICT Use’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 20, pp. 440–455.
- Kodama, F., 1992, ‘Technology Fusion and the New R&D’, Harvard Business Review, July–August, pp. 70–78.
- Kuhn, T.S., 1970, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Liao, C.H., 2011, ‘How to Improve Research Quality? Examining the Impacts of Collaboration Intensity and Member Diversity in Collaboration Networks’, Scientometrics, Vol. 86, No. 3, pp. 747–761."
- Lin, M.-C., Wang, P.-Y., and Lin, I.-C., 2012, ‘Pedagogy Technology: A Two- Dimensional Model for Teachers’ ICT Integration’, British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 43, pp. 97–108.
- Liu, S.M., and Qianli, Y., 2015, ‘The Evolution of the Information and Communication Technology in Public Administration’, Public Administration and Development, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 140–151.
- Lowther, D.L., Inan, F.A., Daniel Strahl, J., and Ross, S.M., 2008, ‘Does Technology Integration “Work” When Key Barriers Are Removed?’ Educational Media International, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 195–213.
- Mattsson, P., Laget, P., Nilsson, A., and Sundberg, C.J., 2008, ‘Intra-EU vs. Extra-EU Scientific Co-Publication Patterns in EU’, Scientometrics, Vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 555–574.
- Munnolli, S., 2005, ‘Harnessing the Online Resources: A Case Study of ScienceDirect in India’, The Information and Library Review, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 353–363.
- Obioha, J., 2005, ‘The Role of ICT in Information Seeking and Use amongst Research Officers in Research Institutes in Nigeria: The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research Institute Experience’, International Information and Library Review, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 303–314. DOI: 10.1080/10572317.2005.10762688
- Sang, G., Valcke, M., van Braak, J., Tondeur, J., and Zhu, C., 2011, ‘Predicting ICT Integration into Classroom Teaching in Chinese Primary Schools: Exploring the Complex Interplay of Teacher Related Variables’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 160–172.
- Shan Fu, J., 2013, ‘ICT in Education: A Critical Literature Review and its Implications’, International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 112–125.
- Smith, M., 1958, ‘The Trend toward Multiple Authorship in Psychology’, American Psychologist, Vol. 13, pp. 596–599.
- Subramanyam, K., 1983, ‘Bibliometric Studies of Research Collaboration: A Review’, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 33–38.
- Tezci, E., 2011, ‘Factors that Influence Preservice Teachers’ ICT Usage in Education’, European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 34, pp. 483–499.
- Weert, T.V., and Tatnall, A., 2005, Information and Communication Technologies and Real-Life Learning: New Education for the New Knowledge Society, New York: Springer.
References
Abramo, G., D’Angelo, C.A., Di Costa, F., and Solazzi, M., 2011, ‘The Role of Information Asymmetry in the Market for University–Industry Research Collaboration’, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp. 84–100.
Adams, J., 2013, ‘Collaborations: The Fourth Age of Research’, Nature, Vol. 497, No. 7451, pp. 557–560.
Adams, J.D., Black, G.C., Clemmons, J.R., and Stephan, P.E., 2005, ‘Scientific Teams and Institutional Collaborations: Evidence from US Universities, 1981–1999’, Research policy, Vol. 34, No. 3, pp. 259–285.
Al-Ruz, J.A., and Khasawneh, S., 2011, ‘Jordanian Preservice Teachers’ and Technology Integration: A Human Resource Development Approach’, Educational Technology and Society, Vol. 14, pp. 77–87.
Beaver, D.B., 2001, ‘Reflections on Scientific Collaboration (and Its Study): Past, Present, and Future’, Scientometrics, Vol. 52, No. 3, pp. 365–377.
Bindler, R.C., Richardson, B., Daratha, K., and Wordell, D., 2012, ‘Interdisciplinary Health Science Research Collaboration: Strengths, Challenges, and Case Example’, Applied Nursing Research, Vol. 25, No. 2, pp. 95–100.
Bozeman, B., Fay, D., and Slade, C.P., 2013, ‘Research Collaboration in Universities and Academic Entrepreneurship: The-State-of-the-Art’, The Journal of Technology Transfer, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp. 1–67.
Castro Sanchez, J.J., and Aleman, E.C., 2011, ‘Teachers’ Opinion Survey on the Use of ICT Tools to Support Attendance-Based Teaching’, Journal of Computers and Education, Vol. 56, pp. 911–915.
Chen, C.H., 2008, ‘Why Do Teachers Not Practice What They Believe Regarding Technology Integration?’ Journal of Educational Research, Vol. 162, pp. 65–75.
Chompalov I., Genuth, J., and Shrum, W., 2002, ‘The Organization of Scientific Collaborations’, Research Policy, Vol. 31, No. 5, pp. 749–767.
Cummings, J.N., and Kiesler, S., 2005, ‘Collaborative Research across Disciplinary and Organizational Boundaries’, Social Studies of Science, Vol. 35, No. 5, pp. 703–722.
D’Este, P., Guy, F., and Iammarino, S., 2012, ‘Shaping the Formation of University–Industry Research Collaborations: What Type of Proximity Does Really Matter?’ Journal of Economic Geography, Vol. 13, No. 4, pp. 537–558.
Gazni, A., and Didegah, F., 2011, ‘Investigating Different Types of Research Collaboration and Citation Impact: A Case Study of Harvard University’s Publications’, Scientometrics, Vol. 87, No. 2, pp. 251–265.
Gordan, M.D., 1980, ‘A Critical Reassessment of Inferred Relations between Multiple Authorship, Scientific Collaboration, the Production of Papers and Their Acceptance for Publication’, Scientometrics, Vol. 2, pp. 193–210.
Grey, M., and Connolly, C.A., 2008, ‘“Coming Together, Keeping Together, Working Together”: Interdisciplinary to Transdisciplinary Research and Nursing’, Nursing Outlook, Vol. 56, pp. 102–107.
Hicks, D.M., Isard, P.A., and Martin, B.R., 1996, ‘A Morphology of Japanese and European Corporate Research Networks’, Research Policy, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 359–378.
Hoch, P.K., 1987, ‘Migration and the Generation of New Scientific Ideas’, Minerva, Vol. 25, pp. 209–237.
Howells, J.R., 1995, ‘Going Global: The Use of ICT Networks in Research and Development’, Research Policy, Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 169–184.
Huang, M.H., and Lin, C.S., 2010, ‘International Collaboration and Counting Inflation in the Assessment of National Research Productivity’, Proceedings of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 1–4.
Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, 1989, The Responsible Conduct of Research in the Health Sciences, Washington D.C.: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/1388
Katz, J.S., and Martin, B.R., 1997, ‘What Is Research Collaboration?’ Research Policy, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. 1–18.
Kent, N., and Facer, K., 2004, ‘Different Worlds? A Comparison of Young People’s Home and School ICT Use’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 20, pp. 440–455.
Kodama, F., 1992, ‘Technology Fusion and the New R&D’, Harvard Business Review, July–August, pp. 70–78.
Kuhn, T.S., 1970, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Liao, C.H., 2011, ‘How to Improve Research Quality? Examining the Impacts of Collaboration Intensity and Member Diversity in Collaboration Networks’, Scientometrics, Vol. 86, No. 3, pp. 747–761."
Lin, M.-C., Wang, P.-Y., and Lin, I.-C., 2012, ‘Pedagogy Technology: A Two- Dimensional Model for Teachers’ ICT Integration’, British Journal of Educational Technology, Vol. 43, pp. 97–108.
Liu, S.M., and Qianli, Y., 2015, ‘The Evolution of the Information and Communication Technology in Public Administration’, Public Administration and Development, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 140–151.
Lowther, D.L., Inan, F.A., Daniel Strahl, J., and Ross, S.M., 2008, ‘Does Technology Integration “Work” When Key Barriers Are Removed?’ Educational Media International, Vol. 45, No. 3, pp. 195–213.
Mattsson, P., Laget, P., Nilsson, A., and Sundberg, C.J., 2008, ‘Intra-EU vs. Extra-EU Scientific Co-Publication Patterns in EU’, Scientometrics, Vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 555–574.
Munnolli, S., 2005, ‘Harnessing the Online Resources: A Case Study of ScienceDirect in India’, The Information and Library Review, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 353–363.
Obioha, J., 2005, ‘The Role of ICT in Information Seeking and Use amongst Research Officers in Research Institutes in Nigeria: The Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research Institute Experience’, International Information and Library Review, Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 303–314. DOI: 10.1080/10572317.2005.10762688
Sang, G., Valcke, M., van Braak, J., Tondeur, J., and Zhu, C., 2011, ‘Predicting ICT Integration into Classroom Teaching in Chinese Primary Schools: Exploring the Complex Interplay of Teacher Related Variables’, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Vol. 27, No. 2, pp. 160–172.
Shan Fu, J., 2013, ‘ICT in Education: A Critical Literature Review and its Implications’, International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology (IJEDICT), Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 112–125.
Smith, M., 1958, ‘The Trend toward Multiple Authorship in Psychology’, American Psychologist, Vol. 13, pp. 596–599.
Subramanyam, K., 1983, ‘Bibliometric Studies of Research Collaboration: A Review’, Journal of Information Science, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 33–38.
Tezci, E., 2011, ‘Factors that Influence Preservice Teachers’ ICT Usage in Education’, European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 34, pp. 483–499.
Weert, T.V., and Tatnall, A., 2005, Information and Communication Technologies and Real-Life Learning: New Education for the New Knowledge Society, New York: Springer.