Research-led teaching is a crucial aspect of education at leading universities. The reason? The integration of research in Higher Education can have positive implications for both student motivation and final grades (see, for example, Haaker and Morgan-Brett, 2017; Land and Gordon, 2013). There are two broad categories through which research-led teaching is delivered: (1) students act as an audience – passive learning, and; (2) students are actively involved in conducting and critiquing a research activity. In practice, research-led teaching is often introduced in a passive learning style where it can be difficult to communicate at a level appropriate for the student. This raises the question of what is the best strategy to integrate research in teaching? The student experience This leads us to the motivation for this study. Given the positive effects that a stimulating research-led teaching environment can have, we would expect research intensive universities to provide the best student learning experience. However, the relationship between research intensity and National Student Survey (NSS) results reveal that the more researchfocused departments are, the less satisfied students seem to be. This finding is even more apparent in specific disciplines such as economics. What are we doing wrong? There are other factors that we should be considering here, such as generational change. Traditional teaching has its perks (both of us remember fondly brilliant chalk and talk lecturers when we were students); however, COVID-19 highlighted the issue of disengagement in lectures of the new generations – 66% of students now prefer a blended way of learning that combines face-to-face and online teaching. Students in 2024 consume media, and Instagram is one of the most used social media networks in this age group. Leveraging social media tools facilitates diverse forms of learning engagement, ranging from collaborative learning and reflective practices to inquiry-based learning, extending into the realm of distance education (Deng and Yuen, 2011; Owusu-Acheaw and Gifty Larson, 2015). The use of social media has also been proven to help educators embrace diverse tools like blogs, wikis facilitate collaborative learning, and community building among students (Guy, 2012). Following this, we decided to flip the script and @dailylifeecon was born. Through engaging posts, short reels, and those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stories we make economics pop off the screen and relate it to the students’ real life. A real life reel Picture this: Explaining complex economic theories using campsite cook-offs and the Edgeworth Box (Image 1). Sounds wild? That’s just one of the Insta-tricks up our sleeve. We’re breaking down interest rates at a bar while chatting to the barman – because why not make economics a party? Our reel talk includes academic articles, case studies, and even a dash of real-life drama to make economics more relatable. Think of it as bank of ideas for econ curious minds. After all, economics is integral to our daily lives. We find a correlation between engaging (via following, comments, likes, and views) with @dailylifeecon and getting a higher mark on exams and coursework. But, hey, don’t take our word for it – students are saying it loud and clear. Feedback collected via questionnaires shows that students loved the fresh take on complex concepts, the real-life relevance, and the fact that learning economics suddenly felt like a creative escape. It’s not just us; students want to share the love too! This Insta-revolution is just the beginning. We're gearing up for a full-scale evaluation, using questionnaires both pre- and post-exposure to the account before and after the modules, to see how this Insta-approach impacts students' learning experience. We're not stopping here – it's a whole new way of learning, and we're all in and making learning Instacool. We're not just teaching economics; we're creating an experience that's fresh. Stay tuned, because the future of learning is looking Insta-bright! 23 Scholarship Matters What is research-led teaching? And more importantly, what does it mean for the student experience? Image 1
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