Criticality and ethical practice in institutional research

Institutional research has a substantial history in both the USA and Europe. However, there are dangers that it confines itself to the narrowly pragmatic and 'what works' rather than embracing critical reflections about higher education itself. These issues are being debated with renewed urgency in the United Kingdom. They touch on core epistemological and methodological questions about what constitutes evidence and how 'evidence' relates to practice. This paper will argue that institutional research should involve a critical engagement with higher education practice. The paper will outline one approach to institutional research in a large urban English university. The model adopted involves a research group working in collaboration with staff in areas of troublesome knowledge for both policy makers and practitioners. The session will give concrete examples of the research team's work including work on plagiarism, ethnic minority appeals. It will reflect on the ethical dilemmas the team faces and the value of a virtues-based, not simply rule-based, approach; and on the need for critical distance. Our method of working distinguishes us from the action research tradition, and the recent evidence-based movement. The session will be structured to encourage participants to explore what questions get asked in their institutions, by whom, and how research is embedded in the processes of negotiating answers. It will pose the question of whether institutional research is primarily being directed towards 'domestication' or critique, and ask participants to consider what the conditions are for practitioners, policy makers, and researchers to be able to engage in critical inquiry.