A case study on pathways and articulation at Victoria University of Technology

The relationship between research, policy and practice in tertiary institutions is complex. Policy-makers like linear relationships: first there is research, which develops policy, which in turn directs practice. The ‘action research spiral’, favoured by reflective practitioners, is similarly staged: reflection, planning, action, observation, then reflection again. The reality is more incoherent, with research, policy and practice muddled together; and the prominence of one or the other is just as often the outcome of institutional political imperatives as of the need to develop grounded policy to underpin practice. Yet, it is possible over time to see the translation of research into policy and practice, and to observe how the latter acts as the impetus for further research. This paper examines the relationship between research, policy and practice through a case study at Victoria University of Technology. The University introduced a key strategic policy in 1997 that was (and is) predicated on learning pathways and student articulation between its TAFE and higher education sectors. This paper will use a case study to explore the relationship between research, policy an