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I'm PhD student and I'll be graduating in May (next year). I've been getting into discipline-based educational research (DBER), including developing tools, running projects, a paper or two, and applying to grants. I do this in addition to my standard research. My DBER work is almost exclusively applications of what I develop in my (primary) research (quantitative biology).

My goal is a TT job in the future. Before going on the job market, I would like to know how hiring and tenure committees typically weigh discipline-based educational research: is it considered general research productivity, or does it typecast a candidate as primarily an educator (rather than a researcher)?

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    Actually, I see it as common practice nowadays, It is under academic freedom, but can you do? – SSimon Apr 17 '18 at 8:27
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Different schools will weight publications differently. DBER research is often seen as less rigorous than other research, and often is less rigorous than similar research conducted by education scholars. (DBER often uses samples of convenience and has limited ability to randomize treatments; this still can generate valuable insights, and is often the limit of what active biologists (say) can make time for, so peer-reviewed journals are not going to insist on only the most rigorous methods.)

Beyond that, the fact that your primary research is closely linked to your DBER is very helpful. Grants that ask for the external impact of your work will look favorably on a record of translating your work into advances in education.

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    Nice answer. I've had friends at teaching universities who have had their tenure and promotion packets helped my doing DBER. – Richard Erickson Apr 13 '18 at 20:05

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