public engagement with research - music
TRANSCRIPT
Public Engagement with ResearchDr Jamie Gallagher- Public Engagement Officer
Public Engagement
"Public engagement describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit."- National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement
Impact is defined as ‘an effect on, change or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services, health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia’. - HEFCE
The demonstrable contribution that excellent research makes to society and the economy’.
- RCUK
So, you’ve decided to engage:
Who?
How?Success?
Why?
Public Engagement
Four key questions to ask yourself before engaging
Why?
Public Engagement
It is important to articulate your motivations as these will help develop your aims of the interaction. What is the purpose of the engagement? How will it benefit you, the public or the research? Once you have thought about the motivations turn these into a project aims.
Why?Public Engagement
In the current University Strategy “Engagement” is one of the three underpinning elements of our purpose.
Why?Concordat for Engaging the Public with
Research
Public Engagement
All these bodies and more have signed the “Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research” This articulates this commitment and how they think it an essential element to research.
Routes to Impact
REF Case Studies and Engagement
Engagement No En-gagement353
2
3108
Just under half of all the case studies featured some form of engagement.
Routes to Impact
Engagement was most commonly reported in Panel D (Arts and Humanities)
Why?Funders
Data
Skills
Profile EnjoymentImpact
NewPerspectives
Inspire
Understand Landscape
Challenge Misconceptio
ns
Public Engagement
There are many reasons why you might want to engage, articulating them is essential.
Who?
The Public
The better able you are able to identify and target your audience the greater the likelihood of a positive and fit for purpose interaction. Consider who they are and what forms of communication are most powerful.
Policy Makers
Industry
Academia Educatio
n
Audience
General Public
Interest groups
Who?The Public
Be able to articulate who you are trying to reach and how you have tailored messaging and format to suit them. You will speak to each new audience with a different voice, one tailored to that audience.
Who?
Gender
Ethnicity
BackgroundAge
Interest
PatientsEducation
level
ExpertiseBeliefMedical Status
Experience
The Public
How?
How?
There are numerous routes to engage. Work out what suits you, the research and your audience. You may want to try multiple routes.
Routes to Impact
Dr Minty Donald, School of Culture and Creative Arts main areas of interest are: more-than-human performance; performance and ecology (with a specific focus on performance with/of rivers and other waterways); site-orientated and critical spatial practices, performance practices within a visual arts context, contemporary scenography and theatre space/architecture
Routes to Impact
Dr Daniel Price, School of Chemistry Schools project having pupils grow crystals from prescribed reagent concentrations. The pupils get experimental and research experience while contributing to new knowledge as they are growing crystal forms which have not been recorded before.
Routes to Impact
Prof Fergus McNeil, School of Social and Political SciencesWorking with people inside the prison system to record their experiences and stories through songs.
Routes to Impact
Dr Tiziana Lembo, Institute of Biodiversity, animal health and comparative medicineWorking in Tanzania with families, pupils and famers on prevention of diseases. Developing new ways of sharing important information with the local communities.
How?
Writing
Lecture
Audio
ObjectArts
Video
Performance
Book
Online
Posters
Leaflets
Museums
Discussion
Story tellingHow?
How you deliver your intervention must be suitable for: 1. Yourself2. Your audience3. Your research
Impact
Success?What does success look like?
To know if you have been successful you need clear aims and to capture evidence.
Success?
Impact
Situation Before Situation After Your Intervention
To demonstrate impact you must be able to show the situation before, the situation after and show how your intervention caused this change.
Success?
Impact
You can only measure or demonstrate success but capturing information. Try to capture information that on1) Demographics: Who came and why? 2) Feedback: Was your intervention fit for purpose? 2) Evaluation: Did your intervention foster a change in knowledge, attitude or behaviour?
Success?
Impact: Evidence
1. How has an opportunity presented itself? 2. What did you make or do that didn’t exist before? 3. How many people interacted with you/it and for
how long?4. Did they have a positive experience? 5. Has their been a change in
thoughts or knowledge?6. Has there been a change
in behaviour?
This is not an exhaustive list. Nor is it a list of absolute requirements. It is presented for guidance only. The evidence captured, and the depth of the information gathered will be unique to the project and its aims.
What do you want?
What do they want?
Find the middle ground
Maximising Engagement
Articulate 3 or 4 aims that YOU have. Articulate 3 or 4 aims the AUDIENCE/PARTICIPANTS have (why are they going to engage with you, what do they want?)Work to meet BOTH of these lists to get a mutually beneficial/rewarding experience.
Who?
How?Success?
Why?
Starting point
Engagement process
Use a stepwise approach to think logically about your engagement to ensure that it is a powerful and worthwhile experience. Each step will help inform the next try to take learning away from each interaction to make the next more useful
Researcher
Business Professions
Policy Civil Society
PUBLICSREF: HOW
Distinct types of engagement emerged from a review of the REF.
Researcher
Business Professions
Policy Civil Society
PUBLICSClassic
Mediated
Behind the ScenesBolt
on
Blended
REF: HOW
‘Classic’ public engagement involves researchers engaging directly with a community of place / interest –e.g. with adult learners –with this engagement forming the backbone of the case study.
Business Professions
Policy Civil Society
PUBLICSClassic
Mediated
Behind the ScenesBolt
on
Blended
Researcher
REF: HOW
‘Mediated’ public engagement sees an active collaboration with an intermediary organisation(s) like a charity, museum, media or school to reach their audience / public
Business Professions
Policy Civil Society
Classic
Mediated
Behind the ScenesBolt
on
Blended
Researcher
PUBLICSREF: HOW
Here, public engagement forms part of a wider knowledge exchange project –e.g. to engage policy makers, practitioners and service users around a particular health issue.
Business
Policy
Classic
Mediated
Behind the ScenesBolt
on
Blended
Researcher
PUBLICS
Civil Society
Professions
REF: HOW
Here there is no direct engagement with publics –all the effort is put into improving the quality of public engagement being undertaken by intermediary organisations, by influencing their practice or making new resources available
REF: HOW
Business
Policy
Classic
Mediated
Behind the ScenesBolt
on
Blended
Researcher
PUBLICS
Civil Society
Professions
Here there is a cursory role for public engagement (for instance, some media coverage was achieved) but it is peripheral to the main engagement activity being undertaken.
Who?
How?Success?
Why?
Starting point
Engagement process