UEA’S STAFF DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2011-12
UEA’s full programme can be found on the Centre for Staff & Educational Development (CSED) website.
The new Engagement Course Programme offered by CUE East for 2011/12 can be found below.
For full course descriptions and details please click here.
All places are booked via CSED on (01603) 593849 or email: judith.smith@uea.ac.uk.
ENGAGEMENT
Engagement benefits the university, staff and students and it benefits society. According to the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE), an engaged university has embedded a commitment to engagement in its institutional mission and strategy, and champions that commitment at all levels. There are a number of key drivers for doing public & community engagement, not least the following:
The Concordat for Engaging the Public with Research – launched in December 2010, the Concordat provides a single, unambiguous statement of the expectations and responsibilities of research funders in the UK. The signatories of the Concordat include Research Councils UK (RCUK) and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). Amongst its supporters is the 1994 Group, of which UEA is a member. It is binding upon all research organisations. The Concordat has four key principles, one of which is that researchers are enabled to participate in public engagement activities through appropriate training, support and opportunities. Another is that researchers are recognised and valued for their involvement in public engagement activities. The Concordat also complements the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. CUE East has a case study publication on ‘Public Engagement with Research at the University of East Anglia’.
See RCUK - http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/per/Pages/Concordat.aspx
Public Engagement as a Pathway to Impact – engaging the public with research can improve the quality of the research and its impact, raise the researcher’s profile, and develop skills. Project-specific public engagement activities, which are relevant and appropriate to the proposed research, are valid to include as ways of creating potential impact. See RCUK - http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/kei/impacts/Pages/peimpact.aspx
See the NCCPE for guidance and top tips on engagement and pathways to impact - http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/how/guides/pe-and-pathways-impact
The Research Excellence Framework - the REF is the new system for assessing the quality of research. It replaces the RAE, will be completed in 2014 and includes an aspect which will assess research impact (currently 20% of the total assessment). Impact can be realised and assessed through public engagement. For the purposes of the REF, engagement is an activity, led by research staff, which creates interaction between members of the public and the research process or outputs, with the goal of generating some kind of benefit or impact. The engagement and impact can occur before, during or after the research. See HEFCE - http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/ref/
The Public Engagement Manifesto - UEA’s Vice-Chancellor was one of the first signatories to this national Manifesto which was launched in December 2010. The Manifesto incorporates a number of key commitments to action e.g. to assess current support for engagement and address areas of improvement, work with students to develop a student volunteering pledge and develop a UEA community engagement strategy in consultation with community partners. Other signatories include UCL, the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Edinburgh and Bristol, and Imperial College London. See NCCPE – http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/why-does-it-matter/manifesto
Engagement enhances teaching, the student experience and employability as well as research. CUE East has a further case study publication on ‘Public Engagement with Teaching at the University of East Anglia’ which provides the insight of five engagement practitioners at UEA.
Vitae’s Researcher Development Framework – the RDF is a tool for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers in higher education and in research institutes. It is structured in four domains, one of which is, ‘Engagement, influence and impact’. It has been endorsed by several key stakeholders including the 1994 Group of which UEA is a member and by the Higher Education Academy. The relevant domains are cited for each course in the full programme details.
Engagement and UEA - engagement, in its broadest sense, is integral to UEA’s mission and makes a vital contribution to the University’s research, teaching, staff development, student experience, employability and its civic role. It involves and benefits everyone, UEA staff and students, the University as a whole and the community. Engagement is also formally incorporated into UEA’s academic promotions criteria (the Green Book) and in the past two years, practitioners (research and teaching) have been promoted on the basis of their engagement track record and have had their achievements recognised via Individual Awards for Public & Community Engagement, presented at UEA’s Congregation. Engagement activity itself is multi-faceted and complex. It demands a wide range of skills in communication and project management and broadly involves;
Communicating knowledge and enriching cultural life E.g. public lectures, media work, writing for the non-specialist, exhibitions, show-casing academic know-how, pro-bono schemes, communicating research to the public, acting as the lead for major festival themes, contributing to the organisation and delivery of engagement activities.
Providing a service and being in dialogue with the public and communities E.g. volunteering, promoting and employing user involvement in research and the co-production of research, forums, focus groups, seminars and debates that involve the public, pro-bono schemes, drama outreach, museum education, continuing education and lifelong learning, contributing to the organisation and delivery of engagement activities.
Being in dialogue with the public and policy-makers E.g. governmental committees involving the academic as the ‘expert’, such as an expert panel, government led public consultation and task forces, and active membership of professional bodies.
Community University Engagement East (CUE East) - CUE East (est. 2008) works alongside Research & Enterprise Services (REN), leading on engagement at strategic and operational levels across all UEA schools, faculties and departments. CUE East is dedicated to building capacity at all levels and has piloted and developed this training programme which continues to evolve. CUE East provides advice, liaison, brokerage & facilitation, talks, workshops & presentations, community contacts & partnerships, assistance with event organising, project and small expenses, and professional development opportunities. CUE East also works at a regional and national level, working with key agencies such as the NCCPE, RCUK, HEFCE, Vitae and the British Science Association on developing the engagement agenda across the higher education sector in the UK.
Courses for 2012 are:
For full course descriptions and details please click here.
MAY 2012
Going Back to School…a Helping Hand
DATE: Thursday 3 May 2012, 9.30 – 13.30
VENUE: Room 1.22, Chancellor’s Drive Annex
JUNE 2012
Workshop on User Involvement in Research
DATE: Thursday 14 June 2012, 9.30 – 16.00
VENUE: Room 1.1, Thomas Paine Study Centre
Introduction to Film-making (2)
DATE: Wednesday 20 June 2012, 10.00 – 15.00
VENUE: BBC Voices, The Forum, Norwich
For full course descriptions and details please click here.
PLEASE NOTE: Unless otherwise stated - all places are booked via CSED on (01603) 593849 or email: judith.smith@uea.ac.uk.
OTHER ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES
CUE East Small Expenses Fund
This is a fund for individual UEA/NRP staff, students and postgraduate researchers to claim expenses related to their public and community engagement activity. It is not for UEA faculties or schools. Claims can be submitted from individuals working with UEA/NRP staff, students and postgraduate researchers if agreed with CUE East.
All claims must be discussed with CUE East before being submitted to CUE East. All claims will be authorised and signed off by the CUE East Project Director.
No claim can be made over £150 and no one individual can make more than three claims per year
http://www.uea.ac.uk/ssf/cue-east/awardsfunding/smallexpensesfund
Teacher Scientist Network (TSN)
TSN is a beacon of best practice (DfES, BBSRC) which links the scientific community of the Norwich Research Park with teachers of science from the (Norfolk) Education Community. The core activity is a network of one-to-one teacher-scientist partnerships with a wide portfolio of teacher-initiated supporting activities. Contact phil.smith@nbi.ac.uk or visit http://www.tsn.org.uk for further details.
SAW Trust
The SAW Trust develops new ways of stimulating creativity, exploration and learning in children. It is an interdisciplinary approach to Science, Art and Writing. If you are interested in working in this way with school children or want to find out more contact info@sawtrust.org at the John Innes Centre or visit www.sawtrust.org
STEMNET
Do you want to expand your public engagement port folio? How about sharing your passion and enthusiasm with young people? Would you like to extend your professional and personal development plan? If your answer is yes, STEMNET would love to hear from you. The Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network (STEMNET) create opportunities to inspire young people in these subjects. Stemnet invites researchers, support staff, academics and students to become STEM Ambassadors. You will receive a full induction, a free of charge enhanced CRB check, and a raft of free resources and support. For more information please contact the STEMNET broker and coordinator for Norfolk, Angela Carpenter, at angela.carpenter@uea.ac.uk or visit www.stemnet.org.uk/home .
Future Radio
Future Radio is Norwich’s community radio station, a volunteer driven station offering content and programmes which is an alternative choice for a Norwich audience. There are opportunities for Researchers to contribute an ‘expert’ voice in their programme schedule, which offers shows covering discussion/debate, local sports, arts, community news, specialist music and youth programming. If you want to try radio, this is a good place to start. For more information call Terry Lee at Future on 01603 455250 or email t.lee@futureradio.co.uk
Employability/Volunteering Opportunities
We promote and deliver community volunteering opportunities in Norwich and Norfolk for students and staff at the University of East Anglia, supporting personal development and enhancing University-community relations. For more information visit the Employability drop-in centre on UEA Square or visit www.employability.uea.ac.uk
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