Planning for Research Uptake through a Research Communication Strategy (ResCom)

Research Communication - strategically ResCom = the use of communication strategies for making research findings available, in a timely, relevant and useful way to policymakers as a means of more effectively influencing public policy

Research Communication - strategically ResCom = the use of communication strategies for making research findings available, in a timely, relevant and useful way to critical stakeholders as a means of more effectively influencing culture, institutions, policy

Research Communication - strategically ResComm Steps being tested: 1.Organizational readiness assessment. 2.Communication team readiness assessment. 3.Defining communication objectives 4.Stakeholder and audience analysis. 5.Situational analysis. 6.Defining communication purposes. 7.Methods and media. 8.Field testing. 9.Implementation of strategy. 10.Assess effectiveness. 11.Institutionalization of ResCom. 12.Tell the story.

Research Communication - strategically ResComm Steps we will use: 1.Organizational readiness assessment. 2.Communication team readiness assessment. 3.Defining communication objectives 4.Stakeholder and audience analysis. 5.Situational analysis. 6.Defining communication purposes. 7.Methods and media. 8.Field testing. 9.Implementation of strategy. 10.Assess effectiveness. 11.Institutionalization of ResCom. 12.Tell the story.

Purposes Objectives Audience analysis Research Communication - strategically

Purposes Objectives Audience analysis

Research Communication - strategically Purposes Objectives Audience analysis

Research Communication – ROER4D example Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D) Project … … provides evidence-based research on Open Educational Resources (OER) from a number of countries in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia Primary objective: to improve educational policy, practice, and research in developing countries by better understanding the use and impact of OER.

Research on Open Educational Resources for Development (ROER4D) Project … … provides evidence-based research on Open Educational Resources (OER) from a number of countries in South America, Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia Specific objectives: -Build an empirical knowledge base on the use and impact of OER focusing on post-secondary education -Develop the capacity of OER researchers -Build a network of OER scholars -Communicate OER research to inform education policy and practice Research Communication – ROER4D example

Visibility Knowledge Generation Networking Capacity Building Purposes Objectives Audience analysis Research Communication – ROER4D example

Purposes Visibility Objectives Audience analysis To establish ROER4D as a significant OER Research project using the website, Social Media (mainly Twitter & Facebook), SlideShare, publications and external press among global OER networks, organisations and programmes to the extent that the project receives invitations for dialogue and participation from external OER network members To establish credibility and receptivity (as research develops and findings can be communicated) through physical and online participation at key conferences in with OER researchers and policy makers to the extent that positive feedback is received and the project receives invitations for further dialogue and participation at other events To engage those in the educational field including publishers, MOOC providers and related research projects globally though the newsletter, website, social media, and face-to-face events, to expand reach of project beyond the immediate partner networks Research Communication – ROER4D example

Purposes Objectives Audience analysis To share our research process openly with both internal researchers in the ROER4D network and external OER researchers, to contribute to the field of ‘open research’, using Website, SlideShare, publications, social media, webinars to the extent that other networks acknowledge and draw on the practices Knowledge Generation To share and communicate research findings that relate to use, adoption and impact of OER in Global South with both internal researchers in ROER4D network and external OER researchers, using Website, OpenUCT/open repositories, Slideshare, publications, social media, webinars, blog posts and external press to discuss findings to the extent that ROER4D becomes a “reference point” in the OER field (increase # of papers and Slideshare downloads, increase in citations, increase in conference engagements and Twitter traffic). Research Communication – ROER4D example

To share resources with ROER4D researchers using announcements, Website, Newsletter and OpenUCT/open repository to the extent that website, Newsletter, announcements and OpenUCT downloads show increased and sustained reach; requests for more information are received; and researchers share relevant new resources and web links. To support and build research skills of researchers in ROER4D network using live webinars, recorded webinars, presentations available via ROER4D website, workshop sessions to the extent that self-reporting of capacity building via surveys and interviews confirms the extent of skills gained. Capacity Building Purposes Objectives Audience analysis Research Communication – ROER4D example

Purposes Objectives Audience analysis Policy makers in OER, open education and in Departments of Education in countries and regions in which our sub-projects are situated (specific names and orgs are known within sub-projects). “External” OER Researchers and networks based in Global North (e.g. OER Research Hub; David Wiley, Lumen Learning; Open Education Consortium; Creative Commons;) “External” OER Researchers and networks based in Global South (e.g. GO-GN network of researchers; OER Asia) “External” colleagues working in OER at our participating institutions (OER scholars at UCT, WOU etc) Colleagues working at the host institution(s) - the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) “Internal” project researchers (lead researchers and researchers) “Internal” project mentors and members of the Advisory Group Teacher educators in Global South (esp with specific sub-projects involved in Action Research) Funders (IDRC, DFID); Other funders NGOs in open education and open development Research Communication – ROER4D example

Research Uptake is multi-directional Purposes Objectives Audience analysis To policy-makers and research investors (donors, national governments) To communities and/or supporting agencies (local govt, NGOs) To other researchers, … sharing findings, methods, tools, the data-sets collected, the analyses undertaken

Research Uptake from the WHO TDR Projects Research uptake activities : Fall into FOUR broad areas: A.Early engagement uptake activities a)Sharing project objectives and plans to get stakeholder views and buy-in B.Continuous engagement uptake activities 1)Continued stakeholder engagement 2)Working with information brokers (Government officials, other NGOs,) 3)Joint research activities (data collection, sense-making) 4)Continued sharing of project progress and emerging results 5)Community feedback for accommodation and local action planning

Types of research uptake activities by WHO TDR Projects: Fall into FOUR broad areas: C.Terminal sharing uptake activities 1)Publications 2)Conferences and workshops 3)ICT platforms (websites and social media) D.Capacity building/training activities 1)Training students, supporting agencies and communities 2)Developing and distributing usable tools and models Research Uptake from the WHO TDR Projects

Outcomes from Research findings AND as a result of Research Uptake Two types of outcomes observed across the projects A.Outcomes as expected in research activities 1)Knowledge generated and shared 2)Awareness of research findings These were common and reported in all the projects B.Outcomes demonstrated as behavioral change 1)Interest in findings with intention to use, adopt 2)Behavioral change (observable use) Apart from students’ capacity and use of knowledge not much of B outcomes are reported. The common explanation across was that the research results were ‘not yet at a stage they could be used to support such changes’ Research Uptake from the WHO TDR Projects

-Xxxxxx -Xxxxxxxx Purposes Objectives Audience analysis Exercise: Review OR Develop your ResComm Plan(s) to be clear about the following: -Xxxxxx -Xxxxxxxx -Xxxxxx -Xxxxxxxx How to reach them AND how effective? -Xxxxxx -Xxxxxxxx