All images © Mat Wright Role of English in the Development of World Class Universities Mark Baumfield Senior Adviser Education and Society

7 million researchers worldwide* Europe needs 1 million more researchers To be effective, researchers need to communicate their work on an international level – through publications and conference communications – often in English Some articles may be rejected at the publication stage because they are not well written with a clearly articulated research narrative – even if the underlying research is sound Researchers, research departments, and universities are often ranked on the basis of number and citation impact of articles Good research reputation attracts leading researchers and the brightest students. Researchers Communication Skills *UNESCO 2009 STI indicators.

Market Research Needs Analysis – Central South Asia 346 HEI respondents in 3 regions Assessed needs for international research collaboration Need for English Language support in 3 areas 1.Understanding and giving presentations 2.Communicating by with foreign partners or external bodies 3.Writing proposals for funding Other areas of need include academic writing Development of and piloting of targetted products in key areas

Market Research Needs Analysis 1.Researchers involved/wanting to be involved in international university to university partnerships 2.Early stage researchers looking to develop international career 3.International coordinators English skills needs and current abilities,areas where English needed and current computer /internet access

Market Research Needs Analysis Most important areas of work for English improvement in collaborative research Talking about research to your partner Writing bid proposals in English for research/project/funding Workshop or presentation on research Listening and understanding presentations given in English Talking about your University and your country to visitors Education system in your country Communicating by with partner Speaking/listening on phone with partner Written reports and evaluations on joint research

Market Research Needs Analysis cont- Reading academic literature on your subject area Socialising Other Limitations of research

Market Research Needs Analysis Many needs in collaboration process 1.Specific to communication, relationship building and understanding (collaboration process) 2.Needs relating to interaction of collaborators with external bodies (interaction with externals) 3.2 types of work being carried out (individual, collaboration in action) 4.Individual limitations

Market Research Needs Analysis FOCUS Communicate by Give workshops or presentations Interact with external bodies

Market Research Needs Analysis Areas of greatest need are: Communicating by Presentation skills Professional proposal writing including bids for research and project funding, Writing for publication in academic journals

RESEARCHER CONNECT Series of courses for academics/researchers involved in international collaborations or who need to improve their communication skills Focus on development of excellent communication skills using English language in international context Level of English assessed as part of the process Aims to enable learners to communicate more effectively on their area of expertise and associated professional themes with range of audiences 3-4 Day Course

Researcher Connect Know Your Audience Better Presentations Professional Proposals Effective s Writing for Publication

Researcher Connect Know Your Audience Aims-to enable learners to analyse and understand their audience(s) and meet their needs in an appropriate style Learning Outcomes Content Why knowing your audience is essential Different audiences: the critical questions to ask Building an audience profile Objectives Mixture of presentation, examples/samples, individual and small group task

Researcher Connect Professional Proposals Aims: to enable learners to write proposals that are clear, concise and achieve what they are asking for Learning Outcomes Be clear about what proposals are and why we write them An understanding of what qualities make a proposal effective Be familiar with parts of a proposal Understand process of proposal development Profile proposal readers and meet their expectations Clear goals, outcomes,outputs and inputs with clarity 13

Researcher Connect Writing for Publication Aims: increase participants awareness of standards required /improving chances of acceptance Enable participants to meet expectations of referees/journal editors re content/structure/command Outcomes Critically evaluate own/others work Provide justification for claims through evidence/argument Write well structured abstracts/introductions Increase readability by using signposting/references/range of functions

Researcher Connect Effective s Aims to enable learners to communicate effectively using external bodies/research partnership Encourage development of systems Outcomes Format s effectively Write in appropriate range of styles/registers Be able to write difficult s Writing s to single/multiple partners Understanding poorly written s/clarifying these

Researcher Connect Better Presentations Aims: give clear/relevant presentations on academic topics/understand the key messages in academic presentations given in International English Outcomes Clearly articulate to audience key message of and purpose presentation Confidence in ability to present clearly/effectively Awareness of /had practice with non-verbal skills, aids and techniques Exposure to several different presenting styles

Researcher Connect British Council Capacity building Researchers more connected to international research community and UK Researchers are better able to translate research into impact Key partnerships Better cultural understanding