Workshop Review: Timescapes Secondary Analysis Workshop

The Timescapes Workshops were offered as three, one day events held around the UK for researchers and practitioners to learn about and interact with the Timescapes Archive. This archive forms an integral part of a five year ESRC qualitative longitudinal study which explores and documents the changing nature of personal and family relationships. The workshop provided a forum from which to explore the purpose and value of archiving qualitative data sets for future (secondary use). Issues of ownership and consent were central to many of the discussion which took place throughout the day. In addition, the practical ‘hands-on’ session with the archive raised issues about the skill of archiving for future use as well as the optimal functionality and usability of an archive for secondary analysis. This workshop provided a useful addition to the training needs increasingly required by qualitative researchers where archiving for secondary use is now an important consideration within the design and dissemination phases of research

Technology networks for socially useful production

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Well rounded Postdoctoral Researchers with initiative, who are not always “tied to the bench” are more successful academically

This article reports the development, application and results of a baseline investigation of contract research staff in 2007 in the Medical School at the University of Sheffield which was carried out in order to develop a specifically tailored training and career development programme and allow for future impact evaluation of the scheme. Postdoctoral researchers reported on their perceived skill levels, academic achievements, career motivations and the current research environment. Results indicated that transferable skills related to communication and awareness of the process of research (i.e. the process of acquisition of funding, commercialisation of research outputs) were lacking. Furthermore, these skills were associated with higher publication outputs, and improved with mobility between institutions at postdoctoral level. This paper also describes how the findings from the baseline evaluation were used to develop a programme to address the lower ranking skills and evaluate the impact of the programme

Tapping into the Potential of Peer Tutors

13-16 July 2002 A challenge facing all medical schools is how to ensure that all students have the skills they need to cope with the demands of their curriculum. Computer literacy is no longer optional - all students from day one need to be able to communicate by email, look up information about the timetable on the intranet, and use an elibrary. As well as they are expected to use standard software to prepare assignments, projects, and group presentation. For the past four years we have run a highly successful peer tutoring project to ensure that those who arrive without the necessary skills have the support they require. This paper will report on the methods (how we recruit and train the peer tutors and how we identify those who need help, how we deliver the training), the costs and the outcomes. We now have data on the IT skills of 1,5000 students

‘Plumb line scribe’: using multimedia to preserve traditional craft skills

The skills required in craft practice involve a high degree of tacit knowledge which is frequently difficult for the craft expert to articulate. N. Wood, a multimedia designer, has undertaken extensive research over the last ten years seeking to understand the knowledge of skilled craftsmen and find methods of capturing and passing it on. She has developed an elicitation strategy that employs an expert learner to uncover the skilled knowledge of master craftsmen, and a transmission strategy based on the concept of bridges to assist the design of learning resources for novices. U. H. Lassen has used the techniques developed by Wood to record and transmit the skilled knowledge needed to make timber-framed buildings, knowledge that today is in danger of being lost. The focus of the study has been the procedure for scribing timbers, which is a central part of the building process. The aim of the research was to investigate the possibility of combining the two roles defined in Wood’s research as an expert learner and designer. Being a skilled carpenter, Lassen has acted as an expert learner, learning the skills of scribing through a combination of researching existing documentation, working with master craftsmen and his own experimentation. At the same time, he developed and tested a multimedia learning resource to provide ‘bridges’ for new learners to this knowledge. The outcome of the application of Wood’s elicitation and transmission strategy to plumb line scribing is a demonstration of the transferability of Wood’s methods within this new context. This is important because it reveals the potential for other craft practitioners to apply Wood’s methods to their own learning and teaching, and produce learning resources to provide bridges to their craft knowledge and preserve their unique skills

Designing a Design Thinking Approach to HRD

This article considers the value of design thinking as applied to a HRD context, Specifically, it demonstrates how design thinking can be employed through a case study drawn from the GETM3 programme. It reports on the design, development, and delivery of a design thinking workshop which was created to draw out and develop ideas from students and recent graduates about the fundamental training and skills requirements of future employment. While design thinking has been widely deployed in innovation and entrepreneurship, its application to HRD is still very much embryonic. Our overview illustrates how the key characteristics of the design thinking process resonate with those required from HRD (e.g. focus on end user, problem solving, feedback, and innovation). Our contribution stems from illuminating a replicable application of design system thinking including both the process and the outcomes of this application. We conclude that design thinking is likely to serve as a critical mind-set, tool, and strategy to facilitate HRD practitioners and advance HRD practice

Designing a design thinking approach to HRD

This article considers the value of design thinking as applied to a HRD context, Specifically, it demonstrates how design thinking can be employed through a case study drawn from the GETM3 programme. It reports on the design, development, and delivery of a design thinking workshop which was created to draw out and develop ideas from students and recent graduates about the fundamental training and skills requirements of future employment. While design thinking has been widely deployed in innovation and entrepreneurship, its application to HRD is still very much embryonic. Our overview illustrates how the key characteristics of the design thinking process resonate with those required from HRD (e.g. focus on end user, problem solving, feedback, and innovation). Our contribution stems from illuminating a replicable application of design system thinking including both the process and the outcomes of this application. We conclude that design thinking is likely to serve as a critical mind-set, tool, and strategy to facilitate HRD practitioners and advance HRD practice