From intuition to evidence:the value of practitioner researchers in higher education

Those moving into HE from practice-based disciplines may perceive themselves as having less research experience. However, Morris et al. (2023) report that over 80 per cent of respondents to their education researcher workforce survey had previous careers in teaching, and so many will be well-versed in drawing on evidence to engage in professionally focused reflective practice and will have had to demonstrate engagement with research as a core competency of registration. This cohort can make a valuable contribution to research and hold expert knowledge about practice. Practitioners recognise that research-focused colleagues hold expert knowledge about research and that research can make a valuable contribution to practice. The two approaches can readily co-exist but aside from mutual appreciation of the strengths of each, the value of the work needs. Those moving into HE from practice-based disciplines may perceive themselves as having less research experience. However, Morris et al. (2023) report that over 80 per cent of respondents to their education researcher workforce survey had previous careers in teaching, and so many will be well-versed in drawing on evidence to engage in professionally focused reflective practice and will have had to demonstrate engagement with research as a core competency of registration. This cohort can make a valuable contribution to research and hold expert knowledge about practice. Practitioners recognise that research-focused colleagues hold expert knowledge about research and that research can make a valuable contribution to practice. The two approaches can readily co-exist but aside from mutual appreciation of the strengths of each, the value of the work needs

From intuition to evidence:the value of practitioner researchers in higher education

Those moving into HE from practice-based disciplines may perceive themselves as having less research experience. However, Morris et al. (2023) report that over 80 per cent of respondents to their education researcher workforce survey had previous careers in teaching, and so many will be well-versed in drawing on evidence to engage in professionally focused reflective practice and will have had to demonstrate engagement with research as a core competency of registration. This cohort can make a valuable contribution to research and hold expert knowledge about practice. Practitioners recognise that research-focused colleagues hold expert knowledge about research and that research can make a valuable contribution to practice. The two approaches can readily co-exist but aside from mutual appreciation of the strengths of each, the value of the work needs. Those moving into HE from practice-based disciplines may perceive themselves as having less research experience. However, Morris et al. (2023) report that over 80 per cent of respondents to their education researcher workforce survey had previous careers in teaching, and so many will be well-versed in drawing on evidence to engage in professionally focused reflective practice and will have had to demonstrate engagement with research as a core competency of registration. This cohort can make a valuable contribution to research and hold expert knowledge about practice. Practitioners recognise that research-focused colleagues hold expert knowledge about research and that research can make a valuable contribution to practice. The two approaches can readily co-exist but aside from mutual appreciation of the strengths of each, the value of the work needs

Establishing the values for patient engagement (PE) in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) research: an international, multiple-stakeholder perspective

PurposeActive patient engagement is increasingly viewed as essential to ensuring that patient-driven perspectives are considered throughout the research process. However, guidance for patient engagement (PE) in HRQoL research does not exist, the evidence-base for practice is limited, and we know relatively little about underpinning values that can impact on PE practice. This is the first study to explore the values that should underpin PE in contemporary HRQoL research to help inform future good practice guidance. MethodsA modified ‘World Café’ was hosted as a collaborative activity between patient partners, clinicians and researchers: self-nominated conference delegates participated in group discussions to explore values associated with the conduct and consequences of PE. Values were captured via post-it notes and by nominated note-takers. Data were thematically analysed: emergent themes were coded and agreement checked. Association between emergent themes, values and the Public Involvement Impact Assessment Framework were explored. ResultsEighty participants, including 12 patient partners, participated in the 90-min event. Three core values were defined: (1) building relationships; (2) improving research quality and impact; and (3) developing best practice. Participants valued the importance of building genuine, collaborative and deliberative relationships—underpinned by honesty, respect, co-learning and equity—and the impact of effective PE on research quality and relevance. Conclusions An explicit statement of values seeks to align all stakeholders on the purpose, practice and credibility of PE activities. An innovative, flexible and transparent research environment was valued as essential to developing a trustworthy evidence-base with which to underpin future guidance for good PE practice.Peer reviewe

Toward a Real Simple Taxonomy: Bridging Learners and Content to Create New Value at LearnPhilanthropy

LearnPhilanthropy is bringing together the wealth of research, resources and ideas on good practice from sources across the sector: Imagine a farmer's market providing fresh products from a variety of producers, all in one place, as well as a gathering place where practitioners of all kinds can come together to exchange "recipes" and learning perspectives. A general purpose taxonomy is needed to help make these resources more widely accessible. Yet we've found that a general-purpose taxonomy on grantmaker learning just plain doesn't exist. Our research to date -- conducted in partnership with our Planning Committee, Content Partners, workgroup members and others in the field -- has turned up taxonomies mostly for specific audiences or grantmaker types.For this reason, LearnPhilanthropy developed a general-purpose taxonomy, with an iterative and highly collaborative approach -- more user-generated folksonomy than the traditionally hierarchical taxonomy -- and broad review at each iteration stage. We see this Real Simple Taxonomy as a living document, and encourage ongoing co-creation and co-ownership within the LearnPhilanthropy community

Assessment of the co-creative process

Co-creation in Design is a multi-disciplinary process where co-designers are not only trained professionals from different disciplines, but also members from the community with whom the co-design project is focused. Handling such multi-disciplinary, multi-personality and multi-cultural situations requires personal and professional development through reflective practice to understand one’s own experience. This technique has been traditionally called ‘the act of becoming aware’ (Schön, 1983). Experts in psychology, systems thinking, western and eastern medicine and design education were invited to share knowledge during workshops and a consequent review of inter-disciplinary literature resulted in a list of ‘inner values’, where the anticipation was that, when these inner values exist in a co-design team, they can lead to harmonious working and co-owned decisions during the co-design process (Vyas et.al., 2012) The inner values were then clearly defined using the inter- disciplinary literature and literature from positive psychology was used to convert the conceptual inner values into a practical research framework. This paper describes the application of the framework for research to generate empirical evidence that justifies the role and utility of the ‘inner values’ in the co-design process

Role-Based Perceptions of Computer Participants in Human-Computer Co-Creativity

The purpose of this ongoing research is to better un- derstand the potential contributions that computers can play in sit- uations where people interact with computers towards creative pur- suits and goals. Past research has provided sets of definitions of dif- ferent roles that a computer plays in human-computer creative col- laboration. Thus far, we look into the advantages and limitations of having such roles. In particular, this paper contributes an analysis and categorisation of the coverage of existing role classifications for computational participants in co-creativity. This analysis is comple- mented by a comparative review of the use of roles to understand and structure creative collaboration between people only (i.e. without any computational participants involved). Our wider project investigates whether these defined sets of roles are a. adequate and b. helpful for understanding the perception of computational contributions in co-creativity, with a study planned to investigate the roles of current systems in practice. This project considers both co-creative computer systems that currently exist, and systems that could potentially exist in the future. Our goal is to reach a point where the perception of what is possible in human-computer co-creative collaboration is en- abled and boosted (but not constrained) by a definitive set of roles

Networks of support: factors contributing to successful inter-agency work with young people

This study examines how agencies might work together more effectively to improve the life chances of young people who fall `through the net' of agency provision. Whatever the situation, the failure to co-operate challenges a democratic society and basic human rights. The problem occurs when individual primary care agencies either: • try to do on their own what can only be achieved by co-operation, or • fail to do anything because, in their view, the client's needs should be met by some other agency, or • only do what they can do on their own. The purpose of this study is to establish: • to what extent improvements in inter-agency co-operation would help agencies work more effectively with young people variously described as falling through the net, or on the margins of an agency's responsibility • what factors contribute to these improvements • what characterises effective models of inter-agency practice. The study finds that over the last thirty years, the legislative framework surrounding inter-agency co-operation for young people provides few examples of structures or procedures requiring agencies to co-operate. Where these exist, they have been set up in response to needs or crises of pressing concern at the time. Research into the practice of inter-agency work shows that successful inter-agency projects set up to meet the needs of those at risk of falling through the net follow a characteristic pattern. This led to the construction of a model based on the idea that successful inter-agency practice depends on the existence of collaborative activity at three interconnected levels: policy and planning; implementation, case work, research and training; networking/liaison. Projects supported at all three levels are more likely to be successful and survive than those which are not. This pattern can be replicated in different contexts and with different client groups to ensure effective co-ordination and redistribution of resources, and that a balance is held between preventative and proactive work. The model's key elements enable it to structure communication pathways within and between agencies, to co-ordinate activity in relation to a particular issue, to develop the interpersonal skills of participants and to provide feedback to policy makers. The research concludes that: • formal structures promoting inter-agency collaboration encourage agencies to innovate and to provide co-ordinated services for young people needing more support than can be provided by any one of them • inter-agency work has become a new area of professional and para professional expertise • models designed to help agencies meet the needs of people at risk can be applied to other projects set up to solve complex problems involving more than one department

Evaluation of a Remote Implementation of the Well-Being Promotion Program with Middle School Students during COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic and pivot to emergency remote teaching changed the way in which many students access school-based mental health interventions. Furthermore, the effects of the pandemic heightened distress and decreased life satisfaction amongst many youth, increasing the need for schools to provide targeted mental health supports (Lazarus et al, 2021; Magson et al., 2021). Empirically supported Tier 2 mental health interventions exist (i.e., the Well-Being Promotion Program; Suldo, 2016), but little is known about how these interventions can be adapted and feasibly implemented in remote school contexts. This retrospective case study evaluated the implementation of a remote version of the Well-Being Promotion Program, a targeted positive psychology intervention, with eighth grade students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to (1) to describe the co-design process through which a research-practice partnership modified the WBPP for remote delivery and (2) to explore the implementation strategies that influenced the feasibility of implementing the resulting digital version of the WBPP. The study used qualitative data (e.g., meeting notes, interviews and written feedback from providers, students, and caregivers) and quantitative data (e.g., pre-/post-measures, intervention integrity, attendance) to evaluate the co-design process and the feasibility of the adapted WBPP. Through co-design, the intervention was modified to be facilitated via videoconference, to use digital versions of WBPP materials, to use email to share with caregivers the handouts and a recorded version of the information session, to add additional sessions for data collection, and to adapt language to align with school vernacular. Using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006; Braun et al., 2019), themes were constructed from the data to provide insight into the implementation strategies used by the research-practice partnership to influence feasibility. Findings suggest that (a) maintaining the structure of the WBPP, (b) using technology for remote implementation, (c) collaborating through the research-practice partnership, and (d) recognizing the effectiveness of intervention efforts influenced the feasibility of the remote implementation. Lessons learned from this case study suggest that research-practice partnerships can be critical for influencing the feasibility of intervention implementation in local school contexts, especially during novel situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic

Realising the value of open innovation in policy making:Equipping entrepreneurs for valuation work

Open innovation succeeds when it forms productive collaborations that cross organisational, disciplinary and practice boundaries. Success can, however, be hidden from stakeholders if the means to articulate value in novel, entrepreneurial open innovation work do not exist. We present collaborative design research tackling this challenge with the Cabinet Office Open Innovation Team ( OIT) within UK Government. Drawing on the findings of an ethnographic study we show how ` open innovation' and ` entrepreneurial' theories were used in practice to characterise the need for valuing the OIT's work. Using participatory design and co- design theory and methods we describe a multi- disciplinary intervention with the OIT, equipping them to collectively visualise their practice and to co- design new tools to support new and evolving valuation activities. We offer insights for collaborative design in open innovation settings and discuss the potential for co- designed tools to enable valuation in entrepreneurial practice

Families, technology use, and daily life: parents’ role in building resilience and mitigating harm

Parents can become overwhelmed by the rapid changes in information and communication technologies (ICT) and contradictory advice on how best to support their children’s safe and beneficial internet use. Why is that? When many of today’s parents were children themselves, most of today’s technologies did not even exist. So, parents may lack key references and best-practice examples from their own childhood that show what good digital mediation, guidance and support for children could look like. For www.parenting.digital, Olaf Kapella discusses how research evidence can close this information gap and support parents and carers in their decisions. Drawing on two recent reviews conducted as part of the EU Project DigiGen, he offers insights for parents on how to maximise the positive aspects of internet use by focusing on online activities (rather than screen time), co-using technologies with their children, respecting children’s privacy, promoting resilience and acting as role models