This is an ESCalate development project led by Ian Minty of the UHI Millennium Institute and completed in 2007. The main aim of this project was to help develop research skills in Further Education lecturers who are involved in both Further Education (FE) and Higher Education (HE) delivery by establishing a mainly online discussion group to support practitioners. Many staff within the colleges that form UHI now teach at both FE and HE level and are increasingly expected to engage with research. However, currently there are limited links between the more traditional research establishments and staff in the colleges. Traditionally, however, college staff have not engaged in research and have therefore not necessarily developed the required skills. This project's aim was to support the development of basic research skills for such staff through the planning and execution of a small-scale project that related to one aspect of the individual's teaching practice. Action research was chosen as a methodology since it is by definition small scale and rooted in practice. It includes a final report and separate appendice
