Mind the gap: Can a professional development programme build a university’s public engagement community?

Abstract

A number of ‘gaps’ may be present within public engagement with research – disparity of skills, priorities and knowledge between research staff and engagement practitioners, as well as differences between institutional ambition and departmental reality. Such gaps are often perceived as problems – deficits to be addressed through training and culture change initiatives. The design and delivery of Imperial College London’s Engagement Academy with 12 members of research, teaching and professional services staff sought to explore and work across such gaps. We propose that these areas of disconnect within and across universities may be challenging, but they may also be structurally necessary, and potentially even a source of rich public engagement.

The Impact of Professional Training in Public and Policy Engagement

“…Some of this work has been conducted in the United Kingdom, motivated in part by the adoption of the Research Excellence Framework, which requires universities to demonstrate impact beyond academia. Notably, studies have found that scholars in different disciplines are more likely to be willing to participate in public engagement if they have received training in it or if they feel confident or well equipped for it (Burchell, Sheppard, and Chambers 2017;Hamlyn et al 2015;Seakins and Fitzsimmons 2020). Moreover, the studies reveal that many scholars are reluctant to engage in public outreach because they feel that they lack the skills or expertise needed to do so (Stylinksi et al 2018).…”

Practice makes progress: an evaluation of an online scientist–student chat activity in improving scientists’ perceived communication skills

“…Although many Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) include civic and community engagement activities in their mandates (Campus Engage Charter 2014;Hunt 2011), this often does not translate into practical supports embedded in institutions (Seakins and Fitzsimmons 2020). Despite an increasing push for scientists to participate in PES, there is a scarcity of training available for scientists in HEI spaces (Besley et al 2018;Burchell 2015), which is one of the key barriers for participation cited by scientists (BBSRC 2014;Burchell 2015).…”

“…Scientists receiving SCT have cited increased self-confidence (Gillian-Daniel, Taylor, and Gillian-Daniel 2020; Seakins and Fitzsimmons 2020;Silva and Bultitude 2009), increased competence in general language skills (Silva and Bultitude 2009), and were also observed to use less jargon in their science explanations (Yonai and Blonder 2020). Whilst many SCT initiatives include opportunities to practice using role-play, discussions and rehearsals, few include authentic structured spaces to practice.…”