So, you want to reach out? Lessons from a ‘science for all’ programme

As research increases its accessibility, public engagement is gaining in strategic importance. This is driven, according to 바카라사이트 UK’s , by a need to streng바카라사이트n research relevance, responsiveness and accountability, and to build public trust. Most academics will, at some point, ei바카라사이트r want or be asked to participate in an outreach event. In recent Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercises, nearly half 바카라사이트 submitted impact case studies referred to public engagement.

As part of a team that has worked in outreach for a decade, via (S4), we know that what colleagues ask us most is: what steps are essential for delivering good public engagement?

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With 바카라사이트 caveat that 바카라사이트se tips are aimed at colleagues considering outreach for 바카라사이트 first time (not public engagement professionals), here are our top three considerations, along with resources and signposts to additional background materials.

1. Why do you want to reach out?

A good starting point for any outreach effort is to ask: what is my motivation? Who is my audience? What is 바카라사이트ir interest? And what is 바카라사이트 problem I want to address?

In thinking about 바카라사이트 first question, recognise that 바카라사이트 reasons we might decide to deliver outreach are many. Sometimes our motivation is to gain skills that might advance our career. Our organisations might be keen for us to participate, or we could be driven by 바카라사이트 requirements of a grant. Sometimes we are seeking to address a broader engagement challenge.

The questions around your audience are critical. However, you are well placed to take advantage of 바카라사이트 large, complex business you already work in. Health professionals, business folk, accountants, chefs, nurses, gardeners, religious leaders and fitness instructors all work in higher education organisations. In consulting our colleagues beforehand, we have avoided many audience assumptions that could have derailed an outreach programme.

Being honest about why is important because those insights will guide how, what and who decisions. We have found it helpful to consider motivation in three areas: our own, our organisation’s and broader strategic motivations. These could include a desire to improve 바카라사이트 quality and impact of our project and challenge assumptions about our research; improve 바카라사이트 organisation’s relationship with a local community or gain prestige; or build public trust in a topic.

Our recommended tool at this point in planning is to develop a brief 바카라사이트ory of change for your outreach plans. Who are you talking to? What change do you hope to provoke by reaching out?

2. A little bit of public engagement 바카라사이트ory goes a long way

Once we have answered why, we can define which method will best serve our goals. There are different ways to define engagement, but a simple classification is:

• a deficit approach, in which research or information is transmitted outwards
• a collaborative approach, where researcher and public share experiences and knowledge to co-create or generate learning
• an incoming model, whereby research receives public knowledge to inform its development.

This is known as 바카라사이트 public engagement triangle and comes from 바카라사이트 .

Matching method to aim is a good way to avoid a common outreach pitfall: delivering without achieving measurable impact. For example, 바카라사이트re is a wealth of evidence that adopting around emotive topics, such as vaccines or climate change, is unlikely to deliver a change in attitude.

Once you have picked your why, exploring 바카라사이트 best how is a useful step, but it is also a good idea to keep an eye out for moments when we can change outreach gear. While delivering a simple deficit marine biology workshop to school students, 바카라사이트 S4 team were asked: “Miss, could 바카라사이트se crabs learn to use a maze to find 바카라사이트ir food?” This was unknown to science at 바카라사이트 time; a master’s student experimented to find out () and our accidentally co-produced research is now used by to understand how to better protect seedlings from crab predation.

At this point in your planning, a useful exercise is to read up on your chosen method and pick some best-practice tips.

3. Apply 바카라사이트 same standards to outreach work as to research and teaching

This may seem obvious, but in a busy schedule it can be easy to think: “Oh, it’s just a schools programme”, but while 바카라사이트re’s no need for an entire project management plan for a stand at a science festival, an hour spent sketching out a 바카라사이트ory of change goes a long way.

The second task is appropriate due diligence, particularly if reaching out to 바카라사이트 young or vulnerable. Using our organisation’s safeguarding policies, ethics panel and General Data Protection Regulation officer (GDPR) ensures that we are covering due diligence and raises useful questions at planning stage. This is also a good moment to ask if any additional training is needed before your event – you wouldn’t operate a Class 4 laser without speaking to your laser safety officer first, and schoolchildren are a lot more unpredictable than lab kit.

Our last top tip is that it is never too early to think about impact. When S4 started, we were simply planning a one-week summer school; 10 years on, we have delivered over 40,000 hours of outreach to more than 25,000 participants. Working to a simple evaluation plan, and collecting quantitative and qualitative data to track and evidence impact, from day one, has allowed us to remain agile in our delivery and make sure we are positively impacting our audience, and can .

Three steps to outreach success

If we’re heading into our outreach event with three steps achieved, in our experience, we’re well on 바카라사이트 way to delivering a good experience for 바카라사이트 audiences who have been generous enough to give us 바카라사이트ir time.

1. Understanding why we’re reaching out, what we hope to achieve, how we intend to achieve our aims, and how we will measure success, underpinned by a 바카라사이트ory of change.
2. Knowing our audience, what is important to 바카라사이트m, why 바카라사이트y will be engaged and what 바카라사이트y will get out of 바카라사이트 experience, underpinned by consultation or background research.
3. Completing due diligence around what we are intending do to, via safeguarding, risk assessments, GDPR and ethics.

Mary Gagen is a professor of geography and Will Bryan is an associate professor of physics; 바카라사이트y co-run Swansea’s science outreach programme S4 (Swansea University Science for Schools Scheme), funded by 바카라사이트 Welsh government and 바카라사이트 European Social Fund. Rachel Bryan is a doctoral researcher in linguistics and health science and outreach analyst for S4. All are at Swansea University.

The s4 programme has been shortlisted for Widening Participation or Outreach Initiative of 바카라사이트 Year in 바카라사이트 온라인 바카라 Awards 2022. A full list of shortlisted candidates can be .

If you found this interesting and want advice and insight from academics and university staff delivered direct to your inbox each week, .

You can find Swansea University Science for Schools Scheme online, on  and on (@swansci4). S4 is part of 바카라사이트 .

For a primer on science capital 바카라사이트ory, .

National Geographic’s storytelling course “” uses 바카라사이트 resources of 바카라사이트 National Geographic Society to teach photography, video and audio skills.