BU Research Blog

Historically the Graduate School has provided both generic research methods training as well as personal development programme for Postgraduate Research Students (PGRs) at BU.  In the future the research method training is to be provided on a more bespoke basis within Schools so that PGRs are equipped with the specific skills they need for their research.  Some Schools may wish to put on specific training course or alternatively encourage PGRs to attend relevant Masters units, for example.

In future, the focus of the Graduate School will be on more generic skills development using the Vitae Framework as the basis for this.  Fiona Knight of the Graduate School is currently putting together a development programme based on the Vitae Framework which will require new PGRs to collect a portfolio of evidence via attending events here at BU or elsewhere.  There will also be an opportunity to collect evidence from independent development activities as part of their research programme such as giving talks or attending project specific events.  This framework is being developed with both our PGR and ECR students in mind and is being implemented this Autumn.  A specific briefing for supervisors will follow.

In the meantime I am looking for your help in populating this framework.  Offers of assistance would be very much appreciated and we are looking for three levels of engagement: (1) Master Classes by an experienced researcher lasting less than 2 hours; (2) one day course on key events; and (3) offers of multi-day courses.  It seems such a shame to paying external consultants to run these events when we have so much research talent within BU.  As an incentive we are prepared to offer academic staff contributing one- or multi-day events modest payments (circa. £1k) to their personal research funds for research consumables, travel or conferences in recognition of the time taken to run these events.

We are looking for volunteers to run master classes on: Collaboration in Research; Intellectual Property in Research; Research Philosophy; Research Governance; Publisher’s Perspective on Publishing; Coping with Peer Review; Publishing in the Social Sciences; Publishing in the Sciences; Making your Mark at Conferences, Managing your Supervisor; Research Impact.

We are looking for volunteers to run short courses on: Introduction to Quantitative Research; Introduction to Qualitative Research; Languages for Researchers; Research Ethics; Managing Research Data; Time Management; Project Management Tools; Introduction to Statistical Approaches in the Sciences; Introduction to Statistical Approaches in the Social Sciences; Open Access Statistical Tools; Conducting Interviewing & Focus Groups; Perfect Academic Posters; Developing an Academic Career.

If you are interested in helping out then please contact Fiona Knight [fknight@bmth.ac.uk] by Wednesday 12 October 2012.