BU Research Blog

This is part of our series on using online environments and platforms in engaging public audiences with research. You can read more about how BU has adapted to online engagement over the past year in a previous post.

Using online platforms and methods to engage public groups with research has its pros and cons, challenges and opportunities, as we examined previously. As with all public engagement with research, the first two things you should consider are what you are trying to achieve with your engagement activity, and who the public audience/groups are that you are looking to engage with. Once you have those things clear, you can begin to think about whether engaging online is the right choice and, if so, how best to do so.

Thinking about public engagement in this way can be summarised as People, Purpose and Process, a framework popularised by the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE).

Right now, online engagement may seem like the only option, but it’s worth considering other methods that enable people to engage with research and each other, in person, whilst sticking to restrictions. David Owen (NCCPE associate) termed these activities ‘hyperlocal engagement’.

However, there are a number of good reasons why you might choose to engage online, even when all other options become available. It can be accessible in a different way to in-person events, cheaper and more easily scalable, allowing you to reach large but specific audiences.

In this post we’ll share resources and opportunities to support you at BU.

Useful reading

• Online Engagement: A guide to creating and running virtual meetings and events – a crowdsourced resource of practical tips from the NCCPE
• What Works: Engaging the public through social media – NCCPE
• Public engagement in the digital environment: Opportunities and challenges for arts and humanities researchers – a working paper by Dr Anna Khlusova (KCL)
• Click ‘more resources’ below to see an extensive list of resources collated by the University of Exeter

Training

• The training session ‘Getting started in public engagement with research’, delivered by BU Engagement Officer Adam Morris, is available to watch at any time.

• Look out on the Research Blog and intranet for news about upcoming training sessions, in the past year we have run sessions from the NCCPE on ‘Meaningful online engagement’, ‘High Quality Public Engagement’ and ‘Evaluation: developing your approach.

Learning from others

• The Public Engagement with Research Network welcomes all BU staff to learn, share best practice, network and collaborate. We have a Team where you can keep up with opportunities, resources and news, as well as regular meetings.

Advice

If you’d like help on developing your ideas for public engagement, contact BU Engagement Officer Adam Morris.

Promoting your activities

If you’ve organised a public engagement activity, online or otherwise, we can help you promote it through our regular newsletter.