Tagged / PGR development

Doctoral College PGR Research Culture and Community Grant – Apply Now!


The Doctoral College is delighted to launch the second round of funding for the PGR Research Culture and Community Grant (RCCG).


This grant is intended to support PGR-led activity across researcher development, research culture and research community building initiatives. It can be used to fund a social event, training activity, analysis workshop, digital skills session, writing session or other activity to enhance the PGR experience. In addition to community building, the purpose of the grant is to enable PGRs to gain transferable skills and experience in planning, organising, promoting and implementing such activities.

A successful event that took place during the first round of funding, was “Culture on a Plate”, organised by Bohan Liu from BUBS. Read on to learn about Bohan’s experience and how this event has had a positive impact on the PGR community:

On 11th December 2024, Bournemouth University’s PGR community came together for the much-anticipated “Culture on a Plate” event, a celebration of cultural diversity through food.

The event brought together over 40 attendees from various departments, showcasing a vibrant array of home-cooked dishes that reflected traditions from around the world. Each dish carried a unique story, sparking meaningful conversations and creating a deeper appreciation for the cultural richness within our community. The enthusiasm of participants was heartwarming, with many praising the event and suggesting it become a regular tradition at BU. A heartfelt thank you goes out to the 21 contributors who shared their culinary creations and the individuals who kindly provided recipes for everyone to try at home. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with attendees expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to connect through shared meals and cultural stories.

For me, organising this event was an incredibly enriching experience. It helped me develop essential skills in event management, cross-cultural communication, and community building. It was both challenging and rewarding to see the joy and sense of belonging it brought to our PGR community.

I am deeply grateful to the BU Doctoral College for their support and funding, without which this event would not have been possible. Many thanks go to Enrica Conrotto and the staff from the Doctoral College, whose efforts were instrumental in bringing this event to life. I would also like to extend a special thank you to Professor Dimitrios, whose guidance and encouragement played a crucial role in shaping the success of this event.

This joyful gathering, held just before the Christmas holiday and New Year, was more than just a celebration of food. It was a spark of passion for inclusivity and connection, one that I hope will continue to grow and inspire the BU community into the coming year.

This experience has been immensely fulfilling and has reaffirmed the importance of fostering a collaborative PGR community. I hope this forum marks the beginning of more initiatives aimed at empowering BU researchers to achieve academic excellence and make meaningful contributions to their fields.

Bohan Liu (BUBS)

We hope this event has inspired you and perhaps has given you some ideas to submit an application for this second round of funding.

If you would like to apply, full details can be found on the Doctoral College Brightspace, including the application form.

  • Applications opened Monday 13 January 2025
  • Applications close Monday 24 February 2025

If you would like to discuss your ideas before submitting your application, please contact:

pgrskillsdevelopment@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

 

Research Connect Seminar Recap: December Highlights

In this month’s Research Connect seminar, organized by the Department of Marketing, Strategy, and Innovation in the Business School, we had the pleasure of hearing two captivating research presentations. Dr. Dayle Child explored the topic “Too Much of a Good Thing? The Double-Edged Sword of Meaningful Work,” highlighting the benefits and challenges of meaningful work among sales employees. Meanwhile, Shuyu Wan, preparing for her major review, shared her PhD progress on how brand attributes and consumer ethnocentrism/xenocentrism shape Chinese skincare purchase decisions. 

The seminar was well-attended by colleagues and PGR’s and inspired engaging discussions on both topics. This was our final session for 2024. I’m truly grateful for the support and enthusiasm shown by colleagues in presenting, attending, and contributing to this seminar series. Their active participation has been instrumental in enriching our research culture across departments within the Business School. 

Our Research Connect seminars will resume in 2025, with the first session scheduled for January 22nd, 4–5 PM in F306 with an opportunity to continue our research discussion in Dylan’s afterwards. If you have any questions or would like to participate in the 2025 seminar series, feel free to reach out to me at sashraf@bournemouth.ac.uk.  

Wishing you a wonderful festive break and a happy New Year! See you in 2025. 

MOOC: Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers

RDS has been advised of this free external and online course:

Career Management for Early Career Academic Researchers aims to support researchers to explore their career options and make career plans.

Participants of previous courses have said:

This course has been fantastic, particularly as I am at a stage where I am finishing my PhD and was worrying about what comes next. I didn’t realise a lot of the things about academic and non-academic career paths, and have found the self reflection tasks invaluable.

 My motivation to take control of finding my future career has increased exponentially from the day I started this course.

 I have learned more than I ever imagined about choosing my career path. I feel much more confident and better equipped to choose the right career after my PhD.

Through a series of articles, videos, discussions, and reflective exercises, researchers will be encouraged to consider what they want out of a career; to explore the academic career path and many other career options; and to increase their confidence in job search and applications.

The MOOC is a collaboration between the University of Glasgow, University of Edinburgh, and University of Sheffield.  It’s a free online course and open to research students and early career research staff at any institution in the UK and beyond.  It may be particularly useful for researchers who are unable to access any on campus support you offer due to other commitments, or for researchers in institutions that are unable to offer any dedicated careers support to these groups.

The course will start on 27th January – for more information and sign up details go to:

https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/career-management

 

BU is not responsible for the content of external websites

 

PG Researcher Development Workshops – What’s available in February

 WHAT’S AVAILABLE in February 2015:

  • Wednesday 4 February 2015 – Managing Working Relationships (Supervisor and PGR)
  • Wednesday 4 February 2015 – Peering Mentoring
  • Thursday 5 February 2015 – Imposter Syndrome
  • Wednesday 11 February 2015 – Managing your Citations using Endnote and Endnote Web
  • Wednesday 18 February 2015 – An Introduction to Critical Thinking
  • Wednesday 18 February 2015 – Introduction to Research Philosophy
  • Wednesday 25 February 2015 – The Art of Facilitation

Further details and information on how to book your place, are available via myBU (Graduate School PGR Community).  You’ll also be able to see what’s available over the coming months.

Don’t forget that you’ll need to log on with your student username and password.

PGR Development Workshops for May & June 2013

The following workshops are available during May and June 2013:

Finding information and Using Researcher Tools (Repeat workshop)
Outline: The session will include an introduction to advanced searching skills, using citations smartly and analytical tools
Date: Wednesday 1 May 2013
Time: 1.30 pm – 2.45 pm
Room: S102 – Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Emma Crowley
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Managing your citations using Endnote and Endnote Web (Repeat workshop)
Outline: The session will include an introduction to Endnote and Endnote Web, exporting from databases, Cite While You Write tool
Date: Wednesday 1 May 2013
Time: 3 pm – 5 pm
Room: S102 – Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Emma Crowley
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

The Transfer Process
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to prepare students for the process of the transfer from MPhil/PhD to PhD. All students who register for a research degree have the choice to proceed in their studies towards an MPhil award or to transfer onto a doctoral route that leads to a PhD.
Date: Wednesday 8 May 2013
Time: 10 am – 12 pm
Room: EB708 – Executive Business Centre – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Professor Anthea Innes
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Public Engagement (REPEAT workshop)
Outline: The workshop will look at What Public Engagement is; Why does it matter?; How to do it; Engagement in practice; Internal support for creating a supportive environment for engagement.
Date: Wednesday 8 May 2012
Time: 2 pm – 4 pm
Room: PG22, Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Dr Rebecca Edwards
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Nvivo Training (Introduction Session)
Outline: This training will provide a comprehensive overview of Nvivo Software and will look at building your database and coding your data
Date: Monday 10th June 2013
Time: 9 am – 4.30 pm
Room: S102 – Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Ben Meehan – External Consultant from QDATRAINING PLC
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Academic Writing LIMITED PLACES AVAILABLE
Outline: This workshop covers essential good practice in writing, editing techniques and methods of improving organisation.
Date: Wednesday 12 June 2013
Time: 9.30 am – 5 pm
Room: S219 – Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Booking
: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Preparing for your First Review
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to familiarise students with the purpose and role of their first review
Date: Wednesday 26 June 2013
Time: 9.30 am – 11 am
Room: PG16LT (Poole House)
Facilitators: Dr Fiona Knight
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

PGR Development Framework Programme – new workshops announced

An additional workshop – An Introduction to Case Studies – has been added to the March Programme:

An Introduction to Case Studies
This introductory session will provide a general overview of case methodology. Key questions to be discussed are: When should case studies be used? What characterises a convincing case study research? What criticisms are commonly put forward against case study research and how can they be addressed?”

Date: Wednesday 20 March 2013
Time: 14:00 – 17:00
Room: EB303, Executive Business Centre – Lansdowne
Facilitator: Dr Fabian Homberg
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

A full list of March workshops can be found here:  PGR Development Framework Prog _ March workshops

April Events

PGR induction (Repeat workshop)
Outline: Introduction to BU’s academic and professional support for your research degree.  The session will also include an introduction to the Research Development Framework and how to map your personal development.
Date: Wednesday 24 April 2013
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Graduate School
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Research Philosophy
Outline: The aim of this workshop is to examine the meanings of some key terms in the philosophy of science, with the objective of enhancing understanding of, and stimulating reflection on, some basic issues in research philosophy.
Date: Wednesday 24 April 2013
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitators: Professor Barry Richards
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk


 

 

New workshops for March – PGR Development Framework Programme

I’m pleased to announce new workshops for March 2013.  All bookings should be made via gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

An introduction to applying for research funding
Outline: This workshop serves as an introductory guide to students who are approaching the end of their studies and are entering an academic career where obtaining research funding will be a key skill.
Date: Wednesday 6 March 2013
Time: 09:30 – 11:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Julia Taylor
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Preparing for your First Review (REPEAT workshop)
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to familiarise students with the purpose and role of their first review with insights from a current PGR and School Research Administrator
Date: Wednesday 6 March 2013
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Room: PG22, Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitators: Graduate School
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Manage, Influence and Motivate – PLACES ARE LIMITED FOR THIS WORKSHOP
Outline: This workshop will outline the principles of behavioural communication styles. Behavioural traits influence how we communicate, how we behave, what motivates us and what makes us turn on our heels and go home!  We will explore basic components of communication including listening skills and the power of body language.  These principles will support teambuilding and facilitate skills for developing and motivating staff appropriately.
Date: Wednesday 13 March 2013
Time: 09:30 – 16:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Margaret Collins
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk
Numbers are restricted, so book early to avoid disappointment

Managing Pressure Positively – PLACES ARE LIMITED FOR THIS WORKSHOP
Outline: This workshop will allow you to understand the nature and sources of your stress.  You will gain the skills to deal with your stress symptoms and with stressful situations.
Date: Thursday 14 March 2013
Time: 09:30 – 16:30
Room: EB704, Executive Business Centre – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Margaret Collins
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk
Numbers are restricted, so book early to avoid disappointment

Introduction to the Bournemouth Research Information and Network (BRIAN)
(REPEAT workshop)
Outline: This workshop aims to provide you with an overview of BRIAN, BU’s publication management system, and show how BRIAN enables your external profile page, which allows you to promote yourself for potential research collaborations, research grants and enterprise opportunities; and how to search BRIAN to see who within BU is carrying out the research that you’re interested in.
Date: Wednesday 27 March 2013
Time: 09:30 – 12:30
Room: S102, Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Jo Garrad
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Public Engagement (REPEAT workshop)
Outline: The workshop will look at What Public Engagement is; Why does it matter?; How to do it; Engagement in practice; Internal support for creating a supportive environment for engagement.
Date: Wednesday 27 March 2012
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Room: PG22, Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Dr Rebecca Edwards
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

PGR Workshops for February – PGR Development Framework Programme

I’m pleased to announce new workshops for February 2013.  All bookings should be made via gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Action Research
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to provide an overview of Action Research and its origins.  You will look at the introduction to the concept of “communicative spaces” and discuss the use of Action Research for a dissertation
Date: Wednesday 6 February 2013
Time: 09:30 – 11:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Ann Bevan
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Preparing for your Viva
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to familiarise students with the purpose and the format of the oral examination of their thesis. The workshop will familiarise participants with the role of the internal and external examiner and the judgements they will be making in the course of the viva. The session will also include input from the subject Librarians on copyright procedures
Date: Wednesday 13 February 2013
Time: 09:30 – 11:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Heather Hartwell
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Introduction to Focus Groups
Outline: The session will briefly outline the origin of Focus Group Research, its underlying philosophy, and its place among qualitative methods.  The session will also address some more practical issues and the strengths and weaknesses of this particular qualitative method. 
Date: Wednesday 20 February 2013
Time: 09:30 – 11:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Professor Edwin van Teiljelen
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Practice- Led Research
Outline: This workshop will provide an overview of what makes practice-led research different from other academic research, looking at some case studies.  This will be followed by a discussion around the issues and rewarding events that participants have encountered as practice-led researchers.
Date: Wednesday 20 February 2013
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Neal White and Stephen Bell
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Presentation Skills – THIS COURSE IS NOW FULL
Outline: This workshop will outline the principles of confident speaking whether for meetings, seminars or research conferences.  You will deliver a short presentation and receive coaching and feedback within the supportive workshop environment
Date: Wednesday 27 February 2013
Time: 09:30 – 16:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Margaret Collins
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk  
Numbers are restricted, so book early to avoid disappointment

Presentation Skills – PLACES ARE LIMITED FOR THIS WORKSHOP
Outline: This workshop will outline the principles of confident speaking whether for meetings, seminars or research conferences.  You will deliver a short presentation and receive coaching and feedback within the supportive workshop environment
Date: Thursday 28 February 2013
Time: 09:30 – 16:30
Room: EB704, Executive Business Centre – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Margaret Collins
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk  
Numbers are restricted, so book early to avoid disappointment

 

 

 

NEW workshops for January 2013 – PGR Development Framework Programme

I’m pleased to announce new workshops for January 2013.  All bookings should be made via gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

PGR induction (Repeat workshop)
Outline: Introduction to BU’s academic and professional support for your research degree.  The session will also include an introduction to the Research Development Framework and how to map your personal development
Date: Wednesday 9 January 2013
Time: 10:00 – 13:00
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Graduate School
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

NVivo Training – please note change of date
Outline: The morning session will provide an introduction to Nvivo  – why use a computer for qualitative analysis?  The afternoon will look at building your database and coding your data
Date: Thursday 24 January 2013
Time: 09:00 – 17:00
Room: S102 – Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Ben Meehan – External Consultant from QDATRAINING PLC
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Finding information and Using Researcher Tools (Repeat workshop)Outline: The session will include an introduction to advanced searching skills, using citations smartly and analytical tools
Date: Wednesday 16 January 2013
Time: 10:00 – 12:00
Room: DLG31 – The Sir Michael Cobham Library – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Emma Crowley
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Managing your citations using Endnote and Endnote Web (Repeat workshop)
Outline: The session will include an introduction to Endnote and Endnote Web, exporting from databases, Cite While You Write tool
Date: Wednesday 16 January 2013
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Room: DLG31 – The Sir Michael Cobham Library – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Emma Crowley
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Writing for Marketing
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to learn how to write for marketing purposes – useful for public engagement activities
Date: Wednesday 23 January 2013
Time: 14:00 – 16:00
Room: S102 – Studland House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Mike O’Sullivan
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

Critical Thinking
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to give you the tools to make critical use of evidence from research to inform complex judgements and decisions
Date: Wednesday 30 January 2013
Time: 09:30 – 11:30
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Lansdowne Campus
Facilitator: Dr Jenny Moon
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk  

The Transfer Process
Outline: The aim of the workshop is to prepare students for the process of the transfer from MPhil/PhD to PhD. All students who register for a research degree have the choice to proceed in their studies towards an MPhil award or to transfer onto a doctoral route that leads to a PhD.
Date: Wednesday 30 January 2013
Time: 13:00 – 15:00
Room: PG22 – Poole House – Talbot Campus
Facilitator: Professor Anthea Innes
Booking: gsbookings@bournemouth.ac.uk

 

New QAA Chapter on Research Degrees Published

Following its recent consultation exercise, the QAA has published the UK Quality Code for Higher Education – Chapter B11: Research Degrees.

This Chapter of the UK Quality Code for Higher Education (the Quality Code) sets out the expectation that research degrees are awarded in a research environment that provides a secure academic standard for doing research and learning about research approaches, methods, procedures and protocols. This environment offers students equality of opportunity and the support they need to achieve successful academic, personal and professional outcomes from research degrees. It is informed by a wider context in which UK research degrees are offered, including an environment of continuous improvement and the desire to learn from others’ experiences in research education. It replaces Section 1 of the Code of Practice: Postgraduate research programmes, published in 2004.

The BU Code of Practice for Research Degrees reflects the best practice set out in this Chapter and the version for 2012/13 is currently being updated to reflect the enhanced expectations set out in this new Chapter B11:  Research Degrees.

The chapter includes references to the Vitae Researcher Development Statement/Framework (www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf; www.vitae.ac.uk/rds) and the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers. The Vitae Researcher Development Framework represents a major new approach to researcher development and provides a unique professional development framework for researchers in higher education.  Vitae welcomes the aspects of the Quality Code relating to career and personal development of students undertaking doctoral and research master’s degrees. In particular, the guidance to the following sections makes reference to the Vitae Researcher Development Statement/Framework:

  • The research environment
  • Selection, admission and induction of students
  • Supervision
  • Development of research and other skills

The Graduate School is working closely with Academic Schools to develop a comprehensive framework of generic and subject specific development opportunities for PGR students in 2012/13.