Online Course: Engaged Research & Innovation For Societal Impact: Building Capacity Across Ireland

The National Forum for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education are delighted to announce that the fully online Open Course for Engaged Research & Innovation For Societal Impact: Building Capacity Across Ireland will run in January 2023. This course has been developed in partnership by Campus Engage, the Irish Universities Association, and the Higher Education Authority .

Engaged research describes a wide range of rigorous research approaches and methodologies that share a common interest in collaborative engagement with research stakeholders and aims to improve, understand, or investigate an issue of public interest or concern, including societal challenges. Engaged research is advanced with partners rather than for them.

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Course Breakdown by Week

Pre-Course Content

Introduction to the course, the virtual learning environment and your course colleagues.

Week 1: Engaged Research and Innovation for Societal Impact

Learn how to respond to engagement, involvement, and impact criteria across EU Horizon Europe and Irish funding agency calls.

Week 2: Innovative Approaches to Realising Research Impact  

Learn how to bring research relevant stakeholders together to plan for research impact and better communicate research outcomes to research users.

Week 3: Methodological Approaches for Engaging Diverse Stakeholders

Identify and map stakeholders appropriate to the stage of the research, then choose appropriate engaged research methods.

Week 4: Mobilising Research into Policy and Practice

Understand how to mobilise knowledge for public policy and engage with policymakers.

Week 5: Monitoring and Evaluating Research Outcomes

Undertake research evaluation to demonstrate research impact and share authentic impact stories.

Week 6: Campus Engage Facilitator Training

Good practice on facilitating Engaged Research for Societal Impact capacity-building workshops and claiming your NFETL Digital Badge.

Badging Criteria

This course will be facilitated over a six-week period. To complete this badge, you will need to commit to 30 learner hours. You will be required to attend live weekly webinars on a Friday, between 1pm and 2.30pm, beginning January 30 and finishing on March 10. Weekly criteria are as follows:

1. Self-Paced Learning:

Recorded presentations, publications, and a short assignment [1.5-hours of content each week]

2. Peer-to-Peer Learning:

Peer-to-peer learning based on the week’s topic and assignment  [1-hour of peer learning each week]

3. Facilitated Friday Webinar:

Drawing together leaders in Engaged Research for Societal Impact, these facilitated workshops present case studies to demonstrate what works, build skills, and problem solve with attendees to address their work-place challenges [1.5-hours for the live webinar each week]

4. Campus Engage Facilitator Training:

Facilitated course during week six to advance good practice in facilitation so that attendees can feel confident in their abilities to share good practice and advance engaged research for societal impact  [6-hours of facilitator training in Week 6]