Initiative Lead
University College Cork

Primary Contact
Dr Karen Matvienko-Sikar
Karen.msikar@ucc.ie

€65000

Enhancement across Disciplines

Accessible, student-centred, evidence-based open research education will enhance student capacity to implement open research practices. Open research involves increasing transparency and accessibility across all research stages and is recognised as best practice. There is a critical need for education on principles and practices of open research explicitly for undergraduate and masters students, with complementary content for research supervisors. We will co-develop, with staff and students, a digital badge online module: ‘Principles and Practice of Open Research’. Digital badges credit students who have completed the training and learning, and relate to UCC’s essential values of Transparency, Scholarship, and Integrity.

This T&L initiative will be conducted in three stages:

1. Qualitative Focus Groups will be held with students and supervisors across UCC Colleges to gauge knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of open research. Needs and preferences for content and delivery of the open research module will also be explored
2. Module Development will be conducted using Canvas following best practice open research guidance, and evidence-based teaching strategies, incorporating feedback from Stage 1. This will ensure empirically-based and person-centred module content
3. Module Evaluation conducted with students and supervisors will evaluate the module for usability, learner experience and learning outcomes including awareness, understanding, knowledge and practice. Feedback will guide revisions to content, format and learning activities before final release

Project outcomes:

A digital badge online module providing a foundation in open research, including resources and learning pathways to support knowledge development and application. Increased student and supervisor knowledge and practice of open research.