Using the Researcher Development Framework (RDF) to Improve Accessiblity

and Useability of OER's for Researcher

Development

Ian Fairweather, University of Manchester

Methods@Manchester

Background

• methods@manchester: research methods in the social sciences

• Students often find courses in research methods difficult and challenging (Edwards and Thatcher 2004)

• The principle informing methods@manchester is that Researchers are more receptive to information when they recognize they need it.

Research Questions• Does the use of OER’s as opposed to ‘in-house’ resources add

value to needs-based research methods training for PGR’s?

• Can OER’s contribute to the flexibility and accessibility of research methods training resources and so encourage PGR engagement with them?

• How can the quality of OER in research methods be identified and/or assured?

• Can OER’s be mapped on to the researcher development framework in order to help PGR’s identify their own development needs and access appropriate resources to address them?

How often do you make use of methods@manchester resources?

Students

Very often

Often

Occasionally

Never

Staff

OftenVery oftenOccasionallyNever

Contrary to the impression shared by most team members interviewed students use the resources far more often than staff.

How would you go about finding appropriate online resources?

Students Recommendation fromsupervisorRecommendation frompeersFollow up to workshop

Only use university ofManchester resourcesother university websites

Google

Youtube

JORUM

53% of students said they never use any other OER’s

Some student comments on searching for OER:• This is the first I've heard of 'OER'!

• 1. Recommendation from supervisors are always relevant to research studies 2. Resources mentioned in workshops also have high credibility although not necessarily always relevant to particular research 3.The easiest way to do it is by googling relevant keywords and you will find hits

• [I don’t use OER’s] because I don't know where to start, and how to make them count towards my research training hours

• I am familiar with these sites/people [other university websites] and trust their suggestions. I also study a topic that is difficult at best to find resources for, so plans that work for other disciplines don't function for me.

• There's already so much to do and think about that I don't feel I have time or inclination to go searching for research methods training.

• I am not aware of the type and quality of the offered resources, so I do not use them often

Vitae RDF

Researcher Development Frameworkwww.vitae.ac.uk/researchers/428241/Researcher-Development-Framework.html

How can the challenges of accessibility and quality assurance be overcome?

A key question was whether the RDF could be used to map resources according to student needs?

Problems with using the RDF

Students

Very often

Often

Occasionally

Never

None of the staff who responded to the survey had used the RDF to manage their students’ development. Staff awareness of it is low.

All methods@manchester resources fall into domain A1 (sub-domain 2 and 3) of the RDF

Mapping to RDF

• In the short term the usefulness of the RDF in this context turned out to be limited, because engagement with the RDF among staff and students is very low.

• RDF too broad to provide sufficient granularity to map methods@manchester resources in a meaningful way.

• The development of a research methods ‘lens’ and tools to flag resources according to level of development using the phases of the RDF would certainly be a step in the right direction and it is possible to envision a significant role for OER in such developments.

• In the longer term it is reasonable to assume that engagement with the RDF will increase as it becomes a more familiar tool for students and supervisors to determine their training needs and as researcher developers find more effective ways of using the RDF.

Concluding Remarks• Quality assurance is a key issue in the use of OER’s

for research methods teaching

• Development of resources under a recognised ‘brand’ such as methods@manchester is one way to tackle this issue.

• Recommendation by supervisors, tutors or peers is a very significant factor in student’s use of resources.

• Mapping resources to the RDF is possible and has potential in the longer term.