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Researcher Development Initiative (RDI), 2005 - 2010


Training Researchers in Online Research Methods (TRI-ORM)

01/05/07 - 31/07/09

 

TRI-ORM (www.geog.le.ac.uk/orm) provided training for researchers in online research methods (ORMs). The project was designed to meet the training needs of researchers at all stages of their careers and with a variety of levels of knowledge of online research. The project was very successful and outperformed all original estimates of the number of researchers to be trained.

 

TRI-ORM was made up of three strands each of which was targeted at different levels of engagement and experience.

 

  1. Face-to-face workshops for researchers with very little knowledge or experience of online research methods.
  2. An advanced course taught at Masters level and delivered online.
  3. Enhancement of an existing website providing new resources for learners and further support for tutors as well as establishing a blog and online professional networking site.

 

Key achievements of the project include:

 

  • Enabling researchers from different stages of the career spectrum, a wide range of disciplinary areas and from within and outside higher education to develop their understanding of ORMs and learn from each other.
  • Being delivered on time, on budget and training 232 researchers - 72 (45%) more than outlined in the original bid.
  • Developing a successful way to teach research methods online that can be utilised by other teachers and trainers.
  • Feedback from participants which indicated that they were using the learning from the online course in their professional practice six months after participating in a workshop.
  • Statistics that indicate the sustained and international reach of the web-resources.
  • The establishment of a virtual community of ORM practitioners in the UK and beyond. Invitations to the project team to contribute to journal articles, book chapters and sit on the steering group of a national online survey of researchers as a result of their involvement in the project.

 

Principal Investigator: Dr Clare Madge, University of Leicester
Co-Investigators: Dr Jane Wellens, University of Nottingham,

Dr Tristram Hooley, University of Derby



Contact Details

Dr Clare Madge,
University of Leicester

Dr Jane Wellens
Email: Jane.wellens@nottingham.
ac.uk
Tel: 0115 84 67944