Training & CPD

2022 Public Engagement Skills Training Programme Now Available for Booking

Use the links below to book your place now

Training Programme 2022

For 2022 our training programme will returning to a face-to-face format and will be delivered on campus. All 4 workshops are open to all University of Lincoln staff and postgraduate students. 

For further details of each training episode, please see the information at the bottom of the page or contact us at pearl@lincoln.ac.uk 

1. Introduction to Public Engagement with Research

A comprehensive overview of public engagement with research (PER), including the basics of what PER is, how and why to incorporate it into your research, how to evaluate your impact and more.

Date: 1pm-4:30pm, Monday 16th May 2022

2. Audiences and Publics

This session explores the importance of identifying public audiences, tailoring engagement to your audience, and how to effectively communicate complex research topics to non-specialist audiences.

Date: 1pm-4:30pm, Tuesday 24th May 2022

3. Activity Planning

How to choose and develop appropriate engagement activities, how to tackle common logistical issues such as promoting your events and health and safety, applying for PER funding and more.

Date: 1pm-4:30pm, Monday 6th June 2022

4. Evaluation

An extensive session exploring the importance of evaluating PER activities and how to appropriately and effectively incorporate evaluation of your impact into your engagement activities.

Date: 1pm-4:30pm, Monday 13th June 2022

Workshop Format

All our workshops have been designed as one cohesive programme, so that each feeds into the next. However, all workshops also work as stand alone, complete, should you wish to attend individual sessions.

Workshops are limited to a maximum of 30 participants. If any workshop becomes fully booked, please contact us at pearl@lincoln.ac.uk to be added to the waiting list. Please note that due to format of our workshops they are not recorded for later viewing.

Each workshop will comprise the following:

  • 15-20 minute pre-workshop task: These will be made available to participants one week before the workshop. Pre-workshop tasks will help form part of the discussions and activities during the workshop, so participants are encouraged to complete each task to the best of their ability.
  • 3-hour interactive, face-to-face workshop: Each workshop is comprised of short talks, interactive activities and discussion through which participants will be able to develop skills, understanding and take-home resources. A short comfort break is included in all workshops. All participants will be asked to complete a short feedback form after each session.

Accessibility: If you have any accessibility requirements, please contact us at pearl@lincoln.ac.uk 

Custom Public Engagement Skills Training

To help embed high quality public engagement with research across the University, PEARL offers customised training sessions to support individual project or group needs.

Bespoke training is available for all staff and students of the University and can be tailored to the specific needs of your team or project. To discuss availability and your public engagement training needs, please contact us at pearl@lincoln.ac.uk to arrange a meeting. 

Please note that a minimum lead time of 4 weeks is required for requests for customised training in order to ensure the PEARL team can appriately accommodate your requests.

Episode 1

Introduction to Public Engagement with Research

This session will offer training on:

  • understanding what public engagement with research is, and why it matters to universities, researchers and wider societies
  • the life cycle of planning a public engagement with research activity, including identifying aims, audience, activity and logistics
  • the importance of evaluating public engagement with research activity, and an introduction to how you might go about evaluating your activity.

Episode 2

Audiences & Publics

This session will offer training on:

  • identifying different audiences and publics, and why you might engage with them.
  • developing activities to reach different audiences.
  • the principles of effective communication with different audiences.
  • identifying a target audience for your activity and understanding why would be interested in this activity.

Episode 3

Activity Planning

This session will offer training on:

  • choosing an activity to engage the public with research, including where to find inspiration/support.
  • identifying important logistics and considerations for planning an activity, including health and safety.
  • developing and planning a public engagement with research activity, offering the opportunity for you to have a developed activity you could plan, seek funding for (if required) and deliver.

Episode 4

Evaluation

This session will offer training on:

  • defining evaluation and understanding its importance.
  • different methods you could use for evaluating public engagement with research activity.
  • best practice in evaluating public engagement with research activity.
  • how to plan realistic and achievable means of evaluating public engagement with research activity.

Episode 3

Activity Planning

This session will offer training on:

  • Developing an idea for an engagement activity – including where to start with choosing your activity and where to find inspiration/support.
  • How to plan an activity to engage a specific audience with your research.
  • The logistics to consider then planning an activity – what’s your budget? What about health and safety?

Please note, when you have registered, you will have access to the online element of Episode 3 at https://blackboard.lincoln.ac.uk from 12.00noon on Tuesday 28th May. Please complete this before the Episode 3 face to face session on Wednesday 5th June.