The Building Better Research (BBR) workshop series is gearing up for its second year — and organizers want to hear from Brock’s research community.
“We’re looking to hear about areas of research that could be supported with a workshop or discussion,” says Sharlee Cranston-Reimer, Research Officer in the Office of Research Services. “Are there topics that researchers want, or need to learn, more about?”
Cranston-Reimer says she and co-organizer Nicole Nolan, Associate University Librarian, Research, have ideas for workshops based on feedback, questions researchers have been asking, and changes in the research landscape, “but we want to make sure that we’re checking in with researchers directly about what would be of use to them, and we’ll design the series accordingly.”
Nolan says last year’s series content was driven by what the researchers asked for.
“The basis of the BBR Series is to respond to researchers’ needs and questions and offer current and timely research support in a complex and evolving research environment,” she says.
In fall 2020, Brock University Library and the Office of Research Services teamed up to announce a 10-part series of virtual workshops they created on a variety of research topics arising from a 2019 survey conducted with researchers.
The wide-ranging series covered such areas as research data management, intellectual property, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), scholarly publishing, grant budgeting, and knowledge mobilization.
Cranston-Reimer says as the series progressed, more workshops were added as researchers came forth with ideas and requests.
Other workshops that had previously stood alone were blended into the series, most notably three sessions on various aspects of applying for Insight Grants offered by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
The 2020-2021 BBR series ended up consisting of 18 workshops posted in SharePoint and workshop attendance rose as the series progressed, says Cranston-Reimer.
“The series brought together groups of people who have a lot of overlap but don’t have a lot of opportunities to connect,” she says. “Through the workshops, we saw people making connections and building relationships.”
Nolan says the Brock University Library and Office of Research Services collaboration enabled workshops to co-ordinate and present, a “large pool of expertise” from faculties and departments across campus.
“These workshops gave researchers opportunities to learn about a variety of research support services on campus, to engage in meaningful discussion, and to ask questions,” says Nolan.
“This ORS and Library collaboration also allowed for effective promotion and communication of workshops, which led to fantastic attendance and excellent conversations,” she says.
To suggest topics, or for more information, contact Nicole Nolan at nnolan@brocku.ca or Sharlee Cranston-Reimer at scranstonreimer@brocku.ca
