Upcoming offerings of Brock University’s Building Better Research webinars will focus on podcasting, the Qualtrics survey platform and aspects of knowledge mobilization, such as plain language communication, community engagement, and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI).

Building Better Research is a professional development workshop series that draws upon expertise from across the campus community to enhance research efforts at Brock. Presentations take place via Microsoft Teams from noon to 1 p.m.

Knowledge mobilization will be discussed in three upcoming webinars, the first of which takes place next week. Knowledge mobilization is the process of connecting academic research or creative work with organizations, people or government to improve programming and outcomes, inform policy change and make real-world collaborative impact. Examples of knowledge mobilization efforts include educational materials, public lectures and social media engagement that add evidence to strengthen research outcomes and engage end-user participation.

On Tuesday, Feb. 28, Research Communications and Media Relations Specialist Cathy Majtenyi will lead a presentation on using plain language communication in knowledge mobilization. The workshop will explore the importance of ‘translating’ complicated academic concepts and specialist terms into words and images that non-specialist audiences can readily understand. She will be accompanied by History Professor Andrew McDonald and Kinesiology Professor Stephen Cheung, who will discuss how they share their academic work with broad, non-specialist audiences.

Additional discussions about knowledge mobilization will take place Tuesday, March 14, with a presentation about equity, diversity and inclusion in knowledge mobilization, and Tuesday, May 9, with a presentation about community engagement within research and knowledge mobilization. Knowledge Mobilization Officer Jayne Morrish will co-present both webinars, alongside EDI in Research Advisor Syna Thakur for the EDI discussion and Social Justice Research Institute Project Facilitator Julie Gregory for the community engagement discussion. 

The Qualtrics survey platform will be the focus of two upcoming webinars. On Thursday, March 2, Stephen Agnew, Digital Content Co-ordinator with Information Technology Services, will introduce the basics of the platform, such as requesting access, navigating the interface, building and disseminating a survey and reviewing results. On Thursday, May 11, Agnew will dive deeper into the platform’s functionality. 

A presentation on podcasting will take place Monday, March 20. Alison Innes, Social Media Co-ordinator with the Faculty of Humanities, will explore some of the unique opportunities podcasting offers to disseminate research and teaching beyond the academic community. She will draw on her experiences and research as an independent podcaster with MythTake from 2016 to 2020 and as a university-based podcaster with the Faculty of Humanities’ Foreword podcast (2020 to present).

Listed below are upcoming Building Better Research webinars with links for additional information. A full listing of the series’ offerings is available on the Building Better Research web page. Registration is required via each webinar’s ExperienceBU page. 

Upcoming Building Better Research workshops 

Knowledge mobilization — Plain language communication
Presented by Cathy Majtenyi, Research Communications and Media Relations Specialist, Office of Research Services
Tuesday, Feb. 28 from noon to 1 p.m. 

Introduction to Qualtrics
Presented by Stephen Agnew, Digital Content Co-ordinator, Information Technology Services
Thursday, March 2 from noon to 1 p.m. 

Knowledge Mobilization: Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Presented by Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Mobilization Officer, and Syna Thakur, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Research Advisor, Office of Research Services
Tuesday, March 14 from noon to 1 p.m. 

Sharing your Research Story with Podcasting
Presented by Alison Innes, Social Media Co-ordinator, Faculty of Humanities
Monday, March 20 from noon to 1 p.m.

How to plan for open access without breaking the bank
Presented by Elizabeth Yates, Research and Scholarly Communications Librarian, and Vincent Annibale, Research Officer
Tuesday, April 4 from noon to 1 p.m.

Community Engagement Within Research and Knowledge Mobilization — An Introduction 
Presented by Julie Gregory, Social Justice Research Institute Project Facilitator, and Jayne Morrish, Knowledge Mobilization Officer, Office of Research Services
Tuesday, May 9 from noon to 1 p.m.  

Qualtrics, A Deeper Dive
Presented by Stephen Agnew, Digital Content Co-ordinator, Information Technology Services
Thursday, May 11 from noon to 1 p.m.  

The Building Better Research series is offered jointly by the Brock University Library and the Office of Research Services. New workshops are always being added. Brock researchers and students are invited to suggest new topics or volunteer as a workshop leader/speaker if they have a relevant skill they would like to share. Email Associate University Librarian Nicole Nolan at nnolan@brocku.ca or Knowledge Mobilization Officer Jayne Morrish at jmorrish@brocku.ca