Research Skills Scheme

This scheme has been devised to ensure that all research students of the University acquire the essential skills required by the national framework of the Joint research Councils. It operates on the principle of mapping the subjective ownership of skills against both national frameworks and University research-training opportunities. At the centre of this structure is the student completion of the personal development record across the time of registration for a research level award.

Research Skills

The Joint Research Councils list of required skills translates easily into a set of module-related competencies which the student is asked to acquire. The student is expected to identify evidence that each competency has been addressed. Students will build an individual portfolio of skills acquisition which is recorded in their personal development record. They will be assisted in this task by a mentor who will usually be their supervisor, but may be another suitable person who is nominated to this role within a Faculty.

The framework of skills acquisition

Liverpool Hope University’s scheme for skills acquisition combines an individual, student-centred approach which allows for flexibility in the means by which particular skills are acquired with the provision of an organised set of training opportunities. Training workshops offered each year by the Postgraduate Research Office are not in themselves mandatory for every student but the student will have to demonstrate how skills covered by these workshops are gained/ demonstrated if an alternative resource for skills acquisition is nominated for approval by the supervisor/ mentor. It is expected that students will normally attend workshops provided by the Faculties and Subject groups to which they belong.

The university framework of skills events include:

• workshops set up by the central Postgraduate Research Office of Liverpool Hope University
• workshops and other events set up by the four Faculties of Liverpool Hope University
• workshops and other events set up within the Subject Areas of the four Faculties of Liverpool Hope University

In addition, there will be formal recognition of skills provided by:

• participation in events run by other providers where the demonstrable outcome can be measured against required learning outcomes of the skills programme of Liverpool Hope University

Monitoring of skills acquisition

It is the responsibility of the student to enter in the appropriate section of the personal development record that particular skills have been acquired and to give evidence for this which can be checked for acceptability. Monitoring of the record of skill acquisition is carried out by the supervisor or other nominated mentor in the first instance and this process is audited within Faculties by the Research Co-ordinators.

Skills Events

There is an annual  Training Calendar of skills-related activities which is made available to research students. The Postgraduate Research Office organises the central parts of this annual Calendar, in dialogue with Deans and their subject teams. Events on this programme may be centrally-run or organised by Faculties and Subject Areas. The events of the Calendar are published to students and staff and attention is drawn to this resource by the Postgraduate Research Office. Faculties and their subject teams draw the attention of research students in their fields of study to events organised at Faculty level. Normally, all events run at central and faculty levels are open to all research students of the University.

Central provision and personal skills development

The central provision is planned with the progress of the student through the whole registration period in mind. In this perspective there are two main stages:

• Induction Stage in which new students are inducted into the research world and engage with their initial research proposal
• A second stage of ongoing engagement with research activity and the successful completion of the thesis

The progress from the first to the second stage is normally marked by the process of upgrade from MPhil to PhD student status

Induction Stage

The aim of this stage is to ensure that students are properly embedded in the research culture of Liverpool Hope University and that they have successfully started on the process of exploring the scope of their thesis proposal.

At this stage students are expected to address the issues involved in the following topics Resources, Work/Life Management and Team Working and keep Skills Modules record and produce an annual paper on work in progress

Ongoing Development

The aim of this stage is to ensure that students continue to be motivated and on-target with their research and that they have opportunities for both widening and deepening their understanding of the research networks relevant to their projects.

At this stage students are expected to address the issues involved in the following topics:

• Careers, Getting Published
• And to take part in the Annual Research Day
• Complete a Skills Modules record and produce an annual paper on work in progress

Other provision of research skills training

This aspect of provision allows students to customise the generic research skills training provided by the centrally-run elements of skills training. It is Faculty and Subject based and offers students training in the particular skills necessary for successful participation in subject-specific research projects, for working in research teams within a discipline and for dissemination of specialised knowledge to a wider audience.

Faculties and Subjects regularly organise training events for these purposes and strongly advise their students to attend sessions from this part of the skills training calendar.
In addition Faculties/Subjects make provision for every registered student to give an annual seminar paper to an audience of fellow students and staff in the relevant fields of study.

The Personal Development Record, Annual Monitoring Form and Annual Seminar

Student engagement with these elements is mandatory. Together they provide a record of evidence that the student has engaged with the skills programme during an academic year of registration for a research degree. They also offer a vehicle for mentoring the research student, since they indicate progress in skills acquisition at a given point and provide a coherent framework for the student to plan for further skills acquisition is the year ahead.
Each student records in the online recording pages the date and content of their annual seminar paper, together with a short evaluation of skills developed by this presentation.

The Role of the Postgraduate Research Office

It is ultimately the responsibility of the Postgraduate Research Office of the University to monitor the effective implementation of the Research Skills Programme.

The overall scrutiny of the working of the Research Skills Programme lies with the Associate Dean: Postgraduate, assisted by the Research Skills Co-ordinator, who normally arranges the Annual Training Calendar and by the Research Administrator.

The Postgraduate Research Office liaises with other relevant departments in the University in order to carry out its functions, including: Registry, Careers, Library, Learning and Information Services.

The Skills Scheme forms part of the agendas for the Research Sub-committee and for the Research Committee of the University. It is also part of the agenda for Faculty meetings, where it is channelled through the role of Research Co-ordinator.