This face to face course is run by the Researcher Academy

The Researcher Academy courses are very popular and the majority are run in both semesters to give you the opportunity to attend at a time of the year that suits you. 

Target audience: Mid stage postgraduate research students and early career researchers

This course is for you if you are interested in developing your creative thinking in the context of your research problems. By looking at the assumptions underlying your problem statement you will view your research with new perspectives and potentially identify new avenues of exploration. The course will help you with idea-generation and enable you to identify the stages of the creative process.

Description:

The course will take you through an introduction to creative processes and recent developments in using tools to enhance creative thinking. You will be invited to explore some aspects of your own research during the course by defining/redefining research questions, examining underlying assumptions, employing creative thinking techniques to generate new ideas and to discuss these with other researchers from a range of disciplines and backgrounds.
This is an exciting and innovative course offered by Researcher Academy in response to training guidance from the Research Councils.

Aims/ Objectives:

This course will help you to develop your background and experience in exploring research problems using the creative process.

By the end of the course you will be able to: 

• redefine your research questions as problem statements;
• identify assumptions underlying your problem statements; 
• explore methods of visually mapping research information; 
• employ idea-generation strategies to introduce new approaches to your research; 
• consider new ideas generated to re-examine the direction of your research project ;
• identify the stages of the creative process.

Process: A one-day workshop.

Please note, attendances for courses will be recorded. There are no training points associated with courses run by the Researcher Academy.

Related Courses:
How to be an Effective Researcher (PGRs only)

Accessibility

The following table shows a summary of what is needed to participate in the course. 

If you feel you will experience any difficulties participating, please let us know via the ‘special requirements’ tab, providing as much information as possible. The special requirements tab can be completed when you book your place. Alternatively, you can contact us directly at ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk.

Print off pre-requisite paperwork/ resources and bring them to the course
Bring your own laptop/ PC to the course (optional)
Access seminar room on campus
Attend the course at the specified date and time
Watch and listen to the course tutor(s) and/ or other attendees
Follow presentation slides during the course
Take part in group activities/ discussions

Booking Conditions

Latecomer policy

Researchers should plan to arrive prior to the advertised course start time. Except for exceptional reasons, there will be no admittance to a Researcher Academy or Faculty Training Programme (FTP) course 15 minutes after the advertised course start time.

Importance of booking commitment

When booking on to a Researcher Academy short course you are entering into a commitment to attend. If you find that you are no longer available to attend you MUST cancel your place (on the system if more than three days before the course) or if at short notice by emailing ra-training@nottingham.ac.uk. This will ensure that your place can be offered to another researcher on the waiting list. Failure to cancel a place results in other researchers missing out on places through the waiting list process.

It is unacceptable for researchers to just not attend when booked onto a course. The Researcher Academy maintains records of those who repeatedly do not attend courses they have booked. This may affect future eligibility to book onto further Researcher Academy courses and will affect considerations for Researcher Academy funded opportunities.

Pre-Requisites

PRE-COURSE TASK

Pre-session preparation – clarifying your research questions:
This one-day course is intended to develop your ability to explore research problems using the creative process.    In order to maximise the usefulness of the session all participants need to think about their research in advance, and prepare short written answers to the following:

 a) What key questions or problems does your research explore?

Phrase your response in terms that will be easily understood by students from other disciplines; use simple vocabulary and focus on the most important issues/concepts being explored. Keep it short – maximum of two sentences. 

 b) Are there currently barriers to you finding answers to these key questions or solutions to the problems? If so, what are they?

Barriers might relate to the research itself e.g. difficulty in sourcing information, choosing an appropriate methodology, or replicating experimental data. Barriers might also be caused by a lack of resources, gaps in your knowledge or skills-base, or simple lack of time/energy/funds!

Please remember to bring the responses with you on the day.