This online 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: Postgraduate research students and research staff 

Description:  

Life as we know it has changed… almost overnight and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. 

The way we communicate with or update our research groups and funders, disseminate our research and learn about new emerging insights via conference attendance and presentation NOW are just some examples of how much things have changed.  

Remote research showcases, online proposal pitches, supervisor updates, virtual funder or examiner audits and Vivas are now commonplace with remote meetings and presentations expected.  

Conferences have been cancelled, travel restrictions imposed, airlines have gone out of business or reduced flight numbers making travel problematic if not impossible. Looking forward, travel restrictions may be lifted only to be re-imposed later. There may be blocks on travel from OR to certain countries/cities depending upon virus hotspots and co-location in hotels and conference venues will not likely be advised for some time to come.   

Many conference and research meeting organisers will likely be looking for quick remote responses to this and many virtual conferences indeed now emerging. Further online meeting spaces may be here to stay even when restrictions are lifted. 

Short Term Solutions: 

So.. many of you will need to learn new skills – how to present your research virtually as well as engage and reach your audiences via various technologies, platforms and communication strategies. Confidence in presentation delivery is always key but presenting online does not always help this (although you might expect it to). What strategies can you adopt to help you feel both comfortable online but also responsive to a confident, emboldened and discursively thought-provoking audience? 

This course covers practical aspects of ‘Presentation Skills’, reflecting and focusing on delivering in an online environment, whether it be via conferences, webinars, teleconferences or online meetings. You may: 

• have been invited to present/chair sessions at online conferences yourself 
• be responding to a call for papers for an online event/conference 
• be presenting to your supervisor or research group in online meetings, seminars or tutorials or as part of research showcase events
• be presenting updates to sponsors or external funders and examiners

This course will be applicable to all these scenarios and will provide tips and hints for making the most out of presenting your research online, whatever stage you are at – whether you are planning or imminently due to present. 

To undertake this course, you will need: 

• Technology instructions provided as part of the course are for non-MAC/APPLE users. MAC/APPLE users – may need to further investigate how to record presentations/share screens via Microsoft Teams, related to their own equipment
• Access to a laptop or computer to prepare a Powerpoint presentation.
• Access to a webcam, microphone and speakers, which can be built in to your laptop or computer, or externally plugged in to those devices.
• To use different technologies: Moodle, Microsoft Powerpoint, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Stream.

If you don't have access to the items mentioned above, it will not be possible for you to take part in the course. If this is the case: 

• consult the IT laptop / tech loan and repair service in the first instance - https://www.nottingham.ac.uk/it-services/computers/laptop-repair.aspx
• Then email RA-training@nottingham.ac.uk to explain the situation if access remains a problem. 

The course will take place over 5 days. The schedule is as follow: 

• Day 1: Pre-recorded seminar covering course schedule, participants requirements and provide top tips for presenting in an online environment.
• Day 2: Call for papers: title and abstract task & Recorded presentation task – you will be expected to produce and upload a recorded presentation for peer review, by Midnight on Day 2
• Day 3: Review recorded videos uploaded by peers and submit feedback by Midnight on Day 3
• Day 4: Review and apply own feedback received to adjust, revise and polish own presentation ready for live delivery on Day 5.
• Day 5: Live session 1.45-4 pm during which you will be expected to present a 10 minutes presentation plus Q&A.  

Aims/ Objectives:

The aim of this course is to develop your skills of spoken communication and presentation delivery within online academic contexts, enabling you to deliver more effective and engaging presentations with increased confidence in online environments. 

By the end of the course, you will: 

• understand what contributes to making an effective online presentation and how to keep audiences engaged in an online environment
• be able to consider the needs of an online audience so you may better increase visibility and memory retention of your presentation
• have experienced presenting in two different formats: live and via pre-recorded video
• be able to apply feedback from peers to develop the content and delivery of your presentation

Process:

Online moderated course, asynchronous tasks with peer feedback/sharing/ discussion and one mandatory live synchronous event on Friday afternoon. The course is run over 5 days, with specific task deadlines which must be met for all delegates to get the most out of this course.  

If you are unable to make the dates/times for the live synchronous event, then please DO NOT BOOK ON THIS COURSE 


Course 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.

Access and/or complete self-study/ pre-course tasks prior to main session
Course open during a specific week
Access Moodle
Access MS Teams
Attend sessions at specified dates and times during course
Use MS Teams chat box function
Participate in forum discussions in Moodle
Engage with online materials
Watch and listen to the course tutor(s) and/or other attendees
Follow presentation slides during the course
Deliver presentation to other course participants

 

Booking Conditions:

Our webinars/ online courses are very popular, especially in the current period and we are experiencing large volumes of people on our waiting lists.  

Please do let us know if you would like to cancel your place on this course so we can offer your place to another delegate. 

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

Pre-Requisites

Accessing the course:

This session may be recorded. If a recording is kept of the session, then please note, that it may be made available to the wider University of Nottingham researcher community.

To access the course please follow the link below and log into Moodle using your normal username and password. You must use the link below when accessing this course for the first time as it allows you to self-enrol onto the course. 

Make sure that you log in to the course BEFORE 7am on Day 2 of the course, after this date enrolment is disabled.