Newcastle University

Work Package Leaders: Newcastle University, United Kingdom (UNEW)

Objectives

Building in dissemination and communication as integral from the start.

Create and maintain a clear internal project identity and goal, which comes from teacher experimentation using proven principles of feedback, using ICT and involving students as much as possible, the refrain being ‘working with students’;

Relate the project to other school improvement, inclusion and employment related agendas, so that it is not presented as a bolt-on activity;

Use the distinct project identity and coherence to establish and maintain relationships with other stakeholders, as relationships underpin communication, influence and getting messages into networks both during and at the end of the project;

Relate the project to vocational training agendas and use vocational education stakeholder groups to communicate the messages;

Relate the training and toolkit to national agendas and contexts rather than just presenting a monolithic block, whilst maintaining an essential coherence; 

Disseminate and communicate the progress and results of the project in manner to a broad audience (all the stakeholders) and to defined targeted groups (such as science teachers who are involved in the project, or employers in engineering).

Implement a comprehensive programme of engagement and dissemination of the project’s results with the aim of a major intervention in an international conference in y3.

Description of work

 Establish a sub-group of the SAC to advise on dissemination

• Set up and manage website (with a commitment to maintenance for 2 years after the end of the project)
• Maintain a steady flow of stories related to the project to maintain the profile amongst target audiences and among the participants through newsletters
• Dissemination of outcomes of other work packages through briefing documents and participation in conferences.
• Local Stakeholder meetings within each country organised by the country partner each year to ensure that all stakeholders are kept informed of progress.
• Liaise with sub-contractor for film documentary on participants in the project
• Produce material and briefs for specific audiences of policy makers and government agencies at a regional, National, European and International level and other target groups at regular intervals, starting around the time of the first periodic report and updated at the end of implementation
• Plan major conference to disseminate outcomes at the end of Y3.

The strategy will ensure that all material will reference the Science in Society origin of the project and the links with Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). In addition, attempts will be made to identify other projects of the same theme and to communicate with them so as to be aware of and identify possible areas for collaboration in order to create an ‘RRI Momentum’ early in Horizon 2020. If it is thought beneficial, connections will be established with similar other SiS projects, via memoranda of understanding.

Attention will be paid to the gender dimension of low attainment through: including this dimension in reports; ensuring that, when organising events, a topic on gender or a workshop on gender will be an important part of the programme and by inviting experts in gender in science and mathematics education and low achievement to participate. In addition, a link to the website of the Gender Campaign: ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing!’ (http://science-girl-thing.eu) will be established on the FaSMeD website.

Description of deliverables

D7.1 Website: Set up and manage website (with a commitment to maintenance for 2 years after the end of the project). Monthly updating of website for project.

D7.2 Newsletter: 3 Monthly newsletter to participants. Maintain a steady flow of stories related to the project to maintain the profile amongst target audiences and among the participants through newsletters

D7.3 Briefing documents and conference participation: Dissemination of outcomes of other work packages through briefing documents and participation in conferences.

D7.4 Film of Project: Liaise with sub-contractor for documentary on participants in the project (in target languages)

D7.5 Posters and booklets: Publicity for the project in target languages

D7.6 International conference: Final conference in Maynooth, Ireland

D7.7 Stakeholder meetings: Stakeholder meetings local to each country to be held annually in each country to disseminate progress in the project