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Open Research

OpenFest 2024

OpenFest 2024

 

open fest banner

 

Open research plays a key role in democratising knowledge and creating a productive, collaborative and responsible research culture. Sheffield’s OpenFest, co-delivered by the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam, provides an opportunity to explore issues around open research, share experiences and consider how open research can be applied in your discipline. 

Day 1 at Uni of Sheffield

Open Research @ Sheffield Day 1 - talks and presentations at the University of Sheffield

  • Tuesday 10th September, 10.00am-3.10pm 
  • In person with hybrid capability, The Diamond, Workrooms 1&2

diamond building image

Our two Open Research @ Sheffield days will bring together researchers and research-related staff from the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam to explore current practice, share ideas, and build connections.

This event includes a series of talks and presentations that explore current practice and/or areas of development or potential in open research, from sharing the outputs of practice-based research to developing training around reproducible research software. We'll showcase the successful projects from the recent Unleash Your Data & Software funding competition, as well as exploring the new TUoS Research Culture Strategy & Action Plan. The event will culminate in the launch of the University of Sheffield's new Office for Open Research and Scholarship.

 

Online Symposium

OpenFest Online Symposium - Towards an Open Research Culture: Establishing, Embedding and Facilitating the Culture/s and Practice/s of Open Research

  • Wednesday 11 September 2024, 10.00am-4.00pm

  • online 

To what extent, and in what ways, is the future of research culture open? What practices are and will be central in establishing and embedding a culture of research openness? What factors impede efforts to achieve an open research culture, and how best can researchers and other professionals address these? Our online symposium aims to create space for colleagues across the UK and internationally to explore these and related ideas.

Including sessions on 'Open research: Geographies, Disparities, In/equalities'; contexts and conflicts in the progress towards openness, 'Towards a Culture of Open Research Dissemination' and 'Open Research, Academic Labour and Equity - panel discussion'.

Keynote speaker: Simine Vazire (Professor of Psychology, University of Melbourne)

Where are the self-correcting mechanisms in science?

We often hear the self-correcting mechanisms in science invoked as a reason to trust science, but it is not always clear what these mechanisms are.  Some quality control mechanisms, such as peer review for journals, or vetting for textbooks or for public dissemination, have recently been found not to provide much of a safeguard against invalid claims.  Instead, I argue that we should look for visible signs of a scientific community's commitment to self-correction.  These signs include transparency in the research and peer review process, investment in error detection and quality control, and an emphasis on calibration rather than popularization.  We should trust scientific claims more to the extent that they were produced by communities that have these hallmarks of credibility.  Fields that are more transparent, rigorous, and calibrated should earn more trust.  Meta-science can provide scientists and the public with valuable information in assessing the credibility of scientific fields.

Day 2 at Sheffield Hallam

Open Research @ Sheffield Day 2 - open research workshops at Sheffield Hallam University

  • Thursday 12th September 2024, 10.00am-3.10pm
  • In person, Sheffield Hallam University, Charles Street Building, room 12.5.08-Level 5

Charles Street building

 

Our two Open Research @ Sheffield days will bring together researchers and research-related staff from the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam to explore current practice, share ideas, and build connections.

This event includes workshops on 'Open ALL OERs- Making educational resources open and reusable' and 'Promoting Open Research via different communication channels', as well as the opportunity to build networks and connections between TUoS and Sheffield Hallam.

Full programme:

09.30-10.00  Arrival and refreshments at Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Charles Street Building, room: 12.5.08-Level 5
10.00-10.10 Welcome and introduction
10.10-11.10

Workshop: Open ALL OERs- Making educational resources open and reusable - part I (60 minutes)

  • Helen Moore (Faculty Librarian), Rebecca Barnes (Senior Lecturer, School of Biosciences) and Matt O'Connor (Academic Development Adviser)
11.10-11.25 Break
11.25-12.25

Workshop: Open ALL OERs- Making educational resources open and resusable - part II (60 minutes)

  • Helen Moore (Faculty Librarian), Rebecca Barnes (Senior Lecturer, School of Biosciences) and Matt O'Connor (Academic Development Adviser)
12.25-13.00 Lunch
13.00-14.30

Workshop: Promoting Open Research via different communication channels (90 minutes)

  • Domi Smithson (Research Support Librarian, Sheffield Hallam University)
14.30-14.40 Break
14.40-15.00

Launch of the Open Research Award at Sheffield Hallam University (20 minutes)

  • Pete Smith (Research Support Librarian, Sheffield Hallam University)
15.10 end [followed by in-person informal networking opportunity]

 

Abstract and bios: 

Workshop: Open ALL OERs- Making educational resources open and reusable

Helen Moore (Faculty Librarian), Rebecca Barnes (Senior Lecturer, School of Biosciences) and Matt O'Connor (Academic Development Adviser)

Open research is just half a story when we think about open academia in the 21st century as there is another culture change taking place around opening up knowledge in higher education. Open Educational Resources (OERs) are an opportunity to share knowledge and ideas through a multitude of different formats without barriers. From open textbooks to code, from videos to podcasts, they are the fruits of working in a modern digital educational environment. Many academics and teachers creating OERs perhaps do not realise they are doing so. They create additional learning materials which they naturally choose to make freely available but often without guidance or support. What is missing from this process is permission from the institution, guidance from experts such as librarians and learning technologists; and a Creative Commons licence. These are materials that help enhance knowledge sharing and that sit away from formal lecture slides and associated formal teaching activities. OERs can help academics reflect and develop their skills and practice, foster collaborations and support good citizenship on campus. In this workshop we give an overview of OERs, what they are and aren’t and why you should consider creating your own and re-using others. We will explore the process of creating OERs and what is needed to help you create and share your own content. We will hear from academics who have created their own OERs and the process they undertook. It will be an opportunity for a wider discussion as to the barriers and opportunities of OER creation and a chance to meet other like minded colleagues who want to help open up knowledge to a wider audience.

Workshop: Promoting Open Research via different communication channels

Domi Smithson (Research Support Librarian, Sheffield Hallam University)

How do we encourage our academic community to explore and engage with Open Research practices? How do we communicate Open Research principles? How do we shape an Open Research culture at an academic institution? This workshop is aimed at all academic and professional staff who wish to effectively promote Open Research at their organizations by using different communication channels. We will be exploring various audio and visual resources that are already being used at Sheffield Hallam University in order to foster an Open Research culture. In theoretical part I will present the audience with two frameworks for effective behaviour change: Pyramid of Culture Change (Nosek, 2019) and the EAST Framework (The behavioural insights team). I will then showcase examples of such practices initiated by Library Research Support team at Sheffield Hallam in order to promote the principle of open research around the communities stage. I will describe in detail the following initiatives: Open Research Network, Newsletter and Podcast. In terms of Open Research Network, I will elaborate more on the descriptive and injunctive norms setting when using visual tools (Open Research badge). The practical part of the workshop will include the Six Thinking Hats technique and the Lotus Blossom Creative Thinking tool. At the end of the workshop, I will ask everyone to participate in Dot Voting which will be a great opportunity to discuss the most effective communications channels and gather feedback from the group.

Launch of the Open Research Award at Sheffield Hallam University

The Sheffield Hallam University Open Research Award has been created to recognise, reward, and celebrate open research practices. It is open to all SHU colleagues, who are invited to submit a project or output which demonstrates a range of open research practices. Shortlisted projects will feature in the Open Research Newsletter, on the Open Research podcast, and as case studies on our Open Research pages.

Helen Moore

Helen Moore is Faculty Librarian at University of Sheffield. Working with a team of librarians, Helen ensures the Library supports the strategic priorities of the faculties of Engineering and Science at the University of Sheffield. More broadly, Helen has developed an interest in open scholarship, and in open educational resources (OER) particularly, driven largely by emerging commercial textbook models which are costly and unsustainable. Helen helps to run a fledgling OER service at her institution and manages the Sheffield Pressbooks Network.

Rebecca Barnes

Rebecca Barnes is a Senior University Teacher in the School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield. As well as teaching across a range of molecular biology topics, she is head of student voice for the School, and has just taken up a new role leading on educational scholarship. She is currently editing an open educational resource containing a series of biology lab teaching materials, with the goal of dissemination to academics at other universities around the world.

Matt O'Connor

Matt O'Connor is an Academic Development Adviser at the University of Sheffield.  He is a tutor on the PGCert in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and works with a range of departments to develop their educational provision.  He is part of the Learning and Teaching Scholarship Network steering group that aims to support colleagues in evaluating their practice, and sharing it with others to strengthen partnerships across and beyond the university.

Domi Smithson Domi Smithson is Research Support Librarian at Sheffield Hallam University. Based in the University Library she is helping research students, researchers and research active academic staff with research data management and open access. Being an Open Research Champion, she is co-leading the Open Research Network to support adoption of Open Research practices across the university.
Dr Pete Smith Dr Pete Smith has worked at Sheffield Hallam University for 16 years; since 2016 he has been part of the Library Research Support team. He supports open research through liaison with the Social and Economic Research Institute and as team lead for research data management and open journals.
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