E66: 👍 Researcher’s Guide to the Galaxy – How to practically (and painlessly) share your research project, create meaningful impact, and find your community as a Networked Scholar

Dr. Erika Smith (Educational Development Consultant at the University of Calgary), Richard Hayman (Associate Professor and Digital Initiatives Librarian at Mount Royal University), and Constance Sheriff (Research Services Librarian at Lethbridge Polytechnic) explore the daunting task researchers face in sharing their work with their audiences. 

Erika, Richard, and Constance explain how using strategies like Knowledge Mobilization and Knowledge Translation, and finding support through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning can help dismantle barriers in dissemination–especially when researchers strive to become Networked Scholars.

Even if you don't want your work to be published, there are so many benefits from engaging in scholarly research, like improved:

• student learning outcomes (because you've removed roadblocks and increased accessibility in the classroom)
• research sharing strategies (because you've sharpened your communication skills and learned which formats work best for you)
• network connections (because you've been showing up as an active, contributing expert in your field)

And there's more where that came from.

During the show, guests and host (Donna) mention:

• KM, KT, and SoTL article:
  • Connecting the dots between knowledge mobilization, knowledge translation and the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning: A conversation with Erika Smith, PhD, and Richard Hayman, MA & MLIS 
• Ebook:
  • The Impactful Academic: Building a Research Career That Makes a Difference 
    • Erika and Richard's chapter: Strategic Digital Engagement for Impact: Building Your Academic Presence Online
• LITL-Pod episodes:
  • E63: Wildlife Analytics Lab – Lethbridge Polytechnic's hub of innovation and collaborative conservation
  • E49: Generative AI and instructional design: Emphasizing the process of learning over the product of learning
• Acronym definitions:
  • OERs: Open Educational Resources
    • OER Commons
  • (San Francisco) DORA: Declaration on Research Assessment
• Post-secondary institutions:
  • Mount Royal University
  • University of Alberta
  • University of Calgary
• Resources for researchers:
  • Orcid
  • Google Scholar
  • Github 
  • osf.io
  • Thinkshare 
  • LinkedIn

Guest bios

Constance Sheriff (she/her) is a Research Services Librarian who has been at Lethbridge Polytechnic for nearly 20 years. Her focuses include the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, Integrated Librarianship, Research Ethics, and Research Data Management. 

Dr. Erika Smith (she/her) is an Educational Development Consultant specializing in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning at the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning at the University of Calgary. She has an interdisciplinary background in digital humanities and completed her PhD in Adult, Community and Higher Education at the University of Alberta. She has 20 years of professional experience in diverse learning environments. Erika supports curriculum, pedagogy, and technology innovations and initiatives under the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning umbrella. She is Senior Associate Editor and a founding member of Imagining SoTL, a peer-reviewed open-access journal, and co-PI on a SSHRC-funded Scholarship of Teaching and Learning initiative that integrates students as partners in knowledge co-creation. She has written for The Conversation and widely shares and translates knowledge via videos, infographics, and social media. Her research interests include educational development, digital literacies, and emerging technologies in higher education. 

Richard Hayman (he/him) is an Associate Professor and Digital Initiatives Librarian at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Alberta. As a researcher-practitioner interested in open access and scholarly communications, educational technologies, and evidence-based practice in academic (library) settings, his expertise engages multidisciplinary modes of knowledge exploration, creation, mobilization, and translation. He is committed to open practices in research ensuring his publications are available via open access and supporting others seeking to do the same. Richard is currently co-PI on a SoTL-focused scoping review project.