STEMskiller: Skill Set Map for Mentors of Early Career Researchers

ENGAGEMENT, INVOLVEMENT, COLLABORATION, TRANSDISCIPLINARITY, AND INQUISITIVNESS:
Impact and public engagement

Evaluating public engagement

Definition:

The UK National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement & Research Councils provides this rationale for evaluating public engagement efforts:

Evaluating your work is key to reflecting on what is working well and where improvements can be made, as well as assessing the impact of your work. The key steps to any evaluation plan, whether you are evaluating a public engagement activity, a culture change project, or a long term support programme, are the same.^[1]

[1] National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement & Research Councils UK. (2017). How to… …evaluate public engagement projects and programmes. https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sites/default/files/publication/evaluating_your_public_engagement
_work.pdf

Useful resources on Evaluating public engagement:

National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement & Research Councils UK. (2017). How to… …evaluate public engagement projects and programmes. https://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/sites/default/files/publication/evaluating_your_public
_engagement_work.pdf

Detailed guide to evaluating public engagement activities. Describes using logic models; differentiating outputs, outcomes, and impacts; and gathering evidence for reporting.

Tags: PSR CE; CompTS; CompGS

Peer Review: None

Table of contents:

4.2. Impact and public engagement

4.2.1. Getting started with public engagement
4.2.2. Impact for researchers
4.2.3. Science for non-technical audiences and popular science presentations
4.2.4. Developing effective communication skills for public engagement
4.2.5. Lay abstracts with impact
4.2.6. Engaging with schools
4.2.7. Effective online engagement (including research blogging, social media posting, podcasting, & hosting virtual events)

Author: Stephanie Krueger

Peer Reviewer(s): None

Last Updated: October 28, 2021