Prepared by Amber Walsh Olesen, EXPORE Coordinator, NUI Galway Students’ Union and Clodagh Barry, Campus Innovator, NUI Galway
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Table of contents ‘Winner Alright, Winner Alright’............................................5 The EXPLORE Process...........................................................6 The Campus Profile of EXPLORE Participants...................6 EXPLORE in Numbers............................................................ 7 The Partnership Approach.....................................................8 How is EXPLORE performing?..............................................9 Is Our Approach Working?................................................... 12 The Return on Investment from EXPLORE....................... 13 How Much Does EXPLORE Cost?.......................................14 The EXPLORE Team............................................................. 15 Does EXPLORE matter?....................................................... 15 Appendix I External Stakeholder Validation......................... I Appendix II Measuring EXPLORE......................................... ii Appendix III Testimonials From EXPLORE Participants... iv Appendix IV An Insight Into EXPLORE Operations.......... ivi Appendix V EXPLORE Projects and Participants.............. vi References................................................................................. i
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
Foreword In November 2010 NUI Galway invited submissions from all staff in the University to the Bright Ideas Initiative. The purpose of this initiative was to receive ideas which had the potential to positively transform aspects of the University. A special Innovation Fund was established to support the development and implementation of the best ideas. In embarking on the Bright Ideas Initiative almost three years ago, I had a vision in mind to leverage the views of talented staff and students on campus. Over the past three years, I have witnessed the success of various Bright Idea projects. Personally, it has been a privilege to lead this initiative and engage in this world of new ideas and innovation whilst establishing new links and strengthening existing ones. The various projects supported have brought about some very positive changes at the University. In particular, in supporting the Embedding Innovation theme, the campus Innovation Think Tank could not have foreseen the number of quality projects delivered. Within this group, EXPLORE started to stand out in early 2012. EXPLORE represents an opportunity to collaborate in a new way on campus. It is a fresh approach that facilitates delivering projects that we are passionate about and challenging the way we do things. EXLORE forces a new type of partnership relationship between University staff and students. It gives the student partners an excellent story to share once they compete their studies… these are NUI Galway Ambassadors, EXPLORE Ambassadors, who can now demonstrate their critical thinking and creative ability, as well as their project delivery and adaptability skills – they have proven themselves as graduates who can shape our future. The EXPLORE participants and events have informed and improved my perspective and outlook – the future looks brighter for having EXPLORE graduates coming onto the marketplace. EXPLORE’s partnership approach has combined the energy and vision of our students along with the passions, insight and experience of our staff. In a very short 18 months, 38 projects have been delivered on campus. As EXPLORE constituents continue to deliver and impact the landscape, the momentum of the EXPLORE story is continuing to build. EXPLORE provides NUI Galway with an international marketable story of a user-driven campus that has opened the door of staff and student partnership with outstanding results in a very short space of time. EXPLORE is unique and it demonstrates where NUI Galway as a top-ranking campus can punch well above its weight. My hope is that EXPLORE continues to thrive and excite this campus and the local community and is embedded as part of the campus DNA. At this time, I look forward to Phase III of Explore. In addition, I would like to thank all of those who delivered projects as part of the Bright Ideas Initiative.
Prof Chris Curtin, VP for Innovation and Performance, NUI Galway
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Foreword EXPLORE – even the name of the initiative encapsulates the idea of an adventure. It asks us to try something new and venture into the unknown. Without exploration and creativity where would the world be today? Technology, medicine, entertainment and more have all come from somebody’s bright idea. Everything starts somewhere and here in NUI Galway, EXPLORE has become an initiative that is an exciting starting point for bringing new ideas to life. As a Students’ Union, we know our students are the leaders of the future. We see their potential and this programme has shown even more people how students can make a difference. By partnering with NUI Galway staff, students have become leaders in promoting a symbiosis that often doesn’t exist between staff and students. We are moving away from the traditional sit, listen, learn and test and are inviting our students to engage in innovation, to delve into the unknown and EXPLORE their potential in partnership with staff. Students have made invaluable contacts, learnt new skills and accessed valuable resources and experience, while staff have embraced the opportunity to work with students in a new way in an environment that is fun and fulfilling. By initiating the EXPLORE programme, NUI Galway and the Students’ Union have created a University that is investing in its students’ capacity and future, is offering staff new ways of working, and is breaking down the barriers that exist within mainstream education. The EXPLORE projects so far have been hugely successful and have begun to positively influence not only the University, but also the greater community. Having projects from all faculties and watching the interest in each grow from year to year proves the desirability of the scheme. As Students’ Union President for this year, I am committed to the EXPLORE project and personally I think that it’s Galway’s hidden gem. I know that with the continuing work and love that is given to the initiative that Phase III will be its most successful year yet and I am very excited to be involved. So I encourage one and all to EXPLORE, as it’s an adventure worth taking part in.
Seán Kearns, President, NUI Galway Students’ Union
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
‘Winner Alright, Winner Alright’ EXPLORE set out to harness the energy, talent and expertise of the NUI Galway campus population whilst meeting a campus need. It also set out to create and deliver a platform where individual passion could be harnessed and released for the benefit of our micro campus community and possibly our local city scape. What we did not anticipate was the story of the projects, the participants’ journey and the societal impact. In November 2010, submissions were invited from all NUI Galway staff to participate in the Bright Ideas Initiative. The purpose of this initiative was to receive ideas which had the potential to positively transform some aspect of the University, and an Innovation Fund was established to support the development and implementation of the best ideas. Bright Ideas is led by Prof. Chris Curtin, VP for Innovation and Performance. Four individual themes came out of this process and these were developed into projects for funding in 2011. In the meantime, a model for delivery of campus innovation was discovered at the NUI Galway CELT 2010 Teaching and learning Conference “Creative Thinking: Re-Imagining the University” and a connection was made with Birmingham City University, who kindly agreed to transfer and share their teaching and learning collaborative model with NUI Galway. The then Students’ Union President Emmet Connolly embraced the concept while the University’s Student Projects Fund agreed funding which resulted in a green light to create and deliver ‘EXPLORE’ on campus . In November 2011 a working partnership between NUI Galway and NUI Galway Students’ Union was agreed and the EXPLORE concept was pitched to a group of students and staff – the concept had support and the infrastructure had started to build. EXPLORE was launched by NUI Galway and NUI Galway Students’ Union in January 2012 as a new programme for delivering on-campus innovation. EXPLORE provides seed funding for students and staff to work in equal partnership on new projects which benefit the University and/or the wider community. The initiative has been extremely well received, and, as of August 2013, 38 projects have delivered and more than 210 staff and student have participated – and thousands of persons on and off campus have interacted with EXPLORE projects in this very short timeframe. These testimonials provide a small insight into the benefits of EXPLORE participation: In just 18 months over 1% of the campus population actively participated in EXPLORE projects, while thousands more on and off campus benefitted from the projects. In addition, a number of projects have secured further external validation – three EXPLORE projects developing video-based teaching aids for school students secured a total of €32,000 external funding to progress their work further, while the ‘Cell Explorers’ EXPLORE project secured grants from Science Foundation Ireland, the Wellcome Trust, the Biochemical Society Scientific and the RDS as a result of their EXPLORE-funded activity. In addition, the primary school students who participated in the Cell Explorers outreach work went on to win the General Science School Exhibit Award at the Galway Science & Technology Festival 2012. We need to consider what makes EXPLORE special. EXPLORE is different because it delivers collaboration and networking across campus. EXPLORE views the entire campus population as active contributors and coinnovators. Partnership is at the heart of EXPLORE. Whether it is study or work, EXPLORE challenges our traditional campus role. Jump on board, the EXPLORE story is only starting…
NOTE: In this document, the EXPLORE pilot scheme which ran from February 2012 - August 2012 is referred to as Phase I, the second round of EXPLORE refers to the October 2012 to August 2013 scheme and is called Phase II.
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“I especially like the chance to take part in projects which would normally be outside the bounds of my course. It has also been fantastic to hear from others what a great impact my project had on them.” EXPLORE Student Partner
“I’m impressed by the imagination, creativity and optimism of students.” EXPLORE Staff Partner
“It is an excellent initiative. I enjoyed working with the student – I really like the fact that it was led by the student as opposed to the staff member. I like the short time frame we had to work with – helped get things done without taking up too much time over the course of the year.” EXPLORE Staff Partner
“I managed to get a summer internship by networking with somebody I met at the EXPLORE-funded event.” EXPLORE Student Partner
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
The EXPLORE Process EXPLORE enables students and staff at NUI Galway to work in equal partnership on innovative, new projects. To date, EXPLORE projects span themes are diverse as learning and teaching, employability, health, the environment, outreach, the arts, technology and science, mentoring, and collaborative forums. EXPLORE projects are implemented within the academic year and can involve any student (part-time, full-time, undergraduate, postgraduate, Irish, international, mature etc.) and any staff member (academic, professional, administrative etc.). Up to €1,000 seed funding is provided per successful project. By taking part in EXPLORE, project participants, known as student and staff partners, gain access to funding, specialist expertise, a network of campus innovators and marketing assistance.
Promotion & application EXPLORE is promoted for two months starting just before the September academic term re-starts. Participants are invited to apply by completing a straightforward, one-page application form. Four key criteria are used to assess applications: namely innovation, partnership, sustainability and impact. Return on investment is not included as one of the criteria.
Review process 2012 EXPLORE applications were then assessed by one representative from NUI Galway and one from the Students’ Union. The projects were then approved and funded, while some project teams were supported by the EXPLORE team to further develop and strengthen their proposals.
Review process 2013 The second round of EXPLORE applications (October-November 2012) was reviewed by a panel comprised of two NUI Galway representatives and two Students’ Union representatives as part of a more structured assessment process. Individual panel members evaluated projects on the same four criteria: partnership, innovation, sustainability and impact. 30 project applications were received. The standard of the information supplied on the application forms had increased in comparison to the first year, whilst four of the applications were not awarded funding.
The Campus Profile of EXPLORE Participants In total, over 210 students and staff have participated in EXPLORE. 62% of projects in Phase I were led by students and this decreased to 56% in Phase II. This could be attributed to the growing awareness about EXPLORE amongst staff. There was a small increase in the participation rate of postgraduates in the second round of EXPLORE. The number of undergraduate and postgraduate students collaborating on projects is encouraging and demonstrates that the collaborative element of EXPLORE reaches beyond that of student and staff relationships, in that it fosters collaboration across the student community also. College participation varied between the two phases of EXPLORE. The highest proportion of participants in Phase I was from the College of Arts, Social Sciences, & Celtic Studies (which includes those participating in intercollege projects). In Phase II, all the Colleges were well represented in EXPLORE with the highest participation again from the College of Arts, Social Sciences & Celtic Studies, closely followed by the College of Engineering & Informatics. The College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences participated after key staff and student influencers were directly targeted by the EXPLORE team. A number of projects involved the James Hardiman Library, CELT, the Buildings’ Office, ISS, ALIVE, Societies and Student Health.
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
The Partnership Approach By investing in EXPLORE, both NUI Galway Students’ Union and NUI Galway have developed a clearly defined model and return on investment from the partnership approach. This approach is further underpinned by the operational partnering requirement whilst facilitating that the projects can be either student or staff led. This modus operandi has broadened the appeal of EXPLORE and given it greater credibility and traction. EXPLORE disrupts traditional campus relationships and presents an opportunity for those involved to work ‘a little differently’ with each other. Having the Students’ Union as a lead partner has increased interest from students and ensured a balanced approach. This is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts. EXPLORE fosters equivalency, mutual respect, a level playing field, power sharing and has often resulted in student and staff partners not anticipating an Explore project outcome: “Above all, EXPLORE has provided the framework for student-staff collaborations at NUI Galway. The experience gained on both sides from seeing the perspectives and thought processes of each other is invaluable and promotes innovation and change.” EXPLORE Student partner “Really made me evaluate the purpose of ‘staff’ and the importance of engaging with students beyond the academic.” EXPLORE Staff Partner
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38 EXPLORE Projects Academic Writing through Student Collaboration Áis Teagaisc don EiceolaÍocht Ardteiste/Teaching Aid for Leaving Certificate Ecology Campus Map App Cell Explorers outreach activity in Cellular Biology and Biotechnology Creating awareness and prevention of hearing loss to students at NUI Galway (App) Croí AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) Locator App for iOS Development of a Resource Pack for Implementation of a Secondary School Mental Health Week Digital Memories - NUI Galway (Digitised biographies of early NUI Galway students and staff) EuroScience Open Forum Evaluating Health and Wellbeing of Postgraduate Students in NUI Galway Exploring Public Law Postgraduate Conference Exponential (Entrepreneurial network for students & on-campus start ups) FOCUS Research Mentoring Network (for PhD Humanities students) Gafa le Mata/ Busy at Maths (Bilingual mathematical walk app of the NUI Galway campus) Galway Gaming Group Galway University Sustainable Transport Options (GUSTO) GASF: The Galway American Studies Forum Geography Field Study Resource How do we address the issue of antibiotic resistance? A collaborative stakeholder perspective Kitchen Chemistry - A Visual Explosion Public Health Education Videos ReelLife Schools Science Communication Video Competition Re-used Laptop High-performance Cluster Self-Guided Field Trip Students for Health Equality The Career and Industry Fair at NUIG Energy Night 2012 The Cell Explorers Show (Biology outreach at Galway Science & Technology Festival) The Great Energy Debate at NUI Galway Energy Night 2013 Thesis Talk (Blog community for research students) UniDeal (NUI Galway classified ads website) Urban and Domestic Alternatives to Fossil Fuels: Human Powered Vehicles Video Lab - A New Tool to Improve 1st Year Science Experience Video Podcasts in Mammal Ecology Video Production for the Web Training Course Video promoting the LL.M. to students and potential employers Video-casting Seminal Legal Cases Walking with Trees Words and their meanings Exhibition
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
How is EXPLORE performing? For this section, we have excluded how the individual EXPLORE projects are performing and focused entirely on how EXPLORE is impacting the NUI Galway campus and its constituents, internally and externally. The detail involved in the individual projects is extensive and clearly detailed at the following internet link for your perusal: www.su.nuigalway.ie/explore/projects As a new model of delivery, EXPLORE has connected with student and staff early adopters who dream of things and say ‘Why not’? EXPLORE has achieved the following on campus:
Delivering Innovation • Delivered innovation in the face of diminishing budgets and resources • Enabled the innovation potential of the 20,000 strong campus population at NUI Galway • Provided a space where anyone on campus with an interest in innovation can engage, contribute or observe • Sustained innovation in times of higher student/staff ratios – we are all struggling with budget cuts and
higher student to staff ratios. New ways of thinking and of doing things are needed. EXPLORE is cost effective way to implement, for example, the costs include approx. €25,000 seed funding for 25 projects per academic year, plus limited marketing/event costs and the cost of a part-time coordinator. The University benefits by gaining a wealth of valuable new customised initiatives and tools developed in a short time frame using a bottom-up approach, which increases buy-in and future sustainability. If these initiatives had been commissioned externally they would cost significantly more than the cost of funding the EXPLORE scheme.
The People Story • Transformed and challenged traditional campus relationships – students are equal partners in co-developing
all EXPLORE projects. The scheme changes the accepted norms for how students and staff interact and work together. • Formed new peer relationships. • Built a network of innovation agents on campus. It enabled staff to increase their networking opportunities and
be part of a campus network of innovators. • Enabled those with a common interest in a particular subject to come together. This innovation potential does
not always necessarily follow the specialism of the student or staff member. • Staff felt EXPLORE had helped them engage with students more and see the value of student-led project work. • In addition, EXPLORE helped staff to increase the credibility of their project, to gain support from potential
partners, access additional funding, improve their teaching portfolio/CV, and increase their profile as an innovator/initiative taker on campus. EXPLORE was also seen as a useful vehicle for piloting ideas for further research. • Collegiality survey results show that students and staff who participate in EXPLORE feel closer to the University
and each other as a result of collaborating on EXPLORE projects. This contributes to a more positive, collaborative and productive campus environment for everyone to enjoy. • In online surveys of EXPLORE participants, students stated that their organisation/project management skills,
communication skills, confidence, and enthusiasm for their own learning had increased by taking part in the initiative. 100% of student participants in the second round of EXPLORE who responded to an online survey in April 2013 believe that taking part in EXPLORE has improved their CV, and students have already secured jobs and internships as a result of participating in EXPLORE and attending EXPLORE-supported events.
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The Model – A New Way To Participate On Campus • Piloted a new ‘way of working’ on campus using a low-risk model. This disruptive cost-efficient model has
delivered an alternative campus approach. • Fostered campus collaboration – EXPLORE gives students and staff a blank canvas to work from. Participants
are encouraged to work in partnership with students and staff from any discipline, as well as others on campus and external bodies. • Students now have a vehicle to put their own ideas into action during their studies, while staff can now pilot
new ideas in collaboration with students (particularly undergraduates) before deciding to embark on more intensive projects. • EXPLORE supports staff and students to utilise the campus environment as an incubation unit for trying
out a project on a small scale before possibly turning it into larger-scale venture. The scheme fosters experimentation and acknowledges that not all projects will be completed, and that often the process, lessons learned and relationships formed are as valuable as the end result. • Created synergies and transformed student and staff roles and relationships on campus.
Students are a resource full of energy, creativity and fresh thinking. This resource combined with the work experience, knowledge and time constraints of staff has proven itself to be a winning combination.
Empowering Students Who Are Self-directed Net Campus Contributors • Facilitated students to actively shape campus life. • Facilitated students to proactively improve their own student experience. • Supporting employability and transferable skills development – “Irish graduates need to be job shapers and
not just job seekers.” (National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, Higher Education Authority, Jan 2011). Around 30% of Irish under-25s are unemployed, while 17% of graduates under 25 are unemployed (National Skills Bulletin, July 2012). One of the greatest impacts observed from the Birmingham City University Student Academic Partners model is that employers are very keen to discuss relevant projects with student participants, and that taking part in a scheme like this demonstrates the participants’ initiative and ability to deliver. • Delivered transferable skills development. • Demonstrated new ways to achieve goals cost and resource effectively. • Facilitating student engagement – student retention, success, engagement and the development of transferable
skills are key issues facing all higher education institutions. Students make up 86% of the University population at NUI Galway and it was felt that a lot more could be done to support students to participate fully in campus life and shape the future of the University. There was a desire to improve the student experience in a meaningful way – to move away from the notion of students as customers, but instead to focus on engaging students as partners/co-creators in shaping their own experiences in higher education and engaging more with civic society.
EXPLORE Delivers On NUI Galway’s Commitment To Civic And Regional Engagement • Many EXPLORE teams are working on projects that will benefit society through outreach; development
of innovative new educational tools for primary and secondary schools; creation of lifesaving and health promotion apps and so on. Students who have participated in EXPLORE have a track record of initiating and seeing an innovative idea through from start to finish. This has a positive ripple effect on wider society. • The wider community benefits as many EXPLORE projects are specifically developed to address societal needs.
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
Is Our Approach Working? EXPLORE offers a partnership model for how students and staff interact and work together in higher education and in doing so opens innovation as something that everyone can be actively involved in. EXPLORE makes NUI Galway different. EXPLORE is ‘new’, it is ‘sticky’ and it represents a differentiation opportunity for NUI Galway which could be leveraged in: • Attracting new student and staff entrants • Adding value to community engagement work • Delivering stakeholder buy-in • Celebrating NUI Galway internationally
EXPLORE gives NUI Galway new home grown best-in-class ambassadors – the powerful combination of bright and brilliant students along with talented staff to be found anywhere that EXPLORE projects are happening on campus. By piloting, supporting and driving EXPLORE, NUI Galway Students’ Union and NUI Galway have achieved a model for stimulating sustainable innovation and collaboration on campus. There appears to be a growing movement whereby if students and staff want to innovate on campus, then there is a process for supporting them. When surveyed*, 79% of student survey respondents believe participating in EXPLORE has impacted a great deal on their enthusiasm for starting up new initiatives in the future. Innovation in the third level education sector has traditionally been measured by the number of patents, spin-off companies or industrial research partnerships an institution has managed to achieve. These innovations are mostly delivered by academic and research staff. EXPLORE represents an opportunity to bring additional added value to our existing campus innovation profile. Irish third level education is, for the most part, traditional in its hierarchical structure with a top-down style of management. EXPLORE acknowledges the value of the traditional academic and research environment and seeks to build on this by offering an additional forum where: • undergraduate and postgraduate students • students and academic, administrative and service staff • staff with varying qualifications
can work together as equal partners focused on a common interest. This is possible because EXPLORE values all students and all members of staff as potential co-innovators. Traditionally campus operates in discipline silos. EXPLORE has fostered and grown collaboration and networking across departments, schools and colleges. The culture of EXPLORE treats all students as active contributors and has increased the active ‘innovative human capital’ available on campus in NUI Galway. Networking, discussion, connecting and equivalency are key to participating in EXPLORE. This balance of power encourages participation and engagement in both staff and students while delivering a new perspective about campus life. “Good to be in the company of other academic and student innovators!” EXPLORE Staff Partner “It taught [me] how to tackle large-scale projects, gave me many business connections and I got the chance to learn all about teaching large groups of students in an interactive fashion.” EXPLORE Student Partner
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The partnership approach pervades from project management to project delivery. The adoption and commitment of partnership at all levels of EXPLORE and working together outside of core roles has underpinned the successful delivery of EXPLORE.
…In 18 short months, we have new innovations, we have new innovation capacity, we have new skills and life skills capability, we have new projects, we have increased student and staff profiles on campus, locally and nationally.*
The Return on Investment from EXPLORE The depth and diversity of interest from students and staff has been very encouraging. To date 38 projects with more than 210 participants took part in EXPLORE projects in the first 18 months of operation, which equates to just over 1% of the campus population. The impact for EXPLORE projects and their reach on campus and in Galway already stretches into the thousands. EXPLORE has yet to realise its potential as a powerful marketing tool for NUI Galway and NUI Galway Students’ Union. It demonstrates that both organisations take innovation, collaboration and engagement seriously, and it provides a bottom-up, marketable, tangible showcase for the skills and talents of students and staff. In summary, 20+ staff and students from the ‘Cell Explorers’ project, have brought over 700 primary school children, and their teachers and parents on a scientific voyage of discovery into the world of cellular biology and biotechnology and provided positive role models of people working in science. In the ‘Videocasting Seminal Legal Cases’ project, students re-invigorated the traditional legal case method by utilising the latest technology to record and edit videos analysing their favourite legal cases. The videos received over 1,350 views in the few weeks after their launch and the project was profiled in the Irish Times in May 2013. The ‘Video Lab’ project, which provides a video-based introduction to Chemistry lab work for 1st year Science, Medicine and Engineering students had in excess of 2,950 views within the first 8 months of it being launched. 300 students, technology entrepreneurs and people interested in start-ups have attended ‘Exponential’ social connector events, met new people and been inspired. 300 students and members of the general public attended the ‘Great Energy Debate at NUI Galway Energy Night 2013’ and networked and obtained valuable insights into career prospects in the Irish Energy sector. Other projects have focused on health promotion and will not only benefit students and staff, but also the wider community. These projects include the CROI AED Locator App, Fit &Well Mental Health Promotion in Secondary Schools, the Sexual Health Education Video and the Antibiotic Resistance project. EXPLORE Projects have secured prestigious external funding. 90% of staff participants in the second round of EXPLORE who responded to an anonymous online survey stated that taking part in EXPLORE had helped them secure additional funding for their projects. See funded projects listed in Appendix V.
* These findings are taken from an anonymous online survey completed by Phase II EXPLORE student and staff participants in April 2013.
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T HE EXPLORE STORY
EXPLORE projects have a high project completion rate. Thirteen Phase I projects are finished and have delivered tangible results. The 25 Phase II projects are progressing with over 60% having already achieved their goals and the balance due to deliver in late summer/early autumn 2013. EXPLORE is a media honey trap. Below is the media secured in the past nine months: • 5 December 2012: The Galway Independent (re. the EXPLORE ‘Exponential’ project)
http://galwayindependent.com/stories/item/5007/2012-49/Getting-connected/5007 • 13 March 2013: Claire Champion (re. the EXPLORE ‘Exponential’ project) ‘NUI Galway Hold Entrepreneurial
Networking Event’ • 15 March 2013: Irish Examiner (re. the EXPLORE ‘Exponential’ project) ‘Final Exponential Event Announced’ • 17 March 2013 Galway City Tribune (re. the EXPLORE ‘Exponential’ project) ‘Dragon to fire up fledgling
Galway entrepreneurs with tips on the ways to succeed’ • 17 March Today FM (re. the EXPLORE ‘Exponential’ project in the business diary • 13 May 2013: The Irish Times (re. the EXPLORE ‘Video-casting Seminal Legal Cases’ project)
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/reinvigorating-the-case-method-by-giving-studentsownership-1.1388976 • 14 May 2013: Galway Bay FM (re. an EXPLORE feature on the news) • 12 May 2013: Technology Voice (re. EXPLORE in general) http://technologyvoice.com/2013/05/12/to-
explore-staff-student-collaborations-to-seek-out-new-ideas-and-new-innovations • 22 May 2013: The Galway Independent (re. EXPLORE in general and the May 2013 showcase event) ‘Galway
students lead innovation charge’ http://galwayindependent.com/20130522/news/galway-students-leadinnovation-charge-S18348.html EXPLORE engaged with the public by participating at major local events i.e. the Galway Science & Technology Festival 2012 and the Volvo Ocean Race 2012. A number of EXPLORE projects participated in the Galway Science & Technology Festival, while the 6th class students in Galway Educate Together National School who worked with the ‘Cell Explorers’ EXPLORE team won the General Science School Exhibit Award at the event. EXPLORE also participated in the Volvo Ocean Race Global Village and was represented in the Innovation Pavilion with a poster showcase, and in the NUI Galway tent. Students have been offered jobs and internships as a direct result of participating in EXPLORE and attending EXPLORE networking events organised by project groups. The EXPLORE model contributes to campus collegiality and improves student/staff engagement and the overall campus environment. Students and staff who participate in EXPLORE feel closer to the University and each other as a result of collaborating on EXPLORE projects, which helps contribute to a more positive, collaborative and productive campus environment for everyone. *84.6% of students felt closer to the University as a whole as a result of having taken part in EXPLORE. After participating in EXPLORE, 78.6%% of students felt closer to fellow students
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in their College/School and 78.6% felt closer to staff in their College/School. 64.3% of students felt EXPLORE had impacted a great deal on their motivation to get involved in the University experience, while 21.4% believed it had impacted to a certain extent on their motivation to get involved in the University experience. 100% of staff in Phase I and Phase II of EXPLORE felt closer to students in their College/School as a result of having taken part in EXPLORE, while 75% felt closer to the University as a whole in Phase I and 50% in Phase II. When surveyed, students stated that their communication skills, organisation/project management skills, confidence, and enthusiasm for their own learning had increased as a result of taking part in EXPLORE. Many EXPLORE teams are working on projects that will benefit society. For example, a number of groups are running sector-specific training and networking opportunities that are open to the general public. Other project groups are currently developing innovative new educational tools for use in primary and secondary schools across the island of Ireland and further afield, while some projects have delivered in Galway Schools already. A further group of projects are developing technology such as lifesaving and health promotion apps and projects that will also benefit the public. More detailed information on the impact of individual projects can be found in the EXPLORE Innovation 2013 booklet on www.su.nuigaglway.ie/explore. * These findings are taken from an anonymous online survey completed by Phase II EXPLORE student and staff participants in April 2013.
How Much Does EXPLORE Cost? EXPLORE is funded by the NUI Galway Bright Ideas Innovation Fund and the NUI Galway Student Projects Fund and NUI Galway Students’ Union.
Source of funding
NUI Galway Bright Ideas
Student Projects Fund/ Students’ Union
Activity
Project funding
Salary & operating costs
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Jan-June 2012
June 2012 – June
June-June 2014
(6 months)
2013 (12 months)
(12 months)
€14,400
€24,357
€25,000
€21,726
€38,281
€40,000 projected
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The EXPLORE Team EXPLORE is led by Amber Walsh Olesen in NUI Galway Students’ Union and by Clodagh Barry, Bright Ideas Group Leader NUI Galway. The Vice President for Innovation and Performance at NUI Galway and the Students’ Union President are the senior ambassadors of the programme and are consulted about key decisions. EXPLORE is managed on a day-to-day basis by Amber, who is employed by the Students’ Union, with regular input from the Bright Ideas Firelighter Group Leader, as well as the Students’ Union General Manager.
Does EXPLORE matter? What are the next steps for EXPLORE and its constituents? The VP for Innovation and Performance Prof. Chris Curtin along with the Student Union President, Sean Kearns, are committed to EXPLORE for the foreseeable future. It is timely to move EXPLORE from being a pilot project to establishing EXPLORE as a core offering from the University and from the Students’ Union. The 2013 short term action plan for EXPLORE is: • Secure external press coverage to give the projects national visibility and to build internal credibility. • Secure external stakeholder buy-in from relevant national and international trade associations. • Deliver Phase III of EXPLORE and widen the college demography of those participating – we will seek to
expand on the current pool of participants in the campus innovation process. • Build a team who can pitch for medium-term funding to mainstream this initiative on campus. Consider
where EXPLORE may fit in to the current campus innovation ecosystem. • Seek to further build the EXPLORE model of delivery which will enable project participants to sustain and
embed their projects beyond the short EXPLORE project delivery timeframe. • Continue to provide a fun, dynamic, interesting and engaging user-driven experience on campus.
As EXPLORE constituents continues to deliver and impact the landscape, the EXPLORE story is continuing to build. This user-driven model of open innovation, whose delivery is currently being benchmarked against similar type programmes, is the ‘sweet meat’. EXPLORE provides NUI Galway with an international marketable story of a user-driven campus that has dared to open the door of staff and student partnership with outstanding results in a very short space of time. EXPLORE is different, unique and demonstrates where NUI Galway as a top-ranking campus can punch well above its weight.
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Appendix I External Stakeholder Validation As briefly mentioned earlier, the ‘Cell Explorers’ initial EXPLORE-funded activity, secured an RDS Science Live Grant and a prestigious Biochemical Society Scientific Outreach Grant, as well as substantial funding from Science Foundation Ireland the Wellcome Trust. The group was the only Irish recipient of the Biochemical Society grant with other recipients including the University of Cambridge and the Babraham Institute. Three further projects, namely ‘Kitchen Chemistry’, ‘Teaching Aid for Leaving Cert Ecology’ and the ‘Geography Field Study Resource’, which are developing innovative video teaching aids for primary and secondary school children, have secured a total of €32,000 additional external funding between them from An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta & Gaelscolaíochta to develop their projects into bilingual iBooks.
Appendix II Measuring EXPLORE A variety of quantitative and qualitative methods are used to evaluate EXPLORE. The following data was considered as part our evaluation criteria:
Data Analysis • Assessing the number and quality of applications, Assessing the profile of staff and student participants • Feedback from participants, other staff and students at NUI Galway, and external bodies • Feedback from participants attending EXPLORE training • The number of enquiries from external organisations • An anonymous online survey of student and staff participants • PR – the quantity and quality of local and national press coverage secured (Press clippings)
Survey results on student skills development completed by Phase II EXPLORE student partners
To what extent has being part of EXPLORE impacted on your:
A great deal
To a certain extent
Some
Not a lot
Not at all
Don’t know
communication skills
71.4%
21.4
14.3
0%
0%
0%
organisation/project management skills
78.6%
14.3%
7.1%
0%
0%
0%
confidence
57.1%
21.4%
14.3%
7.1%
0%
0%
enthusiasm for my own learning
42.9%
50%
7.1%
0%
0%
0%
* These findings are taken from an anonymous online survey completed by Phase II EXPLORE student and staff participants in April 2013.
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The first round of EXPLORE student and staff participants were asked to complete an anonymous online survey in July/August 2012, while the second round of participants were asked to complete a similar, but slightly expanded, anonymous online survey in April 2013. 20 people completed the first survey in July/August 2012 – 14 students and 6 staff members. 29 people completed the second survey in April 2013 – 14 students and 15 staff members. A brief summary of the responses from participants is available, please contact the EXPLORE Coordinator, Amber Walsh Olesen, at amber.walsholesen@nuigalway.ie. for further information.
Appendix III Testimonials From EXPLORE Participants “EXPLORE provides the opportunity for students to propose new ideas and act on these, and to develop skills outside their academic obligations.” EXPLORE Student Partner “[EXPLORE provides] opportunities to try something that might be really useful and innovative – as well as the opportunity to develop general skills and confidence…it is mostly educational for all of us!” EXPLORE Staff Partner “Provides an opportunity to showcase cutting-edge research and initiatives that are being developed at NUI Galway.” EXPLORE staff Partner "The opportunities EXPLORE affords students is what I feel is the [best] part of the initiative. EXPLORE nurtures the imagination of students that dare to put their ideas out there and watch them grow." EXPLORE Student Partner "I had such a great time working on our project and didn't expect this experience to be so rewarding." EXPLORE Student Partner "I developed new contacts among colleagues and alumni and gained experience in an area I had not worked in before." EXPLORE Staff Partner "Participating in our EXPLORE project has led to employment in one of the most exciting new tech companies in Ireland." EXPLORE Student Partner "I developed new contacts among colleagues and alumni and gained experience in an area I had not worked in before." EXPLORE Staff Partner "EXPLORE has given the Galway American Studies Forum the impetus to push our project from an idea into reality. Without EXPLORE's support we would still be thinking, rather than doing". Rosemary Gallagher, EXPLORE Student Partner "[EXPLORE gives students the freedom] to work in their own terms and methods." EXPLORE Student Partner "[EXPLORE gives] staff and students grants to play around with ideas they may have had but were unable to [implement] without funding to aid in other students' study and university experience." EXPLORE Student Partner
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Appendix IV An Insight Into EXPLORE Operations Marketing EXPLORE was marketed extensively on campus during the past 18 months via the following channels: • Multiple poster showcases in key locations around campus • Flyers in English and Irish around campus • SIN Students’ Union newspaper – numerous articles, full-page spreads and advertisements • Dedicated EXPLORE website hosted on Students’ Union website • Development of 2 EXPLORE videos and 1 video about an EXPLORE event • Bright Ideas website • Dedicated EXPLORE Facebook page • Updates on Students’ Union and NUI Galway Facebook and Twitter pages • - Press releases • Ollscéala articles and e-scéala articles • Students’ Union and NUI Galway TVs around campus • Students’ Union weekly email • Dialann staff weekly email • Bright Ideas email updates • Promotional posters on communal university noticeboards and College/School noticeboards • Letters to Deans, Heads of Schools, and College/School administrators • Targeted emails to NUI Galway staff, Students’ Union staff, Students’ Union officers, Clubs, Societies and
Student Services • Call outs to students and Students’ Union class reps at events • Flyer distributed to all clubs at Societies Day • EXPLORE pull-up banner and flyers at Students’ Union Stand at Societies Day • Pull-up banner in Students’ Union foyer • Inclusion in Students’ Union Annual Report, Diary, Freshers’ Guide, Class Rep Guide etc.
EXPLORE was also represented at numerous University and external events during 2012, including the: • NUI Galway Open Day, April 2012 (stand) • 2012 InterTradeIreland Innovation Conference, June 2012 (poster showcase) • NUI Galway Summer Science Experience event, June 2012 (video and presentations) • NUI Galway Engineering Summer School events x2, June 2012 (video and presentations) • NUI Galway Pavilion at the Volvo Ocean Race, July 2012
(video, brochures and presentation of projects on a laptop) • Innovation Pavilion at the Volvo Ocean Race, July 2012 (poster showcase) • NUI Galway Postgraduate Open Day, October 2012 and February 2013 (poster showcase) • Galway Science & Technology Festival, November 2012 (x1 participative show, x1 stand)
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Now that awareness is growing about EXPLORE on campus, it is becoming more commonplace for EXPLORE or specific EXPLORE projects to be invited to participate in relevant events. The EXPLORE team presented at the following conferences in June 2013: 7 June 2013: The Galway Symposium – “Job shapers and job makers – How Explore’s innovative cross-campus collaboration is supporting graduates to become self-starters” and 20 June 2013: The bi-annual conference of the Confederation of Student Services in Ireland – “Managing student volunteers so they are not only ALIVE, they EXPLORE and they give it Socs!”
Events EXPLORE ran four networking events and one training session in its first 18 months of operation. A successful kick-off networking lunch event was held for student and staff participants on 27 February 2012. The participation rate in this event was very high, with all groups represented bar one (due to travel commitments). A wrap-up networking lunch was held in association with the Bright Ideas Firelighter group on 16 May 2012 and this was also well received. EXPLORE hosted a kick-off lunch on 14 November 2012 to welcome the new group of participants to the initiative, showcase the work of the first group of participants and award certificates to the student and staff partners finished their projects. Over 60 people attended this event. Aside from EXPLORE participants, attendees included the Registrar and a number of Deans, as well as representatives from the Careers Development Centre, Marketing and the Community Knowledge Initiative. Feedback after the event was excellent. A showcase event was held on 15 May 2013. With over 90 attendees and presentations by various project groups, this was EXPLORE’s most successful event to date. Local media and a number of PR/technology bloggers were also in attendance. Feedback regarding all four EXPLORE events has been very positive. Attendees were particularly pleased with the opportunity to see what other project groups have been doing and many have said they were inspired by this. Others have benefitted from the networking opportunities these events offered.
Training A pilot skills development workshop was organised for the first round of EXPLORE participants in late October 2012. The aim of the workshop was to provide focused space for EXPLORE student and staff partners to reflect on what they may have learnt and communicate this in a powerful way to potential employers, funders, venture capitalists, postgraduate admissions officers, awards panels, academic staff etc. The session was run by the Careers Development Centre. While the turnout was low, the feedback from the participants was very positive. It would most likely be beneficial to run a similar session earlier in the EXPLORE process when project activity is well underway, but not completed. Feedback from workshop participants: “Made me think about my project in a concise, succinct manner.” “Got me thinking about what my learning outcomes were from EXPLORE.” “Developed in my own mind a succinct way of describing my projects.”
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Appendix V EXPLORE Projects and Participants EXPLORE projects January 2012 - June 2013 Project Title
Lead student partner
Lead staff partner
Academic Writing through Student Collaboration
Patricia O’Beirne
Dr. Irina Ruppo
Áis Teagaisc don EiceolaÍocht Ardteiste/Teaching Aid for Leaving Certificate Ecology
Nora Blake
Sinéad Ní Ghuidhir
Campus Map App
Liam Krewer
Dr. John Breslin
Cell Explorers outreach activity in Cellular Biology and Biotechnology
Veasna Sum Coffey
Dr. Muriel Grenon
Creating awareness and prevention of hearing loss to students at NUI Galway (App)
John Maguire
Dr. Edward Jones
Croí AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) Locator App for iOS
Michael McNamara
Dr. Gerard Flaherty
Development of a Resource Pack for Implementation of a Secondary School Mental Health Week
John Campion
Dr. Aleisha Clarke
Digital Memories - NUI Galway (Digitised biographies of early NUI Galway students and staff)
Michelle Moore
Mary Clancy
EuroScience Open Forum
Lilian Fennell
Dr. Muriel Grenon
Evaluating Health and Wellbeing of Postgraduate Students in NUI Galway
Richéal Burns
Prof. Ciaran O’Neill
Exploring Public Law Postgraduate Conference
Sandra Murphy
Charles O’Mahony
Exponential (Entrepreneurial network for students & on-campus start ups)
Alan Byrne
Dr John Breslin
FOCUS Research Mentoring Network (for Ph.D Humanities students)
Ciaran Dowd
Dr. Adrian Paterson
Gafa le Mata/ Busy at Maths (Bilingual mathematical walk app of the NUI Galway campus)
Michelle Garvin
Dr. Máire Ní Ríordáin
Galway Gaming Group
Liam Krewer
Dr. Sam Redfern
Galway University Sustainable Transport Options (GUSTO)
Richard Manton
Dr. Eoghan Clifford
GASF: The Galway American Studies Forum
Rosemary Gallagher
Prof Sean Ryder
Geography Field Study Resource
James Burke
Seán Ó Grádaigh
How do we address the issue of antibiotic resistance? A collaborative stakeholder perspective
Michelle Devaney
Dr. Christine Domegan
Kitchen Chemistry - A Visual Explosion
Nicole Walshe
Dr. Veronica McCauley
Public Health Education Videos
Diarmuid Coughlan
Dr. Diarmuid O’Donovan
ReelLife Schools Science Communication Video Competition
David Browe
Dr. Enda O’Connell
Re-used Laptop High-performance Cluster
Finn Krewer
Dr. John Breslin
Self-Guided Field Trip
Alina Wieczorek
Prof. Martin Feely
Students for Health Equality
Manisha Sachdeva
Dr. Diarmuid O’Donovan
The Career and Industry Fair at NUIG Energy Night 2012
Sinead Burke
Dr. Rory Monaghan
The Cell Explorers Show (Biology outreach at Galway Science & Technology Festival)
Enda McGrory
Dr. Muriel Grenon
The Great Energy Debate at NUI Galway Energy Night 2013
Stephen Kearney
Dr. Rory Monaghan
Thesis Talk (Blog community for research students)
Chanté Mouton Kinyon
Dr. Kelly Coate
UniDeal (NUI Galway classified ads website)
Patrick Leddy
Dr. Maciej Dabrowski
Urban and Domestic Alternatives to Fossil Fuels: Human Powered Vehicles
Leilee Chojnacki
Prof. Sean Leen
Video Lab - A New Tool to Improve 1st Year Science Experience
Alison Hughes
Dr. Peter Crowley
Video Podcasts in Mammal Ecology
Jessica Larson
Dr. Colin Lawton
Video Production for the Web Training Course
Micheál O Tháiltigh
Padraic DeBurca
Video promoting the LL.M. to students and potential employers
Katie Cadden
Dr. Ciara Hackett
Video-casting Seminal Legal Cases
Michael O’Donnell
Dr. Joe Mc Grath
Walking with Trees
Paul O’Donnell
Dr. Mike Gormally
Words and their meanings Exhibition
James Simmons
Dr. Irina Ruppo
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References A Study of Progression in Irish Higher Education, HEA, October 2010 Building student engagement and belonging in Higher Education at a time of change: final report from the What Works? Student Retention and Success programme, HEA UK, July 2012 Innovation Ireland, Report of The Innovation Taskforce, March 2010 Irish Times Article ‘Irish universities still struggling in world rankings’, 11 September 2012 National Strategy for Higher Education 2030, HEA, Jan 2011 Report to the European Commission on Improving the quality of teaching and learning in Europe’s higher education institutions, High Level Group on the Modernisation of Higher Education, June 2013 Towards a Future Higher Education Landscape NUI Galway 2012-2017, NUI Galway, August 2012
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