This proposed training is entitled ‘Changing research plans: how to move forward in times of uncertainty’. It was delivered on the 10th of February 2021 and was designed in response to the SGSSS student-led training call for applications on the ‘Well-Being, including resilience and adjusting research plans’ theme.
In this event, we will deliver a training programme that will equip research students with the skills to adapt their research to changing circumstances and uncertainty. We envision that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impact research planning throughout at least the first half of 2021, hence we consider this event to be timely and relevant to a large number of students.
We have attended several events on how to do qualitative research during the pandemic over the past year, and while we found those events helpful, we also identified a gap in training provision in that most events have tended to focus on information provision rather than skill-building. To address this gap, we intend to deliver training on research adaptability skills for research students in the light of the pandemic and on-going research disruptions.
Specifically, while we believe that training in project management and digital research methods are valuable competencies for research students to have, we have identified three types of skills that are key to develop in students: risk management skills, resilience skills, and problem-solving skills. Such soft skills foster adaptability by enabling a fast and efficient recovery in the face of change and uncertainty. In the training programme, we will explore how such skills can be developed and leveraged to adapt to working in changing workplaces, coping with isolation and remote working, and adapting research designs to new parameters.