Researcher's online course on research impact

If you want to know what the societal impact of research means or how you can increase the impact of your own research, check out the Researcher's online course on research impact. You can find the course on the Digicampus platform as Researcher's online course on research impact.

The course is aimed especially at researchers, but it also benefits others interested in the subject. Societal impact is examined from the perspectives of several different actors and disciplines.

The course is in English, open to all and free of charge. It consists of five parts, which include text sections, images, videos, recordings, and various tasks. Text versions of videos and recordings are available. In addition, you will receive tips for further reading if you want to delve deeper into the topic. After each part, you will have to pass a test to progress on the course.

You can complete the course at your own pace and return to where you left off. It takes about 3 to 6 hours to go through the material as a whole. After passing the entire course, you can download a certificate.

The course provides information on the following issues, for example:

• Key concepts of societal impact of research, its history and associated misconceptions;

• The importance of interaction in the creation of impact and what kinds of impact paths and opportunities for productive interaction exist at different stages of the research process;

• Different audiences and how to reach them, different ways of understanding the role of research in society, the importance of interests and relevance, and barriers to impact;

• Impact assessment, different ways of utilising research and why it is not as easy to assess the impact of all kinds of research. Steps towards responsible assessment methods.

• In addition, the last part of the course focuses specifically on political decision-making and how researchers can participate in it. The section is full of practical tips related to, for example, the different roles of the researcher or how researchers can make use of science brokers or other intermediaries in this process.

Please note that the course license allows its use in many different ways, for example in teaching. The course has been produced by the University of Helsinki in collaboration with the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.