Hello everyone

This list of ideas was generated at the recent NCT Workshop on Dissemination.  It is about how to involve those people who will eventually be the users of your methods and materials, at an early stage in your project.  The reason for doing this is that they are much more likely to pick up and use your ideas if they have some kind of relationship with you and know about what you are doing.  Also, if you know early enough who they are and what they are interested in, you can mould your work to suit them.

The ideas are based on past and current FDTL projects., and were prepared by Pofessor Graham Gibbs.
Ideas for engaging end-users early

*	Invite people to 'bid' for support or modest funds, to work with you.
*	Run a 'launch' event and use it to make contact with those most interested.
*	Undertake a survey or trawl for practice and add to the letter or questionnaire an opportunity for end users to indicate their interest, their desire to be on a mail list, their desire to be a pilot site etc. and follow this response up immediately with a phone call or visit to secure the relationship.
*	'Piggy back' others' conferences and events with an exhibition stand and make personal contacts.
*	Add to any Newsletter, publicity, web site, letter or other general purpose awareness raising device, an invitation to end users to explain what they want help with, to ask for support, etc.
*	Set up a 'practitioner network' or 'user group' to bring together those with existing expertise and interest.  Convene a face to face meeting and support the activities of this group.
*	Undertake departmental visits - trying to establish relationships with as many as possible as early as possible.
*	Use an existing network (for example the Bournemouth FDTL project is using, and taking over, the 'Supplemental Instruction' network which has about 35 institutions represented)
*	Use existing personal contacts (your own or those of your consortium partners) to make approaches to people.
*	Expect each of your consortium partners to establish early links with end users related to their specific contribution, discipline area or area of expertise.
*	Get on the Agenda of the next meeting of the Heads of your discipline association.
*	Hold an event for departmental teaching representatives in your discipline.  Your LTSN Subject Centre may already have a list of contact people for each department and may even be convening a meeting of them.

This information will be included in the next Projects Bulletin.

Regards

Julie Barratt

Julie Barratt
Public Relations Officer
TQEF National Co-ordination Team
The Open University
Walton Hall
MILTON KEYNES MK7 6AA
Tel:	01908 654697
Fax:	01908 858438
Email:	j.a.barratt@open.ac.uk
URL:	http://www.ncteam.ac.uk/