UK SBS PS150220 small scale expert study to test key areas in development of a set of effective practice materials for knowledge exchange

The government has asked HEFCE to develop a robust, evidence based framework against a suite of key knowledge exchange activities to assess performance and identify examples of good practice.HEFCE are now seeking a small scale expert study to test out what we have done so far and make recommendations on how next stages might be taken forward. A major focus of this stage of the work is to consider any development from the perspective of HEIs themselves – what they would find useful and workable.

This stage of work has two main aims

• To satisfy Government that we are addressing sufficiently efficiency and effectiveness issues in KE and also issues raised, such as in the Dowling review, about the value of common practices (such as for businesses/partners) and sharing generic or transferable effective practices.
• To identify workable ways forward, including transferring ownership of any development to the HE sector where it can be embedded in use long-term.

Our analysis of the initial consultation responses to us on effective practices suggested the following issues need to be addressed at this stage:

• Only a limited number of responses referenced high profile guides and templates. This may reflect lack of awareness/use. Alternatively it may reflect that HEIs assume these are known to us, or that they have played a role in the development of in house guides or as reference points for institutions.
• Guidance provided to us was multi-level - current guidance on effective practice is available at the HE sector, institution, faculty, department, discipline and industry level. While some of this guidance is specific to a particular area or specialism, some may have the potential to be transferable across these boundaries. The picture is complicated.
• Context is considered very important to HEIs – HEIs spend a great deal of time and effort in developing their own resources for staff that share effective practice across the institution. Some HEIs felt that the intrinsic nature of their interactions (such as creative and cultural) required a more individual and bespoke approach. This is likely to be the reason why many HEIs submitted case studies in response to the call for evidence.
• External recognition matters to HEIs – the range of awards to recognise excellence in KE are numerous. Evidence from the responses to the call suggested that they act as an important tool for marketing and promotion of the HEI to potential business partners but also to prospective students, as an incentive to staff, and as an external validation for the institution of their achievement. These are all ways to identify and celebrate distinctive/unique/particular practice.
• HEIs flagged that relationships are difficult to measure and explain – interactions and the building of relationships between an HEI and businesses/other partners play a major, and often unmeasurable, role in KE activities.