Community of Practice for Outreach and WP Practitioners > Adopter Universities - Strengthening Community Links > Community Links - Hertfordshire

Adopter Universities - Strengthening Community Links > Community Links - Hertfordshire

Through adoption of the Community of Practice for Outreach and WP Practitioners project, the University of Hertfordshire took the training and support materials provided to explore ways in which it could enhance its interaction with local community partners to achieve more effective STEM outreach.

A number of short case studies have been written that provide reflective evaluations of events that have been observed or that have been established through the project. In a couple of instances, the project has provided a springboard to develop a particular activity that addresses the importance of enhanced interactions with local community partners.

Twilight Club - University of Hertfordshire

The projects observed and evaluated were:

Royal Institution Maths Masterclass series – Loughborough University
Faraday Challenge Day – Institute of Engineering and Technology
Sci-High event – Sci‐High organisers
Rocketry Masterclass – STEM Club Network
Twilight Club – University of Hertfordshire Arts and the local community
Kit Club – Science Learning Centre

At the bottom of this page, you can access a case study booklet which contains evaluations and learning from each of the above 6 outreach activities.

Project Achievements

The project has resulted in the following significant achievements for the University of Hertfordshire:

Peer reviews of 6 outreach activities which have facilitated learning and sharing of good practice in STEM outreach
The consolidation of existing, and forging of new, partnerships with relevant local community groups in the delivery of STEM outreach activities
Production of a case study booklet (see below) capturing, in detail, the 6 peer reviews and learning from them. The booklet will act as an invaluable promotional tool around both the university and the local community
The generation of a host of future ideas for collaborative delivery of STEM outreach between the university and the local community

Outreach activities

A dissemination event will be held on 18th September 2012 where key university staff and local community partners will discuss the project outcomes and opportunities for future collaboration.

Discussions have already taken place with the Science Learning Centre and IET to ensure the sustainability of the Kit Club and Faraday Challenge activities into the coming academic year, whilst it has also been agreed to extend the Twilight Club from just students to family audiences for the coming year.

The below powerpoint presentation outlines the progress and learning from Hertfordshire's project:

Hertfordshire - Project Presentation

Case Study Booklet & Report

Please find below a case study booklet of Hertfordshire's evaluation of the outreach activities following which, is a report detailing their learning and engagement in the adopter project. Should you like to know more, feel free to contact Lindsay Vare at l.vare@herts.ac.uk.

Hertfordshire - Case Study Booklet

Hertfordshire - Project Report