UofG and Glasgow Life
Published: 4 July 2017
Dr Sabina Strachan talks about her new role developing research projects between the College of Arts and Glasgow Life
Dr Sabina Strachan talks about her new role developing research projects between the College of Arts and Glasgow Life
The University of Glasgow and Glasgow Life have a longstanding partnership, now underlined by a Memorandum of Understanding. My role is one outcome of that close relationship. My job is to help researchers in the College of Arts develop impactful research projects with Glasgow Life. Some projects will have the scope to involve other Colleges as well as other institutions.
I’ve come to this role following three years as a research and management consultant in the culture and creative industries, during which time I worked with Glasgow Life on a number of occasions, such as on the redevelopment of the Burrell Collection and the 2014 Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme. My higher education links include membership of the AHRC Peer Review College, the RSE Young Academy Scotland, and the board of Student Partnerships in Quality Scotland (sparqs).
Over the last five months I’ve been building up a picture of where the University and Glasgow Life align strategically, where we’ve worked together in the past, and where the opportunities to work together in new ways and to respond to new challenges might lie. To help form this picture I’ve talked with nearly 140 people so far, two-thirds of whom are colleagues in the University.
Workshop
A core aim of my role is to enhance collaborative practice between the two organisations and between different disciplines. I’m excited to be able to evolve research development approaches to meet this objective. A number of research areas are beginning to emerge, for example around adult literacy and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL), digital skills, and creative networks.
Last week I ran a workshop to explore issues facing adult literacy and ESOL learners with University colleagues from seven different disciplines in the College of Arts, Education and Special Collections, and Glasgow Life’s Learning and Communities teams. It was wonderful to feel the energy and enthusiasm in the room as we began to understand our collective potential to make a wide-ranging impact on the learner’s experience in Glasgow.
I’m looking forward to harnessing more of that energy, co-developing more ideas, and working together to deliver far-reaching outcomes in the coming months and years.
If you’d like to know more or talk about your research ideas please get in touch:
0141 330 4477
First published: 4 July 2017
<< 2017 Jul-Aug