Research Impact: Creating meaning and value (USA)

Research Impact: Creating Meaning and Value (US edition) is a four-module online training course designed to support postgraduate and early-career researchers in understanding how research can create meaningful impact beyond traditional metrics such as impact factors.

About the project

The course focuses on how research can positively affect communities and drive real-world change, and explores ethical, inclusive approaches to involving and empowering the communities researchers work with. The course was redeveloped in collaboration with Anne Toomey, a US-based professor and expert in research impact, who worked with us to adapt and redraft the original UK and international version for an American audience.

Date:

20 Aug 2025

Client:

Epigeum, SAGE Publications

Project Details

This project involved critically evaluating which elements of the UK and international course could be adapted, and which required a full redraft. The US market differs significantly from European approaches to research impact, where impact is not typically a requirement for funding or evaluation, meaning parts of the course needed to be reoriented. Interactive elements and scenarios were also reworked to better reflect the lived experiences and demographics of US learners.

My contribution

As learning designer on Research Impact (US edition), I worked on adapting and refining an existing digital learning course for a US audience. This involved working closely with US-based subject experts and partners to understand differences in lived experience, institutional context, and learner demographics, and translating those insights into meaningful updates to course content and scenarios.

A key part of the role was balancing pedagogical integrity with practical constraints. I mapped new US-specific perspectives onto the existing course structure, identifying where content could be adapted rather than rebuilt, and where changes were essential to ensure relevance and credibility. This included recommissioning an existing multimedia elements for the US market, coordinating updated voice work while retaining the original visual assets to stay within budget.

The project required careful coordination across multiple time zones and teams, as well as clear communication to keep development moving smoothly. Throughout, I focused on maintaining clarity, inclusivity, and engagement, ensuring the final course felt locally grounded for US learners while remaining consistent with the overall learning goals and design approach.