Over thirty researchers and PhD students involved in TEL projects met for two days of discussion, debate and design at the Old Mill and Swan, in Minster Lovell, near Oxford.  The event, jointly hosted by the TEL Programme and the ESRC ‘Social and Professional Network for Early Career Researchers in Education’ (SPNECRE) project addressed the relationship between participatory research and participatory design as practiced in a range of TEL projects.

Dr. Patrick Carmichael, from CARET (and director of SPNECRE and Ensemble) chaired the event and opened proceedings with a presentation drawing on his experience in international development projects.  Presentations from representatives of the TEL SynergyNet, Echoes II, Personal Inquiry and Interlife projects were followed by keynotes from Dr. Jane Seale who talked about the links between participatory approaches and inclusion, and introduced the TEL Digital Inclusion Forum, and Prof. Rose Luckin, who shared her experiences of working on projects involving teachers, learners and parents in the design and evaluation of learning technologies.

The second day of the seminar focused on developing a research capacity strategy for TEL, including the unveiling of the new ESRC-funded online social network for education (tentatively named ‘Research Spaces‘) and a discussion of possible future events and activities.  The event as a whole was judged to be highly successful by all involved, and follow-on activities are planned.

More details and materials from the event will appear here http://www.tlrp.org/tel/tel-seminars/3-early-careerphd-capacity-building-event/ over the next few weeks.