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Winter School 2026

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DigitalChild WinterSchoolProgram

12:15–1:15 Arrival and Lunch

Session 1: Building your profile (Karen Cavu)

Defining your researcher identity activity

1:15–1:45

1:45–2:15

2:15–2:45

This activity asks you to summarize who you are as a researcher / what you offer / your point of difference / what you are seeking

LinkedIn exemplars and best practice & coaching

This session reviews profiles of alumni / industry leaders and helps you identify what great profiles look like for different purposes

LinkedIn (or alternative platforms including personal website) practice

This practice session gives you time to review and update your own profile based on best practice principles, with some time for peer and expert review

Q&A / learning summary

2:45–3:00

Time for follow-up questions, and for you to evaluate your own next steps based on what you learned in Session 1

3:00–3:30 Break (use this time to practice your researcher identity pitch!)

Session 2: Networking through conversation (Karen Cavu)

Defining your researcher identity activity

3:30–4:00

4:00–4:30

This activity asks you to summarize who you are as a researcher / what you offer / your point of difference / what you are seeking

Plan your conversations practice & coaching

This practice session gives you time to tailor the template for your own conversations and map an Informational Interview Record

Conversation roleplay

4:30–4:40

4:40–5:00

This activity creates opportunity to practice and refine your questions for industry partners, for feedback and preparation for tomorrow's Industry sessions

Q&A / learning summary

Final opportunity to ask questions and for you to embed your learning from Session 2

Session 1: Objectives

Understand the importance of research engagement and impact in the HDR/ECR journey.

Identify key stakeholders and plan engagement strategies.

Learn the five key components of an effective impact statement.

Recognise the value of clearly communicating the impact of your research

9:30–9:40

9:40–9:50

Welcome & Introduction (Natalie Jones, Chris Cahill, Xanthe Ashburner)

Context-setting

Workshop goals and expected outcomes

Understanding Engagement vs Impact (Natalie Jones)

Clarify the distinction: engagement as a process; impact as change

Definitions used by universities, major funders, and the global research ecosystem

Overview of different types of research impact

Stakeholder Mapping & Engagement Planning (Xanthe Ashburner)

Identify key stakeholders and practical engagement strategies

9:50–10:10

Activity: Use the Stakeholder Engagement Template to identify one key stakeholder and one achievable engagement action for your project Outcome: A draft engagement plan that participants can begin to implement

10:10–10:15

10:15–10:30

Share-back & Reflection (Natalie Jones, Chris Cahill, Xanthe Ashburner)

Group discussion of insights and common challenges

Stakeholder Engagement: Outputs & Supporting Evidence (Chris Cahill, Xanthe Ashburner)

Identify outputs and evidence from research collaboration

What counts as evidence of research impact (and what does not)

Leading vs lagging indicators

Collecting evidence over time

Potential sources of evidence

10:30–11:00 Morning Tea and Networking

PROGRAM

11:00–11:20

11:20–11:30

Working with Industry Partners (Xanthe Ashburner)

Short interview with QUT investigator (allowing time for Q&A)

Impact Planning Frameworks (Natalie Jones)

Introduction to logic models

How logic models support impact planning and evidence collection

Impact Statements (Natalie Jones, Chris Cahill)

Introduce the five-part impact statement framework

11:30–11:50

Presentation of example impact statements by QUT investigators

Activity: Participants draft a short impact statement based on current or future research using the Impact Statement Template

Outcome: Practice articulating research impact clearly and persuasively

Communicating Engagement & Impact (Natalie Jones, Chris Cahill)

11:50–12:00

Tailor messages for different audiences

Repurpose impact narratives for grant applications, researcher profiles, engaging with collaborators

Wrap-up & Questions (Natalie Jones, Chris Cahill, Xanthe Ashburner)

12:00–12:10

Key takeaways | Next steps

Support resources

Final questions

https://digitalchild.org.au

info@digitalchild.org.au

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Winter School 2026 by Digital Child - Issuu