ENGAGE
Engage in the co-creation of shared purpose, processes and commitments.
At the Cultivate stage, we’re trying to better understand the reasons we’re working together and starting to envision what a partnership could look like. We’re defining our shared meaning where it already exists and creating meaning where it doesn’t. In this stage, we’re creating agreements and a charter that guide us throughout the research process.
Create Shared Commitments
Co-create and sign MOUs, data-share agreements, and contracts.
Co-creating and signing MOUs, data-share agreements, and participant releases is an unambiguous way for all the stakeholders involved to show a commitment to the research study. In most scenarios this is also the minimum needed from a compliance perspective to conduct research. By necessity of the interests of each stakeholder, these contractual commitments will need to be codesigned.
Product developers, at this point, should ensure their product is compliant with industry standards in data security, privacy, artificial intelligence, and interoperability.
Goals
Commit, in writing, to the research project.
Ensure adherence to data privacy and security
Review industry standards and best practices from the product perspective.
Tools
References
Establish Conditions of Success
Setup processes, support tools, communication approaches.
The conditions for success encompass the practical and logistical communication elements that will be employed throughout the research project. During this stage, stakeholders should discuss their preferences around communication and identify a point-of-contact for each stakeholder group.
Within each stakeholder group, there is often a tacit understanding of communication preferences; however, the different communication styles among each stakeholder group can be wildly different. It’s important to make these tacit preferences known to all stakeholders and make accommodations and compromises for different communication styles.
Goals
Create understanding of different communication styles.
Anticipate possible areas of tension with regard to communication.
List communication strategies that will be employed and their expectations.
Tools
References
Create Shared Meaning
Identify the shared values that will guide the research process.
In this stage, researchers, product developers, and educators should make explicit all shared values. Though, it might be implicitly understood that all stakeholders want to improve outcomes for students, this process should help all stakeholders come to an understanding about what something like “improve outcomes” actually means. This shared understanding will be helpful later in the process when determining what should be measured in the research process.
Goals
Create a team charter
Define commonalities between all stakeholders.
Build Shared Language
Tools
References
Building Equity (Research + Practice Collaboratory)
NEXT UP…
Design