Powerpoint made for an interim project meeting with Jisc "critical friend" John Dolan

1. Dr Andrea Wheeler, Dr Paul Rowley, Martin Hamilton
An Innovative Knowledge Platform for Business and Community Engagement
A co-developed service model for online continuing professional development in
the energy sector
A CROSS-INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
FRAMEWORK FOR ENERGY CPD:
MEGS-KT (£71, 000)

2. Our Problem
• To create relevant, up-to-date, well delivered and
desirable Continued Professional Development
opportunities to SMEs in the Renewable Energy Sector.

3. Barriers, limitations and the next stage
• Loss of IT developer 0.5 FTE over 12 months (only 3
months completed by Mandy King)
• December 2012. Request for steering committee support
to achieve project objectives over the next 3 months, and
to approve proposed plan (extension to project not yet
requested from JISC).

4. Building the MEGS-KT community – the Jisc, the
fellows (the catalytic individuals) and SMEs team
SME community (50 participants over 7 workshops (9 speakers))
Fellows: Robin Nicholson (Award Winning Architect, ex- Vice President
RIBA), Parity Projects (Award Winning SME), Institute for Sustainability
(Training Centre), John Davis (Green Deal Assessor), Saucy Horse (Social
Networking Business Champion). Carl Benfield (Prescient Energy y [Solar and
Wind]), Keyur Vadodaria (Researcher/ Architect), Richard Cartright (Engineer,
RDC Energy Ltd, [Heat Pumps]) Jonathan Gilbert (Rapid Technology Transfer
Group [Innovative Technologies]) Tracy Thomas (Saucy Horse, Social Media
Marketing)
PhD students/Researchers (Loughborough University, Nottingham
University) Enrique Centelles, Kate Simpson, Sergey Fomin, Paula Cosar,
Becky Gough, Philip Leicester, Sven Hallin
Academics: Professor Jacqui Glass, Dr Paul Rowley, Dr Steven Firth

5. Fellows Lecture Series
17/10/2012 Robin Nicholson, Edward Cullinan Architects
24/10/2012 Russell Smith, Parity Projects
14/11/2012 Terry McGivern, The Institute for
Sustainability and the Flash Programme
05/12/2012 John Davis, Domestic Green Deal Assessor
16/01/2012 Carl Benfield, Prescient Power
30/01/2012 Keyur Vadodaria, Researcher, CALEBRE
project
20/02/2012 Rich Cartwright, RDC Energy , Jonathan
Gilbert, The Rapid technology Transfer Group, and Tracy
Thomas
To ensure the sustainability of the project CEDE has agreed to fund the
continued development of the community and engagement with the prototype
through monthly evening lectures.

7. Building a Community of Practice and
Catalytic Individuals (Fellows) in social
networked world?
Community of practice: visiting MEC fellows (academic and industrial),
international fellows and interns to develop an academic and industry
community to contribute to and evaluate content and delivery
methods.

8. Catalytic Individuals and Our Social Media
Fellow

9. LinkedIn Community (50+ additional
members in the East Midlands)

10. Twitter Group 920 Followers

11. Where we are now? PROGRAMME
WORKPACKAGES 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
March April May June July August Sept Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb
1: Work Package 1 will deliver
an assessment of teaching
and learning needs across
the energy-sector
Done
2: Work Package 2 will identify
the key knowledge domains
and any gaps within these
especially with regards to
PGTs and professional
CPD needs of the key
target groups
Done
3: Work Package 3 will consist
of the development of a
service demonstrator (the
framework): enhanced
utilisation of existing
technology linked to new
services provide a vision for
the growth
Wireframe
outlines created
(3 months IT
development)
Review of
existing IT.
Saucy Horse
LinkedIn
community.
4: Work Package 4. This stage
will test the self-regulatory
community of practices
being established and will
comprise iterative
evaluation and impact
assessment.
Planning for the
co-development/
assessment
with the
community.

12. • WORK PACKAGE 1 The research programme:
Building the community and evaluating business and
development needs
• WORK PACKAGE 2 Co-design
• WORK PACKAGE 3 Development
• WORK PACKAGE 4 Evaluation
Programme and Development Processes

13. Taxonomy and Folksonomy:
Questionnaires, Interviews and
Ethnographic Research

14. Bristol Online Survey (targeted SME
group East Midlands)
• What would you say are the main difficulties to overcome
in your role at the present time?
• What are the most important work related questions in
your mind right now?
• What information are you lacking to support your business
growth?

15. Primary research
• 10 paper filled questionnaire
• 18 online surveys
• 16 transcribed interviews
• 1 work shadow day (excellent data but too time
consuming)
• 3 planned “co-design” workshops
• Linked in group (50 + relevant members)
• Twitter (900 = followers)

16. Pie charts and posters (research for the
engineers and research dissemination)

17. Midlands Energy Graduate School, Xmas
Conference 2012

18. Insights from questionnaires lack the
richness of the dialogue at fellows lectures
SMEs do not have defined roles like larger companies.
SMEs have little time to research and improve their businesses
No-one understands the Green Deal (May 2012)?
SMEs cannot communicate well their needs, when asked.
In the current climate there is a lack of work/ of projects (architects lack
projects, construction companies lack projects).
Bureaucratic methods for getting accredited discourages
peoples/companies from accreditation (subsequent lack of jobs, loss of
tenders).
Many people are interested in the DIY section of the sector.
The construction industry is poor in terms of QA.
With the Green Deal approaching there is a need for up-skilling the retro-fit
industry.
Low carbon and renewable energy technologies need to be marketed to
the average client.

19. Barriers and Limitations
• Hard to engage SMEs (as a “stranger” to them)
• Professional bodies/networks limiting access to SMEs by
“outsiders” (difficult to send out questionnaire via
professional bodies)
• Concerns about sharing commercial information from
SMEs – “I prefer not to say”
• SMEs don’t know what their knowledge needs are (they
don’t know what they don’t know)

20. Mapping the sector (members and
potential members of the community)

21. ROLES
(self-identification)
ACTIVITY*
(interviews and
questionnaire responses
demonstrated the industry to be
fluid in roles and identifying
activities may reflectbetter the
characteristics of the sectors)
INFORMATION
SOURCES (cited in interview
and questionnaire)
BUSINESS NEED
(Knowledge transferdrivers)
Client advisor
-consultant
-low carbon consultant
-researcher
-unpaid consultant
-lobby group
-Fire consultant
-Health and Safety
engineer
-Architect
--Design manager
--Project manager
Trainer
-facilitator
Designer
-Fabricator/Manufacturer
Supplier
Wholesaler
Client
Homemaker
Contractor
Tradesmen
Electrican
Apprentice
Installer
Manager
Director
-Entrepreneur
Research
Writing
Business strategy/strategic
thinking
Direct marketing
Administration
Organisationaltasks
Innovation
Business development
Building
relationships/networking
Interpersonal
communication
Client advise (consultant)
Technical interface
(architect)
Integrationof client advice
(architect)
Training
Teaching
Researching
Grant writing/
Tender preparation
Green Deal
Governmentstatistics
DECC
People in Glazing
Sustainable INet
Derby County Council
Universities
Derby Carbon
Initiative
Fabricators/
manufacturers
Personal library
Building online
RIBA-
www.architecture.com
Google/Wikipedia
Building magicians
NHBC foundation
www.edjcdatabase.co
m
Internationalenergy
agency
EDUCATE
Ashrae.org
CIBSE
Energy plus
SAP textbooks
Communicationskills
Finding funding
Support for business
innovation
Finding resources for
R&D
More business
opportunities
Technical knowledge
Policy knowledge
QA training for
installers
Finding work/new
projects
Finding new projects
abroad
Winning new business
on the right commercialterms
Allottingenough time
to new business ventures
Don’t know what is
needed
Attractingskilled
workforce
Knowing how to meet
LEED and Breem compliance
levels
To have a variety of
projects
How to identify
projects that will bring the
most and those that will bring
the least financialbenefits
How to deal with the
recession
More informationon
the Green Deal
Jobs
Marketingto clients
The taxonomy: “ a list
of lists” (and it
changes with the
development of the
community) hence
the folksonomy is an
integral function for
the IT development

22. • WORK PACKAGE 1 Building the community and
evaluating business and development needs.
• WORK PACKAGE 2 Co-design, refining needs and
building the specification.
• WORK PACKAGE 3 Development
• WORK PACKAGE 4 Evaluation
Programme and Development Processes

23. Fellows Lecture Series + Co-design
workshops ahead of fellows lectures
(blogged)

24. Specification
Original specification from
programme document
Refined specification
a mosaic of technologies
a repository of Echo 360 seminars,
laboratories, workshops and other
materials;
a directory of expertise;
A variety in modes of engagement;
together with a public facing interface
for future tailored CPD opportunities and
open access e-learning materials.
user-profiles created and a meta-data
descriptor set that maps specific
knowledge objects onto the SME
taxonomy.

25. • WORK PACKAGE 1 Building the community and
evaluating business and development needs.
• WORK PACKAGE 2 Co-design, refining needs and
building the specification.
• WORK PACKAGE 3 Development
• WORK PACKAGE 4 Evaluation
Programme and Development Processes

26. • Working service demonstrator, to pilot with the growing
community (February 20th).
• Academic collaboration to aid assessment of the service
demonstrator: business, energy, informatics (learner
analytic work being carried out to data mine the LEARN
resources)
What we need?

27. IT development (where we are at)
http://www.showcaseserver.net/megs/

28. Significant achievements
• Positive support from professionals (which has influenced the transferability
strategy i.e. Institute for Sustainability) to work with the project toward the
sustainability of MEGS-KT. Engagement with eminent figures working in the
field identified as “catalytic” individuals for the community.
• Community involvement and participation in the development of the
“platform” as evidenced by over 60 different individuals representing over 25
difference companies in 6 community events, 150 LinkedIn members and
500 twitter followers.
• The need to establish a “green economy” to support SMEs working in this
area has emerged from workshops with the community [please see Blog
post about the conversations of John Davis on the Green Deal and
community charities set up to provide the funds and Carl Benfield proposing
more community energy schemes as private investment opportunities]. The
platform provides a specific area for the promotion of these innovative ideas
and it is a functionality that has been well received.
• [1] Community members have proposed research projects initiated by the
University to pilot community energy project (Mo Kelly, Sassie driving the
idea). [2] The Institute for Sustainability have also proposed linking with their
training initiatives)

29. • One month extension for the purposes of concluding
reporting and for evaluation (one month project
extension)?
• 20th January “launch date” (to the community)
What we need? Current question

30. Transferability and Sustainability
• Links to the Institute for Sustainability FLASH programme and other
new initiatives collaborating in funding (with Loughborough
University Enterprise Office and Local Authorities) to develop the
long-term potential of MEGS-KT.
• Initiative being developed with 3 members of the fellows community
to make an business case to trial a community energy project in a
deprived area of Nottingham.
• Megs support for the platform – proposed idea to cede the site with
content from “fellows” and the community over 6 months (with a
financial incentive) and to continue the lecture series post project.