To celebrate the launch of our new progress-in-practice courses, we have partnered with The British Academy Early Career Researcher Network (BA ECRN) to trial our FIE-based content with their community.
We really advocate what the BA ERCN offers to the SHAPE research community, and we’re excited to share our training with their members.
Progress in Practice is a suite of 1.5 hours of online workshops which use Fairness, Inclusion and Equity (FIE) as a diagnostic to improve vital elements of research and business practice. The suite of practical sessions aims to support people to:
– identify systemic barriers in research environments
– strengthen fair and inclusive research practices
– build confidence in navigating organisational cultures
Over four sessions, held monthly (exact dates to be confirmed), we cover the following modules:
1| Confidence as a tool
Wednesday, 11th March, 13:00-14:30
– Recognise how confidence is shaped by context, norms, and power.
– Practise using confidence deliberately rather than reflexively.
– Identify situations where confidence improves judgement and where it distorts it.
2 | Applying fairness thinking
Wednesday, 22nd April, 13:00-14:30
– Practise applying FIE to common workplace decisions.
– Compare how decisions change when viewed through a fairness lens.
– Develop greater fluency in using FIE as a practical reasoning framework.
3| Thinking strategically about people and environments
Thursday, 21st May 2026, 13:00-14:30
– Practice reading situations through a strategic, rather than reactive lens.
– Identify the difference between tactical activity and strategic decision-making.
– Participants should leave thinking “I’m clearer about what makes a choice strategic.”
4 | Why good research fails at the design stage
Wednesday, 10th June 2026, 13:00-14:30
– Practice identifying early design decisions that predictably undermine research quality when examined through FIE.
– Compare how research designs perform when assessed using conventional quality criteria versus FIE as a diagnostic lens
– Use FIE diagnostics to interrogate a live research design decision and locate specific points where quality, credibility, or validity are compromised.
Learn more about joining the BA ECRN, including how to sign up to access these courses here >
If you work in STEM or outside research and don’t have access to the BA ECRN, contact us to enquire about our Progress in Practice courses.
