Institutional case study: Heriot-Watt
Published:17/09/2024 by James Reynolds Reading time:6 minutes
'Prosper was so useful. We were able to put together an engaging and well-structured series that research staff and PGRs really benefited from, with minimal time and cost, thanks to all the ready-made materials already available.'
Dr Gabriele Matilionyte, Researcher Development Consultant, Heriot-Watt University
Since Prosper's launch to the sector in September 2023, we've been working with HEIs across the UK to facilitate adoption of Prosper's model and resources. We've come a long way in a year - the Portal now has 900+ registered users from 69 institutions.
What this looks like varies from institution to institution, depending on needs, budget, and existing offerings. Prosper is designed to be flexible and (if desired) modular in how it can be used. Our modes of delivery outline three main ways of embedding Prosper, but these are guidelines, and reality of usage is more mixed and nuanced - we don't want to be over-prescriptive.
This is why we're delighted to begin a series of case studies looking at the different ways institutions are using Prosper. Nothing beats a concrete example, and we hope that - as well as showcasing Prosper's model and its flexibility - these serve as inspiration for other institutions thinking about how they can use Prosper.
Our first use case is Heriot-Watt University - many thanks in particular to Dr Gabriele Matilionyte, Researcher Development Consultant at Heriot-Watt University, who implemented the series and worked with us on this case study.
Key stats
- Mode of delivery: 2
- Cost: £1750 (for facilitation)
- FTE resource: 0.1
- 5 sessions
- 90 mins each
- 43 attendees
Context and background
Heriot-Watt University is a research-intensive institution specialising in Science, Technology, Engineering, Business and Design, attracting researchers from across the world to its campuses in Scotland, Dubai and Malaysia.
It addresses crucial world issues through its interdisciplinary approach and close collaboration with industry and business, exemplified by its Global Research Institutes in Robotics and AI, addressing Net Zero in Earth and Environmental Science, and Health and Care Engineering.
The University has around 2000 staff - including around 250 research staff (postdocs, research associates and research fellows), as well as approximately 1000 postgraduate researchers (PGRs).
How was Prosper used?
There was large demand among Heriot-Watt’s research staff for information and insight regarding career opportunities beyond academia - one of the key focuses of Prosper and its resources.
The University wanted to ensure staff at its numerous overseas campuses could fully participate - necessitating a fully online approach. Given the University’s considerable PGR population and the crossover of relevant resources, participation was opened up to PGRs as well as postdocs.
Heriot-Watt opted for a ‘mode two’ Prosper delivery (facilitated activities, but not a formal cohort). They ran a series of five online sessions, each covering key areas and topics along the Prosper ‘Reflect - Explore - Act’ journey, with specific topics selected in response to a request from Research Staff representatives:
- Session 1: Reflect: Skills and The STAR Method
- Session 2: Reflect: Personality and values
- Session 3: Explore: Career connections and where to find roles
- Session 4: Act: CVs, covering letters and applications
- Session 5: Act: Interviews and LinkedIn
The sessions were designed as a series, and participants were encouraged to attend all five - however this wasn’t mandatory, and sessions were also intended to work as standalone.
To deliver the series, Heriot-Watt brought an external facilitator (a career coach who had worked with the University before). Each session was 90 minutes long, and involved a mixture of Prosper resources and the facilitator’s own expertise.
During the sessions, participants were invited to register/login to the Prosper Portal and carry out specific activities - after which participants had an opportunity to discuss any questions with the facilitator and the other participants.
The total cost for all five sessions was £1750.
Impact and evaluation
The series was a success, with 43 participants attending at least one session (17 postdocs, and 26 PGRs). The sessions were well-received, with the Reflect sessions in particular garnering strong engagement - a testament to the demand among postdocs/PGRs for structured guidance on the ‘big questions’ of personal motivation, values and career direction.
Heriot-Watt took a relatively light touch approach to evaluation - for the most part using Prosper’s own ready-made evaluation materials (available on the Institutions section of the Prosper Portal). 100% of those who completed the feedback form stated they found the series ‘very useful’. Some of the more expansive feedback can be seen in the testimony below.
Thanks in part to the way the Prosper Portal was integrated into the series, usage of the Portal has increased significantly at Heriot-Watt, rising from two users before the start of the series to 40 active users at the time of writing.
'The series introduced me to Prosper, which is a fantastic resource for any postdoc.
The sessions allowed me to reflect on various aspects of my career and academic journey. It forced me to document my achievements, experience and skills developed to date.
I was able to better understand how to identify strengths as well as weaknesses, and articulate my values. The skills audit provided a method for structuring an answer in an interview or written proposal'
Attendee feedback
'The Prosper resources are useful for me as I can always refer back to them when needed'
Attendee feedback
'The Reflect sessions on skills, STAR, personality and values helped me understand my skillset and focus my mind on what job roles I might excel at.'
Attendee feedback
'The series gave me some fundamental hints about building my own career path, as well as suggestions of which types of people to follow on social media (mostly LinkedIn), to aim for a particular position in the career, or at least to form a better understanding about the major roles in that area.'
Attendee feedback
'All parts of the series were equally very useful. I would say the session on skills, personality and values particularly so because the most important part of applying for jobs and building a career is to first recongise and evaluate yourself.'
Attendee feedback
'The personality and values section [was particularly useful] as it incentivises you to deeply understand your personal needs and eventually keep those aligned with current/future work.'
Attendee feedback
Future plans
Due to the success of the series and the approach taken, Heriot-Watt is planning to run another similar series in the 2024-25 academic year between May and June, with individual sessions on a fortnightly basis.
In response to feedback, the University plans to signpost the Prosper Portal more broadly and encourage usage outside of series, in connection with other career development events and initiatives for staff.
For the 2024-25 series, Heriot-Watt is planning to consider a mix of in-person and offline this time around - looking to take advantage of the benefits of community-forming that in-person can bring, while also ensuring continued inclusivity for its globally-based staff. It will also be looking to invite current and former postdocs to speak at some of the sessions about their own journeys and experiences - something participants were keen to hear more of in the feedback.
The University is also now planning how to extend the approach beyond postdocs/PGRs to Principal Investigators - drawing on the Prosper’s Managers of Researchers resources and the PI Network to support this.
If you're keen on using Prosper within your own institution, or are using it but need some help or advice, do feel free to contact us at prosper.postdoc@liverpool.ac.uk