Background: Knowledge brokering by intermediary organizations includes knowledge distillation processes (e.g., synthesis, translation). Aims and objectives: This article explores how an educational intermediary performs research distillation when creating virtual knowledge reservoirs for educators. Methods: The authors use qualitative data from…

Interdisciplinary working plays an important role in achieving impact outside academia. One barrier to interdisciplinary working is the lack of mechanisms to assess contributions from outside the primary discipline. Positioning our research in debates about knowledge translation, we analyse the ability of narrative cases to assess the…

This study explores the usefulness of academic research to engineering practitioners. Issues such as knowledge transfer, the research-practice gap and the changing social/political environment are discussed. An empirical survey of practitioners is analysed to better understand the engineering professions use of academic material, such as research…

Translational research is a new and important way of thinking about research. It is a major priority of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. NIH has created the Clinical and Translational Science Awards to promote this priority. NIH has defined T1 and T2 phases of translational research in the medical field, in order to…

Translational research originated in the medical field during the 1990s to describe taking discovery based research through the steps of applying it to clinical research and patient-oriented care. This model is implicitly linear, depicting the flow of information from researchers' bench, to a clinical trial bedside, to a primary care physician's…

Discusses the problem of communicating the implications of research findings to the public without distorting, diluting, or sensationalizing. Suggests approaches researchers can take when dealing with the popular media. (MS)

Comparison of two studies in the United Kingdom and Switzerland regarding the efficacy of vocational education research and development highlights the importance of more rigorously establishing what happens to research results. Steps must be taken to ensure that such projects have a positive impact on practice and justify their costs. (SK)

This document addresses the first objective of a study to develop criteria to measure the effectiveness of vocational education demonstration projects. An introduction provides background to the project and the issue addressed here, namely the issue of interim and final acceptable evidence of project impact, including the criteria, documentation,…

This document addresses the second objective of a study to develop criteria to measure the effectiveness of vocational education programs. An introduction provides background to the project and the objective addressed here, namely the recommendation of proposal review criteria. Section II discusses development of the recommended criteria, which…

Discussion of the utilization of research focuses on a case study of the communication and utilization of research at the Department of Veterans Affairs that has led to improved health care. Highlights include health services research; research and development; dissemination methods; user involvement; management environment; leadership; and…

The network of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories, in partnership with state and local educators, helps schools use research and proven practice to make a difference for children. This report highlights major 1998 accomplishments of the laboratory program supported by contracts with the U.S. Department of Education. In 1998, the Regional…

This paper focuses on the challenges in the improvement of research and development that arise from the commonality, rather than differences, in producer and consumer perceptions. The paper is based on the assumption that although producers do have varied incentives for engaging in and using research, their key motivation is a desire to improve…

The issue brief discusses technological principles, issues, and design features discovered or used by projects funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Information was obtained from interviews with project directors who were asked about their project experiences, the features and design principles essential to the success of…

This document presents case studies of eight demonstration projects selected to assess the practicality and feasibility of a monograph for improving and measuring the impact of vocational education demonstration projects. An introduction provides background of the project that developed that monograph and information on the case studies, including…

The Urban Development Component at Research for Better Schools, Inc., attempted to attack problems facing urban secondary schools in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania by using the "natural channels" of educational and civic associations to disseminate research and development information and to work collaboratively toward improving…