DASS research world Leading, says RAE
DASS staff have achieved major success in the results announced for the Research
Assessment Excercise 2008. The RAE - an assessment exercise which acts as a barometer of research quality in the UK - is used to apportion government funding for research work undertaken in Higher Education. A successful RAE result for DASS also means that it will be able to continue to attract the highest quality staff and in turn recruit postgraduate students wishing to study with world-class researchers. Departmental staff contributed to two different areas of research that were submitted for assessment - Social Work, Social Policy and Administration; and Communications, Cultural and Media Studies. For each submission, numerous examples of staff research and a full report on their research activities was presented for evaluation by panels of internationally distinguished experts. These panels judged the quality of the research according to four ‘starred’ ratings. Eighty percent of the research submitted for assessment was deemed to be either ‘world leading’, ‘internationally excellent’ or ‘internationally recognised’.
The RAE submission for Social Work, Social Policy and Administration was coordinated by Professor Norman Ginsburg. The work of 23 staff - all from DASS - was submitted for assessment. DASS research in the fields of social work and social policy has consolidated its previously established excellence in child and woman abuse and in health and social care. The department has also developed two new hubs of research endeavour: social work; and crime, community safety and policing. The aim is to build applied social research which contributes to development policies and practices appropriate to the needs of relatively marginalised social groups. Particular concerns are issues surrounding social and ethnic diversity, and social exclusion, with DASS staff giving special commitment to research that gives voice to users and user communities. Across the whole RAE, the assessment panel rated the submission for Social Work and Social Policy and Administration as the best among all ‘new’ universities submitting twenty or more staff. Moreover, during the assessment period staff in the area generated an average of over £400,000 per year in external research income. Overall, the RAE results for this subject area are a clear indication of the international excellence and global impact of research produced by DASS staff. The RAE submission for Communications, Cultural and Media Studies was coordinated by Professor Bill Osgerby, working with colleagues from two other university departments - Dr. Paul Cobley and Dr. Wendy Wheeler. A total of 13 staff were submitted for assessment of whom nine were based in DASS.
|
Quality Rating |
Social Work, Social Policy & Administation |
Communications, Cultural and Media Studies |
|
4* ‘World Leading’ |
10% |
15% |
|
3* ‘Internationally Excellent’ |
40% |
25% |
|
2* ‘Recognised Internationally’ |
30% |
40% |
|
1* ‘Recognised Nationally’ |
20% |
20% |
|
Numbers of Staff Submitted |
23 |
13 |
