Back at the start of 2023 I posted five resolutions for the coming year. At the end of every year I review what I resolved at the start of the year and reflect on my achievements or otherwise. So here goes, did I achieve everything I hoped to in 2023?
Undertake the REF hygiene necessary to satisfy my employer
At the start of the year I said that I was going to try and produce sufficient ‘high quality’ Research Excellence Framework (REF) outputs to make my employer happy. I produced a couple of journal publications in 2023, with a couple more currently submitted. We also went through an internal review where others got to judge my publications, and I got to judge theirs against opaque criteria like ‘originality’ and ‘rigour’. So far I seem to have come out OK from this process, meaning that my employment will be continued and no one will be too disappointed with me.
In the meantime the REF process has been delayed until 2029 and lots of the rules that are going to govern the final assessment process have not actually come out yet. This means that both individual researchers like me and those responsible for institutional policy and resourcing around this are left second guessing what we are being assessed on. The lengthy period between assessments also creates all sorts of weird incentives and the space for tactical complacency.
There is so much wrong with this system, that it needs a lot more saying about it than I can reasonably say here. But,… for now, I seem to be doing OK in it, so, I’m alright Jack!
Be more creative in my communication of research and ideas
At the start of the year I talked about being more creative in my communication of research and ideas. I’ve had some good experiences with creating short content on YouTube (see my career theory course), but I haven’t made much progress on this this year. I’ve posted five videos on my YouTube Channel this year and appeared on six podcasts, but beyond that I don’t think that I’ve really done anything hugely imaginative.
One of the things that I have been struggling with this year is the collapse of Twitter and the general fragmentation of social media. Whereas in the past I was able to use Twitter to link up careers, education and political communities and to intervene, in a small way, into all of these different communities, following Elon Musk’s take over of Twitter I can’t really seem to make it work for me. This isn’t a political point (although Musk is politically loathsome as this article in The Independent shows), but rather a content and usability one. Twitter used to hold my interest and feel like a place where ideas were being exchanged about things that interested me (often with a side order of vicious hate, but interesting in its way). Increasingly I just can’t find anything of interest to me. Instead of a personally curated news feed, it feels more and more like a dumping ground for the underbelly of the mainstream media. So I’ve headed back to a mix of the Guardian and Novara for my news and am not really sure where the best place to share is any more (currently it feels like it might be Linkedin, but it seems difficult to believe that this is the best option).
So, I’m still struggling to know the best way to connect with people outside of the immediate academic bubble. All suggestions appreciated.
Finish our book about online research methods
Over the last couple of years I’ve been updating my decade old book on online research methods. The book is now finished and available for pre-order. Publication will officially be in May, which will be great! But, this is one that I (and my co-author Rachel Buchanan) have successfully ticked off during the year.
Influence the manifestos for the next election
Well, looking back this was a rather ambitious one to set my self, particularly in a year that wasn’t an election year. But I have done quite a bit of policy stuff this year both in the UK and overseas. At the heart of this is the Investing in careers paper that we published in July. I feel that writing that and disseminating it in various countries has placed some of the arguments that we’ve been trying to make for years on much firmer footing.
Now, next year is going to be an election year, so the fight goes on…
Be braver in my use of Norwegian
At the start of 2023 I was doing pretty well with learning Norwegian. Going to class twice a week and feeling that I might be ready to move up a level. This trajectory continued pretty well until I got to the summer. I then hit a period of holidays and commitments and missed out on the start of the academic year 2023/2024. So, I dropped out of class and my engagement with language learning dropped off.
I’m angry with myself about this, but the challenge of learning a new language at my advanced age, whilst working fulltime and not living in the country got on top of my. I’m not sure what to do about this. I’m keen to keep learning, but also keen not to burn out totally. Some kind of extended sabbatical in Norway is what I need I think. But in the meantime, I’ll just keep plugging away at Duolingo.
So, that’s how my year went. Two wins, one draw and two losses, is probably the best summary that I can make. So, can I do better next year?
Adventures in Career Development 
Great job setting those challenges in the first place! I think keeping on keeping on and committing to learning is important. I am 51 and enjoying creating new content, creating asynchronous online learning and getting stuck into the possibilities of AI. I hear you about social media and I feel that journalists and politicians are still on Twitter so I persevere. When they go, I’ll go.
Keep up the great work Tristram. The ‘Investing in Careers’ paper was a personal highlight for me. 😁
I’m finding Pimsleur great for my French learning. It’s broken down into half hour audio lessons with lots of spaced repetition and recall. I listen to one per day while out on a walk. I’m the local mad woman who talks to herself in French but at least I’m learning and I’m not stuck at a desk while I’m doing it. Not sure how much Norwegian content they have though.