Welcome
The goal of BioQUEST Partner Support Module: Exploring Community is to set up BioQUEST's Research Coordination Network (RCN) partners for successful community building. Working through Exploring Community will jumpstart your use of BioQUEST's features, resources, and services to build a community that supports your project's goals. This is an introductory experience that will prepare you to iteratively build community while also connecting you with others facing similar challenges and opportunities. Learn more about the experience below or dive in and register!
Who should participate?
If you are associated with an RCN project partnered with BioQUEST, you should consider participating in Exploring Community. Whether you are just getting started or entering your final year of funding, participating in this community has something to offer you, regardless of your role on the project.
Exploring Community is right for RCN:
- Principle Investigators (PIs) and Co-PIs
- Community Managers
- Project Managers
- Project Leadership
- Steering Committee Members
- Post-Docs or Graduate Students
Why should you participate?
As an RCN, bringing network members together in a community is central to your work. As a partner of BioQUEST, you have access to social-cyberinfrastructure. Exploring Community's activities will result in products that will support you in using BioQUEST to build community. Below is an outline of what you will generate during your participation in the full Exploring Community cohort:
- Connections with other participants
- Preliminary analysis of your existing community
- Project lightning talk to feature on your website and use for advertising
- Practice with BioQUEST features that matter to you with facilitator support
- A customized, reusable action plan outlining your next steps in community building with BioQUEST
How should you participate?
Exploring Community is designed as a community of practice with the shared focus of developing communities that support project initiatives by leveraging BioQUEST features and services. There are several participation tracks available:
Cohort Member
Cohort members commit to participating in the complete one-month experience with other RCN partners. The full Exploring Community experience includes:
- Shared cohort timeline
- Two 30-minute synchronous meetings
- Asynchronous work outside of meetings
- Active participation. You should be willing to share your own work and ideas, participate in discussions, and provide feedback to others.
- Support from a BiQUEST staff member as facilitator.
Learn more about the next cohort schedule.
At Your Own Pace (AYOP)
If you can't commit to the next cohort's schedule, or maybe you are just interested in reviewing Exploring Community as a resource, consider participating as an AYOP member.
BioQUEST is committed to open practices, so all materials and discussion spaces will be as open as possible. You are welcome to move through activities independently and can contribute in the dedicated forum space for AYOP members.
Even if you just want to poke around and explore, we encourage you to complete a short form so we can learn more about your background and interests.
Cohort Participation Perks
| Feature | Cohort Member | AYOP |
| Access to all materials | ✔ | ✔ |
| Focused support and feedback from collaborators | ✔ | |
| Heightened accountability | ✔ |
Register
A cohort will run twice a year in March and October. We recommend that everyone participates as a cohort member, but regardless of your track please complete the form below to indicate your interest:
Already registered?
If you have already registered for the upcoming cohort or are digging into the materials at your own pace, visit the Guide to Exploring Community to dive in.