In episode #12 of the RM Framework Series, I’m joined by Melanie Rischke and Niklas Rauterberg from CHE – Centre for Higher Education to explore one of the project’s central outputs: the handbook for research management training providers. The handbook brings together the project’s work on competencies, learning outcomes, programme development and training design and turns it into a practical resource for organisations and individuals developing research management training. At its core are two main tools: a Programme Development Guide, which takes users through the different stages of developing a training programme, and the Curricular Component Method, which helps connect competencies, learning outcomes and specific target groups.

But this episode is also about what happened after the first version met the real world. Feedback from pilot testers led the team to shorten contextual sections, strengthen the practical guidance and redesign navigation so users do not have to read the handbook from beginning to end. The final handbook includes different entry points depending on the user’s needs, practical examples from the pilots and even a customisable prompt for large language models designed to guide users through the handbook without allowing the AI to do the thinking for them. Melanie and Niklas also walk us through an example of how someone could begin developing a research management training programme from scratch.

Time codes:

01:50 Guest introduction and fly in