Abstract
Developing collaborative and cooperative research across academic
disciplines and university administrative boundaries can be a challenge.
In an attempt to understand and propose solutions to this challenge, the
authors of this paper set out to: test an innovative combination of
methods to generate and evaluate ideas and strategies; and to write
about the findings using collaborative online methods. During this
process Universities in the UK moved to online working and so the
authors completed this paper through entirely online means.
The authors - a team of academic researchers from the University of
Wolverhampton - came together in sessions designed as a hybrid of World
Café and Delphi technique approaches to discuss challenges and
solutions. The findings were written up drawing on insights from the use
of massively authored papers (also known as ‘massively open online
papers’, MOOPs), and online tools to enable remote collaboration. This
paper presents details of the process, the findings, and reflections on
this collaborative and cooperative exercise. That this paper was written
using the methods discussed within it, highlights the value and success
of the approach.
In light of the current Coronavirus pandemic and the increased need to
work remotely, this paper offers academics useful strategies for
meaningful and productive online collaboration.