Choose your modules

It is exciting to learn something new or to refresh your knowledge!  We are so pleased you are choosing to learn with us and the other 98% of learners who have passed our accredited courses.

If you are planning to have your learning with us accredited, then select the accredited option at your preferred level of study.  If you are not being accredited for your learning you can choose any module level because the levels are only different in their assessments.

When you are choosing your modules remember to check if the module you want to choose is available in the way you want to learn:

If you want to learn in your own time at home, then choose online.
If you prefer to learn in a classroom with others, then choose offline.

Introductory module

Describes how the platform works and requires participants to sign a learners and plagiarism agreement

Reframing Community Engagement

This module guides learners through a reflective process of looking in detail at their current engagement principles. The lesson within this module will help you to develop a shared understanding that becomes the basis for further learning. You will learn definitions of community engagement and understand how to match the method of your engagement to your purpose.  You will also get an understanding of the key principles of building social capital.

Coding and Analysis

This is where the practical skills required to code data from an engagement event and make use of it as part of an ongoing engagement strategy will be taught.  Our six step model will take you through the key stages of coding data through to the completion of a themed report

Rethinking Public Service

This module enhances reflexive thinking and practice in learners and develops new skills designed to create 21st Century Public Servants, with sufficient engagement skills to drive and build social capital.  The learning within this module will require you to draw on your learning from the programme and demonstrate how you would use your new knowledge to build social capital through community engagement.

This module is 50% of the Level 3 and Level 4 Building Social Capital through Community Engagement Award, and can not be purchased without completion of other core modules. If you have questions or would like to speak to someone about this please contact susan@mutualgain.org.

Delivering an effective World Café

World Cafes are often used at the start of an engagement process, but they comfortably sit at any stage. They have been used as a pre-curser to a Participatory Budgeting programme as it enables communities to share their experiences and insights in a relaxed, informal, yet fun atmosphere. This module will share the philosophy and development of World Cages, through to the key stages of planning and the roles that are required to make sure that your World Café is a big success

Introduction to Participatory Budgeting

Participatory Budgeting is a decision about the use of a public budget, and involves real decision making with, by and for the public. We believe PB is good for our democracy; it is empowering for citizens and makes public servants feel proud to adopt highly participatory and empowering processes.  There are a number of principles and key decisions that need to be taken if your PB is to be a success.  This module covers all of these issues and ha a number of short films that demonstrate how your PB planning should be delivered.

An introduction to Appreciative Inquiry

AI is a strength-based method of engaging communities that requires us to look for what works in that community.  It is a fabulous way to engage people from all walks of life.  This module will take you through the five stage module to help you understand the characteristics of communities at their best to inspire action for positive change

An Introduction to Citizens Assemblies

In a Citizens’ Assembly members of the public are brought together to consider an issue of public concern. They learn in depth about an issue that they may or may to know much about by hearing from expert witnesses and stakeholders.  The process is designed to provide plenty of time to ‘deliberate’ – reflecting and discussing with people from all walks of life the various ways in which they might understand an issue.  Then together, they reach a collective decision with some recommendations that are presented back to the authority, organisation or community for a response and action.  This module is an introduction to the planning for a Citizens Assembly and will take you through the key stages including sortition and facilitation.

An Introduction to Facilitation

Good facilitation requires structure, planning and a deep level of curiosity: our training brings together people from all backgrounds and roles and enables them to learn the essentials of good facilitation whilst building on their existing skills and learning new hints and tips. Done well, facilitation can be used to help tackle deep seated issues within organisations or communities – our training programme will equip you will all of the skills and support that you will need to ensure success.  This introduction to facilitating will help you to plan and prepare for a facilitation event and will give you the confidence that you will need to make the event a success.

Focus Groups

Focus groups are a recognised by social scientists as a  method of gathering, coding and analysing qualitative information.  Done properly, they provide an opportunity for you to listen to alternative perspectives and  gather information when ideas need to be contextualised.  Focus Groups are often misunderstood.  They are a dynamic process that result in a structured process.  This module will explore the elements required to design a successful Focus Group and will provide you with the knowledge to enable to you maximise the potential of listening as part of a wider research programme.

Positive Deviance

Positive deviance (PD) is an approach to behavioural and social change based on the observation that in any community there are people whose uncommon but successful behaviors or strategies enable them to find better solutions to a problem than their peers.  This is often despite facing similar challenges and having no extra resources or knowledge than their peers. These individuals are referred to as positive deviants. Positive Deviance aims to identify these behaviours and allow the rest of the community to learn from them.