Abstract:

In the past few years, considerable research efforts have been directed towards establishing collaborative and professional development settings, with limited focus on their research potential. While numerous studies have contributed to reorienting staff week events, the implementation of service action research has seen comparatively fewer improvements. By aiming at this enriching aspect of staff weeks, we cross the limits of specialised events and create a fruitful setting for fostering sustainability values aligned with the European academic background.

Our approach, or an Enhanced Staff Weeks (ESW) model, introduces a comprehensive training and communication methodology that addresses these challenges. This innovative approach works as a solution, integrating technical principles from service action research to overcome the limitations of these capacity-building endeavours. To ensure top-notch collaborative procedures, we followed four key components: identifying the problem, developing a theory, constructing guiding concepts, and implementing interventions. This study delves into the service action investigation's theoretical, conceptual and implementational elements applied to the real-life scenario of the EU Project "ENHACE Alliance of Technical Universities".

This study broadens our comprehension of the action research application in professional development, shedding light on its potential within the European project domain. This research offers valuable insights into improving organisational effectiveness by synergising service action research and innovative staff week organisation. Integrating these two strategies aims to foster a dynamic and learning-oriented environment within Higher Education Institutions.

Keywords:

Service action research, staff week organisation, professional development, higher education, Higher Education Institutions (HEI).