Research and Shared Learning

Castles Quilt produced jointly by u3as in Walesu3a Research and Shared Learning Projects take many forms. Some are devised on a national or regional basis, and others are devised and run by the members themselves. Projects cover anything that stimulates the interest of those taking part. Some may want to work with a university department, others might be counting species for a local wildlife initiative, but they are all valid and valued.

There may be organisations in your own area that you can partner with for a project: local history societies, arts groups, libraries, museums, town twinning committees and so on.

Examples of themes

The pie chart below shows themes chosen by u3as over recent years. The diagram gives an idea of the spread of interests so far. 'Internal research’ refers to u3as undertaking membership enquiries aimed at guiding their own future strategies, often concerning subscription levels and methods of communication. (Source: Research Database).

Help and advice

The Research Database  has a list of projects undertaken by u3a members to date; this would be a good place to start if you are looking for project ideas.

Examples of External Research from Database (166.43 KB)

If you are looking for projects that are available for you to join in with at the moment, the projects page details projects currently in progress and examples of recent projects.

If you're looking to get started on a project, try using our ACTIVE Project methodology which is designed to help get you up and running quickly.

  ACTIVE Project Methodology (123.7 KB)

If you've been asked to get involved in some research, the guidance below may help you to decide if it is in the best interests of your u3a and members.

Research Request Guidance Flowchart (260.75 KB)

Research Request Guidance (203.98 KB)

Contact

There are both national and regional contacts in the Research and Shared Learning Committee listed below that you can contact for assistance with your project. We also run a mailing list with news about opportunities about Research and Shared Learning. Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to join the mailing list.

National Contacts

• Maggy Simms
• Research and Shared Learning

Regional Contacts