1.1 The Study Group Lead Role

The work you’ll do as a Study Group lead will ramp up slowly, because most groups start small. Your tasks will change over time as your group grows and changes. As Study Group Lead, you’ll do a mix of the following tasks:

• Outreach and communications, as you find your first few members and getabout the group, and as you publicize each of the group’s meetings and events;
• Logistics and event coordination, as you organize group meetings and events;
• Strategy and planning, as you create a schedule and plan for your group over a semester or year, and tweak that plan to respond to the needs of your group;
• Teaching, as you prepare some of the materials and facilitate skill-sharing sessions for your group;
• Community-building, as you find ways to invite new members in and expand your group;
• Mentoring, as you create a group that leverages the skills and abilities of all members in co-teaching, co-facilitating, and co-organizing-- in other words, you get lots of help!

This last point about sharing responsibility and mentoring others to help lead is very important for the long-term survival of your Study Group! Bringing on others to co-lead will help you create a sustainable group, one that will live on if you decide to move on to a new job or a different institution.

You’re not required to be an expert coder to lead a Study Group! Some coding experience is helpful, but you mostly need to be curious, motivated, and willing to jump in, get your hands dirty, and learn and share with other group members. To lead a successful Group, you’ll also need to be consistent (showing up on time, holding regular meetings). You’ll need to be patient and persistent while your Group gets off the ground, and willing to dedicate time to the project-- usually about a few hours a week.

In return you’ll get valuable experience in communications, event planning, teaching, and working collaboratively with other researchers, not to mention improving your own research practice! And you’ll expand your professional network and connections into a broader research community.