I am delighted to introduce ISBE Expert Masterclasses – a new series of focused, practical and interactive professional development sessions designed to connect our community with expertise that can make a real difference to their research and professional practice.
As Vice President for Educator and Practitioner Learning at ISBE, one of my priorities is to consider how we can create high-quality development opportunities that respond to the realities of academic and professional life. We know that our community wants opportunities to develop new skills, learn from those with genuine experience, and take away ideas and tools that can be put into practice immediately.
That is exactly what the ISBE Expert Masterclasses are designed to provide.
Rather than another webinar where you simply listen for an hour, these sessions will bring together recognised experts to explore a specialist area in depth. Each 60–90 minute masterclass will be focused, accessible and, importantly, useful. Participants should leave with something they can apply to their own research, writing, teaching or professional development.
And we are starting with four fantastic sessions.
How to Be a Special Issue Guest Editor
Professor Paul Jones | Wednesday 30 September 2026 | 12.00–1.00pm
Ever wondered what actually happens behind the scenes of a journal special issue – or thought about guest editing one yourself?
Professor Paul Jones will take participants through the complete guest editor journey: developing a compelling proposal, identifying the right journal, attracting submissions, recruiting reviewers, managing peer review and navigating editorial decisions.
The session will provide practical insight into both the opportunities and challenges of guest editing, helping participants understand what makes a successful special issue and what they need to consider before taking on the role.
Cost: £30 ISBE members | £70 non-members
Grounding Your Research in Education Practice
Dr Kellie Forbes-Simpson | 21 October 2026 | 12.00–1.00pm
How do we ensure that our research does more than contribute to academic debate?
This masterclass focuses on the relationship between rigorous research and meaningful educational practice. Dr Kellie Forbes-Simpson will explore how researchers can engage educators throughout the research lifecycle, translate findings into accessible outputs and demonstrate how their work influences teaching, learning, policy and institutional decision-making.
For anyone interested in producing research that is academically strong and practically useful, this session will provide ideas and approaches for strengthening that connection.
Cost: £30 ISBE members | £70 non-members
Engaging Your Research with Different Media
Dr Robert Bowen | 25 November 2026 | 12.00–1.00pm
A journal article does not have to be the end of the research journey.
Podcasts, blogs, social media, video, news outlets, policy briefings and professional publications all provide opportunities to take research to new audiences – but communicating effectively through these channels requires us to think differently about how we tell the story of our research.
Dr Robert Bowen will explore how researchers can translate their work for different audiences and media, work more effectively with journalists and media professionals, and use different platforms to increase the reach, visibility and influence of their research.
If you have ever wondered, “I’ve published the research – now how do I get people to engage with it?”, this session is for you.
Cost: £30 ISBE members | £70 non-members
Building a Minimal Viable Paper
Professor Robert Newbery | 25 January 2027 | 12.00–1.30pm
How much time have you invested in a paper before discovering that the fundamental idea doesn’t quite work?
Drawing on principles of lean entrepreneurship, Professor Robert Newbery introduces the Minimal Viable Paper – an entrepreneurial approach to generating, testing and developing research ideas more efficiently.
In this interactive 90-minute masterclass, participants will explore structured approaches to generating ideas, rapidly prototype a paper using the Research Design Canvas, and consider how research projects can be managed as a portfolio.
The aim is not simply to write faster. It is to test assumptions earlier, make better decisions about where to invest your research time, and develop stronger paper ideas.
Participants will leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to their own research – including a first-draft Research Design Canvas for a paper.
Cost: £45 ISBE members | £90 non-members
Why Expert Masterclasses?
ISBE has an extraordinary community of researchers, educators and practitioners – and an enormous amount of expertise within and around that community.
The ISBE Expert Masterclasses are about opening up access to that expertise.
They complement the fantastic free activities delivered through our Special Interest Groups and Communities of Interest by providing a distinct premium professional development offer: focused sessions where participants can learn directly from experts, develop practical skills and invest in their own professional development.
These first four sessions are only the beginning.
Future masterclasses will explore further aspects of research, publishing, methodologies, doctoral development, education and professional practice, creating an evolving programme that responds to the needs of the ISBE community.
Whether you are an early career researcher taking your first steps into publishing, an experienced academic looking to develop a new skill, or an educator or practitioner wanting to extend the reach and impact of your work, there will be something within the programme for you.
I am incredibly excited to see this new initiative begin and, most importantly, to see what our members do with what they learn.
Learn from expertise. Develop your practice. Take something away that you can use.
Welcome to the ISBE Expert Masterclasses.
Dr Emily Beaumont
Vice President – Educator and Practitioner Learning
Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE)