Like much else in the COVID-19 era, research using focus groups has moved online. Likewise, stakeholder advisory group meetings are now taking place over a variety of virtual platforms. To learn more about this, please check out this ICTR CAP-Ed presentation from December 2020.
Gay Thomas, former Director of Stakeholder Engagement with the Wisconsin Network for Research Support, addressed three specific topics based on her experience training stakeholders virtually and conducting remote meetings:
- Use of Zoom for advisory group meetings
- Critical “success factors” for virtual meetings with research stakeholders
- Facilitation tweaks for the virtual world
UW Survey Center Senior Project Director Ken Croes reviews issues to consider when conducting focus groups virtually, including:
- Online platform options for focus groups
- Recruitment and informed consent
- Preparing participants when needed
- Moderating, recording, and transcription