Addressing problems

Netivist University addresses some problems the current system of higher education is facing:

• Little communication exchange between universities and the wider public.
• Many interesting research findings never reach non-academic audiences.
• Lack of student engagement with academic debate outside classes and lectures.

Innovative service

Netivist University offers a unique tool for universities, think-tanks, NGOs, research groups, and other organizations concerned with knowledge exchange, public engagement and impact. The main features of the service:

• We host public discussions based on public lectures, seminars, academic events, and research outputs (articles and reports). Some organizations can also have their own exclusive section on netivist.
• Students and people from all over the world can participate in the discussions:
  • asking questions,
  • writing comments, and
  • voting.
• We heavily promote these discussions on multiple social media plaforms so they reach a wider audience.
• People can follow the discussion and participate before, during and after the lecture or event on which the discussion is based. 
• We add videos, and links to websites and further resources to our public discussions.
• We provide some statistics about the level of participation and views of participants. 

Important benefits

Creating public discussions and sponsoring a section on Netivist University is beneficial on several levels:

• Provides visibility and reputation to the authors and organizers who suggest the discussion, as well as to the institutions in which they work. Thousands of people from all over the world will find out about their lectures, events, reports or articles (students, academics and others).
• Testing ideas against a wider audience: Students and academics from other institutions will be invited to participate in the discussion. Non academic audiences will also engage in the discussion.
• Feedback (comments and votes) that can be incorporated in future lectures, events, or reserch outputs
• Evidence of engagement, impact and knowledge exchange. Netivist can provide data about participation (geographic origin, socio-demographic data, etc.). The discussions on Netivist University constitute a dynamic open archive that will evolve and that can be consulted at any time by anyone. 

At almost no effort or cost

Using Netivist University requires almost no additional effort. You would only need to:

• Send a short blurb about the lecture, event or research output (authors, speakers, etc.).
• Send any additional information, video or link that they would like netivist to display on the public discussion
• Link to the public discussion on the event announcements: "Follow and participate in this discussion on netivist [LINK]"

Your institution may also qualify to have a full section to host series of debates.

Until November 2015, we are creating and promoting public discussions on Netivist University completely free of charge.