These days, researchers, practitioners and decision makers are placing greater emphasis on using evidence to improve interventions, healthcare and the well-being of populations. This trend is particularly significant in sectors that address social issues such as health, social, educational and judicial interventions and services. This movement can be seen in the emergence of new approaches that promote an increased use of research: knowledge translation, evidence-informed decision-making and practices, knowledge mobilization, knowledge utilization, knowledge enhancement, etc.

Studies on the subject show that the process leading to the use of knowledge is so complex that science and research still barely get taken into account in practice and decision-making communities. There is consensus in scientific literature that the efforts made to make scientific knowledge available are necessary, but not sufficient, for their actual use in practice communities. This course has been designed to address these issues.

Among the strategies employed to put scientific knowledge into action, knowledge brokering represents a promising avenue. What does it involve?

In this MOOC, knowledge brokering is defined as a process that relies on an intermediary (a person or an organization) and that is aimed at fostering interactions between the worlds of research, practice, and decision-making. Brokering activities can include identifying valid and relevant knowledge, transforming it into an appropriate format, and transmitting it to different target audiences, or facilitating the implementation of this knowledge to improve practices and policies.

(Definition adapted from Munerol, Cambon & Alla, 2013)