From researched to researcher: student experiences of becoming co-producers and co-disseminators of knowledge

Abstract

Students who had previously been the subjects of pedagogic research were enabled to become active agents in the research process, co-producing and co-disseminating knowledge with an academic staff member. They jointly prepared and presented a paper at an international geography conference and co-wrote this article. Their experiences of taking part in the research process were largely positive. Attending the conference developed their views of the discipline and its currency and relevance; highlighted the benefit of academic studies for employment; afforded them an overview of the research process in its entirety; and enhanced their knowledge and skills. The students expressed divergent levels of integration into the research process and into an academic community of practice. They all, however, conveyed a greater appreciation of the research activity of lecturers outside of the classroom and how this might benefit their teaching and learning experience.

Introduction

Over 2008/09 and 2009/10, second year undergraduate students at a teaching-oriented University in the UK took part in pedagogic research which examined their perceptions of the learning utility of video podcasts. Six 20-minute podcasts about exotic ecosystems provided visual representations of environments and processes discussed in lectures and seminars. These were made accessible to students through a virtual learning environment, either on-line or to download to mobile technology. The perceived effectiveness of the technology was assessed by written questionnaire and focus groups. The findings showed that students watched the podcasts numerous times, largely within a week of lectures and/or during revision (Hill and Nelson, 2011a, b). The students agreed that the podcasts were effective in supporting learning, teaching and assessment, largely by offering a flexible and visual learning experience.

The initial podcast project treated students largely as subjects of pedagogic research. This situation resonates with a number of studies indicating that undergraduates believe themselves to be recipients of, rather than producers of, research (Jenkins et al., 1998; Zamorski, 2002; Brew, 2006). This paper, however, explores student responses to their active engagement in the research process, co-producing and co-disseminating knowledge with academic staff. It advocates that participation in research is a central element of the undergraduate experience (Healey and Jenkins, 2009) and that “dissemination of results is an integral part of the research process” (Boyer Commission, 1998: 24). Empowering students as co-researchers through the entire research process is an innovative practice across the Higher Education community. This is perhaps surprising given the varied attractions of research dissemination including the opportunity to disseminate work to a wide audience, to complete the research cycle, to participate in an ‘authentic’ research experience, and to develop transferable skills (Walkington, 2008; Rifkin et al., 2010). Engaging with, and publishing research beyond, the curriculum can also contribute to career development opportunities, initiate understanding of publication processes and improve motivation to perform at the highest academic level (Walkington and Jenkins, 2008). The research presented here also aimed to introduce the undergraduate students to an academic community of practice in order to counter Wenger’s (1998) view that a sense of community is missing from the general student experience.

Methods

Four students, who had been subjects of the podcast project over 2008/09, volunteered to take part in preparing and delivering a conference presentation and jointly writing a research paper about their experience. The students were self-selecting and expressed interest in continuing with geography-related education or employment after their first degree. They prepared a research presentation with the first author which was jointly delivered at the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference (1–3 September 2010) in London (Hill et al., 2010). The oral paper was delivered in a session entitled ‘Innovative spaces of learning: debating their origin, nature and pedagogical significance’. The students additionally answered questions pertaining to the research in the session plenary. They attended the entire conference, allowing them to meet a broad spectrum of academics and to update their knowledge with the latest innovations in geography research.

Immediately after the conference, individual written questionnaires consisting of 12 open-ended questions were completed by each student. The questions focused broadly on the reasons why the students had chosen to attend the conference; their level of engagement with the sessions; and the benefits they had gained from attending the conference generally, presenting their paper and engaging with the research process. On the last afternoon of the conference, the students took part in a focus group, lasting approximately 40 minutes, allowing them to discuss the issues noted above in greater detail. This paper purposely privileges the student voice through the inclusion of numerous quotations from the questionnaires and focus group. In this way, the richness of the student narratives can be conveyed. Post-conference, Jennifer Hill collated the individual responses for the paper and prepared a first draft. The students then amended the manuscript, adding or deleting issues to produce what they judged to be a satisfactory framework describing their responses. Their changes were made to the manuscript by Jennifer Hill before submission to the Planet editorial team.

Results

Engagement with the conference

The students commented that they took part in the conference not only to present research that they had been part of to an external audience, but to situate the geography they had learnt at university in a broader disciplinary context:

“I attended the conference so I could see how the feedback we had given … was to be presented to others, and for myself to be able to give my views”. (Student 4 questionnaire)

“A chance to present and see some of the other things that are going on within geography - some of the more broader aspects of the subject outside of what I had covered in my degree course”. (Student 2 focus group)

They additionally commented on the potential of the experience in terms of future employment, mentioning value added to their cvs and networking opportunities for jobs. The only other incentive to attend the conference concerned the students meeting academics whose books and articles they had read during their university studies. In this way, academics became more than a name; they became ‘real’ people with personalities.

In terms of level of engagement with the conference, the students attended an average of three from four possible sessions each day. They also attended selected lunchtime and/or evening plenaries. Session choices were made by all students according to their prevailing thematic interests, existing confidence in their understanding of topics, and the desire to learn about new subject areas:

“I chose some themes that were familiar from my undergraduate course … because I thought I stood a fairly good chance of understanding. I also chose some themes that I didn’t really know much about to get a clearer idea of the scope of geography”. (Student 2 questionnaire)

Table 1: Student responses concerning the overall benefits of attending the RGS-IBG conference.

Broadening their views of the discipline
A	‘It was good to be able to hear about what is at the forefront of geography and to get a sense of the breadth of the subject’ (student 2 questionnaire)
B	‘Seems very holistic. Everything seems to have been brought in under the title of geography’ (student 4 focus group)
C	‘Geography … it’s such a broad umbrella of different types of subjects. We went to different talks that would never have come under our degree … nice to see’ (student 1 focus group)
Appreciating discipline currency and relevance
D	‘Gave you an insight into what academics are researching. It’s all very current and you might not see that at university … also how relevant this is in the real world’ (student 1 focus group)
E	‘Seeing how what we’ve been studying for 3 years fits into cutting edge research … and thinking, well actually, the stuff I’ve been reading about, it’s so relevant’ (student 2 focus group)
F	‘Seeing how topics we have been taught throughout undergraduate level are being researched and discussed in academic life’ (student 4 questionnaire)
G	‘Confident that the choices I want to make in the future about topics I want to go into and research in are relevant’ (student 4 focus group)
Recognising the benefit of academic studies for employment
H	‘I have yet to decide what career path to take, and to see the different fields I could potentially enter into with a geography degree for a background has been very useful’ (student 2 questionnaire)
I	‘It’s been an inspiring experience … really good to be around the breadth of the subject that we’ve chosen to study for the last 3 years … and see the opportunities that are going to be available from it’ (student 2 focus group)
J	‘A couple of the coasts and rivers [sessions] have been where we have done essays and coursework. You can see how you can take that on further to a career path perhaps’ (student 4 focus group)
Gaining an overview of the entire research process
K	‘An insight into how the research process progresses to a published paper in a journal’ (student 1 questionnaire)
L	‘Gave a greater appreciation of the research process from beginning to end’ (student 2 questionnaire)
M	‘You could clearly see how each paper was laid out … emphasis on evaluating and discussion. I can see that this is an important part’ (student 4 focus group)
N	‘I gained a slightly greater understanding of the academic process. The presentations were mostly on unpublished works where the authors were essentially looking for … informal peer review’ (student 3 questionnaire)
Enhancing knowledge and skills
O	‘I have learnt new facts … picked up information on topics I didn’t really know that well before’ (student 2 focus group)
P	‘Really good to be able to stand up and feel part of that group and have what you are saying listened to and noted … good confidence booster’ (student 2 focus group)
Q	‘Given me confidence to carry on to the postgraduate course I want to do’ (student 4 focus group)
R	‘Good to see different presentation styles … some just read and I didn’t think that engaged the audience well at all … I’d definitely not do that now having been in the audience’ (student 4 focus group)

Table 2: Student responses concerning the benefits of taking part in the research process.

Acknowledging integration into the research process
A	‘It was really good to be able to see what happened next after our involvement with the questionnaire and focus groups … and continue to be involved’ (student 2 questionnaire)
B	‘Taking part in the podcast focus group/questionnaire did not feel like being part of a research project. It was only attending the conference where the realisation of being part of the research became more apparent. Taking part in the research has reinforced the research process and how an academic article is put together’ (student 1 questionnaire)
C	‘It has been good to take our comments from the lecture room to a presentation at a conference and then further into a paper that will be published’ (student 4 questionnaire)
D	‘I do feel like the test subject, not the researcher. I am essentially a group of quotes and an exam mark’ ’ (student 3 questionnaire)
Entering an academic community of practice
E	‘In a university environment you have the ability to interact with your lecturers and fellow students, and that interaction with academic community ends there. You do not have the opportunity to engage with other lecturers or academics from different universities, people in industry, or NGOs or other organisations with an interest in geography’ (student 1 questionnaire)
F	‘Superficially yes in the fact that we’ve come here and been amongst learned geography folk, but I haven’t really done much networking … maybe I’ve not had the confidence to do that because I’m not confident in my knowledge’ (student 2 focus group)
G	‘It’s difficult to shake the feeling that you are just a student. I haven’t specialised and I don’t know anything in the kind of detail these people know their subjects … However, I feel more comfortable with the idea of becoming an academic now that I have met huge numbers of them’ (student 3 questionnaire)
H	‘I did a bit of networking with academics, just brief engagements as it still felt a bit like I’m the student, they’re the teacher. But it was definitely … very worthwhile to feel like part of a geography community’ (student 4 questionnaire)
Highlighting what lecturers do outside of lectures
I	‘It was useful to see lecturers from uni present their research to a wider audience and make the links between our uni experiences and beyond’ (student 2 questionnaire)
J	‘We didn’t really understand how it fitted in to what you then bring back to us’ (student 2 focus group)
K	‘It has given me more respect for the amount of work our lecturers put into completing a research project, on top of teaching and other university responsibilities they may have … I never understood what went on behind lectures and teaching until coming here’ (student 1 questionnaire)
L	‘Usually only get a small insight into when lecturers say they’ve been here, there and everywhere. So being able to experience the conference side of things … shows how much lecturers do’ (student 4 questionnaire)

One student, who was continuing with postgraduate study, additionally noted:

“I … wanted to see how academics presented their thesis, as well as PhD students showing their work — something which I could see myself doing in the future”. (Student 4 questionnaire)

These students were clearly interested in broadening their geographical horizons, extending their interest in the subject beyond their prescribed undergraduate syllabus and linking with possible future educational and employment activities.

Benefits of attending the conference

Five themes emerged from the student responses concerning the overall benefits gained from attending the RGS-IBG conference. These related to their views of the discipline and its relevance, recognising the benefit of academic studies for employment, gaining an overview of the research process and enhancing knowledge and skills.

The students commented upon the breadth and holism of the subject, which their single degree course did not necessarily communicate (Table 1, a–c). They further noted the inter-connections between geography and other disciplines such as politics, history and education. Related to this, the students commented in greater detail about the relevance of the subject and their university studies to the ‘real world’ (Table 1, d–g and h–j). This is a connection they often struggle to make in their early years of university study, so connecting students vertically across years to share such information might be a relevant activity.

The students came to appreciate the entirety of the research process, from contributing their views in classroom questionnaires, to presenting them to an external audience (Table 1, k–n). They made specific comments about dissemination:

“You come here and there’s other people that want to listen to what you’ve got to say”. (Student 1 focus group)

“Good being able to present to other people in the audience who had written books … to stand up and speak and not have them shaking their heads”. (Student 4 focus group)

The conference provides a vehicle by which the students complete their research journey, offering a forum for the public dissemination of research that they have been engaged in.

The final overall benefit was related to students enhancing their knowledge and skills via conference attendance and presentation (Table 1, o–r). Students spent much time in the focus group talking about how their confidence had been boosted in terms of their ability to present in the future and continuing with postgraduate education. Interestingly, the conference was noted as a ‘safe environment’ in which to present, despite the audience being comprised of an international collection of academics.

Benefits of taking part in the research processThree themes dominated the student responses concerning the benefits of taking part in the research process. This process was defined as the completion of questionnaires and focus group, examining the learning utility of the podcasts, preparation and delivery of the presentation at the conference and the joint writing of this publication. One aspect that emerged strongly was the progression of most students from objects of research to actors in the research process (Table 1, a–d). One student expressly commented that she did not feel like “a guinea pig for new things”. However, another commented that he felt like a test subject even after presenting at the conference. Generally, engagement with research led to increased confidence and a feeling of integration into the conference:

“It was good to present my thoughts and feelings to an audience and any presentation work will increase confidence so it was very beneficial”. (Student 4 questionnaire)

“I had an input to offer the event instead of just being there as an outsider”. (Student 3 questionnaire)

A conversation in the focus group highlighted how students would have liked to have applied their learning to their dissertations had they attended the conference earlier in their academic journey:

“We talked about how we’d maybe attack our dissertations differently had we been to this [conference] beforehand … and seen how people at the cutting edge of research are presenting their stuff”. (Student 2)

“… yeah definitely …” (Student 4)

“It might have been a good idea to have done something similar to this with our dissertation material beforehand … do a little PowerPoint and have your peers say ‘well have you thought about this?”. (Student 2)

Figure 1: Word cloud highlighting students’ top three experiences of engaging with the RGS-IBG Annual International Conference (n=12) (Courtesy of Wordle.net).

Indeed, both the questionnaire and focus group responses highlighted that the students were unanimous in their desire to attend such a conference at the end of year 2, rather than year 3, in order to apply their learning to their dissertations.

There were mixed feelings amongst the students about the extent to which taking part in the conference had drawn them into an academic community of practice. One expressed a feeling of engagement with academics and practitioners, whilst others felt partially immersed, separated by their lack of academic experience (Table 2 e–h). One student noted a sense of gate-keeping by individual academics, omitting non-specialists and causing him to feel alienated in a session:

“For some presentations, it felt like the keynote speaker was using specialist language to ‘own’ the subject (which doesn’t seem like making progress)”. (Student 3 questionnaire)

The experience of attending and presenting at the conference offered a fuller picture of how lecturers engage with the research process outside of lectures (Table 2, i–l). There was also a realisation of how this research could inform the teaching and learning experience:

“Just to see the process and understand how that would help develop learning” (Student 4 questionnaire)

There is a sense here of students looking beyond the ‘alien abduction theory’ (Jenkins et al., 1998) and becoming aware of why staff periodically disappear from campus. There was consensus in the focus group that staff should attend more conferences to incorporate current information in their teaching. In short, the conference allowed a positive ‘circumstance in which teaching and research have occasion to meet’ (Hattie and Marsh, 1996).

Conclusions

A much cited reason why the students took part in the conference was that it enabled them to present research that they had been ‘part of’. They took ownership of their views and opinions. It was a proud moment for me (Jennifer Hill) to see my undergraduate colleagues delivering their research perspectives with confidence and credibility before an international audience and to answer questions with responses that were accepted by the range of academics present. The students amply demonstrated the academic and personal skills, suitably guided, to mix with the assembled academic community, but the level of integration they perceived did vary. The overall experience was described by the students as enjoyable, interesting and inspiring (Figure 1). Post-conference they also expressed a greater appreciation for discipline breadth, currency and relevance, and of their academic studies’ benefit for employment.

Subsequently, the students expressed a sense of intellectual agency and legitimacy as co-producers and co-disseminators of knowledge with academic staff (Le Heron et al., 2006). They also had a greater appreciation for the research efforts of staff and they made connections between this research and their learning and teaching experience. Taking part fully in the research process, including dissemination (Boyer Commission, 1998), nurtured the geography researchers/scholars of the future, in addition to informing a knowledge network linked to innovative use of technology in student learning.

Overall, the students acted as able ambassadors for their university, gaining knowledge and skills and expressing greater confidence to progress with postgraduate study and subject-related employment. In order to improve the experience, the students highlighted the additional benefits of attending the conference at the end of year 2 rather than year 3 as this would allow them to feed forward their learning into their dissertations (Brown, 2007).