Have you been keeping up with the HDR development bulletin? Each week a different aspect of the Research and Employability Skills Training (REST) Program is spotlighted to help HDR students’ identify opportunities to progress with their skill development. The skills covered so far include Career planning, Thesis writing and Research practice.
See below for what was covered and full details further on. For personalised advice, email HDR.Development@flinders.edu.au and we can help 😊
New REST module available – Industry Engagement (Mon 6 May)
New REST module available – HDR Practice and Process (Mon 13 May)
Communicating your Research – 3MT Competition (Mon 20 May)
National Reconciliation Week, 27 May – 3 June (Mon 27 May)
New REST module available – Industry Engagement
Monday 6 May
Industry engagement during a HDR is become increasingly more common, and expected. Students are encouraged to engage with industry throughout their candidature, and almost 50 percent of our HDR graduates find careers in industry. It is thus important that students and supervisors are supported in developing meaningful industry connections. This module highlights the value of industry engagement, and presents a number of different ways that students can engage with industry. It also provides some training and useful resources to prepare students who are going out to industry. This module will expand over time with more information and training resources still under development, but is a good starting point for students considering industry as a possible collaborator, partner or future employer.
To view and complete the module, please click the link below to be taken directly to the module. If you are not yet registered in the REST FLO (Canvas site), you will first need to register via https://canvas.flinders.edu.au/enroll/FM8AWN.
We would love to hear your feedback on this module, as well as the other modules and content we are creating through the new REST site. So please reach out anytime at hdr.development@flinders.edu.au.
New REST module available – HDR Practice and Process
Monday 13 May
The HDR Practice and Process module outlines the governance, process and support available in a higher degree by research. It details the policies and procedures that govern HDRs, giving you an overview of the governance structure. The module also highlights support available to students to ensure your wellbeing and safety on campus, through consent and respectful relationship policy and resources, detailing the student complaints policy and your rights as a student. The module also introduces you to ethical research principles, including four online activities on how to approach your research ethically.
To view and complete the module, please click the link below to be taken directly to the module. If you are not yet registered in the REST FLO (Canvas site), you will first need to register via https://canvas.flinders.edu.au/enroll/FM8AWN.
We would love to hear your feedback on this module, as well as the other modules and content we are creating through the new REST site. So please reach out anytime at hdr.development@flinders.edu.au.
Communicating your Research – 3MT Competition
Monday 20 May
The Flinders University 2024 3MT competition is officially open and all Flinders PhD students are invited to participate. The 3MT competition is the perfect opportunity to develop your academic, presentation and research communication skills in a fun and supportive environment. Presenting in a 3MT competition increases your capacity to effectively explain your research in three minutes, in a language appropriate to a non-specialist audience, through one PowerPoint slide. But you do not have to do this on your own – you will be supported throughout the competition through training materials, workshops, practice sessions and feedback that will help you perfect your talk. If you are interested, please register for the competition via the button below.
To help you prepare for the 3MT competition, and to help you develop your presentation skills more broadly, the OGR has organised the following workshops.
Preparing for the 3MT – Everything you need to know
Monday 20 May 2024, 1:30-3:30pm
This workshop by Hugh Kearns from ThinkWell explains what the 3MT is and how it works. It describes the judging criteria and provides strategies and suggestions to help you win over the judging panel. You will find out how to make your presentation stand out and be memorable, how to prepare and practice and what to do on the day itself. And very importantly, you will learn strategies to cope with the inevitable anxiety.
Presenting your Research with confidence
Friday 24 May 2024, 10am-12pm
This workshop by Hugh Kearns from ThinkWell helps researchers prepare for their presentations. It provides a clear step-by-step structure that you can use again to give high quality presentations. It will cover how to make your message relevant to your audience, how to structure your talk, how to prepare material, as well as how to deal with questions and nervousness. And it will be interactive and fun!
Communicating the Impact of you research
Friday 7 June 2024, 10am-12pm
This workshop by Hugh Kearns from ThinkWell helps researchers develop a communication strategy for their research, identifying ways to make their research accessible and pitching the impact of the research to the right audience without dumbing it down. This is an important skill to create further funding and collaboration opportunities, to encourage the application of your findings and for your own career.
National Reconciliation Week, 27 May – 3 June
Monday 27 May
National Reconciliation Week’s theme for 2024, ‘Now More Than Ever’, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will — and must— continue.
We would like to draw your attention to the Flinders University Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan 2023-2025 and to learn more about Flinders’ commitment to reconciliation. In 2024, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous) released the Indigenous Research Strategy 2024-2026. This initiative represents the first of its kind at the University and serves as a unique commitment to redressing social transformation and reconciliation through a robust, ethical, and sustainable Indigenous research agenda. The strategy is built on four key priorities including:
- Priority 1: Research Excellence;
- Priority 2: Research Reciprocity and Impact;
- Priority 3: Indigenous Research Capacity and Leadership; and
- Priority 4: Research Responsibility
The Office of Graduate Research works closely with the Office of Indigenous Strategy and Engagement to ensure there are strategies in place to respond to both the RAP and the Indigenous Research Strategy. These include:
- Quarterly reporting to the University HDR Committee about Indigenous Engagement.
- Increasing accessibility for Indigenous students
- Increased the stipend rate for the Professor Lowitja O’Donoghue Indigenous Student Postgraduate Research Scholarship for current and new recipients.
- Engaging in the development of Indigenous Research Methodologies module for REST (forthcoming).
Engagement of Indigenous HDR students
Across 5 of the 6 Colleges there are currently 14 Indigenous HDR students.
INDG9000 Indigenous Research Methodologies
The Indigenous Studies team in the College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences annually offers INDG9000 Indigenous Research Methodologies and this topic will be commencing again mid-year in 2025 (one-week intensive, 9-5 at Flinders City Campus). This topic is aimed at Indigenous identifying Post-Graduate Coursework and HDR students (supervisors also can attend if they would like) and non-Indigenous HDR students who are engaged in Indigenous research. Expressions of interest to do this week-long intensive in mid-year 2025 can be directed to Ali.Baker@flinders.edu.au.
First Nations Researchers Collective Program
Are you an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander who is engaged in research? If so, you might want to connect with other Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander researchers (from Honours to PhD and beyond) through the First Nations Researchers Collective. Find out more here or contact researchers.collective@flinders.edu.au.