Keynote Lecture for the University of Hertfordshire's Education PGR Conference (November 2016)

1. Becoming a Researcher:
Secret identities,
Superpowers & Comics?
Dr Katy Vigurs
Staffordshire University
@drkatyvigurs

2. TALK
10
Mins
Show &
Tell
15 Mins
TALK
10
Mins
TALK
10
Mins
YO
U
YO
U
YO
U
15 minutes
Q&A at the
end

3. Let’s start with time travel: Dr Who?
2001 2002

4. Present day

5. Isolation
Stop-start
study What does the literature say
about common experiences of
part-time doctoral study?
At a
distance
Outside
of research
cultures
Juggling job
& study
Balancing
family life
Nervous
writers

7. • Participation in social practices
is a necessary condition for
learning. (Lave & Wenger, 1991)
• Part-time PGR students at risk
of remaining on periphery of
research communities.

8. The doctoral shadow.
Pay attention to it.
What does yours look like?

10. Shaping your doctoral shadow:
Let’s turn our thoughts to the
development of research
superpowers.

11. SUPERPOWER #1
Turning your doctoral experience
(thus far) into a haiku. Yes… a
haiku.

12. A haiku is a 3 line poem.
5 – 7 – 5
Syllables per line.

13. By monitor glow
A conference paper due
The grad student naps
Jorge Cham ‘A PhD Haiku’

14. Superhero Metaphor in Research

15. What
superpowers do
researchers
need?
List some!

17. Superhero Researcher Quiz
1. What is your main purpose? What are you
trying to achieve?
2. What are your superpowers/abilities?
3. Are you using any specialist
gadgets/technology?
4. Where did your superpowers stem from?
5. Do you have a secret identity or alter ego?
6. Do you work alone?

18. KV’s Superhero Responses
1. What is my main purpose? What am I
trying to achieve?
2. What superpowers/abilities have I
since developed?
3. Any specialist gadgets/technology?
4. Do I still have an alter ego?
5. Do I work alone?

19. Alter Egos & New Identities

20. How do you create scholarly
social ties?
Networked Scholarship:
A sort of
‘academic web-slinging’?

21. “Community development processes set out to create the context
within which meaningful relationships can be formed and through
which people have the space to grow and change and fulfill their
potential.”
(Flecknoe & McLellan, 1994: 7)
“The creation of networks is
significant for knowledge
acquisition, knowledge
generation, knowledge
transfer and professional
development.”
(Pataraia et al., 2015)

22. ‘Connexity’ in learning is where a culture of community is promoted through
activities which enable individuals and groups to join together in social
networks. These create occasions and spaces for informal learning.
(Chauhan, 2009)
Networks are the webs of informal relationships in & around formal structures.

24. “I lack the confidence to write
my own tweets.”
“I’m concerned how others
might respond.”
“I don’t want to appear foolish
or stupid. What if I’m
ridiculed?”

29. SUPERPOWER #2
Turning the subject matter of your
doctoral thesis into a single tweet.

30. A tweet is a sentence of up
to 140 characters (includes
spaces & punctuation)

32. Check out the
#TweetMyThesis
hashtag on
Twitter.

33. Want to know more? This just out.
Research paper published June 2016
Using Twitter to Tackle Peripherality? Scan QR code to access paper

34. Learn more about using Twitter in university
research, teaching & impact activities
User-friendly guide published by
Mollet, Moran and Dunleavy
Scan QR code to access paper

35. Things to reflect on…
Diverse methods for
communicating your
research(creative is good)
Audiences
Networks & scholarly
conversations

36. Achieving your doctorate is not
only about completing your
thesis.
Think about the ‘research
superpowers’ that you have
developed (or will develop).
Don’t be afraid to show your
examiners your researcher alter-
ego!
(Cape and mask optional)

37. Ten research blogs I STRONGLY recommend subscribing to:
• Dr Naomi Barnes https://courtingtheacademy.wordpress.com/
• Prof Pat Thomson (Patter) https://patthomson.net/
• Dr Inger Mewburn https://thesiswhisperer.com/
• The Research Whisperer https://theresearchwhisperer.wordpress.com/
• Dr Helen Kara (independent researcher) https://helenkara.com/blog/
• BERA Blog https://www.bera.ac.uk/blog
• Dr Rachael Cayley https://explorationsofstyle.com/
• Dr Nathan Ryder http://viva-survivors.com/
• Dr Nick Hopwood https://nickhop.wordpress.com/
• Doctoral Writing https://doctoralwriting.wordpress.com/
Get new
posts direct
by email!!
These
blogs can
become
part of your
scholarly
networks

38. So what have comics got to do
with research?