Abstract

The purpose of applied research is to inform action. Since our lives are built on the choices we make, critical evaluation, experiential learning and knowledge-sharing are developed competencies that ultimately transform our lives, our communities, and our future. The vision of Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus is to develop ‘New Zealand’s most employable graduates’; research capability and co-publication are meaningful, empowering and leverageable mechanisms in that pursuit. This reflective paper explores the value of student research, from three different stakeholder perspectives, by reflecting on a student-lecturer co-publication pilot initiative and its evolution into ‘Wānanga Kairangahau’ (researcher workshops). Wānanga Kairangahau is a student-led process designed to evolve assessment research into co-research and co-publication at Otago Polytechnic Auckland International Campus. The aim is to encourage greater participation in research and enthusiasm for inter-disciplinary, scaffolded learning and knowledge sharing on campus and beyond. Researchers seek to understand the world around them and the complex problems of society. We find that activating our research and expanding our networks and fields of influence can break boundaries and transcend limitations. We consider how to build on our expertise and global fields of experience to build knowledge, create impact, and embolden aspirations. By empowering an active research culture, we explore opportunities, capabilities and revelations that arise from growing a strong collaborative research practice to create new possibilities that enliven bold, forward action for more sustainable innovation (Zhukov & Cherrington, 2020).

Keywords:
Wānanga Kairangahau, researcher workshop, co-publication, co-research, employability, student-centred learning and teaching, research collaboration.

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