Throughout this module I have been feeling like an outsider going in blind to the land of research. As a technical member of staff, I feel that I am not experienced in the traditional sphere of academic research and when being asked by Lyndsey what has been joyous, challenging and questioning in this project it surfaced. This conversation transformed into a positive outlook, using my inexperience as a refreshing perspective on research and realising that I conduct research more frequently and informally than I first thought.

When reflecting on my relationship to my research, I always think about the struggle I might face when trying to connect to the student body, enabling the collection of data for the research. Technical spaces are not timetabled with students, they chose to come here on their own and in their non timetabled ‘free time’. Due to this, it feels that it may be harder to gain information from students than if I was in an academic role with a specific cohort. Reading Brennan, J. and Williams, R. (2004) challenged my perspective by recognising the close relationships we have with students that come to the workshops, even though universities are generally loosing this connection due to higher student numbers. Valuable connections are made in workshop spaces as communities are built within our department and these relationships can be used when collecting data. It is important to create partnerships with students that build an ethical relationship (Araneta, K., Fraser, J., and Maatwk, F., 2022) by treating all members as capable and intelligent and equal (Advance HE, no date).

It will also be important to get information from students that don’t come to the workshops, asking specific questions that outline why they might not use the facilities; are there any barriers in place that are causing students to not use the space? This information will be equally as important as the data collected in the workshops to create a well rounded representation of the student body and their experience (University of Plymouth, no date).

• Advance HE (no date) Student engagement through partnership in higher education. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/guidance/teaching-and-learning/student-engagement-through-partnership (Accessed: 1/12/23).
• Araneta, K., Fraser, J., and Maatwk, F. (2022). University of Westminster Student Partnership Framework. London: Centre for Education and Teaching Innovation, University of Westminster. Available from: https://cti.westminster.ac.uk/about-student-partnership/ DOI: https://doi.org/10.34737/w0qz4
• Brennan, J. and Williams, R. (2004) Collecting and using student feedback. A guide to good practice. York: Learning and Teaching Support Network.
• University of Plymouth (no date) Student Voice: a guide for staff. Available at: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/about-us/teaching-and-learning/guidance-and-resources/student-voice-a-guide-for-staff (Accessed: 22/11/23).