Group Helps Tutors Learn - East Anglian Daily Times, 8 February 2005

Suffolk College has enjoyed Investor in People status for nearly two years now, and, true to the ethos of this national award, it continues to identify innovative ways to encourage the development of its staff.

The introduction last September of the Research Club is a good example of putting principles into practice. It is open to Suffolk College staff who are studying for a doctorate, and the quarterly meetings provide an opportunity to encourage a research culture and draw on group support.

The club was founded by Dr Penny Cavenagh, who heads up the Suffolk Business School and who recognised the value of such a forum while studying for her PhD at London University. “We had to attend annual conferences and present our work to our peers and supervisors” says Penny “It was an excellent learning experience, and I wanted to create the same learning environment for our staff and foster a multidisciplinary approach.”

As an action-centred group, the members choose the focus of the meetings, although the format usually contains a guest speaker, two presentations from doctorate students, followed by constructive feedback from their peers and guidance from a University of East Anglia supervisor. There are more than 20 members who are drawn from across the college. This interaction provides not only the opportunity to test research findings in a wider context, which is an important aspect of any doctorate, but also to combat the sense of isolation which can be a problem of academic discipline at such a high level. Steve Harris, a lecturer in the computing team of Suffolk Business School, certainly feels he has benefited from the group: “It is re-assuring to hear that others have similar experiences and questions. As we are carrying out research in several different subject areas, it is always beneficial to hear how other member of staff are approaching their research and how they have resolved problems. The guest speakers have been very helpful. Their experience as active researchers and PhD supervisors has helped us better understand what it means to be a PhD student.” Steve is combining his computer expertise with his background in geography to work on a modelling technique for different types of wave energy, such electromagnetic or acoustic, for geophysical applications. As this process has not previously been applied to the study of ocean waves in detail, Steve is excited to be venturing into a new area.

Staff development of this high calibre has an obvious advantage for Suffolk College students. As Bronwyn Betts, who is currently completing her Doctor of Education, says “Not only has it enabled me to study a topic to which I am totally committed, it has given me the knowledge, skills and confidence to work more effectively with my students.”