Tag: Inclusion

Learning how academia really works: what doctoral students discover beyond the PhD handbook

Authors: Sandeep Khattri and Lynette Pretorius. Most doctoral students begin their PhD expecting to learn how to conduct research. They read the literature, design a study, collect and analyse data, and aim to contribute new knowledge to their field. On paper, the path to becoming a scholar appears relatively clear: map the literature, master the

The questions that keep me up at night and what I plan to do about them in 2026

Author: Lynette Pretorius. Hi everyone, and welcome to The Scholar’s Way for 2026! As I start the year back at work, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what I do. A nice introduction to my new subscribers and a reminder of why you are here if you’ve subscribed for a

When AI meets Ubuntu: rethinking power in academic writing

Author: Lynette Pretorius. Hi everyone! I’m excited to share a new podcast episode that I think you’ll enjoy. Last week, I had the privilege of presenting my latest research on generative AI to the Australian Association for Research in Education. We explored some of the big questions shaping higher education right now, particularly how we

Reclaiming our words: how generative AI helps multilingual scholars find their voice

Authors: Lynette Pretorius and Redi Pudyanti. Acknowledgement: This blog post extends our presentation at the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Conference 2025. We acknowledge the other co-authors of our paper, as it was a truly collaborative project: Huy-Hoang Huynh, Ziqi Li, Abdul Qawi Noori, and Zhiheng Zhou. As the South African

Whose story is it anyway? The transformative power of pseudonym choice

Author: Lynette Pretorius and Sweta Vijaykumar Patel. As qualitative researchers, we’ve often used pseudonyms in our work to protect the identities of participants. It’s a standard practice and one that’s meant to safeguard confidentiality while ensuring their stories remain authentic. But recently, we conducted a study that made us pause and rethink how we approach

Moving beyond binaries in research: weaving the tapestry of participants’ experiences

Author: Lynette Pretorius. In today’s data-driven world, there is a lot of talk about making decisions based on so-called objective data. For example, schools and universities use information about the mix of students and staff to shape how they teach and run things. Information such as age, where people live, how much schooling they have

Building a sense of belonging for students who do not live on campus

Author: Lynette Pretorius. Students who do not live on campus and commute to university (often termed commuter students) can experience a sense of detachment from the university community, which can adversely affect their student experience. Juggling travel, studies, and other commitments means that these students can feel like they are visitors to their own campus.