'Pre-Run, Re-Run': An innovative research capacity building exercise

Area of Science:

• Higher Education Research
• Academic Collaboration
• Research Methodology

Background:

• Experienced and novice researchers in higher education seldom interact to discuss research projects, findings, or challenges.
• This lack of inter-generational knowledge exchange can hinder professional development and research progress.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative strategy, the 'Pre-run, Re-run' learning community, designed to foster interaction between researchers of diverse experience levels.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy in building professional communication, collegial respect, and scholarship.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of the 'Pre-run, Re-run' learning community model.
• Encouraging equal participation and interaction between professors and junior staff.
• Modeling specific processes to facilitate discussion and knowledge sharing.

Main Results:

• The evaluation demonstrated significant value in bringing together researchers with diverse profiles.
• Mixing experienced and novice researchers facilitated wide-ranging discussions, sharing of techniques, big-picture understanding, and obstacle navigation.
• Novice researchers brought fresh perspectives, enthusiasm, and energy, revitalizing the research environment.

Conclusions:

• The 'Pre-run, Re-run' model is a successful strategy for building a productive, mixed research culture within higher education.
• While locally developed, the methods used can benefit other institutions aiming to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange.