Researcher Education and Development Scholarship Conference

Dr Amy Cartwright, Karen Coyle and Dr Stephanie Zihms, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK

Researcher Development is a profession defined by action. We plan, design, deliver, and evaluate workshops. We create mentoring programmes, respond to feedback, troubleshoot challenges, and build interventions designed to strengthen and empower researchers. Then summer arrives, we take a breath, and the cycle begins again. 

Like many in this multi‑layered role, we are often caught in the constant rhythm of doing. Doing more, doing new things, doing everything. What we rarely do is pause long enough to reflect on the impact of all that activity. 

So, when Dr Stephanie Zihms joined the then Graduate School at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) in 2023 with the idea of introducing structured reflective practice in our team, the reaction was a mix of curiosity, and a little fear. 

Stephanie: How It Started 

While working at the University of the West Scotland, I was introduced to the idea of monthly reporting and sharing by my then line manager, Dr Jane MacKenzie. When I moved to GCU in 2023, I carried this habit with me, not just for tracking my work, but as a resource for my annual review. 

At the same time, GCU had a new Principal, and our team was being asked to articulate what we do and to present our work at different forums. I suggested adapting my monthly reporting approach for the whole team, adding a reflective component so we could better understand and communicate our collective contribution. 

To support this, I introduced the team to several reflection models. We settled on the ERA model: Event, Reflection, Action developed by Jasper (2013). It felt clear, accessible, and sustainable. We didn’t want a system that added more pressure; we wanted something that complemented our existing process and helped make sense of our work. 

Karen: Why We Do It 

Seeing the Value in What We Do

Taking part in monthly reflections has helped us identify individual strengths, recognise skills, and pinpoint gaps in how we work. It has boosted confidence through peer recognition, and it has helped me personally think more deeply about the impact of the day-to-day work I do. 

What has surprised me most is how transformative shared reflection can be. We often think of reflection as private, but when it happens in a safe team space, it becomes something else entirely. It becomes a tool for celebrating each other, celebrating the big wins, the tiny victories, and everything in between. 

Instead of rushing through administrative tasks or feeling like we are completing items on an endless to-do list, reflection forces us to stop and properly acknowledge what we have achieved each month. It shifts our focus from completing tasks to learning from them. It has made us feel less like individuals working in parallel and more like a team working in connection. 

This matters. It strengthens collaboration, builds culture, and encourages honesty about what works, what doesn’t, and what we want to try next. It has helped me notice patterns in my own work, things I might have missed, had I not taken time to reflect each month. The Reflection Toolkit (University of Edinburgh) supports this when it states that “regularly reflecting over a longer timeframe (allows you) to see patterns and opportunities for learning that you may have missed.”  

Personal Impact of Reflective Practice

Coming from a Professional Services background rather than an academic one, this process has also helped me recognise the significance of my contributions, both seen and unseen. And importantly, it has helped me notice more of my colleagues’ achievements too, things that might otherwise have been lost in the busyness. 

Using Reflection to Move Forward

Beyond morale, reflective practice has had a very practical value. Our monthly reflections have become a form of evidence: a portfolio of achievements, challenges, growth, and impact over time. This has been invaluable for Performance and Development Annual Review (PDAR) discussions, fellowship applications, and career advancement. It gives us a structured way to demonstrate the difference we make. 

Ultimately, reflection isn’t only about looking back. For us, it’s a way of looking forward, building better teamwork, strengthening professional identity, and shaping our development as Researcher Developers. 

Amy: The Manager’s Perspective 

From Reporting to Development

As a line manager, the benefits are clear. Monthly reflections give me a richer, more nuanced understanding of the team’s work, its breadth, its depth, and its impact. It is a reminder not only of shared challenges but of shared successes. And crucially, it gives us a rare space to be honest, open, and developmental, something increasingly hard to find in university environments. 

The shift from administrative reporting to developmental practice is powerful. It relies on a foundation of trust, but when that foundation exists, it becomes transformative. Staff reflect, and then we meet to discuss points of interest, questions, or challenges. This strengthens connection and helps nurture an authentic, supportive culture. 

I hope this practice becomes part of how colleagues build toward their PDAR, shape career progression, and prepare grants or fellowship applications. Reflective practice takes time, time to think, document, and consider how your work fits into the bigger picture, but that time is valuable only if the practice itself feels meaningful. 

Working Reflectively Under Pressure

The reality is that “do more with less” has become a constant refrain across universities, particularly in researcher development. We are often balancing expanding provision, broader audiences, impact expectations, Research Excellence Framework (REF) culture shifts, and higher demands on time. The problem is rarely a lack of ideas; it’s the lack of capacity to deliver them all. 

Reflection helps. It creates space to understand what worked, why it worked, and where limited energy is best spent next. It isn’t about abandoning things that didn’t land; it’s about understanding what we learned and considering what is worth carrying forward. 

Reflection as a Cultural Change

In this work, we often operate as what Fiona Mackay (2021) calls tempered radicals, “individuals who are committed both to their organisations and to a cause, identity or ideology that is at odds with the dominant institutional culture.” 

Moving culture forward is a challenge for us all – to disrupt and influence in small and large ways, and this reflective practice allows us to foster this.

AI Notice: We used Co-Pilot as a developmental feedback tool in the development of this piece. The final article represents our collaborative work and ideas, with AI serving as a critical friend in the revision process. The AI did not generate new content but rather provided structured developmental feedback that helped us refine the presentation of our practice.