CHEPD hosted a Research Skills Development Session on Friday, 7 August 2026 for the MEd in Higher Education Studies 2026 cohort, with presentations by Prof Dorothy Laubscher, Prof Kudzayi Tarisayi and Dr Rhea Koch of North-West University (NWU).
Prof Dorothy Laubscher focused on developing effective research proposals. She highlighted the importance of identifying a meaningful research gap, formulating a clear research problem, and ensuring alignment between research questions, aims, theoretical frameworks and methodology. She emphasised that successful postgraduate research requires strong academic skills, including critical thinking, scientific writing and methodological knowledge. Students were encouraged to select research methods that aligned with their research questions and to avoid common challenges, such as weak theoretical foundation, poor alignment between research objectives and methods, and incorrect referencing practices.
Prof Kudzayi Tarisayi, the author of Artificial Intelligence in Postgraduate Research Methodology, explored the role of AI in postgraduate research, emphasising the principle that AI should support rather than replace critical thinking. Introducing the concept of augmented intelligence, he demonstrated how tools such as Keenious, Connected Papers and ORKG Ask can assist with literature discovery, organisation and synthesis. He stressed that researchers remain responsible for evaluating AI-generated content, recognising potential biases and inaccuracies, and ensuring ethical and transparent use of AI in accordance with academic standards and institutional policies.
Dr Rhea Koch provided a practical overview of EndNote as a reference management software. She demonstrated how the software can assist researchers in organising and managing literature, generating reference lists and integrating references directly into Microsoft Word. She also highlighted the value of systematic organisation and practical application in improving research productivity.
The session enriched students’ research skills through expert guidance on research proposal writing, artificial intelligence (AI) and research support software applications.
