Establishing connections and exchanging ideas – Anastasiya Lipnevich reflects on her CRADLE visit

5 December 2019

The City University of New York’s A/Prof. Anastasiya Lipnevich arrived in late October for a two-week visit to CRADLE. The centrepiece of her stay was CRADLE’s 2019 International Symposium, and her trip also included a workshop and many research conversations with the CRADLE team. After returning to the bright lights of New York, Anastasiya reflected on her visit to CRADLE, from frequent exchanges of ideas with the CRADLE team to plenty of delicious culinary experiences!

What did you hope to achieve from your visit to CRADLE?

The main goal of my visit was to attend the Feedback Literacy symposium, and I stayed ten extra days to work with the CRADLE team.  I was hoping to establish collaborations and engage in the exchange of ideas, and I feel I succeeded.

What did you most enjoy about your time at CRADLE?

From a feedback literacy panel (from left: David Carless, David Boud, Elizabeth Molloy, Anastasiya Lipnevich & Naomi Winstone) to a Vegemite-tasting panel (from left: Naomi Winstone, Anastasiya Lipnevich & Ernesto Panadero)

I vastly enjoyed talking to colleagues and considering various epistemological and methodological approaches. I also greatly enjoyed partaking in the live debate on feedback literacy.

And the food! My visit to CRADLE will be associated with amazing culinary experiences, for sure. The company, the warmth, and the hospitality of the CRADLE researchers made my stay particularly enjoyable.

Have you come across any ideas or had any discussions which have challenged your thinking?

Definitely. Just to give an example, when I first mentioned the need for clear definition and measurement of the feedback literacy construct, Margaret Bearman noted: “I don’t think about feedback literacy as a construct…” It made me pause, for sure. As a person who comes from a quantitatively-heavy background, there were many instances when I had to pause, regroup and consider alternative views.

How will your visit to CRADLE impact your future research directions?

We have started a number of research collaborations, so there will be papers coming out of it. Those, inevitably, will marry our perspectives. 

What is one thing you will take away with you from your visit?

I really enjoyed observing frequent idea exchanges within the CRADLE group. The team members have varied backgrounds which make their collaborations particularly fruitful. I will also now consider feedback and assessment  from a more pedagogically focused perspective. I cannot promise that I will fully embrace it, but will be mindful of it in my research and writing, for sure. 

Out to dinner with CRADLE – from left: Ernesto Panadero, Jaclyn Broadbent, Rola Ajjawi, Matthew Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, Joanna Tai, Naomi Winstone, and Anastasiya Lipnevich

Best coffee spot and best dining spot you discovered in Melbourne?

I am a big-time coffee drinker so I enjoyed the impressive Melbournian coffee scene. I loved my morning coffee from Bar Nacional downstairs from the CRADLE office. The baristas were consistently excellent and they greeted me by my first name on day two! It was a really nice personal touch. Food-wise? It’s been excellent all over – from parma to pho to xiao long bao. May I also mention great wine and excellent cocktails? Those were beautiful in Arbory Afloat, Madame Brussels, and Eau de Vie.

Highlight of your visit to Melbourne?

The last night of my stay we went to St. Kilda to see the penguins. Such mesmerizing creatures! I’d return to Melbourne just for that. The feedback literacy symposium was one big scientific highlight as well. CRADLE did a splendid job organizing it and inviting a terrific group of scholars who made this event intellectually stimulating and fun to boot. 

I look forward to seeing my CRADLE colleagues and friends in San Francisco, New York, and Cádiz in 2020 – and to numerous joint projects!

For more on Anastasiya’s research, follow her on Twitter: @ALipnevich