“Friendly, inspiring and productive” – Rachelle Esterhazy reflects on her stay at CRADLE

2 February 2018

Just before Christmas, visiting PhD student Rachelle Esterhazy (University of Oslo) returned to Norway after her three-month stay here at CRADLE. Before she left, she took the time to answer some questions about her stay at CRADLE… read on to discover the highlights of Rachelle’s stay, her top Melbourne experiences, and what she learnt about the Australian way of life!

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

It is common for PhD candidates at the University of Oslo in Norway to go abroad for some months, in order to get to know a different research environment. When I was invited to visit CRADLE for three months, I was excited to get the chance to work with some of the top researchers in the field of feedback in higher education and to learn more about their perspectives and ways of doing research. After a wonderful time in Melbourne I can now say my expectations have been completely fulfilled!

Q. What did you most enjoy about your time at CRADLE?

Rachelle chats with fellow CRADLE visitors Chris Deneen and Edd Pitt. Photo: Sarah Lambert

The working atmosphere at CRADLE is wonderful – friendly, inspiring and productive. The daily exchanges with the team and the many interesting international guests made it a pleasure to come to the office. I feel I have learned a lot academically, but also about the Australian way of life and how to have ‘no worries’ – even in intense working phases.

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

Absolutely! There were many ‘aha!’ moments in which I grasped some concepts and ideas that I had heard of before, but of which I hadn’t fully understood the consequences for my own research. It was inspiring that all CRADLE team members always lent me an ear when I had questions or ideas, and these deep conversations often made me rethink certain of my viewpoints on feedback but also on more general topics in higher education research.

Q. How will your visit to CRADLE impact on your future research directions?

The CRADLE team’s research plays a pioneering role in the field of feedback, and many of their studies had found their way into my thesis even before my visit. After having discussed my ideas with my Australian colleagues, I am now even more certain that their perspectives work very well with my own approach. Upon finishing my thesis by the end of 2018, I hope to continue my future research in the field of assessment and feedback and would be delighted to engage in further collaborative work with the CRADLE team.

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

One of the things I learned during my stay is to engage in more explorative conversations with other academics and to discuss your own ideas and texts early on. There is much potential in exploring challenging topics together and I believe that research environments like CRADLE are successful because of the continuous exchange of ideas between the team members.

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

I had many culinary highlights during my time in Melbourne, and I am still dreaming of the great variety and quality of the local food culture. One of my favourite restaurants was Rice Paper Scissors where I had the most delicious Asian fusion food. I would give much for being able to recreate the tastes I tried there!

As for coffee, I was amazed how rarely I encountered a bad coffee place. But if I had to choose one, I probably would say that I had my favourite coffee experience during a brunch at Jardin Tan in the Botanical Gardens. Sitting in the half shade under tropical plants and enjoying a good café latte is something that we can only dream of here in Norway!

Q. Highlight of your visit to Melbourne?

I had many wonderful experiences in Melbourne, but among the best was a weekend in the middle of November when my partner visited me and we went to the outdoor Globe Pop-Up Theatre in one of Melbourne’s parks to see Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’. The atmosphere was wonderful and the weather fantastic. And of course, the weekend would not have been complete without spending the rest of the time tasting ourselves through the wonderful restaurants and cafes that you can find literally everywhere.

To follow Rachelle’s research, visit her on Twitter (@Rachelle_Es) or at ResearchGate.