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Introduction
For the summer of 2021, our small student-led team worked on a research project called ConnectNB through the Pathways to Professions (P2P) program at the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT). P2P is a 13-week experiential learning program that provides post-secondary students with an opportunity to work on NB-relevant research projects while completing workplace and professional development training. The goal of the ConnectNB research stream was to create a networking program to provide experiential education opportunities to post-secondary students in NB.
Research Findings
ConnectNB is a student-led research project tasked with the development of a research project bank. It is also part of DataConnect: an NB-IRDT project aimed at increasing data literacy in the public sector in NB. Our goal was to create a list of research questions to populate the project inventory, which was to be accomplished by conducting structured interviews with government stakeholders to determine priority research areas and how student research projects could help address those research needs. We conducted all interviews with the same guided questions to ensure each interview was standardized for reliable data collection. This allowed us to gather data on past, current, and future concerns and priorities within government to establish a comprehensive view of how student research can contribute within the provincial government.
Once we began conducting stakeholder interviews, our team quickly realized that this project required a different outlook. For ConnectNB to be sustainable and expandable to other GNB departments and the private sector, our focus needed to shift. Through a qualitative thematic analysis of the interviews, we chose to move away from the development of research projects and toward the development of professional connections between students and potential research supervisors in government, industry, and academia.
Under a new framework, our team began to focus on planning networking events. The flagship DataConnect event will focus on the value of experiential education and the use of student-driven research. It will feature a job fair style networking component to allow students and academics to connect with public and private community organizations looking to conduct research. It is our hope that these recurring events will allow for the sustainable creation of new and relevant research projects that benefit the students, stakeholders, and the community.
Conclusion – Message to Students
Our ConnectNB team had a fulfilling and enriching summer experience working as student researchers through P2P. We benefited from the professional connections and experiences gained through our engagement with stakeholders. Working on the ConnectNB project gave us a better understanding of the rich opportunities available to us in our own province. P2P merged technical skill building with experiential learning, providing a summer employment opportunity that encouraged personal reflection and growth. We encourage any students interested in data literacy and research to keep their eyes open for any future P2P and DataConnect opportunities!
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