Abstract

Upon beginning the postgraduate research student journey in the main postgrad lab at the Faculty of Built Environment at UNSW, many of the authors were surprised to find themselves working in a library-like environment, where a culture of silence seemed to prevail. Assuming initially that this was just what postgraduate research must be like, the authors soon learned that the building also housed a second postgrad lab with a more collaborative and vibrant work environment. This discovery prompted the authors to create an informal research community group, named the Cohort Knowledge Share Group (CKSG), and to develop a 'mini-thesis' to explore the differences between the two labs and to share in the thesis creation process. Method Auto-ethnographic perspectives shaped the mini-thesis study, which utilized a mixed methodology incorporating a questionnaire, individual reflections and interviews, focus group sessions and an observation method. Results Themes emerging from the mini-thesis results illustrated that despite undertaking a common journey (thesis creation), the diverse and multicultural nature of the research student community created complex needs in terms of facilities, community engagement and personal support. Also evident was the way appropriate facilities and community engagement could affect student behaviour and performance. Conclusion In addition, while undertaking the mini-thesis study, the authors discovered that the innovative CKSG model had changed the sense of community in the main postgrad lab, as well as the research student journey throughout the faculty. As this case study will show, the CKSG has therefore been a transformative experience in more ways than one.