Kelly Trivedy
This post is an interview with Kelly Trivedy, the instructor on the SAGE Campus Plan Your Project online course, which guides learners through the planning skills needed to execute a successful project.
Kelly holds a multi-faceted career in education ranging across multiple course specialisms. She is an independent Academic Consultant, Tutor and Coach with Advance HE Senior Fellow status specialising in Higher Education with a key focus on reflective practice, critical thinking and research projects. Kelly’s expertise in Academic Practice and Educational Development is something she offers as part of her consultancy packages. Alongside her education practice, she is a Doctoral Researcher.
Interview with Kelly Trivedy
Q: Hi Kelly, tell us a bit about yourself?
Hello! I am of South Asian heritage and live in Nottingham with my husband. Professionally, I work as an independent academic consultant, coach and tutor working with Higher Education and Further Education students, lecturers and institutions. I help my students and clients to flourish and grow in confidence.
I have a keen interest in education and believe that the uniqueness that we all bring helps us in our future careers and life. My research interests are in critical thinking, project management and researcher positionality. I am currently on my doctoral journey.
When I am not working, I enjoy painting and photography! (I used to be a wedding photographer, and now my interests are more in abstract and nature). You will also find me in the kitchen experimenting with new dishes. I became vegan a few years back, and I enjoy finding new products and innovative ways of cooking.
Q: You’re the instructor for Plan Your Project course! What inspired you to make an online course with SAGE Campus on this topic?
Having worked for several years as a lecturer, I am a huge fan of interactive learning. I believe that having content chunked, so it is easily accessible and also enjoyable is important.
There were many ideas that I wanted to explore in my SAGE book Plan Your Research Project, and developing this new course on project planning more broadly gave me the perfect platform to enable me to do this. I like the idea of being able to speak directly to students and researchers so they have a voice they can relate to and empathise with their position, experience and current challenges and remind them to celebrate their wins.
Q: Who do you think will most benefit from your course?
Undergraduate students, post-graduate students or even first-time researchers will find this book of value. It contains pieces of rich information about project planning that are broken down in a way which can be built on.
Q: The course includes a module dedicated to research project planning. What advice do you have for students doing their first research-based project?
My first piece of advice would be to enjoy every moment. Use every opportunity (whether it’s a win or a challenge) to learn. Research is an iterative process whereby you are growing; your work is growing. Let that happen.
Sometimes we become our own worst critic, and although the ability to recognize where we need to develop is useful, it’s okay to know that there are a few weaknesses and plan for how you will tackle those.
Let yourself be comfortable in an uncomfortable research space, where you don’t have all the answers yet, but they will unfold, slowly. Progress won't happen overnight, but I assure you that you will be thankful for the research process in enabling you to go on a journey of self-growth, both academically, professionally, and personally.
Q: Why do you think students find this topic tricky? And why is it so important for institutions to get it right when teaching planning skills?
Planning a project can be a challenge due to the various other commitments involved, perhaps in your day role or personal role outside of the workplace. Executing and writing up a project is very different from writing a regular essay, and it requires a more nuanced knowledge and a breakdown of steps.
Institutions should aim to provide students with the tools to be able to navigate their own personalised challenges to navigate this with confidence and feel supported at the same time. This course does exactly that!
Q: What advice can you give to those still building their skills in project planning?
Take it one step at a time. Work out where your strengths are and maintain these, but also ensure that you look at the areas where you can grow and refine. Give yourself personalised goals to achieve this growth and seek support from those around you to aid your professional development (e.g., librarians, supervisors, peers etc.).
Q: What do you think the benefits are of teaching this topic in an online course format?
One of the most attractive qualities of this course is that it is self-paced. You can start and stop at your leisure. It is chunked into digestible snippets, and most of all, there is variety. Project planning is such a personal endeavour that you can choose which areas will support you with any challenges and give you the chance to put your personalised ideas into action.
Q: What do you believe is the most challenging part of a project planning journey?
Knowing how each component fits together. It can feel overwhelming when starting out, so having a starting point in the planning stage can help to navigate this with confidence. This course supports you with a project road map that helps you to become accountable for each step whilst still giving you plenty of tips and tricks to keep you motivated and on track.
Q: What’s a top tip/takeaway from your course? Do you have a favourite planning tool?
My top tip from this course is to have a list of go-to resources to support you and make your life easier when it comes to planning the various stages of your research project. My most favourite planning tool is Otter.ai. This tool is fantastic for the data collection stage, and I would recommend it to anyone who will be conducting interviews/focus groups. Careful planning at the start will save you time in the longer term! I hope it helps you as much as it has helped me!
Faculty can assign our online courses to their students and researchers to equip them with the knowledge they need. Find out about our Plan Your Project course by Kelly Trivedy and sign up to our demo hub to try a free module.
Libraries can get a full 30-day institution-wide trial to SAGE Campus. Recommend us to your library or request a trial if you are an administrator via this form.
