Part one of a two-part series
Introduction
Research assistantships offer students a valuable opportunity to experience learning in a different context: applying their existing knowledge to a live academic project while developing new skills and taking responsibility for work in a professional setting.
In this first article of a two-part series, we bring together my perspective as an academic supervisor and Kexin Huang’s reflection on her experience working as a research assistant to explore what students can gain from these opportunities. In the second article, I offer practical guidance for academics incorporating research assistantships into their practice.
Context
Kexin joined me for a research assistantship during Summer 2026 to analyse a focus-group transcript evaluating an educational initiative that colleagues and I have developed in my School. She identified themes, selected quotations and created visual assets to support dissemination of our work. We subsequently worked together on another project, focusing on a literature review exploring AI in university curricula and assessment.
The academic’s perspective
An assistantship can help students recognise how valuable their existing skills can be in a different context. Kexin brought experience of analysing interview data from her final year dissertation in the Business School to a focus-group study in the School of Economics. Her contribution illustrates how skills developed within one discipline can support work on different questions in another.
There is also room to learn something new. I built paid time into the assistantship for Kexin to learn NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software. This gave her an opportunity to learn a tool beyond those encountered during her degree, with applications she could take into future work.
Another benefit is developing judgement about how research is communicated. In feedback on Kexin’s work, I encouraged her to consider which quotations would best convey participants’ experiences to readers and which words would meaningfully represent themes in a word cloud. These decisions involve thinking about purpose and audience alongside analysis. Working through successive drafts can help students build confidence in receiving and using feedback, experiencing it as guidance and an integral part of improving the work rather than a judgement of their capability. This process, familiar to us as academics, can encourage a constructive view of feedback that students can carry into future workplaces.
The professional learning around the tasks deserves recognition too. Communicating by email and in meetings, meeting deadlines, keeping a supervisor informed of delays and clarifying expectations are important workplace skills. Students may overlook this learning while concentrating on an output. Part of supervision, for me, is helping them recognise the value of gaining such employability skills and build their confidence in asking questions, including when they feel uncertain or hesitant.
The research assistant’s perspective
Moving from undergraduate study into this research assistant role changed how I approach problems. As a student, I completed tasks to learn a process and prepare for assessment. In this role, I took responsibility for work that contributed to a wider project.
One of my favourite tasks involved using NVivo for thematic analysis of focus-group data, which helped me work more systematically. The most valuable lesson was learning to turn findings into visual materials and judge which format presented each finding most clearly, guided by the project’s requirements.
I applied these skills again in a literature review on AI in university curricula and assessment. This showed me the value of a clear framework for working efficiently. For this project, I also used Claude to stress-test my summaries, returning to the original source whenever something surprising emerged. Maintaining human oversight and judgement was a key lesson.
My biggest challenge was relying on coursework habits, which led to early outputs that lacked the detail and clarity required. Revisions took time I had not planned for, showing me the importance of building time to act on feedback into my work plan. I am grateful to Dr Navid for her detailed guidance. I learned that clarifying expectations early is more efficient than working hard alone.
This role also gave me a clearer view of my career direction. The data interpretation, visualisation and communication skills I developed will support the client-facing consulting career I hope to pursue, where presenting findings clearly matters as much as the analysis itself.
An opportunity worth exploring
Research assistantships offer more than paid work: they give students opportunities to put their knowledge and skills into practice, develop new ones and learn the professional habits that support working towards shared goals. Taking responsibility for a project’s progress while learning alongside colleagues can build confidence in what they have to offer. I would encourage students to explore opportunities within and beyond their own School, recognising both the value they can contribute and what they can gain from the experience.
About the authors
Dr Sara Navid is a Lecturer in the School of Economics at the University of Bristol.
Miss Kexin Huang graduated from the Bristol Business School, University of Bristol in July 2026 with a BSc in Business and Management.
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