Live masterclasses will be offered monthly throughout 2025. These are an opportunity to build on some of the basic research and software skills that can be learned from the Research Accelerator content. 

If you're not able to attend the workshop live, all masterclasses will be recorded and made available in the Research Accelerator library within a week of the workshop finishing.

Note: You must have an active Research Accelerator membership for the masterclass dates in order to be eligible to attend.

Demystifying AI in Research: Beyond the Hype

Facilitators: Drs Lyn Lavery and Jane George

Date and Time: 22 July 2025, 9:30am–12:30pm NZST

Registration for the masterclass: This workshop is only open to Research Accelerator members. If you are a current member, you'll find the Zoom link in the live sessions calendar or in Lyn's Monday morning email. If you're not currently a member, you can view details about the membership here: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/bundles/membership

This interactive masterclass is designed for researchers who want to develop critical AI literacy for their research practice. Whether you're hesitant about AI or already experimenting with various tools, this session will help you responsibly navigate the AI landscape with confidence. We'll focus on building your understanding of AI as a research partner, developing skills to critically evaluate AI outputs, and establishing frameworks for ethical and transparent AI use in academic contexts.
 
What you'll learn:

  • Understanding AI's capabilities and inherent limitations 
  • Key risks to consider e.g. biases, environmental impacts, and the need for critical evaluation
  • Benefits and appropriate applications of AI in research contexts
  • Developing your own guidelines for responsible AI use in research

This is a hands-on masterclass featuring interactive exercises, real-world examples, and group activities designed to demonstrate both AI capabilities and limitations. We’ll be focusing on AI principles and responsible use rather than technical training or step-by-step tool tutorials.

Thematic Analysis

Facilitator: Professor Nigel King

Date and Time: 29 August 2025, 7:00am–10:00am NZST

Registration for the session: This workshop is only open to Research Accelerator members. If you are a current member, you'll find the Zoom link in the live sessions calendar or in Lyn's Monday morning email. If you're not currently a member, you can view details about the membership here: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/bundles/membership

Thematic analysis is a core technique to qualitative research. Although Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA) is the best known and most widely used form, it is important to recognise that it is only one of numerous approaches available to researchers. To get the best out of your analysis you need to make an informed decision about which type of thematic analysis best suits the needs of your study. In this workshop we will examine the similarities and differences between three forms of thematic analysis: RTA, Template Analysis and Framework Analysis. We will consider the aspects of research design, philosophical position, desired impact and personal analytical style that should inform decisions about which to use when. Practical exercises will be used extensively in the session.

Unravelling the Yarn: Journalling Techniques for Researchers

Facilitator: Dr Lyn Lavery

Date and Time: 23 September 2025, 9:30am–12:30pm NZST

Registration for the session: This workshop is only open to Research Accelerator members. If you are a current member, you'll find the Zoom link in the live sessions calendar or in Lyn's Monday morning email. If you're not currently a member, you can view details about the membership here: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/bundles/membership

In this masterclass we’ll be delving into the heart of journalling. Discover creative journalling avenues such as the acclaimed Bullet Journal method, alongside popular practices like Morning Pages, to catalyse your reflective and analytical processes. Uncover the nuanced differences between personal journals, research journals and qualitative memos, demystifying their distinct roles in the research process. Through a blend of theory and practical insights, this session aims to equip researchers with diverse journalling techniques to foster a structured yet imaginative approach to capturing ideas, insights, and the unfolding narrative of their inquiry.

Drawing as a Visual Elicitation Method in Qualitative Research

Facilitator: Professor Nigel King

Date and Time: 3 October, 8:00am–11:00am NZDT

Registration for the session: This workshop is only open to Research Accelerator members. If you are a current member, you'll find the Zoom link in the live sessions calendar or in Lyn's Monday morning email. If you're not currently a member, you can view details about the membership here: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/bundles/membership

Visual elicitation methods have become ever more prominent in qualitative research in recent years, reflecting their ability to capture aspects of experience that may be missed by verbal and written textual methods alone. In this hands-on workshop, Professor King will give a brief introduction to the field of visual methods as a whole, before focusing in upon drawing-based techniques. A key distinction will be highlighted between “free drawing” and “supplied metaphor” approaches, with extensive exercises related to each, to provide attendees with direct experience of their use. There will also be a discussion of the analysis of visual material and related practical activities.

Previous Masterclasses

Writing a Qualitative Discussion

Facilitator: Professor Nigel King

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/qualitative-discussion

The final discussion chapter is always crucial to a thesis; it is where you draw out your significant and original contribution to knowledge, which is the basis for all doctoral awards, and is the last thing your examiners read! For qualitative theses – including mixed methods ones with a major qualitative element – getting this chapter right can be particularly challenging. In this workshop we will explore what makes for a persuasive discussion chapter in a qualitative thesis, what some of the common pitfalls are and how they can be avoided. Hands-on exercises will be used to reinforce learning. Professor King will draw on his extensive experience as a doctoral supervisor, examiner, and as Dean of a Graduate School.

Plain Language, Powerful Impact: Crafting Your Research for Social Media

Facilitator: Dr Jane George

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/social-media-mc

Are you sitting on valuable doctoral research that deserves wider recognition beyond academic circles? This masterclass will equip you with practical strategies to transform complex research findings into engaging, accessible content for LinkedIn and other social media platforms.

Whether you're just completing your doctorate or have been in academia for years, this session will help you communicate your expertise in ways that resonate with diverse audiences while maintaining the integrity of your research. We'll explore how to translate academic concepts into plain language that connects with professionals, policymakers, and the public.

Content will include:

  • Why sharing your research on social media matters: Building your professional profile, extending research impact, and creating new opportunities
  • Identifying and extracting key messages that will resonate with non-academic audiences
  • Developing achievable posting schedules that fit alongside your other commitments
  • Practical post structures that work on LinkedIn and can be adapted for other platforms
  • Planning strategies to maintain consistent, quality content without overwhelming yourself
  • Setting boundaries and practicing social media self-care in an always-on digital environment


This masterclass takes a hands-on approach, so come prepared to work with your own research and leave with practical templates and strategies you can implement immediately. You'll gain confidence in communicating your academic work in accessible ways that amplify its impact and your professional visibility.

From Coding to Connections in NVivo

Facilitator: Dr Lyn Lavery

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/nvivo-connections

Unlock the full potential of your qualitative data with NVivo’s tools for finding and visualising connections. Following Lyn’s presentation at Research Accelerator 2024, this workshop will help you understand the power of NVivo’s analytic tools. There will be a focus on techniques to help you identify patterns, investigate hunches, make subgroup comparisons, and gain insights into your research data. This will include creating diagrams and maps, running coding queries, and visualisation techniques. This masterclass is perfect for researchers with a current NVivo project who want to get the most out of the software. We won’t be covering any of the basics, so it’s important that you’re comfortable with the fundamentals of working with the software.

Befriending that paper you’re trying to publish: Let’s get on with it!

Facilitator: Dr Ruth Allen

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/befriending-that-paper/


Are you hoping to publish your work in an academic or professional journal? This masterclass is aimed at researchers who have completed a doctoral thesis and are considering writing a paper; who are doing a thesis by publication; or who have had some experience in having work published or attempting to do so. It will be a practical course, sharing our tips and questions, and helping us all move forward. Content will include:

  • Why do I want to publish this paper?
  • Who is my audience? How do I choose a journal?
  • How do I start writing my paper? How do I keep going?
  • How do I work with co-authors?
  • Managing revisions for reviewers and resubmissions
  • The 48-hour PDF


The masterclass will be a 3-hour session, with content and pacing curated to suit the group. You should work on your own project (at whatever stage it is) and there will also be some examples to share as needed.

Deep Dive into NVivo Classifications and Queries

Facilitator: Dr Lyn Lavery

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/nvivo-classifications-deep-dive

If you’ve mastered the basics of NVivo and are wondering how the software can take your analysis to the next level, then this is the course for you! In this masterclass we’ll take a deep dive into classifications and queries – while these are among the most powerful features of the software, they’re also the functionality that most researchers struggle to understand.

By the end of this course attendees will have a good understanding of how to:

  • Use both file and case classifications in their own projects (and understand the difference between these)
  • Set-up cases to represent different units of analysis within an NVivo project
  • Work with classifications as an advanced analysis technique
  • Conduct coding, matrix coding and crosstab queries, as a way of exploring data and investigating hunches


This masterclass is perfect for researchers who have a current NVivo project and are wanting to get the most out of the software. We won’t be covering any of the basics, so it’s important that you’re comfortable with the fundamentals of working with the software.

Introduction to Template Analysis

Facilitator: Professor Nigel King

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/template-analysis-introduction

Research Accelerator is delighted to host Professor Nigel King for an in-depth workshop on the template analysis approach to analysing qualitative data. Template analysis is a specific type of thematic analysis which is widely used in health and business research.

In this online workshop, Professor King will take attendees through the steps involved in conducting template analysis. The session will have a strong hands-on emphasis, with attendees working with extracts from Professor King’s own data to try out key aspects of template analysis. Attendees should leave with a good grasp of the practicalities of analysis with template analysis and an understanding of its distinctive features that will enable them to make informed decisions about how and when to use it. There will be a small amount of recommended (but not essential) prior reading for the workshop.

Quality and Coherence in Qualitative Research

Facilitator: Professor Nigel King

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/quality-coherence/

This session will address two crucial, interlinked topics in qualitative research. It is essential in any qualitative project that the researcher demonstrates coherence between all aspects of the work. This is especially the case in PhD or Master’s theses, where examiners will want to reassure themselves that the candidate has presented a coherent design and accompanying line of argument throughout their thesis. In the first part of this session, Professor King will consider the challenges of maintaining coherence across key aspects of any research project including:

  • Philosophical assumptions
  • Theoretical commitments
  • Research question(s)
  • Methodological approach
  • Methods
  • Conclusions drawn, including recommendations for research, policy and/or practice


He will offer practical advice for meeting these challenges, with examples from a diverse range of literature. There will be hands-on exercises to enable participants to gain experience of addressing questions of coherence.

Coherence contributes to the overall quality of a qualitative research project or program. The second part of the session will therefore build on the first to consider how researchers can ensure the quality of their research and communicate this to readers (and to examiners in the case of postgraduate research). Professor King will consider arguments about the kind of criteria we should use for assessing quality – do we adapt some of those from quantitative/positivistic research, do we propose alternative qualitative-specific criteria, or accept that general criteria of any kind are impossible for qualitative research and perhaps undesirable? He will then move on to the nuts and bolts of doing quality assurance, considering such tactics as inter-researcher comparisons, using expert panels, respondent feedback and the importance of audit trails. Throughout he will argue that clarity and coherence of philosophical and methodological approach is a crucial foundation to making good choices about how to tackle quality in qualitative research. Again, there will be hands-on exercises to support learning.

Become an NVivo Coding Ninja

Facilitator: Dr Lyn Lavery

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/nvivo-coding-ninja

Feel like you’re drowning in data in NVivo? Not sure if your coding framework is fit for purpose? Can’t see the wood for the trees? This masterclass is aimed at researchers who are familiar with the basics of NVivo, who are looking to extend their knowledge and discuss some of the challenges involved in coding complex data sets in NVivo. It’s intended to be a very practical course, so bring along your experiences and questions as there will be plenty of opportunities for discussion. Content will include:

  • Developing a well-designed coding framework
  • Techniques for moving beyond coding into interpretation
  • Looking for patterns in your coding
  • Techniques for ensuring rigour e.g. checking for “missing” coding
  • The importance of memos in the coding process
  • Moving beyond coding towards writing


This masterclass is perfect for researchers who have a current NVivo project and are wanting to get the most out of the software. You can work with your own project during the session (or use the sample data if you’d prefer). We won’t be covering any of the basics, so you’ll need to know be familiar with the process of qualitative coding and also be comfortable with creating and working with codes in NVivo.

NVivo Coding Boot Camp

Facilitator: Dr Lyn Lavery

View the recording: https://www.researchaccelerator.nz/courses/take/nvivo-coding-boot-camp/

If you’re new to NVivo and want to hit the ground running with your coding, join our NVivo Coding Boot Camp to get off to a flying start. Lyn will cover the basics of coding in NVivo as well as some suggestions for working efficiently and best practice. You’ll learn plenty of tips and tricks to streamline your own coding processes in the software and there will be opportunities for questions. If you have an NVivo project underway at the time of the workshop, there will be time in the final hour for you to practice the techniques learned and you can ask Lyn questions if you get stuck.

Target audience: Researchers new to NVivo

Prerequisites: A basic understanding of the qualitative data analysis process