Higher Degrees by Research: purposes and outcomes

1
Higher Degrees by Research purposes and outcomes

• Di Bills PhD
• Education Research and Development

2
Overview of session

• Purposes and Outcomes
• International developments
• Public, academic, government perceptions
• Graduate perceptions

3
Purposes

• Academic self flagellation
• Funding and revenue for the university
• Research training and research capacity
  development
• Creation, dissemination and application of new
  knowledge
• Career advancement for student and supervisor
• Contribution to discipline, institution, academic
  and public community, govt and industry
• Developing personally as a researcher,
  professional and citizen
• Personal fulfillment
• Development of transferable skills and personal
  development
• Promote leadership within a profession
• 
  (Supervising_at_UniSA participant responses
  collected 23/07/08)

4
Outcomes

• Autonomous , independent researcher
• Ability to communicate and advocate research
  findings effectively whilst playing role of
  ambassador for research
• Problem-solver
• Ability to think in terms of multiple
  perspectives and approaches (theoretical and
  methodological)
• International perspective
• Critical thinker
• Analytical skills
• 
  (Supervising_at_UniSA
  participant responses collected 23/07/08)

5
Outcomes (continued)

• Ethical researcher
• Passion for lifelong learning and engenders the
  same in others
• Willingness to share and disseminate knowledge
  at an academic and public level (communalism)
• Capacity to write and acquire research grants and
  funding
• Retaining mental and emotional health
• Career advancement
  
• (Supervising_at_UniSA participant
  responses collected 23/07/08)

6
Fitness for purpose

• Where do Doctoral graduates go?
• What constitutes a PhD?
• Diverse models
• Doctoral education development

7
USA

• Preparing Future Faculty (Pew Charitable Trusts
  and others)
• http//www.preparing-faculty.org/
• Re-envisioning the PhD project
• http//www.grad.washington.edu/envision/
• Responsive PhD initiative (Woodrow Wilson
  National Fellowship Foundation)
• http//www.woodrow.org/policy/responsivephd/index.
  php
• Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate (Carnegie
  Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching)
• http//www.carnegiefoundation.org/programs/index.a
  sp?key29

8
UK

• The UK Grad Programme
• http//www.grad.ac.uk/cms/ShowPage/Home_page/Resea
  rchers/p!eaLbdjg
• New Route PhD
• http//www.newroutephd.ac.uk/
• Redefining the Doctorate
• Higher Education Academy

9
Australia

• E-Grad school (Australia)
• http//www.egradschool.edu.au/
• LEAP learning employment aptitudes program
• and
• MORE - Modules on Research Education
• http//www.unisa.edu.au/researchsupport/online/atn
  .asp
• Professional Doctorates
• Concurrent accreditation
• Quality in Postgraduate Education (QPR)
• http//www.qpr.edu.au/overview.html

10
Public, academic, government perceptions
11
Two Worlds discourse

• Cultural gap between academic researchers and
  staff in industry
• Kemp, Knowledge and Innovation (1999)

12
The Independent Thursday 15th June 2006
13
Out of the ivory towers How PhD students are
training for the real world

• http//www.independent.co.uk/student/postgraduate/
  postgraduate-study/out-of-the-ivory-towers-how-phd
  -students-are-training-for-the-real-world-791855.h
  tml

14
Graduate perceptions

• One is concerned about making money, the other
  is concerned about making ideas
• Eric (graduate, industry)
• Universities are in a world of their own
• Jeremy (graduate, entrepreneur, employer)

15
The Independent Thursday 15th June 2006
16
The Advertiser Saturday April 1st 2006
17
The Australian December 18th 2007
18
The Chronicle of Higher Education 7th April 2008
19
(No Transcript)
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Graduate perceptions of skills

• Expert knowledge
• Research skills
• Tenacity
• Critical thinking
• New thinking
• Analytic thinking
• Permission to speak/confidence

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Graduate perceptions (cont)

• Information processing
• Writing
• Communication
• Argument
• Networking
• Project management

22
Graduates applying research skills

• ECR non-academic re-organising information,
  processing data, problem-solving, trouble
  shooting
• ECR academic leaders in field, national profile,
  independence over own research, research skills,
  grant writing, industry links

23
Graduates applying research skills

• Mid-late non-academic clearinghouse,
  processing and reworking information, making
  things happen, rigorous analysis, burrowing down,
  getting clarity
• Mid-late academic new ways of understanding, new
  thinking, taking back the layers, aware of
  competing agendas, dont take things for granted

24
Academic (Teaching)

• I think I was probably overqualified and
• people still look at you with a PhD as some
• sort of alien being. Someone once said to
• me well it's no good applying to jobs here,
• your overqualified. The only place you can
• get a job now is in the University.
• Kathryn HS11 (5)

25
Academic (Research)

• If I had headed into an industrial position or a
• company director position, you are very goal
• directed and very project directed and there is
  not the potential to chase things of simply
  scientific interest..
• Michael HS3(27)

26
Sessional academic

• I gained much personal benefit from my doctoral
  studies, built a much stronger professional basis
  for my daily work and a fellowship in my
  professional body. Sadly, few opportunities have
  become available to pursue my field of research
  further, or to apply my findings in the
  workplace. I remain hopeful that I can implement
  my findings one day.

27
Industry

• My boss often says this off-the-cuff remark, he
  gives me a job or something and says don't turn
  this into a Ph.D implying PhDs tend to be very
  precise and you tend to look at things, break it
  down and really be very thorough and meticulous.
  Whereas at work, well in industry, in the
  workplace, it's very quick, it's very greasy,
  it's about getting something done, because at the
  end of the day my boss is concerned about making
  money.
• Eric Eng (58)

28
Professional practice

• I don't really use the research skills any
• more. My workplace wants me to be a
• (name of clinical practice) not an academic or a
  researcher.
• Adam HS1 (39)

29
Unfinished business