Institutional promotion of doctoral supervision and research quality
Author
Summary, in English
In our experience, doctoral supervision seminars and training (and associated literature) focus the supervisor-student relationship to an extent largely leaving aspects of learning, enculturation and subject discipline aside. In 2006-2008 we therefore developed and implemented a 3-week programme compulsory for new primary research supervisors (docent degree) with a wider scope, at the faculties Engineering and Natural Sciences, Lund University, Sweden.
The programme include
• Social and legal dimensions of the student-supervisor relationship; where participants share experienced accounts of supervisor-student situations. These were documented and analysed with respect to selected models of social theory.
• Self-analysis of participants´ written accounts of their research principles and practices, and aspects of research creativity (philosophy of science)
• Participant development of discipline-specific doctoral student learning activities.
• Project management principles and practice, research career analysis
• Research presentation and research situation feedback skills.
The framework aims to develop participants´ integrated meta-perspective on their research and supervisor situation, to increase chances of successful doctoral projects and increase long-term research creativity. The programme (five participant groups of 15-20 participants each 2006-2008) has received supportive participant reactions indicating valuable conceptual change (although some were provoked during self-analysis of their academic practice). The programme will be followed up by alumni focus group interviews three years after programme completion (this fall) in order to understand long-term effects on academic behaviour.
The programme include
• Social and legal dimensions of the student-supervisor relationship; where participants share experienced accounts of supervisor-student situations. These were documented and analysed with respect to selected models of social theory.
• Self-analysis of participants´ written accounts of their research principles and practices, and aspects of research creativity (philosophy of science)
• Participant development of discipline-specific doctoral student learning activities.
• Project management principles and practice, research career analysis
• Research presentation and research situation feedback skills.
The framework aims to develop participants´ integrated meta-perspective on their research and supervisor situation, to increase chances of successful doctoral projects and increase long-term research creativity. The programme (five participant groups of 15-20 participants each 2006-2008) has received supportive participant reactions indicating valuable conceptual change (although some were provoked during self-analysis of their academic practice). The programme will be followed up by alumni focus group interviews three years after programme completion (this fall) in order to understand long-term effects on academic behaviour.
Department/s
- Division for Higher Education Development
- Academic Development Unit, LTH
Publishing year
2009
Language
English
Document type
Conference paper: abstract
Topic
- Pedagogy
- Educational Sciences
Keywords
- Doctoral education
- Doctoral supervision
- Educational development
Conference name
Postgraduate Supervision Conference: Research and Practice
Conference date
2009-04-27 - 2009-04-30
Status
Published