Proposal view
| Proposal Type: | Individual Paper |
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| Domain: | Higher Education |
| SIG: | Higher Education |
| Equipment |
Overhead projector PC and projector |
| Paper Details |
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| Title | Managing the shortening of time to completion for doctoral candidates |
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| Abstract | This study aims to examine the effect, in three different types of universities, of the Australian Government’s Research Training Policy regarding funding on programs and strategies to support research student development and supervision. Publicly available documents and conference presentations are analysed to determine the programs and strategies adopted by those universities in response to the new Government requirements. The study identifies substantial development by universities regarding the support and scaffolding provided to their candidates with the expectation that this support will meet three requirements: • Decreased attrition • Decreased length of candidature • Increased quality of the research education experience The findings suggest that there are ways in which Australian universities can/have developed university-wide support and scaffolding for their research students and these will be reported. Of particular interest are issues that some universities experience in encouraging supervisors to understand the impact of the new system and what it means for the ways they supervise. |
| Summary | The Research Training Scheme (RTS) introduced by the Australian Government in the late 1990s changed the funding mechanisms to universities for postgraduate research students and has had significant impact on the research experience of candidates and supervisors, including length of candidature (Chubb, 2000) (Kemp, 1999; Pearse, 2002). One of the most influential outcomes caused by the RTS is the funding change whereby universities are now funded on student completion, not student enrolment. Additionally, where candidates take longer than four years (full-time equivalent) to complete, funding from the Government ceases after the fourth year. These two changes have been significant in that universities are now strongly motivated to minimise attrition (non-completion equals no funding) and to assist candidates in completing within the four years stipulated by Government funding. This study aims to examine the affect, in three universities, of the Australian Government’s Research Training Policy on programs and strategies to support research student development within a more constrained time frame than in the past. Methodology A text analysis of publicly available documents and conference presentations is undertaken of three different kinds of Australian universities in three different states/territories to determine the programs and strategies adopted by those universities in response to the new Government requirements. Research Design The programs for doctoral students at three Australian universities (one research intensive, one technology oriented, and one vocationally oriented) are analysed with a view to determining: • What support and scaffolding strategies has each university adopted to retain candidates and help them complete in four years? • Have these universities implemented specific strategies to assist supervisors regarding student timely completion? • How are the strategies similar and different across the three types of university? Findings The study identified substantial development by universities regarding the support and scaffolding provided to their candidates with the expectation that this support will meet the need for decreased attrition and decreased length of candidature. For example, at the vocationally oriented university, they had established a Resource Centre specifically for Higher Degree by Research students where they could seek specialised advice related to their research degree. This same university had instituted a confidential survey of candidates in progress to determine areas which needed to be improved or developed. The technology oriented university had implemented online teaching and learning technologies to assist candidates and supervisors. The research-intensive university had instituted structured programs for all students and a specific and very structured program for international students. Furthermore they had instituted surveys of students who were withdrawing prior to completion to complement the surveys of completing students as they exited which they had been using for some time. However, there were limited examples of support for supervisors in assisting students to complete in a timely fashion. One of the few examples found at the vocationally oriented universities was financial rewards to supervisors and/or Schools for on-time completions. This same university had established a register of ‘approved’ supervisors. In the other universities i.e. research intensive and technology oriented there were examples of supervisor workshops and training but little in the way of specific reference to support for timely completion. Theoretical or Education Significance One outcome from the study is perhaps not one which many universities like to hear, and that is that government funding mechanisms can substantially change universities practices. However, the findings suggest that there are ways in which Australian universities can/have developed university-wide support and scaffolding for their research students. These will be reported in the presentation. References To maintain the anonymity of the universities their reports have not been referenced. Chubb, I. (2000). The impact of the White paper on universities: Some possibilities. In M. Kiley & G. Mullins (Eds.), Quality in Postgraduate Research: Making ends meet (pp. 15-29). Adelaide: Advisory Centre for University Education. Kemp, H. D. A. (1999). Knowledge and innovation: A policy statement on research and research training (White paper). Canberra: Government of Australia. Pearse, H. (2002). The implementing the Research Training Scheme: The consequences for postgraduate research students (Research Paper): CELTS, University of Canberra. |
| Keywords | Learning to learn Supervision |
| Appendices | |
| Authors | ||||||
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| Name | Surname | Institution | Country | EARLI Number | Presenting | |
| Margaret | Kiley | The Australian National University | Australia | margaret.kiley@anu.edu.au | * | |
