National research on the postgraduate student experience:Case presentation on postgraduate student diversity (Volume 2 of 3)

This is volume two of a set of three case studies that explore the postgraduate student experience. The theme of this case study is postgraduate student diversity and is based on experiences derived from student engagement breakfasts, interviews, and focus groups with 366 people across the stakeholder groups of postgraduate students, educators, and university executives from 26 institutions. The case studies constitute part of the output from the project, Engaging postgraduate students and supporting higher education to enhance the 21st century student experience

Rendering an Account: An Open-State Archive in Postgraduate Supervision

The paper begins with a brief account of the transformation of research degree studies under the pressures of global capitalism and neo-liberal governmentality. A parallel transformation is occurring in the conduct of research through the use of information and communication technologies. Yet the potential of ICTs to shape practices of surveillance or to produce new student-supervisor relations and enhance the processes of developing the dissertation has received almost no critical attention. As doctoral supervisor and student, we then describe the features and uses of a web-based open state archive of the student's work-in-progress, developed by the student and accessible to his supervisor. Our intention was to encourage more open conversations between data and theorising, student and supervisor, and ultimately between the student and professional community. However, we recognise that relations of accountability, as these have developed within a contemporary "audit revolution" (Power, 1994, 1997) in universities, create particular "lines of visibility" (Munro, 1996). Thus while the open-state archive may help to redefine in less managerial terms notions of quality, transparency, flexibility and accountability, it might also make possible greater supervisory surveillance. How should we think about the panoptical potential of this archive? We argue that the diverse kinds of interactional patterns and pedagogical intervention it encourages help to create shifting subjectivities. Moreover, the archive itself is multiple, in bringing together an array of diverse materials that can be read in various ways, by following multiple paths. It therefore constitutes a collage, which we identify as a mode of cognition and of accounting distinct from but related to argument and narrative. As a more "open" text (Iser, 1978) it has an indeterminacy which may render it less open to abuse for the technologies of managerial accountability

Good practice report : student transition into higher education

This good practice report, commissioned by the ALTC, provides a summative evaluation of useful outcomes and good practices from ALTC projects and fellowships on student transition into higher education. The report contains: a summative evaluation of the good practices and key outcomes for teaching and learning from completed ALTC projects and fellowships a literature review of the good practices and key outcomes for teaching and learning from national and international research the proposed outcomes and resources for teaching and learning which will be produced by current incomplete ALTC projects and fellowships identifies areas in which further work or development are appropriate

PhD pedagogy and the changing knowledge landscapes of universities

PhD supervision is increasingly embedded in frameworks that link research to issues of knowledge transfer involving the translation of knowledge to domains outside the university where it can be taken up and applied. This tends to require research that goes beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and raises questions of the nature of knowledge relationships required in this context. This paper draws on the work of Basil Bernstein to identify the organisational, knowledge and interpersonal relationships that these changes now require, describing the nature of the work involved in weakening boundaries between disciplines and its implications for supervisor/student relationships. The paper then outlines the challenges this presents to universities, with specific reference to the humanities and social sciences, attempting to implement strategic programs reconciling pedagogic requirements with the quality, impact and completions they must attest to in order to secure public fundin

The Impact of Supervisory Inputs on Postgraduate Students

Pengawasan telah menjadi isu utama dalam studi di sekolah pascasarjana. Pengawasan dapat didefinisikan sebagai hubungan orang per orang secara intensif dan interpersonal. Pengawas dirancang untuk dapat memfasilitasi perkembangan akademik mahasiswa baik terkait dengan tugas maupun penelitian mereka. Paper ini menunjukkan betapa kompleksnya bidang pengawasan terhadap mahasiswa, yang dipengaruhi oleh banyak faktor, di antaranya latar belakang sosial, kepribadian pengawas dan mahasiswa, hubungan yang berkembang di antara mereka, keahlian pengawas, dan masalah-masalah yang dihadapi oleh para mahasiswa. Paper ini mendiskusikan pentingnya input-input kepengawasan dalam proses pengawasan, dan juga meneropong hakikat interaksi sosial antara pengawas dengan mahasiswa. Sasaran yang dituju dalam paper ini adalah untuk mengembangkan pengawasan yang efektif terhadap mahasiswa sekolah pascasarjana guna menghasilkan modal sumber daya manusia yang unggul. Kata kunci : pengawasan, mahasiswa pascasarjana, input kepengawasan, dan pengawasan efekti

The construction of a postgraduate student and supervisor support framework: Using stakeholder voices to promote effective postgraduate teaching and learning practice

This article outlines the design and development of a bespoke Research Training Support Framework, targeting the professional development needs of higher degree research (HDR) supervisors and their students, which was achieved by implementing Patton\u27s (2011; 2012) utilisation-focused evaluation methodology (UFE). The primary research question was: What are the most suitable structures, components and content of an institutional framework to support Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervisors and their students at Avondale College of Higher Education? A mixed method design was used to gather data from students, academic staff and administrative staff using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews. Analyses of these data informed the Framework’s development along with previous research and advice from an advisory panel which comprised of national and international experts. Accordingly, the Framework was constructed around three core principles that served to guide the development of the Framework’s activities, processes and resources: 1) Welcoming research community, 2) The pedagogy of supervision and 3) Research development. The current version of the Framework has been designed to support postgraduate supervisors and students through the three key stages of students\u27 most academically-focused stages of their postgraduate journeys namely; Getting started, Confirmation and Research and writing. The research-informed approach used to develop this contextually-relevant resource is particularly relevant to small higher education institutions, especially those wishing to focus on capacity development. Further research is currently being conducted to evaluate how the Framework is being used

The construction of a postgraduate student and supervisor support framework: Using stakeholder voices to promote effective postgraduate teaching and learning practice

This article outlines the design and development of a bespoke Research Training Support Framework, targeting the professional development needs of higher degree research (HDR) supervisors and their students, which was achieved by implementing Patton's (2011; 2012) utilisation-focused evaluation methodology (UFE). The primary research question was: What are the most suitable structures, components and content of an institutional framework to support Higher Degree Research (HDR) supervisors and their students at Avondale College of Higher Education? A mixed method design was used to gather data from students, academic staff and administrative staff using questionnaires, focus groups and interviews. Analyses of these data informed the Framework’s development along with previous research and advice from an advisory panel which comprised of national and international experts. Accordingly, the Framework was constructed around three core principles that served to guide the development of the Framework’s activities, processes and resources: 1) Welcoming research community, 2) The pedagogy of supervision and 3) Research development. The current version of the Framework has been designed to support postgraduate supervisors and students through the three key stages of students' most academically-focused stages of their postgraduate journeys namely; Getting started, Confirmation and Research and writing. The research-informed approach used to develop this contextually-relevant resource is particularly relevant to small higher education institutions, especially those wishing to focus on capacity development. Further research is currently being conducted to evaluate how the Framework is being used

Pacific leaders in open, online and distance learning

The Pacific is a vast region, with a diverse range of cultures and stretched geographical lands, which covers large territories and long distances. Open, online and distance learning (ODL) has always played a key role in providing access to education to remote and rural students and disadvantaged groups. In fact, it could be argued that without ODL, the levels of educational attainment in these regions would be much lower. However, there is work to be done, as some countries in the region still have infrastructure problems, such as Internet connectivity and availability, which directly impact access to online and distance learning. In this piece about Pacific leaders in ODL, I noticed that despite the fact that many leaders have or have had a formal professional base at their institutions, many have worked across different nations and in collaboration with several national and international organisations. Also, initially, ODL leaders were predominantly male, but it did not take long for their female counterparts to join in and be recognised. Encouraged by this journal's editorial board, I made sure that the ODL female leaders are well represented in this piece. This manuscript is divided in three sections; Australia, New Zealand and some small islands of the Pacific region. This is by no means an exhaustive list of ODL leaders in the region, but one that recognises the contributions of earlier theorists and some more current researchers and practitioners. Finally, it is also important to highlight that the large majority of the leaders recognised here are renowned academics, researchers, practitioners and leaders due to their success, leadership and contributions to ODL. Therefore, most of them have published extensively, been invited to present at conferences and other national and international events, and have worked as consultants for key ODL organisations and their partners, some during the course of their employment and/or after retiring. Their career and academic successes are very important, but here I would like to focus on some of their key contributions to ODL in the Pacific region.</p