Doctorates in the dark: Threshold concepts and the improvement of doctoral supervision

The overall goal of this qualitative research case study into doctoral writing was to determine if there were knowable threshold concepts and, if so, to develop effective strategies for helping students overcome them. In addition, it was understood that such strategies could have change implications for supervisory practice. Interview and survey data were collected from students and supervisors. From the student data two threshold concepts had emerged: “Talking to think”—a strategy for developing clarity in writing; and self-efficacy—the belief in one's ability to overcome writing barriers and become an independent academic researcher. In this paper, those two threshold concepts provide an organising framework for the presentation of supervisor findings and for discussion of supervisor professional development needs. The paper concludes with insights into how supervisor professional development could be improved and extended beyond its current focus on regulations and compliance issues

Collaborative development of EFL in Vietnam through open source software

The University of Aizu, in collaboration with the University of Waikato, has been investigating the use of open source, server-based software for the enhancement of English language instruction in Vietnam. In this paper, we describe recent educational, technical, and English language reforms in Vietnam which have facilitated a new approach to the teaching and learning not only of English, but also Computer Science concepts. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the efficacy of using open source tools and highly structured instructional approaches for English language teaching in developing nations

The promise and practice of e-learning within complex tertiary environments

In advance of a change in learning management systems at a tertiary institution in New Zealand, the authors undertook a research study, the purpose of which was to provide a ‘snap-shot’ of existing online instructional practice within their School. They sought to identify existing pedagogical and technical issues and staff attitudes and preparedness for the new software. Although they found considerable staff good will toward e-learning, a number of problems were identified in the study. Findings from research have been organized and are discussed within five categories, including vision, skills, incentives, resources, and action plan. Conclusions describe plans for reorganizing how and in what manner e-learning can be supported within complex social environments, such as universities, when resources are limited

“It gave me a much more personal connection”: Student generated podcasting and assessment in teacher education

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of an online initial teacher education class in New Zealand, exploring the potential of student-generated podcasts as a form of interactive formative assessment. Findings from interviews with teaching staff indicate that podcasting was useful for supporting multimodal learning valuing student voice and reflections. Podcasting enhanced the affective and relational connections in the online class, and empowered students to develop technical skills and confidence relevant in their teaching careers. As such, this study positions educators as future makers and as leaders in a climate of change. We suggest implications for student-generated podcasts in similar contexts

Transferable skills for global employability in PhD curriculum transformation

Over the past twenty years, higher education has experienced greatly increased doctoral enrolments and corresponding changes in career destinations. Until recently, most graduates could expect to secure academic positions, but this career path is no longer assured or necessarily desired. For example, in the UK, only 14% of PhD students now secure an academic post, and only 19% of UK PhD holders were in higher education research roles three years after graduating. The increasing proportion and diversity of people holding a doctorate is leading to a transformation in how governments, employers, and degree holders themselves consider career possibilities for doctoral graduates. This change in the doctoral demographic and concomitant employment possibilities has precipitated a focus on the development of generic (transferable) skills in addition to the PhD research content itself. Consequently, a range of researcher development programmes has been established, notably national initiatives such as Vitae in the UK and institution-specific initiatives. This expansion of focus has implications for curriculum, with employability as a key driver for what and how we teach doctoral students. However, in facilitating and achieving such curriculum transformation, students’ views of how their experiences and learning have supported, enhanced, or hindered their career and life opportunities have seldom been sought. This issue becomes even more pertinent when discussion is extended to the global sphere. The OECD average for international students in doctoral programmes is 24%, which includes traditionaltype international students who travel to host countries to study. The number increases further when doctoral students in programmes designed in line with “international” standards, but taught by international faculty in a home country context, are added. What do these students consider appropriate preparation for their future employment in terms of transferable skills, and what challenges do they perceive when seeking jobs? Using perspectives gained from an empirical study on transferable skills conducted with doctoral students in New Zealand and the experiences of curriculum transformation in a PhD programme in Kazakhstan designed in collaboration with strategic partners in the UK and USA, the presenters will engage delegates in discussion of doctoral curriculum transformation and transferable skills in a global context. Doctoral candidates are especially welcome at the round table to share their own experiences

Leveling the playing field: Exploiting technology to enhance tertiary learning

This paper reports on an on-going case study project to explore ICT/ eLearning across several disciplines and with students from diverse backgrounds at tertiary level in New Zealand. The project has been designed to address issues of tertiary-level pedagogy, epedagogy, and research with the goal of building eLearning capacity, leveraging pedagogical change, and closing participatory gaps for students and lecturers. Initial design decisions, the pedagogy that has informed the case studies, and the challenges and benefits of working across subjects and levels in a multi-disciplinary team are described. We also discuss research knowledge mobilization within our own instructional context and more broadly elsewhere

The doctoral writing conversation: establishing a generic doctoral writing programme

Over the past few decades, the number of people enrolled in doctoral study has increased dramatically across the world. In practical terms, this has meant that universities now receive increasingly diverse students with regard to ethnicity, age, language, culture, and background preparedness for higher degree study. Students can, and often do, begin their doctorates with scant understanding of the precise expectations and rigorous demands of thesis writing. Yet, regardless of academic discipline, successful completion of a doctorate requires a written thesis. To help students master thesis writing requirements, a proliferation of self-help writing books, blogs, specific writing techniques, and programmes have emerged. This paper describes an approach developed at a New Zealand university where a generic doctoral writing programme, the Doctoral Writing Conversation, has evolved to make explicit to students the implicit language understanding that accomplished academic writers use to produce text. Utilising the idea of language as a tool to mediate understanding, the paper will explore how the programme is structured and functions but will also describe some of the insights I have gained along the way

Adoption of innovative e-learning support for teaching: A multiple case study at the University of Waikato

In response to recent social, economic, and pedagogical challenges to tertiary-level teaching and learning, universities are increasingly investigating and adopting elearning as a way to engage and motivate students. This paper reports on the first year of a two-year (2009-2010) qualitative multiple case study research project in New Zealand. Using perspectives from activity theory and the scholarship of teaching, the research has the overall goal of documenting, developing, and disseminating effective and innovative practice in which e-learning plays an important role in tertiary teaching. A “snapshot” of each of the four 2009 cases and focused findings within and across cases are provided. This is followed by an overall discussion of the context, “within” and “across” case themes, and implications of the research

Doctoral supervision practice models: Where to from here?

The aim of this session is to present and discuss a framework for supervisor professional development, including aspects that could contribute to the skills needed in the current supervisory environment. Supervisors face a variety of challenges, and a central issue is how to best prepare and support them. However, an examination of supervisor professional development programmes across the sector indicates unevenness in their depth and breadth. While some universities offer comprehensive supervisor training, others focus on regulatory matters such as completions and progress reports. Of course supervisors must be aware of regulations, but there is also a need for more comprehensive supervisor preparation, particularly in such areas as research writing development. The research underpinning this presentation synthesised a range of literature about the doctoral curriculum, general professional development of higher degree research (HDR) candidates, writing as a mediating tool for academic development, and the consequent implications that all these factors have for supervisor professional development. Five key themes (with accompanying sub-themes) were identified and extended those proposed by Hammond, Ryland, Tennant, and Boud (2010). They include: regulations and compliance issues, developing an understanding of a doctoral epistemology, dealing with problems and issues beyond supervision, specific issues involved in the supervision of international students, and developing cross-disciplinary communities of professional practice. This presentation will describe composite elements of the themes and seek participants’ views on how they could be enhanced and evaluated

Threshold concepts: Impacts on teaching and learning at tertiary level

This project explored teaching and learning of hard-to-learn threshold concepts in first-year English, an electrical engineering course, leadership courses, and in doctoral writing. The project was envisioned to produce disciplinary case studies that lecturers could use to reflect on and refine their curriculum and pedagogy, thereby contributing to discussion about the relationship between theory and methodology in higher education research (Shay, Ashwin, & Case, 2009). A team of seven academics investigated lecturers’ awareness and emergent knowledge of threshold concepts and associated pedagogies and how such pedagogies can afford opportunities for learning. As part of this examination the lecturers also explored the role of threshold concept theory in designing curricula and sought to find the commonalities in threshold concepts and their teaching and learning across the four disciplines. The research highlights new ways of teaching threshold concepts to help students learn concepts that are fundamental to the disciplines they are studying and expand their educational experiences. Given that much of the international research in this field focuses on the identification of threshold concepts and debates their characteristics (Barradell, 2013; Flanagan, 2014; Knight, Callaghan, Baldock, & Meyer, 2013), our exploration of what happens when lecturers use threshold concept theory to re-envision their curriculum and teaching helps to address a gap within the field. By addressing an important theoretical and practical approach the project makes a considerable contribution to teaching and learning at the tertiary level in general and to each discipline in particular