Student and other higher education surveys constitute an important aspect of institutional research. In particular such surveys provide decision support to the institution, as well as underpinning many of the quality and planning processes within universities. Student experience surveys are particularly important in a climate of accountability and an increasingly diverse student population. Accordingly, this paper reports on a student survey undertaken within a University of Technology in 2008, covering perceptions of the learning and teaching environment, including the Course Experience Questionnaire good teaching and overall satisfaction items. Given the increasing diversity of the student body, survey findings were cross-tabulated against a number of demographic and related variables to ascertain their effects on student perceptions of learning and teaching. A key finding of the study is that whichever way the data is segmented, the students were found to be dissatisfied with their workload. Inter alia it is suggested that the students be provided with workshops on effective time management to at least partially traverse their difficulties in this respect. Volume 7 Number 1 2009 JIRSEA 6

/pdf/journal-of-institutional-research-27dyfnfyso.pdf

Journal of Institutional Research

Successful studying in Ph. D. education is a complex matter. Although Ph. D. students are a highly select group, some never finish. This paper explores the problems that doctoral candidates face during their doctoral studies as well as students' well-being in relation to their studying engagement. The study is part of a larger research project on doctoral education. Altogether 669 doctoral students from the Faculties of Arts, Medicine, and Behavioural Sciences responded to the survey. Doctoral students' perceptions of the problems they encountered during their studies varied. The problems reported were related to general working processes, domain-specific expertise, supervision, the scholarly community, and resources. Doctoral students' well-being and study engagement showed a clear relationship. More effective means are needed to foster students' ability to overcome problems encountered during their Ph. D. studies.

/pdf/challenges-of-becoming-a-scholar-a-study-of-doctoral-26mf66cxtj.pdf

Challenges of Becoming a Scholar: A Study of Doctoral Students' Problems and Well-Being

This study examines the beliefs of supervisors and PhD candidates about higher degree supervision and three other academic domains: research; teaching; and learning. Interview data from 34 participants were categorised into four distinctive orientations to supervision, each consisting of a network (plexus) of beliefs about the four domains. Although each orientation comprised many beliefs, the orientations clearly differed in terms of two broad distinctions: whether the supervisor should direct and take responsibility for the research (controlling beliefs) or should guide the process (guiding beliefs), and whether the focus of supervision should be more upon the research tasks to be completed (task-focussed beliefs) or upon the development of the candidates (person-focussed beliefs). These distinctions, plus the types of interconnections between the beliefs comprising each orientation, support the conclusion that beliefs about teaching are central to each orientation, even though supervision is intimately concerned with research.

Orientations to research higher degree supervision

Many research students go through periods where their research seems to stall, their motivation drops, and they seem unable to make any progress. As supervisors, we attempt to remain alert to signs that our student's progress has stalled. Drawing on cognitive strategies, this article explores a problem-solving model supervisors can use to identify the major causes of the student's lack of progress and facilitate the student's re-ignition. Each of the problem identification and solving phases is acknowledged by and situated within research on postgraduate supervision and supported by analyzing transcripts from a study on postgraduate supervision.

/pdf/clutch-starting-stalled-research-students-prr30kyx8l.pdf

Clutch-Starting Stalled Research Students

As part of an overall massification of higher education, enrollments in doctoral programs are expanding. At the same time, doctoral studies are subject to much scrutiny and reform in Australia, the UK and the United States. This work examines policy documents related to doctoral reform from these countries in order to offer a critique of their functionalist underpinnings. Central to doctoral reforms is the growth of the professional doctorate, which is proposed as an alternative to conventional PhDs that better prepares graduates to participate in non‐academic careers. In this work, the professional doctorate is examined from the dominant perspective of human capital theory. Alternative theories emphasizing conflict and competition in higher education are offered. Credentialism and the corporatization of higher education may provide more nuanced explanations of the growth of the professional doctorate. The article concludes with some thoughts on the impacts of policy on those whose lives are ultimately sh...

Alternative and professional doctoral programs: what is driving the demand?

This article focuses on the evaluation of thesis supervision and highlights the vast range of problem areas presently documented as significant areas of concern for both graduate students and their supervisors. Additionally, the authors report on a study completed in 1995, which surveyed all Australian universities about current evaluative practices in postgraduate supervision. The conclusion of this study was that the conduct of such evaluations appears to be minimal and is primarily designed to obtain an indicator of the general “health” of a university's postgraduate supervision rather than to foster improved supervisory practices. As part of the same study, the authors conducted University faculty-based student and supervisor focus groups. Key issues emerging from these focus groups were: (1) the importance of relational aspects of supervision as the student communicates over the long term with one or more supervisors; (2) the importance of systematic feedback, monitoring, and evaluation to the supervisory process; and (3) the lack of strategies to facilitate this evaluative feedback process. On the basis of these findings, the authors designed evaluative strategies to facilitate regular ongoing feedback between students and supervisors.

Tracking New Directions in the Evaluation of Postgraduate Supervision

Tracking new directions in the evaluation of postgraduate supervision

A comparison was made of accelerated professional development (APD) for nurses (n=64), involving peer consultation and reflective practice, and peer consultation alone (n=30). Although APD participants had a higher completion rate, improvements in caregiver behaviors and work environment were not significantly different.

Accelerated professional development and peer consultation : two strategies for continuing professional education for nurses

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Tracking New Directions in the Evaluation of Postgraduate Supervision

Tracking new directions in the evaluation of postgraduate supervision

Accelerated professional development and peer consultation : two strategies for continuing professional education for nurses

Accelerated professional development and peer consultation : two strategies for continuing professional education for nurses