{"id":72580,"date":"2024-04-24T00:04:38","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T04:04:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=72580"},"modified":"2024-04-24T00:04:38","modified_gmt":"2024-04-24T04:04:38","slug":"white-ants-and-research-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/white-ants-and-research-education\/","title":{"rendered":"White ants and research education"},"content":{"rendered":"

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So I didn\u2019t blog during my conference at all. I could say that I was out doing social things, which I was, but that really doesn\u2019t account for the lack of posts. It\u2019s actually that I have been pondering.<\/p>\n

The conference was a mix of academic and research responsible staff, a combination that you don\u2019t see that often. And this made me wonder why.<\/p>\n

Generally when I think about PhD support I think of it as well and truly multiple. There are many people involved in the PhD support and supervision process. We can think of the most obvious \u2013 those responsible for guiding the development of the PhDer\u2019s research \u2013 supervisor, adviser, committee etc. Then there are those who provide additional doctoral education within the PhDer\u2019s university\u2013 methods courses, ethics workshops and so on \u2013 such people are often found in grad schools and are often institutionally known as research development staff. These staff may also have a role in supervisor development and in developing frameworks for quality and progression. As well, there may be additional \u2018popup\u2019 staff who run occasional courses, workshops and seminars.<\/p>\n

The PhDer may also find in their university a peer network or three, including some peers who work in the same department\/lab and others beyond. There are also other people in the university who are often very important \u2013 librarians and counsellors for example. And of course, where would any of these people be without the research administrative staff? They not only ensure that that all stages of the candidature proceed smoothly and that space, desks and printers are available\u00a0but are usually know the answers to all of the questions that no one else can answer.<\/p>\n

But of course support for the PhD goes even further. Outside of the institution sit disciplinary organisations, most of which have some kind of programme which positions PhDers to enter the wider disciplinary community. Specialist research organisations and learned societies also generally offer events and educational activities. And there are organised groups on a variety of social media platforms as well as self- managing networks and connections.\u00a0And there\u2019s various kinds of advice offered (such as this blog, advice books etc).<\/p>\n

So when you add all of this up, you can see that there\u2019s a lot going on for PhDers these days. But we also know that different PhDers have access to different levels and kinds of support \u2013 distribution is neither even nor equitable.<\/p>\n

At my conference, some presenters talked about this phenomenon as a village to raise a PhD, others as a community of practice. One keynote talked about building a pack, a metaphor intended perhaps to signify a collaborative group rather than a bunch of isolated or competitive individuals. However this was a metaphor which also raised some hackles, as it also suggested something also rather aggressive. Hunting in packs and all that.<\/p>\n

And I\u2019ve come away from the conference with wonderings. Here\u2019s just two.<\/p>\n