A cross-national study of the relative impact of an oral component on PhD examination quality, language and practice. High quality doctoral degrees call for the most effective forms of assessment. This project investigates the role of oral examination in PhD assessment, common internationally but not in Australia, and is the first to compare the relative impact of oral and 'no oral' models on examination quality, language and practice.
Investigating professional learning lives in the digital evolution of work. This project aims to investigate learning practices of professionals working in professions effected by digitalisation. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how professionals’ learning practices shape and are being shaped by evolving work practices. Expected outcomes of the project include new conceptual thinking about professional learning, and a contemporary and nuanced evidence base to inform innovative ....Investigating professional learning lives in the digital evolution of work. This project aims to investigate learning practices of professionals working in professions effected by digitalisation. The project expects to generate new knowledge about how professionals’ learning practices shape and are being shaped by evolving work practices. Expected outcomes of the project include new conceptual thinking about professional learning, and a contemporary and nuanced evidence base to inform innovative teaching and learning solutions for individuals, workplaces and education providers; particularly higher education. This project should provide significant benefits for a national policy on lifelong learning to address Australia’s agile skills development needs.
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Excellent researchers: Using learner profiles to enhance research learning. Recent evidence concerning metacognitive learning and affect reveals that research degree candidates are a diverse group of learners, and little is known about explaining wasteful attrition, stress and delays in progress. Such a study is essential, especially given the growth in research degrees, new transitional pathways, diversity in candidate backgrounds and chronic high attrition. This longitudinal study applies new ....Excellent researchers: Using learner profiles to enhance research learning. Recent evidence concerning metacognitive learning and affect reveals that research degree candidates are a diverse group of learners, and little is known about explaining wasteful attrition, stress and delays in progress. Such a study is essential, especially given the growth in research degrees, new transitional pathways, diversity in candidate backgrounds and chronic high attrition. This longitudinal study applies new findings about doctoral learning profiles in a direct intervention (DOCLearnPro) that targets individual differences across students in doctoral and master’s degrees to improve learning outcomes significantly and contribute theoretically, methodologically and substantively in order to advance understanding of researcher development.Read moreRead less
The impact of examiner feedback on doctoral learners and thesis outcomes. This project aims to investigate the final stage of doctoral examination across institutions in Australia, with particular emphasis on examiner feedback, candidate engagement with feedback, and the decision processes involved. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the least visible yet critical end stage of the doctoral examination process and its impact on thesis quality and candidate development. The expected ....The impact of examiner feedback on doctoral learners and thesis outcomes. This project aims to investigate the final stage of doctoral examination across institutions in Australia, with particular emphasis on examiner feedback, candidate engagement with feedback, and the decision processes involved. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the least visible yet critical end stage of the doctoral examination process and its impact on thesis quality and candidate development. The expected outcomes will inform future examination models and contribute new knowledge on the role of feedback in doctoral examination, and assessment practices more generally.Read moreRead less
The Origins and Effects of the Unified National System of Higher Education in Australia. The project will provide the first systematic and fully documented account of the genesis, aims, authorship, design, negotiation, carriage and implementation of the changes introduced to Australian higher education from 1987 to 1992. In addition, it will evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of these changes in reference to the purpose and rationale of the reforms as presented in the policy documents ....The Origins and Effects of the Unified National System of Higher Education in Australia. The project will provide the first systematic and fully documented account of the genesis, aims, authorship, design, negotiation, carriage and implementation of the changes introduced to Australian higher education from 1987 to 1992. In addition, it will evaluate the immediate and long-term effects of these changes in reference to the purpose and rationale of the reforms as presented in the policy documents of the period. The project will undertake detailed case studies of four Australian universities, tracing how they were affected by the creation of the Unified National System of higher education. This account and analysis of the changes orchestrated by Minister John Dawkins will help inform future higher education policy debate.Read moreRead less
Implementing Indigenous knowledge approaches in doctoral education . This project aims to apply Indigenous knowledge approaches (agency of Country; power of stories and iterative, intergenerational and intercultural knowledge production) to Australian doctoral education. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of Indigenous and transcultural (migrant, refugee and international) doctoral education. Expected outcomes of the project include multimedia portal/app and policy recomm ....Implementing Indigenous knowledge approaches in doctoral education . This project aims to apply Indigenous knowledge approaches (agency of Country; power of stories and iterative, intergenerational and intercultural knowledge production) to Australian doctoral education. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of Indigenous and transcultural (migrant, refugee and international) doctoral education. Expected outcomes of the project include multimedia portal/app and policy recommendations for doctoral supervision, language and examination protocols that place Indigenous and transcultural knowledges at the forefront of Australian research. This should provide significant benefits to Australian higher education, enabling Australia to become a world leader in global knowledge production. Read moreRead less
‘Grantsmanship’ in the social sciences: an international comparative study. University-based social scientists spend considerable time each year applying for competitive research grants. It is a significant undertaking for universities and individuals. Taking an international comparative approach the project aims to offer original in-depth insight into how so-called ‘grantsmanship’ is undertaken, how it is learned and how it is experienced. It investigates how different policy and institutional ....‘Grantsmanship’ in the social sciences: an international comparative study. University-based social scientists spend considerable time each year applying for competitive research grants. It is a significant undertaking for universities and individuals. Taking an international comparative approach the project aims to offer original in-depth insight into how so-called ‘grantsmanship’ is undertaken, how it is learned and how it is experienced. It investigates how different policy and institutional contexts influence such work and how social scientists negotiate scientific and strategic exigencies in the process of proposal writing. Such analysis aims to enhance understanding of the contemporary mechanisms that shape social scientific practice and stimulate professional, political and public debate central to democratic well-being.Read moreRead less