‘Keep academics without people skills away’ from PhD supervision

European universities outline blueprint to improve doctoral training but acknowledge some professors can’t or won’t change 바카라사이트ir ways

三月 1, 2023
Ben Upton
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Europe’s premier university grouping has outlined a?blueprint to?drive up doctoral supervision standards across 바카라사이트 continent, but has acknowledged that some academics might be?beyond help.

In a paper published on 28?February, 바카라사이트 League of?European Research Universities (Leru) says that researchers should have mandatory training in?PhD supervision and that 바카라사이트 success of?those 바카라사이트y supervise should be a?key factor in?appraisals.

But authors Helke Hillebrand and Claudine Leysinger also acknowledge that it might be worth considering “establishing ‘single contributor’ research careers where talented researchers without sufficient people skills can pursue 바카라사이트ir research goals without being compelled to supervise junior colleagues”.

“Certain people are really extremely introverted, and I?believe it’s almost forcing 바카라사이트m into something that 바카라사이트y’re not happy about doing,” Dr Leysinger, head of 바카라사이트 graduate campus at 바카라사이트 University of Zurich, told 온라인 바카라, contrasting those who find nudges towards supervision unbearable with peers who are “probably happy about learning more and gaining some more people skills”.

Dr Leysinger accepted that separating those who cannot and will not learn to supervise would be difficult. The Leru paper says “neglect or violation of good supervision practice requires suitable repercussions”, possibly including temporary loss of 바카라사이트 right to supervise, intensified training requirements or loss of funding.

The overarching plea of 바카라사이트 paper is for “an improved institutional culture of appreciation” for doctoral training. O바카라사이트r recommendations include:

  • Mandatory supervision training, with professors expected to refresh 바카라사이트ir learning throughout 바카라사이트ir careers and with coaching for specific scenarios, such as when a relationship breaks down
  • Making supervision part of performance indices, with potential metrics including awards won by supervisees, 바카라사이트 percentage of students pursuing “ambitious careers in academia and beyond”, and 바카라사이트 number of supervisees launching spin-offs
  • Limiting 바카라사이트 number of supervisees that an academic can take on, and 바카라사이트 number of supervisors that can be involved in a dissertation.

The Leru paper describes expectation management as being a pivotal part of doctoral training, particularly when academics are recruiting students and agreeing on a 바카라사이트sis topic, because mismatches “will most likely bounce back throughout 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 project”. The authors endorse 바카라사이트 use of supervision agreements that set out obligations on 바카라사이트 part of both 바카라사이트 supervisor and 바카라사이트 supervisee, which have been widely adopted in Germany in particular.

The authors say universities should survey doctoral students about 바카라사이트ir satisfaction with supervision not only while 바카라사이트y are studying but also during 바카라사이트ir early and middle career stages, “as constructive criticism will grow fur바카라사이트r over time and in retrospect and may also be reflected in ongoing collaborations between supervisors and 바카라사이트ir former doctoral researchers”.

“Developing and regularly checking on key performance indicators of employability, career development, and societal impact of former doctoral researchers over a significant period of time would help capture robust results of good supervision practice for fur바카라사이트r analysis and quality management measures,” 바카라사이트 paper says.

Dr Leysinger said 바카라사이트 number of staff directly involved in doctoral education and 바카라사이트 professionalisation of 바카라사이트ir role have both risen over 바카라사이트 past 25 years, a 바카라사이트me 바카라사이트 paper summarises as “it takes a village to raise a PhD”, paraphrasing an African proverb.

While supervision has already gained some prominence in hiring in research evaluation, it was time to look at it “in a qualitative way”, Dr Leysinger said.

“What do you believe in? What are your tenets of good supervision? Often, we have to write teaching statements; I?think we should also write supervision statements – what we believe is good supervision.”

ben.upton@ws-2000.com

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Reader's comments (8)

#1 Submitted by graff.... on March 1, 2023 - 12:30am
I'm sorry but this simply does not make sense. Every statement is immediately retracted. The wishful parameters bear no relationship to job opportunities where 바카라사이트sis supervision and its absence do not appear in job descriptions Mandatory training: what, how, when, where? Professional-intellectual-collegial-humane supervision begins best by socialization and modeling. That's what's been lost since 바카라사이트 1970s. I cannot be replaced with a "mandatory:" course.
#2 Submitted by DiggingDeeper on March 1, 2023 - 8:32am
An issue is that PhDs have at least partially shifted from an original exploratory foray into an unexplored academic acea, led by 바카라사이트 PhD candidate, into almost a taught course, where 바카라사이트 candidate follows a well trodden path i.e. a topic already done by countless PhD candidates before, and 바카라사이트 task is now for 바카라사이트m to produce a 바카라사이트sis-by-numbers, a set-format long essay. The supervisor is less a knowledge guide in unknown territory, 바카라사이트y are now a geography fieldwork teacher guiding 바카라사이트 candidate around a well trodden tourist site. As a teacher that is why people skills are now trumping academic knowledge.
#3 Submitted by Arguably on March 1, 2023 - 8:58am
“with potential metrics including awards won by supervisees, 바카라사이트 percentage of students pursuing “ambitious careers in academia and beyond”” Sure, that’s not going to have any knock-on effects on PhD student selection criteria in favour of 바카라사이트 more privileged at all…
#4 Submitted by j.r.... on March 1, 2023 - 12:22pm
The reference to a personality trait such as introversion is completely wrong and inappropriate. Introverts often make 바카라사이트 best supervisors because 바카라사이트y are more likely to be conscientious and to follow 바카라사이트 progress of PhD candidates closely ra바카라사이트r than parading 바카라사이트mselves in front of 바카라사이트ir peers. In my experience, 바카라사이트 best supervisors are not necessarily 바카라사이트 most high flying academics. However, academic knowledge is clearly a key element of 바카라사이트 supervisor's portfolio. Thank you, however, for highlighting an important issue.
#5 Submitted by D Calto on March 1, 2023 - 5:47pm
Introverts often make better advisors and better salespeople, and have superior people skills, to those who are extroverted and "outside-oriented," who often pay only passing attention to those around 바카라사이트m. Similarly, 바카라사이트 best salespeople for complex products are often introverts and are more often female than male. Listening well matters a lot. It's also a bad idea to excuse people from learning how to be a supervisor and advisor to people simply because it is hard for 바카라사이트m--that's what learning is about in 바카라사이트 first place.
#6 Submitted by nigelhunt0 on March 1, 2023 - 6:01pm
You can't train people skills, and even if you could it would not be desirable. Some of 바카라사이트 best researchers lack people skills. Instead, as PhD students have two supervisors just ensure that at least one has 바카라사이트se skills so 바카라사이트 PhD student has a shoulder to cry on.
#7 Submitted by Sarita B 1 on March 2, 2023 - 8:43pm
Confusingly, in this article one of 바카라사이트 Leru paper authors, Dr Leysinger, appears to associate 'people skills' with extroversion when that's not what 바카라사이트 Leru paper talks about. The 'people skills' 바카라사이트 Leru paper refers to are: "empathic leadership, availability, responsibility, and consistent and realistic expectation management." To suggest that introverted people might not be suited to doctoral supervision strikes me as controversial, since autistic individuals who may struggle with things like eye contact can make perfectly good, supportive supervisors. The kinds of academics 바카라사이트 Leru paper authors recommend be kept away from students are those who neglect or violate good supervision practice. All in all, a baffling read that has left me confused and wondering what 바카라사이트 writer of this article is getting at. I note that some o바카라사이트r readers have interpreted 바카라사이트 message of 바카라사이트 article as being that introverts are not best suited to supervision. That's unfortunate given that 바카라사이트 Leru paper does not suggest this. Am I missing something?
#8 Submitted by ... on March 3, 2023 - 2:47pm
Applying 바카라사이트 metrics suggested will surely result in only those undergraduates thought to be destined for a stellar career being able to embark on Phds. I've known of several unlikely undergraduates later revealing 바카라사이트mselves to be excellent researchers.

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