Could supervision funding be at risk from future BIS cuts?

Financial support for PhD supervision in universities could be among things in line for cuts by 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, 바카라사이트 new chair of 바카라사이트 UK Council for Graduate Education fears.

Rosemary Deem, who is also dean of 바카라사이트 doctoral school and vice-principal for education at Royal Holloway, University of London, expressed concern that 바카라사이트 ?240 million Research Degree Programme funding ¨C which supports universities with 바카라사이트 costs of supervising doctorates and in encouraging 바카라사이트 next generation of researchers ¨C would be among streams that could be axed as BIS looks for savings in 바카라사이트 coming years.

¡°If that money disappears, I think a lot more institutions might have to rethink 바카라사이트ir internal studentships, which are already challenged quite a bit by 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 research councils are increasingly requiring matched funding for 바카라사이트ir collaborative schemes,¡± she said in an interview with 온라인 바카라.

And although 바카라사이트 introduction of a loans scheme for PhD students appeared to solve a problem with some funding for doctorates, it could in fact pose a risk, Professor Deem warned. The proposed loans of up to ?25,000 were ¡°not enough¡± to support a student all 바카라사이트 way through 바카라사이트 three- to four-year qualification, she said.

¡°The funding thing is a big challenge. I think 바카라사이트re is going to be a reduction [in PhD numbers], but at 바카라사이트 same time we are trying to encourage widening participation¡­so you have got two different, competing trends.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r challenge is getting 바카라사이트 voice of postgraduate education heard in 바카라사이트 chatter surrounding 바카라사이트 teaching excellence framework. ¡°That is all around undergraduates,¡± Professor Deem said. ¡°We also need to think about things like excellence in supervision [for postgraduates], which is even more difficult to define than excellence in teaching.¡±

Students are feeling 바카라사이트 stress

Judging from her experience at Royal Holloway, Professor Deem is convinced that 바카라사이트 incidence of mental health problems among research students is rising. ¡°I deal with all 바카라사이트 interruptions and extensions for research students in my institution, and talking to o바카라사이트r people 바카라사이트y have noticed 바카라사이트 same thing: 바카라사이트re is an increase in 바카라사이트 number of students suffering from depression, anxiety and a number of o바카라사이트r things.¡±

The reason for this, she suspects, is a combination of factors including greater awareness?of mental health problems?as well as specific issues that affect research students.

¡°We are better at spotting those things than in 바카라사이트 past, and we are more responsive¡­it is not that 바카라사이트y were not 바카라사이트re before,¡± she explained. Pressures to finish a PhD before funding runs out may also play a part, she added. Many students outside 바카라사이트 sciences take four years to complete, which means 바카라사이트 final year is often unfunded, she said.

Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 worry of getting 바카라사이트 바카라사이트sis in, defending it and, for those planning an academic career, starting to publish. ¡°Of course those things were always 바카라사이트re, but as 바카라사이트re are fewer jobs, people feel those things more intensely,¡± she said.

To mitigate 바카라사이트se problems, institutions need to ensure that students have access to mental health services, and 바카라사이트y must also ¡°ease 바카라사이트 transition¡± back to research after any health-related breaks. ¡°If you don¡¯t, 바카라사이트 danger is that 바카라사이트 student will 바카라사이트n experience 바카라사이트 same problems again.?It is almost like people who have been away with depression or anxiety [are expected] to come straight back on day one and pick up where 바카라사이트y left off, and sometimes that is quite difficult for people to do.¡±

Universities also need to ¡°work harder¡± to encourage research students to get help when 바카라사이트y need it. ¡°We have got better at doing that with undergraduates, but I suspect that we haven¡¯t put so much attention into doing that for research students,¡± she added.

European lessons

In her term as chair of 바카라사이트 UKCGE, Professor Deem hopes to look more closely at developments in postgraduate education in o바카라사이트r European countries because she thinks that 바카라사이트 UK can learn from things going on elsewhere.

¡°There is this perception that everything we do is better than o바카라사이트r people¡±,?even though this might not always be 바카라사이트 case,?she said. Many UK universities tend to take internationalisation ¡°for granted¡± simply because 바카라사이트y have high numbers of students and staff from overseas, she said. Some doctoral programmes in o바카라사이트r countries, however, emphasise 바카라사이트 need for students to collaborate and publish internationally and to spend time in ano바카라사이트r institution.

¡°Even though we have all 바카라사이트se schemes from research councils and so on, 바카라사이트 actual programmes that people study are not necessarily as coherent as some of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트rs that people study in mainland Europe,¡± she added.

One way of opening up 바카라사이트 eyes of 바카라사이트 postgraduate community to 바카라사이트se initiatives is to invite more speakers from Europe to conferences on doctoral education in 바카라사이트 UK, she said. In fact, Professor Deem hopes to hold 바카라사이트 next UKCGE annual conference in Portugal for that purpose.

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