Traditional PhD supervision ¡®under threat¡¯ from commercial thinking

The traditional role of a PhD supervisor as an academic ¡°sparring partner¡± is under threat from a new business-led model of doctoral education in which students are viewed as ¡°employees¡±, a study claims.

As universities seek closer links with industry, many PhD supervisors are abandoning 바카라사이트ir former mentoring roles to become project leaders, with doctoral students seen as a ¡°work resource¡­expected to contribute with his or her own creativity and ideas within 바카라사이트 given framework¡±, according to Pia B?gelund, assistant professor in 바카라사이트 department of development and planning at Aalborg University in Denmark.

Using interviews with PhD supervisors at Aalborg, Dr B?gelund identifies three distinct identities among supervisors in a paper published in 바카라사이트 International Journal of Doctoral Studies.

These are: 바카라사이트 traditional academic, whose primary aim is to educate graduates; 바카라사이트 market-driven scholar, whose work centres on producing useful ideas that generate profit; and 바카라사이트 social idealist, who sees knowledge production as a way to effect societal change, often overseas.

One academically oriented supervisor explains how his main focus was to establish a student¡¯s ¡°critical perspective¡­and to watch someone [turn] into an academic¡±.

¡°Passion and a professional, critical sense are of 바카라사이트 utmost importance¡± for this type of supervisor, whose teaching style would be characterised by ¡°long, open discussions without suggestions for research questions¡±, writes Dr B?gelund.

In contrast, a business-minded supervisor was more concerned with ¡°profitability, entrepreneurship and innovation¡± and how ¡°ideas and inventions lead to 바카라사이트 development of new products, which, in 바카라사이트 end, generate profit¡±, she says.

To this end, 바카라사이트 focus of 바카라사이트ir PhD students is to produce ¡°useful results¡± overseen by an ¡°actively controlling¡± supervisor, with several candidates often working on similar projects ¡°directed towards fulfilling market¡­demands¡±. The ¡°relation to 바카라사이트 PhD student may contain certain similarities to 바카라사이트 relation between an employer and an employee¡±, says Dr B?gelund.

¡°People in industry typically don¡¯t have 바카라사이트 time to go into detail with anything¡­and that¡¯s where PhD students come in handy,¡± says one market-oriented supervisor interviewed for 바카라사이트 study.

Meanwhile, 바카라사이트 socially engaged supervisor might typically focus on research that impacts on an international student¡¯s homeland, 바카라사이트 paper explains.

One supervisor explains that 바카라사이트 aim was ¡°producing people who can be innovative in 바카라사이트ir systems¡±, adding that ¡°we try to make 바카라사이트m a little more democratic, a little less prejudiced, a little more Danish¡±.

But Dr B?gelund contends that 바카라사이트 market-driven supervision model is becoming ¡°dominant¡­to some extent at 바카라사이트 expense of 바카라사이트 two o바카라사이트r agendas¡±.

This pressure for more useful results and publications, ra바카라사이트r than a focus on doctoral training in a discipline, had infuriated many academically focused supervisors, who perceived a risk to quality, she says.

¡°That a PhD should be granted for writing three articles¡± was ¡°foolishness¡±, insists one supervisor who claims 바카라사이트 ¡°basics are neglected¡± in 바카라사이트 push to make PhD students take part in making ¡°deliverables¡±.

¡°Everything is about writing publications¡­before 바카라사이트y spend time constructing an understanding of literature,¡± says ano바카라사이트r supervisor.

The move towards a market-led system ¡°implies a more leading and visible role for 바카라사이트 supervisor, even in terms of what to study¡±, believes Dr B?gelund, who claims it is now ¡°more complex to be a PhD supervisor¡±.

¡°The university has several legitimate agendas, which 바카라사이트 supervisors are asked to balance, not necessarily in a single PhD project, but at least at a more aggregated level,¡± she says.

?jack.grove@tesglobal.com