Expanding informal networks
Søren S. E. Bengtsen, professor at the Centre for Teaching Development and Digital Media at Aarhus University in Denmark, examined the less visible aspects of life as a doctoral student. On the one hand, he found that doctoral programmes are becoming much more formalised as doctoral schools increase in size and complexity, and offer more professional, technical and practical support. On the other hand, he has observed increasing numbers of doctoral candidates who feel stressed or lack direction within these structures. After all, doctoral students are more than researchers; they are people who have personal lives, too.
Bengtsen emphasised the importance of informal networks – including outside the universities – that play a key role in this. These might be “mentors” they have chosen themselves, peers they can meet with to review each other’s work, administrators, or friends and family members who can help them when they are struggling. Doctoral supervisors must be aware of these needs; they can take on one of these roles themselves or help the student to find a place in social communities or establish their own professional networks.
Learning and teaching how to be a supervisor
Two speakers from the University of Lund in Sweden reported on how courses for supervisors can lead to great success: Anders Sonesson, a senior lecturer in the educational sciences and Assistant Head of the Division for Higher Education Development, and Anders Ahlberg, a professor in the Faculty of Engineering. In 2003, both men were asked to give required courses on doctoral supervision at their university – two years before such courses were required by law throughout Sweden. It was a tough start, with numerous two-day courses that were not always well received. This led to a fundamental redesign of the courses.
Today, participants discuss practical challenges relating to supervising doctoral students, similar to the workshops offered during the symposium. In addition, they also deal with actual research-related topics and document their insights. These documents then serve as input during the next round of courses, allowing participants to expand on the various topics. Some of these results have been published in journals and even included in a book produced in collaboration with other universities and used at many Swedish universities. Although the courses are now much longer – from two to three weeks – they are very well received, including by the two lecturers themselves, who have the opportunity to learn while they teach.
An abundance of new ideas
After the presentations, participants discussed the various aspects in workshops – more than 40 over the course of two days. Lecturers, doctoral students, educational specialists and administrators shared their experiences, described challenges and discussed approaches to solutions. They also documented their insights on hundreds of flipchart sheets and sticky notes.