Unpaid Work: Experience or Exploitation

Greetings from the Australian National University in Canberra, where I am taking aprt in an international on-line seminar (a "webinar") on "Work Integrated Learning (WIL)/Cooperative Education" hosted by ACEN. (next is 9 May). The first topic was "Assessing WIL outcomes through reflective practice" this is a hot topic at universities, where old fashioned harassment through examinations and assignments is being supplemented by asking students to think about what they have learned. One issue with this is how you teach students reflection.

The second topic for the seminar was "Experience or exploitation?" discussing the Report for the Fair Work Ombudsman, "Experience or Exploitation? The Nature, Prevalence and Regulation of Unpaid Work Experience, Internships and Trial Periods in Australia" (January 2013), which found widespread, exploitation of workers in Australia by employees, under the guise of work experience. Under Australian law, students undertaking legitimate education can be in a workplace being unpaid, or paid less than award rates. However, most cases investigated in Australia were of workers undertaking unpaid work, without receiving any formal educational outcomes, which is illegal. A Report summary, Full report, are available.

My professional body, the Australian Computer Society set up the "ACS Foundation" which has a Scholarship Programme for Work Integrated Learning (WIL). This has carefully established procedures to ensure the rights of the students are protected and so simplifies the process for universities and companies involved in the scheme.

Software Engineering Internship Requires E-Portfolio

The course Software Engineering Internship (COMP3820), offered by the ANU  Research School of Computer Science, requires students to reflect on their experience in an Internship Journal (e-Portfolio). This makes up 20% of their assessment, equal to the report by their Industry Supervisor. The students are intended to be able to demonstrate learning and professional development through mapped to Engineers Australia technical competencies. Accreditation by Engineers Australia, requires the equivalent of 12 weeks full-time work experience for each student. This course (COMP3820) satisfies the requirement and makes up one full time semester of study by the student.

The aim of this course is to use the internship experience to enable students to develop their software engineering skills and practice. Students will be placed in industry, working full-time and assessed for academic credit. The internships will be aligned with the aims of the software engineering program. Students will experience a real-life engineering workplace and understand how their software engineering and professional skills and knowledge can be utilised in industry. They will also be able to demonstrate functioning software engineering knowledge, both new and existing, and identify areas of further development for
From: Software Engineering Internship (COMP3820),Shayne Flint,  ANU  Research School of Computer Science, 2012

Statement of Supervisory Expectations V1.3

Thanks to those who provided comments on my "Statement of Supervisory Expectations V1.2.1".   Further comments are welcome. Here is a slightly updated version with:

1. An extra photo (Inspecting military systems for the Department of Defence), as people seemed to like the photos,
2. Added a requirement for the student to do a skills audit to identify the skills they have and the extra ones they will need,
3. Mentioned the I have added mention of the Australian Qualifications Framework, which requirements for programs.
4. Added a reference to the ANU's  "Standard milestones for full-time PhD candidature" and summarised this as "In general, you can expect to have provide evidence of progress (a paper, progress report, or present at a seminar) at least every three months in a PHD program.".
5. Put more emphasis on research: I originally wrote the document with the intention of having it apply to coursework students, as well as research ones. But that turned out to be too confusing, so it now concentrates on university research.
6. Removed "being purely for your own benefit" about optional courses, as that sounded silly: what courses are not for the student's benefit? Instead I added "As well assisting with your research these courses add skills which employers value.".
7. Clarified that I would help the student find extra courses.
8. Expanded on my approach to student feedback and provided a reference:  "My approach to feedback is informed by research on what has proved to be effective: timely, brief and directed to helping you complete (Flint and Johnson, 2011)."
9. Extra section on "Quality and Participation", saying work must be suitable for publication, students must participate in discussions, but they don't have to come to meetings, provided they deliver on time. Also I referenced the ANU's "Responsible Practice of Research Policy". 

Statement of Supervisory Expectations

Tom Worthington

Research School of Computer Science & Climate Change Institute, The Australian National University (ANU)

Philosophy of Research Supervision

The purpose of this document is to outline of my approach to the supervision of research and projects for those considering a graduate program at the ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS). When not teaching at ANU, I work as a Certified Computer Professional (Von Konsky, 2008) consulting to industry and government around the world (see my background for details).

With Senator Kate Lundy, after receiving the ACT 2010 ICT Education Award.

A successful higher degree requires a blend of research and coursework, honed on real world experience. Research shows that  ‘hands on’ supervision leads to faster completion (Sinclair, 2004). I will help guide you through the process of setting milestones, obtaining resources, preparing presentations and publication. To do this I use an award winning technique of mentoring and collaboration developed for professionals, to progressively build your skills (Worthington, 2012).

Even if your focus is exclusively on research, you will be engaged in a learning process. You will need to audit your current skills and identify gaps. Most students will require additional courses in the advanced research and communication, needed for postgraduate research. The optimal blend of research and coursework will depend on your individual requirements and the program you enrol in.

Under the The Australian Qualifications Framework (July 2011) and the University's accreditation policy, those in a research program can spend up to one third of their time undertaking coursework (ANU, 2012). Professional practice students will have more coursework, but still need to spend at least one third of their time on research. Graduate coursework students will spend most of their time on coursework, but can expect to undertake a one or two semester supervised project.

As one of a team of supervisors, my job is to help you to decide what skills and experience you would like from your studies and guide you on the path to achieve these. Also I can help with the topic you are studying, where it falls within my experience (see my background for details).

Setting Goals

Inspecting military systems for the Department of Defence.

You will need to assess your current skills, compare this with your ambitions and what your university program requires. The university has a "Tool for Online Assessment of Skills and Training" to help you identify the  useful transferable skills you already have and what you need to be built up (Schaffarczyk & Connell, 2012). I can help you to map out your individual path to the goals using off-the-shelf courses, your research program and specialist custom training.

Before deciding on the details of your study, stop and consider why:

1. Are you planning a career in academia?
2. Do you want to advance in your profession?
3. Are you simply curious to learn more?

Depending on your answer, different programs might suit. Many embark on a higher degree by research, when coursework might be more suitable. Keep in mind that modern university postgraduate courses are not like school: you can study on-line, in small groups, with work and research integrated learning.

Setting milestones

Time management is essential to university work (and is a skill highly valued by employers). Your program will have some milestones set by the university to monitor your progress. The university has "Standard milestones for full-time PhD candidature" (ANU, 2011). In general, you can expect to have provide evidence of progress (a paper, progress report, or present at a seminar) at least every three months in a PHD program.

A research student will normally aim to complete a literature review one quarter the way through their program, then a thesis proposal after the first third and have conducted the research ready to write up two thirds through. Students undertaking a professional doctorate, or a Masters, will be spending less time on research, but with similar proportions for a literature review, thesis proposal, research and write up. Coursework masters students will undertake the same process in as little as twelve weeks.

The targets set for graduate programs are broad and designed to be flexible. You will need to set further detailed targets, where you will aim to have achieved measurable, useful tasks.

University research is not a matter of sitting waiting for inspiration. A good university program is designed like a computer program: top-down. You need to start by thinking about what you want to have achieved by the end of your studies and work back to see how to get there. You will be encouraged to use tools such as the Graduate Information Literacy Skills Audit, to see what skills you have and what is needed. Your supervisors will help you map out the detail of courses and activities will be needed to achieve your goals. Your time and resources are limited and need to be applied most efficiently to reach the goals.

As a computer professional, I will emphasize the use on-line facilities to keep in touch with you. You may never need to visit the campus, but most students will be on-campus for at least part of their time. In any case personal contact is important, face-to-face, or on-line.

Success rarely comes from sitting alone. You will be encouraged to team up with other students in your own discipline and across the university.

Narrow technical skills are of little value if you are unable to communicate with colleagues and clients. The university offers extensive optional courses in formal writing, presenting and in business skills. I will be encouraging you to make full use of these courses, to make your coursework and research more productive.

Quality and Participation

Your work must be of a quality suitable for publication in an international refereed journal or conference. I will be encouraging you to submit a paper for publication, at least twice per year during a PHD program.

You will be required to comply with the"Responsible Practice of Research Policy" of the University (ANU, 2010) and any codes specific to your area of research.

Expect to be actively involved in discussions on-line or in person with your supervisors, your peers and others around the world, constantly. Provided you deliver at every milestone on time, to the required standard, you will not need to attend formal meetings.

Documenting Your Progress

Employers will want evidence from you of what you did at university and this is more than just a copy of your degree. You will need to collect evidence of the skills you have gained at all stages of your study. Higher degree students will normally prepare a thesis. While not required for most programs, I will encourage you to also produce a portfolio of work undertaken, often called an "e-Portfolio" where you list all courses undertaken, with samples of work (Manathunga, 2004). The milestones set provide a useful starting point for this portfolio.

Also in your portfolio I will encourage you to  include extra-curricular activities relevant to "generic" skills, such as oral presentation, teamwork, and leadership. Examples could be materials produced in non-assessed courses, awards for presentations, certificates from a university sporting team, or your commission in the university regiment.

Writing and Other Skills

In supervising your research I will not be alone. There will will be at least three supervisors: a senior academic, myself and another. In addition there are educational and technical specialists to assist. But in the end a successful university higher degree depends on you. One of the most important skills is academic writing. It is not the job of your supervisors to teach you how to write, this is a skill which has to be learned in formal coursework and by practice.

As well as the usual university formal courses in your topic, there are more general courses on skills to help your study and in your future career. These are usually available to enrolled students at no extra cost. As well assisting with your research these courses add skills which employers value. I will be encouraging you to round out your more formal studies with in this way.

The university provides a "How to Learn: Student guide to Free training at The ANU", detailing free courses and services for students of the university. The services offered go beyond the usual how to use a computer and include topic design, thesis writing and supervision, project management. There are also podcasts and the Postgraduate and Research Students' Association (PARSA) has additional "Resources for Distance Students".

The ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre provides courses of value to coursework and research students. There is also the ANU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Innovation) Graduate Program and Innovation ACT, for learning to turn your ideas into products. I will help you select suitable programs for your work plan.

Providing Feedback

You will receive formal feedback on the milestones set for your program and feedback from individual supervisors. The long term nature of postgraduate research, in comparison to self-contained semester courses, requires a different form of feedback (East, Bitchener & Basturkmen, 2012). My approach to feedback is informed by research on what has proved to be effective: timely, brief and directed to helping you complete (Flint and Johnson, 2011).

What you must do

The college has a detailed  Self Assessment Guide to help you determine what is the right program for you. Also there is a college Pre-application Process to make the formal application the with the Application Manager a little easier.

The Research School has a database of project topics. You don't have to choose one of these, but it might help with choosing an area of interest and give some ideas. Your topic will be refined over the course of your studies.

References

East, M., Bitchener, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2012). What constitutes effective feedback to postgraduate research students? The students’ perspective. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 9(2), 7. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol9/iss2/7/

Flint, N., & Johnson, B. (2011). Towards Fairer University Assessment: Recognizing the Concerns of Students: Taylor & Francis. Retrieved from  http://www.amazon.com/Towards-Fairer-University-Assessment-Recognizing/dp/0415578132

Manathunga, C., Lant, P., & Mellick, G. (2007). Developing professional researchers: research students’ graduate attributes. Studies in Continuing Education, 29(1), 19-36. doi: 10.1080/01580370601146270 Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01580370601146270

Schaffarczyk, S., & Connell, L. (2012). Graduate Research to Research Career: Transferable Skills Training Models. 2012 Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference, 111.  Retrieved from http://goo.gl/zowTN

Sinclair, M. (2004). The pedagogy of'good'PhD supervision: A national cross-disciplinary investigation of PhD supervision. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training. Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20060828062332/http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/07C6492B-F1BE-45C6-A283-6098B6952D29/2536/phd_supervision.pdf#page=7

The Australian National University. . (2010). Responsible Practice of Research: The Australian National University. Retrieved from http://policies.anu.edu.au/policies/responsible_practice_of_research/policy

The Australian National University. . (2011). Code of Practice - Supervision in Higher Degrees by Research: The Australian National University. Retrieved from http://policies.anu.edu.au/policies/code_of_practice_supervision_in_higher_degrees_by_research/policy#_ftnref1

The Australian National University. (2012). Academic Programs and Courses Accreditation. Retrieved from http://policies.anu.edu.au/policies/academic_programs_and_courses_accreditation/policy

Von Konsky, B. (2008). Defining the ICT profession: A partnership of stakeholders. Paper presented at the 21 s t Annual Conference of the National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications, Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.naccq.ac.nz/conferences/2008/15.pdf

Worthington, T. (2012). A Green computing professional education course online: Designing and delivering a course in ICT sustainability using Internet and eBooks. Paper presented at the Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2012 7th International Conference on, Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6295070&isnumber=6295013

Statement of Supervisory Expectations V1.2.1

One of the assessment items for the course on "Research Supervision" I am currently undertaking is a "Statement of Supervisory Expectations". This is essentially an advertisement to attract research students. As such it seems to require an difficult mix of scholarly understatement and  marketing hype.
One thing I noticed with the dozen or so such statements I examined, was a lack of images. The inclusion of images has been shown to make documents more credible, so I have put some in. Also I have included formal references, to make the document more scholarly. Here is a draft. Comments would be appreciated:

Statement of Supervisory Expectations

Tom Worthington

Research School of Computer Science & Climate Change Institute, The Australian National University (ANU)

Philosophy of Research Supervision

The purpose of this document is to outline of my approach to the supervision of research and projects for those considering a graduate program at the ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science (CECS). When not teaching at ANU, I work as a Certified Computer Professional (Von Konsky, 2008) consulting to industry and government around the world (see my background for details).

With Senator Kate Lundy, after receiving the ACT 2010 ICT Education Award.

A successful higher degree requires a blend of research and coursework, honed on real world experience. Research shows that  ‘hands on’ supervision leads to faster completion (Sinclair, 2004). I will help guide you through the process of setting milestones, obtaining resources, preparing presentations and publication. To do this I use an award winning technique of mentoring and collaboration developed for professionals, to progressively build your skills (Worthington, 2012).

Even if your focus is exclusively on research, you will be engaged in a learning process and will need courses to acquire essential research and communication skills. The optimal blend of research and coursework will depend on your individual requirements and the program you enroll in.
Under the University's accreditation policy, those in a research program can spend up to one third of their time undertaking coursework (ANU, 2012).

Professional practice students will have more coursework, but still need to spend at least one third of their time on research. Graduate coursework students will spend most of their time on coursework, but can expect to undertake a one or two semester supervised project.

As one of a team of supervisors, my job is to help you to decide what skills and experience you would like from your studies and guide you on the path to achieve these. Also I can help with the topic you are studying, where it falls within my experience (see my background for details).

Setting Goals

You will need to assess your current skills, compare this with your ambitions and what your university program requires. The university has a "Tool for Online Assessment of Skills and Training" to help you identify the  useful transferable skills you already have and what you need to be built up (Schaffarczyk & Connell, 2012). I can help you to map out your individual path to the goals using off-the-shelf courses, your research program and specialist custom training.

Before deciding on the details of your study, stop and consider why:

1. Are you planning a career in academia?
2. Do you want to advance in your profession?
3. Are you simply curious to learn more?

Depending on your answer, different programs might suit. Many embark on a higher degree by research, when coursework might be more suitable. Keep in mind that modern university postgraduate courses are not like school: you can study on-line, in small groups, with work and research integrated learning.

Setting milestones

Time management is essential to university work (and is a skill highly valued by employers). Your program will have some milestones set by the university to monitor your progress.

A research student will normally aim to complete a literature review one quarter the way through their program, then a thesis proposal after the first third and have conducted the research ready to write up two thirds through. Students undertaking a professional doctorate, or a Masters, will be spending less time on research, but with similar proportions for a literature review, thesis proposal, research and write up. Coursework masters students will undertake the same process in as little as twelve weeks.

The targets set for graduate programs are broad and designed to be flexible. You will need to set further detailed targets, where you will aim to have achieved measurable, useful tasks.

University is not a matter of sitting waiting for inspiration. A good university program is designed like a computer program: top-down. You need to start by thinking about what you want to have achieved by the end of your studies and work back to see how to get there. You will be encouraged to use tools such as the Graduate Information Literacy Skills Audit, to see what skills you have and what is needed. Your supervisors will help you map out the detail of courses and activities will be needed to achieve your goals.

Your time and resources are limited and need to be applied most efficiently to reach the goals.
As a computer professional, I will emphasize the use on-line facilities to keep in touch with you. You may never need to visit the campus, but most students will be on-campus for at least part of their time. In any case personal contact is important, face-to-face, or on-line. Success rarely comes from sitting alone. You will be encouraged to team up with other students in your own discipline and across the university.

Narrow technical skills are of little value if you are unable to communicate with colleagues and clients. The university offers extensive optional courses in formal writing, presenting and in business skills. I will be encouraging you to make full use of these courses, to make your coursework and research more productive.

Documenting Your Progress

Employers will want evidence from you of what you did at university and this is more than just a copy of your degree. You will need to collect evidence of the skills you have gained at all stages of your study. Higher degree students will normally prepare a thesis.

While not required for most programs, I will encourage you to also produce a portfolio of work undertaken, often called an "e-Portfolio" where you list all courses undertaken, with samples of work (Manathunga, 2004). The milestones set provide a useful starting point for this portfolio.

Also in your portfolio I will encourage you to  include extra-curricular activities relevant to "generic" skills, such as oral presentation, teamwork, and leadership. Examples could be materials produced in non-assessed courses, awards for presentations, certificates from a university sporting team, or your commission in the university regiment.

Writing and Other Skills

In supervising your research I will not be alone. There will will be at least three supervisors: a senior academic, myself and another. In addition there are educational and technical specialists to assist. But in the end a successful university higher degree depends on you. One of the most important skills is academic writing. It is not the job of your supervisors to teach you how to write, this is a skill which has to be learned in formal coursework and by practice.

As well as the usual university courses in your topic, there are courses on skills to help your study and in your future career. These are generally not-assessed, being purely for your own benefit and available to enrolled students at no extra cost. I will be encouraging you to round out your more formal studies with these courses.

The university provides a "How to Learn: Student guide to Free training at The ANU", detailing free courses and services for students of the university. The services offered go beyond the usual how to use a computer and include topic design, thesis writing and supervision, project management. There are also podcasts and the Postgraduate and Research Students' Association (PARSA) has additional "Resources for Distance Students".

The ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre provides courses of value to coursework and research students. There is also the ANU Pro Vice-Chancellor (Innovation) Graduate Program and Innovation ACT, for learning to turn your ideas into products.

Providing Feedback

You will receive formal feedback on the milestones set for your programa and feedback from individual supervisors. The long term nature of postgraduate research, in comparison to self-contained semester courses, requires a different form of feedback (East, Bitchener & Basturkmen, 2012). At times your supervisor's feedback will seem frustratingly cryptic, this is not done out of a lack of interest, but based on years of experiencing and research which shows that too much "help" does not help the student.

What you must do

The college has a detailed  Self Assessment Guide to help you determine what is the right program for you. Also there is a college Pre-application Process to make the formal application the with the Application Manager a little easier.

The Research School has a database of project topics. You don't have to choose one of these, but it might help with choosing an area of interest and give some ideas. Your topic will be refined over the course of your studies.

References

East, M., Bitchener, J., & Basturkmen, H. (2012). What constitutes effective feedback to postgraduate research students? The students’ perspective. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 9(2), 7. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol9/iss2/7/

Manathunga, C., Lant, P., & Mellick, G. (2007). Developing professional researchers: research students’ graduate attributes. Studies in Continuing Education, 29(1), 19-36. doi: 10.1080/01580370601146270 Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01580370601146270

Schaffarczyk, S., & Connell, L. (2012). Graduate Research to Research Career: Transferable Skills Training Models. 2012 Quality in Postgraduate Research Conference, 111.  Retrieved from http://goo.gl/zowTN

Sinclair, M. (2004). The pedagogy of'good'PhD supervision: A national cross-disciplinary investigation of PhD supervision. Canberra: Department of Education, Science and Training. Retrieved from http://web.archive.org/web/20060828062332/http://www.dest.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/07C6492B-F1BE-45C6-A283-6098B6952D29/2536/phd_supervision.pdf#page=7

The Australian National University. (2012). Academic Programs and Courses Accreditation. Retrieved from http://policies.anu.edu.au/policies/academic_programs_and_courses_accreditation/policy

Von Konsky, B. (2008). Defining the ICT profession: A partnership of stakeholders. Paper presented at the 21 s t Annual Conference of the National Advisory Committee on Computing Qualifications, Auckland, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.naccq.ac.nz/conferences/2008/15.pdf

Worthington, T. (2012). A Green computing professional education course online: Designing and delivering a course in ICT sustainability using Internet and eBooks. Paper presented at the Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 2012 7th International Conference on, Melbourne, Australia. Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=6295070&isnumber=6295013

Work Integrated Research

The selection of candidates for university doctoral programs is a complex and expensive process. Universities are now using web advertising to attract students and this would be an interesting area for research. In addition, modern recruiting practices of business and government might be applied to research students.

At the Australian National University (ANU) the "Selection of candidates: ANU Information" includes:

1. ANU information for potential research students
2. Student Administration Forms
3. Enrolment - instructions for domestic and international students.
4. Unit load
5. Scholarship information
6. Graduate research scholarship holders

Also college specific information is provided for two of the colleges. This material could be improved by prefixing it with potential careers from each program. Also the availability of scholarships could be placed more prominently. A full list of ANU colleges could be added.

Like many university websites, the ANU information for potential research students suffers from an overly complex design. As an example, the first information which is actually for potential research students is on the 35th link on the page, under the heading "Research Students" (which itself is not a link). This material could be revised, to highlight the important information and reduce the number of unimportant links.

Clicking on "Prospective Research Students" produces the message "This page has been moved to ...". This will not give the potential student a good impression of the institution. The redirection should be removed.

The ANU Graduate research page passed a W3C HTML Validation Check, and Taw Automated Accessibility Test, but but scored only 30 out of 100 on the W3C mobile OK Checker. Changes to the page design, as suggested by the W3C tool, will improve access for those using mobile devices and slow Internet connections on older equipment in developing countries.

The description of higher degrees emphasizes research:

"... unlike undergraduate and graduate coursework degrees. They typically have no, or very little, structured coursework, very few classes and the ultimate objective is to write a thesis or other significant work that significantly contributes to the body of knowledge in the relevant field of research."

This is likely to discourage applicants, especially as the literature indicates that research degrees need more structure. Also it is pointed out later on the same web page that there are professional degrees, with coursework available, but the reader may be put off the institution before reading that far. Better would be to introduce higher degrees in general, pointing out they can have different mixes of coursework and research, to suit the student's individual requirements and which all provide a structure to guide the student.

The ANU also has an interactive "Application Manager", to help guide applicants through the very complex application process. The form asks for a "Field of Research/Discipline" and a brief description of the area of research and a one page research proposal. Also requested is a list of published and unpublished written work, Academic Prizes, Awards. The ANU Staff consulted and proposed supervisor are also requested. English Language Test results are required for ESL students.

Colleges supplement the central university application process with their own materials, such as the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS), "Self assessment" guide and "Pre-application process". This has a flowchart to help the process, but which lacks an alternative text description. The pre application process has a expression of interest form, as a Microsoft Word document. This asks for "research interests" and it is not clear how this relates to the "area of research " asked for on the ANU form. The form asks the applicant to select one or more Research Groups, academic qualifications, a CV and three referees. Two of the referees have to be academic, which would exclude most potential applicants.

Specific readings

• Beasley, C. (1998). 'To market, to market': Responding to the keynote address and the West Review. In M. Kiley & G. Mullins (Eds.), Quality in postgraduate research: Managing the new agenda (pp. 27-31). Adelaide: ACUE, The University of Adelaide. Retrieved from: http://qpr.edu.au/1998/beasley1998.pdf

Beasley (1998) responds to the "West Review Into Higher Education Funding" (West, 1998). That review recommended "student centered funding", with students, rather than universities negotiating the funding with government agencies. Beasley comments that academics are alienated by the "New Agenda in Higher Education" without explaining what that is. The topic of funding is perennial, with Professor Fred Hilmer, Vice Chancellor UNSW and Chair of the Group of Eight Universities, calling for fee deregulation in his Press Club Address recently

Beasley criticizes the use of market forces to determine university courses. But from the perspective of 2012, it is difficult to see what the alternative would be: should universities staff courses, even where there are no students who want to enroll in them?

Beasley then criticizes the West Review's use of the term ‘excellence’ as being elitist. Being part of a university would seem to be, by definition, part of an elite and I was unable to understand the argument.

Beasley appears to have been trying to be ironic in listing what a market driven approach would force the the supervisor to do, including avoiding difficult students, not providing them extra time for overdue work, not helping other supervisor's students, not providing personal counseling and selecting projects for the students relevant to the supervisor. However, this would seem to be reasonable and responsible supervision. The supervisor should not go beyond their designated role, by trying to act as a financial or physiological councilor for the student. Also it is not in the interests of the student for the supervisor to give them excessive assistance with their project, or repeated extensions of time, as the student needs to learn to do their own work.

• Higher Education Funding Council for England. (2005). PhD research degrees: Entry and completion Higher Education Funding Council for England. Retrieved from: http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100202100434/http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05_02/05_02.zip

The HEFCE 2005 report discusses completion rates for UK doctorate degrees by research started in 1996-97. Interestingly the report appears to equate the quality of supervision with completion rates of the students. That is, the more students who complete and the quicker they do so, the higher quality the supervision is considered to be.

Of more interest is an update to the HEFCE 2005 report, published in 2007 with data added from 2003 to 2006 (DERA, 2007). This showed 76% of full-time and 48% of part time PhD students who started in 1996-97 completed within 10 years. However, what was not clear was why 10 years was used as the period for comparison, given that a doctorate is supposed to be a three year full time program.

Also the study appears to only use competition and length of time for completion as measures of quality. This brings out appears a fundamental flaw in the design of research doctorate programs: they offer no progressive recognition. For a student who is having difficulties with the doctorate, the choices are to persevere, quit or be thrown out. It would make sense to offer the student who was unable to complete the research doctorate an alternative, such as a coursework degree.

• Lovitts, B. & Nelson, C. (2000). The hidden crisis in graduate education: Attrition from Ph.D. programs. Academe, 86(6), 44-51. Retrieved from: http://www.aaup.org/AAUP/CMS_Templates/AcademeTemplates/AcademeArticle.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRNODEGUID={AB56F06D-E8BA-470B-BBAE-3483803AD894}&NRORIGINALURL=%2FAAUP%2Fpubsres%2Facademe%2F2000%2FND%2FFeat%2Flovi.htm&NRCACHEHINT=NoModifyGuest

Lovitts and Nelson (2000) cite a long-term attrition rate for PHD students of 50%. Presumably this is for the USA (where the paper was published). It is consistent with the UK ten year competition rates of 48%/76% part/full -time (DERA, 2007).

Lovitts and Nelson suggest attrition of student numbers is part of the culture of US graduate schools.

• Wright, T., & Cochrane, R. (2000). Factors influencing successful submission of PhD theses. Studies in Higher Education, 25(2), 181-195. Retrieved from: http://www.tandfonline.com.virtual.anu.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/713696139

Wright and Cochrane (2000) looked at completion rates for postgraduate research students in the 1990s at the University of Birmingham. They found the most significant factor for completion was science versus arts/humanities students, with about 10% more science students completing. They speculate this is due to science students doing more group work and getting more supervision.

It would be interesting to consider how to provide group work and more supervision for arts/humanities students and what change this would make to the culture of the disciplines. One way might be to provide a separate university-wide, or discipline-wide, on-line service. The students would work individually with their supervisor and, as a separate activity, work in on-line groups.

Wright and Cochrane did not find differences due to gender or age. But students with a better first degree, research council funding and international students did better.

Interestingly, part-time students did better than full time, with Wright and Cochrane speculating this is due to greater maturity. I notice that my ACS students, who are required to have work experience, have less difficulty with postgraduate studies than my ANU students, who tend to be straight from undergraduate studies.

The paper also provides a good overview of issues with completion rates and measures undertaken in the UK.

Role for Part Time Research

The ANU College of Engineering & Computer Science discourages part time research:

The Master of Philosophy (MPhil) is typically eighteen months to two years full-time and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is typically three to four years full-time. There is a possibility that study may be approved on a part-time basis in which case the duration is doubled. This is not common, and is not encouraged.

While the literature indicates part time students are less successful than full time ones, this is for traditional part time programs. A program of work integrated research (similar in approach to "work integrated learning") would fit well with the ANU's close ties with government and industry.

Additional References:

Higher Education Funding Council for England, corp creator. PhD research degrees: update : entry and completion. [ Issues paper (Higher Education Funding Council for England) ; 2007/28 ] Retrieved from: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/6806/1/07_28.pdf

West, R 1998, Learning for life: review of higher education financing and policy: final report, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. Retrieved from: http://web.archive.org/web/20080801181459/http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/highered/hereview/toc.htm

Work integrated research

In studying the topic of research supervision at universities, it stuck me that there was little mention of "work integrated research", whereas "work integrated learning" is widely discussed (and occasionally implemented). Given that the literature indicates part time students are successful at research, due to their greater experience and maturity, then integrating the research into their workplace should make for an even better Masters or PHD program.

A search of Google Scholar found only 15 documents mentioning "work integrated research", whereas there were 183,000 for "work integrated learning". The phrase "work integrated learning" occurs on 43,000 Australian university web pages, whereas "work integrated research" is on only on 361 and of those about one third are from Griffith University, being primarily the work of engineer Dr Rodney Stewart. An example is "Developing a framework for work integrated research higher degree studies in an Australian engineering context":

The umbrella of Australian research higher degree (RHD) offerings has broadened from the traditional MPhil/PhD programmes to include a range of professional masters and doctoral degrees. This article reports on the experiences of three PhD students, engaged in an informally managed industry partnered research programme, described in this article as the work integrated research higher degree (WIRHD). Their learning process shares the attributes from both the traditional PhD programme and professional doctorates. However, because of the blended nature of the learning contexts, candidates engaged in the WIRHD programme must address a wider range of issues than those following the traditional RHD pathway.

An exploratory case study approach was adopted with the view to develop an integrative framework to explain the various contexts that influence the learning experience of WIRHD candidates, as well as a structured approach to guide this contemporary form of industry partnered WIRHD process.

From: Developing a framework for work integrated research higher degree studies in an Australian engineering context, Rodney A. Stewart, Le Chen, European Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 34, Iss. 2, 2009

Stewart and Le Chen use the term "Work Integrated Research Higher Degree" (WIRHD) to, as they put it, produce ‘scholar professionals’, rather than ‘professional researchers’. WIRHD is an ungainly acronym and the term does not appear to have come into widespread use, with only about 7 references in Google Scholar, with all referencing Stewart. WIRHD seems to be a halfway point between a traditional PHD and a Professional Doctorate, with the students
researching in an industrial organisation, but not as an employee of that organsation. This would make for a very difficult relationship to manage, which Stewart and Le Chen spend much of their paper discussing.

The organization WACE uses the term "Cooperative & Work-Integrated Education" (CWIE) . WACE included the topic “Work Integrated Research” in their 2010 symposium. Johannes Haas produced an interesting diagram in a presentation summarizing the "salon" section of the symposium (a less formal set of sessions) "Best and Next Practices: Bridging the Gap between Higher Education and Employers through Work
Integrated Learning, Cooperative & Experiential Education". Slides 5 "Repositioning of WORK INTEGRATED EDUCATION in an international and inter-cultural context" has "Education" at the center, with "Go Abroad", "Study", "Do Research" and "Work", around it.

National Career Development Strategy Green Paper

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations has released a 16 page National Career Development Strategy Green Paper (June 2012) with submissions closing 1 August 2012. Here are some excepts:

Why is career development important for Australia's future?

Career development assists people to gain the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to manage learning and work throughout a productive and engaging working life ...

This lifelong perspective on career development that has career self management skills at its heart is now widely accepted in OECD countries as a necessary foundation for labour market flexibility and lifelong learning. ...

Both individual needs and national productivity benefit from career development

The benefits of a lifelong career path (through school; from school to further education, training and employment; throughout a working life) for individuals with timely, quality career development support, have long been understood. ...

• Raising educational attainment and skill levels ...
• Successful Career Transitions ...
• Raising labour force participation ...
• Labour market flexibility and labour mobility ...
• Addressing disadvantage ...
• Responding to the challenges of an ageing population ...

Figure 1: illustrates how individual needs and public policy goals are both served by the attainment of career development skills.9

What is career development?

Career development is the term that best describes the complex process of managing life, learning and work over the lifespan.

Career development helps people throughout their lives to plan and to make decisions about education, training, and career choices, and provides the right skills to do this. Support for career development (through education providers, governments, employers, career industry) includes collection, organisation and provision of information needed to make these decisions; advice and guidance about education, training and work at key points in people's lives. ...

Career development support is provided to people whose life circumstances differ widely. ...

Career development support is provided in many different ways ...

Career development support is provided by a very wide variety of groups, e.g., schools, vocational education and training institutions, universities, parents, peers, community groups, employment service providers; private career development consultants, recruitment firms and private enterprises.

Career development services are provided by a wide variety of people. ...

Why does Australia need a National Career Development Strategy?

At present career development education, information, advice, support and services are provided across a multitude of organisations and individuals, through various avenues, with differences in content and quality. A national career development strategy, which promotes the development of career management skills, the provision of high quality career education, information and services that meet recognised quality standards, and equitable access could benefit all Australians.

Such a strategy could bring together all key stakeholders and promote high-quality career development education, information, advice, support and services that will bring Australia into line with recent international developments. This would lead to a future where all Australians at any stage of their life have the skills to manage their careers, enabling them to engage more effectively in the workforce, contributing to increased national productivity as well as their own well-being.

Substantial progress has been made

... At a national level the Australian Government has focused on three major policy priorities:

• professionalisation of the career industry ...
  
• development of a Certificate IV in Career Development
• establishment of the Career Industry Council of Australia
• development of the Professional Standards for Australian Career Development Practitioners
• annual scholarships to enable teachers and career practitioners to gain career development qualifications
• development of frameworks to guide effort:
• the Australian Blueprint for Career Development provides teachers, parents, career practitioners, employment service providers, employers or others who are in a position to support people's careers and transitions with a nationally consistent framework
• the Career and Transition Services Framework, developed in 2003 with state and territory governments, presents a range of options to support young people in making effective transitions through school and between school and post school destinations
• access to national career information:
• myfuture.edu.au (with state and territory governments)
• Job Guide and Australian Jobs publications
• Job Outlook and Skills Info websites.

At the state and territory level progress has also occurred in a number of ways, for example:

• Many states and territories are making pathway planning compulsory including the Northern Territory, Victoria, Queensland and South Australian public schools.
• In New South Wales, the School-to-Work Program in government schools supports students to develop their skills, understandings and capacities to self manage their transition through and from school to further education, training and employment.
• Victoria has developed a Careers Curriculum Framework based on the Australian Blueprint for Career Development, to support teachers, trainees and practitioners in preparing young people to make successful first transitions from school to further education, training or employment, in addition to the Regional Career Development Officers and Local Learning and Employment Networks programs.
• In Queensland, "My Future My Plan" translates the work in schools from Year 5 to Year 12 to the four phases of career development from the Australian Blueprint for Career Development. In Queensland there are a number of Indigenous specific programs targeting employment and training, e.g., Positive Dreaming, Solid Futures; Dare to Dream.
• South Australia has included career development as part of the curriculum and it is assessed as part of the South Australian Curriculum Standards and Accountability Framework, South Australian Certificate of Education and national training packages. Programs in South Australia include the Industry Pathways Program, Mentoring and Youth Development Program and Trade Schools for the Future. Seventeen career development services have been established across the state through the South Australia Works initiative, and the appointment of a number of career development practitioners as well as the Skills for All website.
• Western Australia has embraced new technology by establishing a career website. The website includes specific information for Western Australians and links to Australian Government resources, interactive career tools to assist all to manage their careers and social media. Western Australia has established 14 workforce development centres and five Aboriginal Workforce Development Centres.
• In Tasmania schools and Guaranteeing Futures initiatives support students with pathway planning and with access to a range of career development support staff and activities. A requirement of the Tasmanian Certificate of Education is for students to have a Pathway Plan that is developed and reviewed to support their education and training.
• The Australian Capital Territory is strengthening career education in schools and colleges through its Excellence and Enterprise Framework. The ACT has implemented a cross sectoral pathways planning initiative for all young people under the age of 17 which is aligned with the Australian Blueprint for Career Development. A website for the ACT Career and Transition Framework is under development, which will be a resource for all stakeholders.
• Northern Territory initiatives include "Try a Trade" events for Year 9 students; Work ready programs to increase School Based Apprenticeships; VET in Schools and VET in the Middle. Senior school students must pass with a confirmed 'C' standard the Personal Learning Plan subject as a completion requirement for their Northern Territory Certificate of Education & Training; eight Indigenous teacher and teacher assistants are training to provide career development services in remote Arnhem schools. Career Expos are run throughout the Northern Territory offering pathway and further education options to students and the wider community.

...

Major challenges remain

...

• Gaps in access to services remain, particularly for groups such as the unemployed (both adults and youth), early school leavers, those on the margins of the labour market, and older Australians ...
• Services are provided by a diverse range of public and private organisations ...
• National processes for leadership and priority setting that involve governments, those who receive career development support, practitioners and other key stakeholders are unclear. ...
• The knowledge base needed to inform policy development remains inadequate. ...

A national leadership body for career development

...

The leadership body could consist of representatives from key stakeholder groups and could develop advice on projects, which might include:

Involving industry more actively in career development	Australian industry needs a highly skilled workforce that is able to adapt and innovate in a rapidly changing economy while both increasing Australia's productivity and responding to a shrinking workforce and ongoing skills shortages. It is also recognised that the ongoing employability of individuals is dependent on their set of relevant personal attributes and skills that will prepare them for both employment and further learning. Career information and industry expectations need to be clearly articulated for all Australians. Closer alignment with industry will ensure that career information and advice is up to date and relevant.
Building career development skills in individuals	Career development skills, including the life skills and general competencies that are important for managing a career, are needed throughout life. A better understanding of the personal attributes and skills that will prepare people for employment and further learning, and of how these can be developed, can help to ensure that career development support and assistance are provided appropriately at different stages of people's lives. This approach may lead to linking career development skills with the curriculum through general capabilities and potentially lead to a less ad hoc approach to the development of these skills.
Improving the quality of advice and professionalism of the industry	The quality of career advice in Australia can be variable and patchy, and that while tools like the Australian Blueprint for Career Development and the Professional Standards for Career Practitioners exist, it is not clear how widely they are utilised. Parents expect career practitioners to be appropriately qualified so that users can be confident that the information, advice and services they receive is of the highest quality. The establishment of benchmarks and the continuous improvement of standards for delivery of services, regardless of setting, and the regulation of strong national professional standards would provide this assurance. This approach could include a national pre-service and in-service teacher training program that includes career development. This work could be progressed in collaboration with other countries who are addressing similar issues.
Improving access to relevant work experience and vocational learning experiences	Research shows that young people want more exposure to the world of work through work experience to develop their skills and employability and make decisions on their career paths. The research also showed young people and their parents value such experiences over and above many other career development activities. Parents also noted that 'young people have the preference to speak to someone who has done the type of work they are interested in'. Targeted support needs to be provided for all young people including those at school, those not in school and those already in the workforce.

Supporting individuals to gain career development skills

Supporting individuals throughout their lives to make education, training and work choices, is a key to individuals' success and a key element in the growth of the national economy. Providing individuals with the right skills at the right time empowers them to manage their careers successfully. ...

Career information

The Australian Government believes that, central to this objective is the redevelopment of the myfuture.edu.au website, Australia's national career information service. The website could be redesigned with a more citizen-centric approach to improve ease of use and functionality, with further enhancements to consider its usability and the technological abilities of different age cohorts.

• Information could be tailored to support parents to provide career advice as the key influencers of their children.
• Through stronger connections with industry young people could have more of the information they want, presented in the format they want. Additionally, the same career information provided would be presented in a form relevant to workforce development needs, supporting individuals to make informed decisions about their careers.
• Through social technology networks young people may be able talk to someone working in the industry they are interested in.
• Through integration with the My Skills website more comprehensive information about course and training options could be made available in one place.

...

Victoria has embedded career development into their Curriculum

Victoria has created a Careers Curriculum Framework with career education embedded in the curriculum. The Framework provides a scaffold for a career education program for all young people from Year 7 to Year 12 and for young learners in the Adult and Community Education and Technical And Further Education sectors. The Framework is based on the eleven competencies identified in the Australian Blueprint for Career Development and links to the existing dimensions of learning in the Victorian Essential Learning Standards Strands and Domains.

Career development assistance in the labour market, including for those at risk

Support services available to jobseekers could be enhanced, to provide easier access for individuals to increase career development skills, and to improve career development information and advice. Some examples of current actions are provided below. Stronger links to these programs could be investigated.

Job Services Australia ...

Disability Employment Services ...

Australian Apprenticeships Advisers Program ...

Indigenous Youth Careers Pathways Program ...

Experience+: To assist mature age people to stay in the workforce, the Experience+ initiative is a suite of programs that provides information and support to mature age Australians. One component of Experience+ is access to professional career advice for people aged 45 years and over, delivered through a telephone and email based service.

Career Advice for Parents commenced 1 January 2012 as part of the Building Australia's Future Workforce package ...

A national policy-focused career development research agenda

... The models used for research conducted under the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth, and national vocational training and education research are possible models. If it is established, a national leadership body could advise on priorities for the research. ...

Questions for Consideration

Do you have any comments on what you see as the key priorities and proposed direction for the National Career Development Strategy? ...

Do you have any comments on the possible direction for the Australian Government? ...

Do you have any comments on the ongoing and future role for the state and territory governments? ...

Do you have any suggestions for enhancing the role for industry? ...

Do you have any comments on the formation or proposed direction for a national leadership body? ...

Do you have any additional comments or suggestions? ...

Additional Information

... Reports from the research projects carried out for the Green paper are available at the Career Development page ...

Further information on resources referred to in the Green Paper is available at:

• Australian Apprenticeships Advisers Program ...
• Australian Blueprint for Career Development ...
• Australian Job Search ...
• Career Advice for Parents ...
• Career and Transition Services Framework ...
• Certificate IV in Career Development ...
• Disability Employment Services ...
  
• Experience + ...
  
• Indigenous Youth Careers Pathways Program ...
• Job Services Australia ...
  
• Myfuture ...
• Professional Standards for Career Practitioners ...

Further information on state and territory programs, developments and initiatives can be found on the following state and territory websites:

• NSW Department of Education and Training ...
  
• Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood ...
• Queensland Department of Education and Training ...
  
• South Australian Department for Education and Child Development ...
  
• South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology ...
  
• Western Australian Department of Education ...
• Tasmanian Department of Education ...
  
• Northern Territory Department of Education and Training ...
  
• ACT Education and Training Directorate ...

Further information on international approaches to career development and public policy is available from:

• European Lifelong Guidance Policy Network ...
  
• International Centre for Career Development and Public Policy ...
  
• International Labour Organisation career guidance resource handbook ...
  
• OECD career guidance policy review ...

From: National Career Development Strategy Green Paper, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, June 2012