Tuesday, September 04, 2012

Fostering research skills

The University of Sydney Strategic Plan 2011–2015, includes a series of Strategies for Integrated education & research this includes fostering research skills from undergraduate to postgraduate.

Sydney's strategies appear workable, except for the proposal to extend a full-time PhD to four years:

9(a) Embed discovery-based learning in all curricula, with opportunities for research experience appropriate to discipline and level. ...

9(b) Develop coordinated faculty, divisional and University-wide programs for researcher induction, and for research training and mentoring at all career stages. ...
9(c) Extend the standard full-time duration of the PhD program to four years to provide scope for broadening methodological and generic skills training, where appropriate. ...

9(d) Develop clearer pathways to the PhD from honours and alternate prior programs. ...

9(e) Establish discipline-specific guidelines and training for supervisors, including provision for co-supervisors. ...

9(f) Charge the Graduate Office with enhanced responsibility for candidate administration, monitoring of consistency of practice and policy, and procedural development across the University. ...

9(g) Develop a more transparent model for the allocation of income from research students, consistent with the University Economic Model. ...

9(h) Develop programs to extend the leadership skills of researchers heading major research initiatives. ...

From: University of Sydney Strategic Plan 2011–2015.

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