University Graduate College

University Graduate CollegeColeg Graddedigion y Brifysgol

Increasing PhD awareness: Personal and Professional Development and

mentoring of PhD careers

Professor Ken WannProfessor of Cell Physiology & Deputy DeanUniversity Graduate CollegeCardiff University, UKwann@cardiff.ac.uk

University Graduate College

About Cardiff University• Established 1883• 1988 merger with University of Wales Institute,

adopted name of Cardiff University • 2004 merger with University of Wales College of

Medicine• Total numbers of PGRs: 2,263

– snapshot includes all eligible to submit• Fee payers: 1,374 of which 88% are full time

– Students pay fees for three years if full time and five years if part-time

University Graduate College

University Graduate College

University Graduate CollegeColeg Graddedigion y Brifysgol

• delivers an integrated and consolidated programme of academic-led training and development for postgraduate researchers• assures a quality experience for postgraduate researchers• co-ordinates work to build capacities and to align PGR training with University research strengths• leads on providing world class facilities, both physical and virtual

University Graduate College

University Graduate CollegeColeg Graddedigion y Brifysgol

Provides an across the board Institutional vehicle / forum / collision space for interaction,

discussion, sharing, learning and creating a vibrant research environment

A virtual and a physical space for community building

Governance

• University Graduate College Board • Four Programme Teams• Four discipline groups• Board, Programme Teams and discipline

include student representatives

University Graduate College

University Graduate College Board

PGR Reps Forum

Graduate Facilities

Training & Development

Assuring Quality

Building Capacities

Economic & Social Science

Humanities Biological & Health Sciences

Engineering & Physical Sciences

Our Governance Structures

University Graduate College

Achieves ownership by PGRs, DPGRs, supervisors, Institution

Current Programme• Maps on to the Researcher Development

Framework • Developed via the Training and Development

Programme Team – Review of take-up and feedback– Revised Research Council guidance – New requirements from students, supervisors,

Directors of PGR Studies – Maximising research strengths for training provision

University Graduate College

Take Up: Individuals 89% of all third year PhD researchers (91% of full time) had engaged in skills programme (2 years 6 months into their PhD).

– Mean attendance [all third years] was 10 sessions, median was 9 sessions.

88% of all second year PhD researchers had engaged (1 year 6 months into the PhD).

– Both the mean and median attendance was 9 sessions.

84% of all first year PhD students had engaged (9 months into the PhD).

– Mean attendance was 6 sessions, median was 4 sessions.

NB: does not include any training in the Academic School

University Graduate College

Local Survey Feedback • A survey of third year PGRs conducted in spring 2010

asked researchers to rate the value of the courses they had attended both with reference to making progress in their PhD and to them personally, including research and transferable skills offered by Academic Schools, [then] Graduate Schools and Graduate Centre.

• Only a small minority (4-11% depending on the category of course) disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that the courses had assisted in making progress on the PhD or had been useful personally.

University Graduate College

Planning- This is not what it is!!

Lies within domain B of the Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

Why do it ? Do we ourselves do it? How do we sell it ?

How do we get Institutional buy in to embed the practice ?

Is there evidence (real outcome measures) that it works ?

University Graduate College

Personal and Professional Development Planning (PDP)

Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

• The RDF is an operational framework for planning, promoting and supporting the personal, professional and career development of researchers

• How was it created? • Core of the framework consists of data drawn from over 100

interviews • Phenomenographic method* – identified over 1,000

characteristics and their variants• Input from experts, specialists and stakeholders• Clustered into the 4 main areas or Domains

* See http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/167281/Background-documents.html for further details on method.

www.vitae.ac.uk/rdf

The Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

Domain D Domain A

Domain C Domain B

The Researcher Development Framework (RDF)

Phase1

Phase2

Phase3

Phase5

Phase4

Develops skills in a range of communication means. Has a web presence as a researcher

Uses interactive communication technologies for networking, information/idea sharing. Engages with locally available media

Establishes and leads virtual research environments.Uses national / international media and web media.

Are you engaged in PDP?

PDP is…“A structured and supported process undertaken by an individual to reflect upon their own learning, performance and/or achievement and to plan for their personal, educational and career development.”

Increasing PhD awareness - Personal and Professional Development

Catch the students early (at induction events)

•emphasise the need to stand out from the crowd (you need to lay down the foundation of your future)

•take ownership of your needs (build it into your research plan)

•develop your direction of travel – research methods, presentaton skills (networking), publishing, managing time and people, gaining teaching experience, organising meetings, developing new initiatives, contributing to the Institutional agenda (student voice), engaging with enterprise activities, considering internships, carrying out public outreach

Increasing PhD awareness - Personal and Professional Development (PDP)

Have (e)systems in place to interrogate whether the student is engaging with PDP

•reinforce this agenda at meetings / events / workshops

•make it part of progression monitoring (six monthly reporting in Cardiff University)

•emphasise the RCUK steer on this

•make it part of the discussion between examiners and the candidate at the viva voce, so building it into the examiners’ joint report on the Thesis and the candidate

•indicate that this is examined in PRES (student experience – a metric in league tables)

Increasing supervisor awareness - Personal and Professional Development (PDP)

Do supervisors (academic staff) adopt any form of PDP themselves ?•this must come through the Institution (staff development courses) or must be generated by the staff member themselves (RDF)

•are there good examples from the doctoral candidates or supervisors that adopting PDP has tangible benefits ? These can be shared.

•build mentoring of PDP into work allocation models and staff appraisals (recognition of, and rewards for this activity)

•Is this the domain of the supervisory team (Cardiff) or should there be another “mentor” involved ? (pastoral versus research). Would this create a tension between what might be conceived as conflicting agendas?

•PRES / REF – implications for the Institution

•RCUK – a condition of funding (challenges with block grants / inter- Institutional collaborations)

Getting messages out there

A lead piece on time management by the UGC Deputy Dean

- introducing the 4 Ds

A lead piece on Careers by the UGC Dean

The Cardiff PhD - a passport to employment ?

Overviewing PGR initiative funding applications

Acting as mentor for the HEA accreditation for PGRs (associate fellow status)

Perspectives from the doctoral student

New Centre for the UGC and doctoralStudents

High profile events – a very popular lecture by Jorge Cham

Tips on time management

In Greek mythology, Mentor (Greek: Μέντωρ, Méntōr; gen.: Μέντορος)[1] was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus or Heracles and Asopis. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.

When Athena visited Telemachus she took the disguise of Mentor to hide herself from the suitors of Telemachus' mother Penelope.[2] As Mentor, the goddess encouraged Telemachus to stand up against the suitors and go abroad to find out what happened to his father. When Odysseus returned to Ithaca, Athena appeared briefly in the form of Mentor again at Odysseus' palace.

Because of Mentor's relationship with Telemachus, and the disguised Athena's encouragement and practical plans for dealing with personal dilemmas, the personal name Mentor has been adopted in English as a term meaning someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague.

Mentoring

goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill

Nature’s guide for mentors

Lee, Dennis and Campbell (2007) Nature 14th June

Having a good mentor early in your career can mean the

difference between success and failure in any field.

Nature has rewards for creative mentoring in science (UK, Australasia, South Africa)

Rewarding mentors for their efforts:

support, passion, enthusiasm, sensitivity, availability, optimism,

inspiring, respect (reflections of mentees)

Career support / planning

The UGC is here to support you in your time here as a researcher. It aims to help you develop and implement a career plan. This objective is an obligationof the University when we enrol you as a PGR, and it is one that we take seriously.

Our agenda is your agenda – to help prepare you for afuture career in whatever walk of life you choose.

This approach is embodied in the UGC programme which provides you with a unique opportunity to develop a skills base appropriate to any arena both within and outside academia.

Academic v Non-Academic

The Scientific Century: securing our future prosperity (The Royal Society, 2010)

Professor K T Wann

Deputy Dean, University Graduate College Professor of Cell Physiology, School of Pharmacy and

Pharmaceutical Sciences

Exploring Career Options Beyond Academia:

Humanities and Social Sciences

www.cardiff.ac.uk/ugc

University Graduate College (UGC)

Exploring Career Options Beyond Academia: Biological & Health Sciences

University Graduate CollegeColeg Graddedigion y Brifysgol

Professor K T Wann

Deputy Dean, University Graduate College Professor of Cell Physiology, School of Pharmacy

and Pharmaceutical Sciences

Career ? Origin: f. L. carraria (via) vehicular (road): f. F. carriere road

- Noun1. an occupation or profession

2. a person’s progress or general course of action through life

3. success in a profession

4. a course, esp. a swift one

5. speed, esp. full speed

6. a charge at full speed

Obvious Career destinations ?

Education Astrophysics

HistorySocial Sciences - Academia

Business

Psychology

– Learn about the opportunities available outside academia

– Gain insight into career paths & entry methods

– Understand how your skills as a researcher can be transferable

– Find out what employers are looking for (speed dating)

– Network

Aims of Event

University Graduate College

Public Engagement Student Showcase

University Graduate College

University Graduate CollegeColeg Graddedigion y Brifysgol

The early bird ……. The second mouse ……

The PDP cycle

Action planning introduction

Becoming a researcher - schedule for afternoon

14.00 Welcome

14.10 What do Researchers Do?

14.30 Careers Exploration Experience

16.00 Tips for Job Searching

16.15 Q&A with speaker panel

16.45 Reception