Student preparedness in Ph.D. education - an assessment of supervisor and student perceptions of fulfilling Swedish third-cycle learning outcomes
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of Ph.D. candidates andsupervisors regarding how well Ph.D. students fulfill the learning outcomes
specified for third-cycle higher education in Sweden. Data were gathered using
a survey sent to doctoral students and supervisors at five departments at Lund
University and one department at Malmö University. The investigation
concentrated on 18 skills outlined in the learning objectives and on specific
analyses of student and supervisor ratings, gender differences, and differences
across departments. Responses from 123 survey participants show that skills
for specialized knowledge and specific method competencies were rated most
highly by respondents, while skills relating to contributing to others’ learning,
ethics, presenting to society, and identifying limitations of research were rated
lower than average. In 14 of the 18 skills, supervisors rated the students’
competencies higher than the students rated themselves. Although the
highest-rated skills were rated similarly by male and female respondents, there
were gender differences for other learning objectives (e.g., ethics, personal
knowledge, and autonomy). Responses from the Biology and Physics
departments revealed differences in both how students and supervisors rate
Ph.D. candidate performance and certain individual learning objective skills. Our
results demonstrate large differences in the appraisal of learning outcomes in
individual cases by students and supervisors, and that these assessments can be
influenced by gender and academic culture. For the third-cycle learning
outcomes to actually promote student learning and be a useful tool for quality
assurance, supervisors and students must be aware of their existence, and care
must be given to apply and assess the generic learning objectives in the context
of particular disciplines, with the consideration of the specific needs of individual
doctoral students. Embedding the learning outcomes in individual
Ph.D. study plans would be a good initial step to meet this goal.
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Published
2013-12-12
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