Join us for lunch with Rachel Spronken-Smith, Professor of Higher Education and Geography, University of Otago, New Zealand to talk about if the PhD is out of alignment.
Aspects of doctoral education have undergone substantial change in recent years, and we argue that as a result many PhDs programmes may be out of alignment. We draw on the concept of 'constructive alignment' (Biggs, 1999) who proposed that learning outcomes should be well aligned with teaching and learning methods and the assessment regime. The learning outcomes for doctoral candidates have expanded considerably in recent years in response to the desire to graduate candidates with a wider skill set, well equipped for a range of jobs beyond academia. Corresponding to this, in some programmes, the teaching and learning activities have altered, so rather than just doing a supervised project, candidates now often take workshops and courses to gain a broader skill set. However, the assessment has remained much the same, narrowly focussed on a written thesis and, in some cases, an oral defence. The rise of professional doctorates has allowed a rethinking of doctoral education. For example, the outcomes might include professional competency so the teaching methods involve professional practice and the assessment often uses a portfolio approach, allowing examiners to be assured candidates are meeting the various outcomes. Professional doctorate portfolios may include evidence of having met certain competencies (e.g. clinical), as well as leadership, project management, and communication in a range of modes etc. But where does this leave doctoral education for traditional PhDs? In this session we will discuss this issue to envision what doctoral education could look like and how alignment might be achieved.

Difficult Conversations: A Guide to Mastering the Talks We Dread, 12:00pm - 1:30pm, Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Difficult conversations can be part of all of our work both inside and outside of the classroom. Please join us to explore how to develop effective oral communication skills when in challenging conversations with groups or individuals. This will be an interactive experience that will provide you with a guide to achieving open and constructive outcomes in conversations.

Annotated Bibliographies: Preparing for Research, Doing Research, Imagining Research, 12:00pm - 1:30pm, Thursday, October 30, 2014 in the 1930s Room, Rockefeller

This session, co-hosted by librarian Laura Braunstein and the Institute's Christiane Donahue, will focus on annotated bibliographies in writing courses in the form of both informal and formal assignments. We will discuss various roles for research in first-year writing courses and work through ways to develop annotated bibliography activities or assignments in various class configurations. Sponsored by the Institute for Writing and Rhetoric.