twittering on about research: using social media to develop doctoral researchers
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Twittering on about research: Using social media to develop
postgraduate researchers (PGRs)?
Dr Katy Vigurs
@drkatyvigurs#EduConfSU
Who are postgraduate researchers
(PGRs)?What skills and abilities do they
need to develop? How might social media help PGRs? What can we do to
find out?
Where does my position on PGRs stem from?
2001New mum
New PGR studentNew to social research
2013Postgraduate Award
LeaderDoctoral Supervisor
Educational researcher
What challenges do PGRs face?
Sustaining motivation
& enthusias
m
Completing on time
Loneliness / isolation
Feel in limbo / a
spare part
Crisis of confidence.
Can I do this?Who am I?
Am I a student or
a researcher
?
Out of the loop. Why don’t I know what’s
going on?
Precarious juggling act
£££ issues – cost of
opportunities
Is my research
important?
What areas of support do PGRs need?
Research methods theory &
application
Searching &
accessing academic literature
Research design &
management
Critical evaluation of others’ research
Academic writing
Presenting your
research to others
Research ethics
Developing a researcher identity & reputation
Moral / emotional
Contacts & networks
Vitae: What skills & abilities should PGRs be developing?
Domain A: Knowledge & Intellectual abilities
Domain B: Personal Effectiveness
Domain C: Research governance and
organisation
Domain D: Engagement, influence and
impact
Researcher Development Framework (2010) www.vitae.ac.uk
What skills should PGRs develop?
A1 Knowledge
base
A2Cognitive abilities
A3Creativity
Domain A: Knowledge & Intellectual abilities
1. Subject knowledge
2. Research methods: theoretical knowledge
3. Research methods: practical application
4. Information seeking
5. Information literacy & management
6. Languages
7. Academic literacy & numeracy
1. Analysing
2. Synthesising
3. Critical thinking
4. Evaluating
5. Problem solving
1. Inquiring mind
2. Intellectual insight
3. Innovation
4. Argument construction
5. Intellectual risk
What skills should PGRs develop?
B1Personal qualities
Domain B: Personal Effectiveness
B2Self-
management
B3Professional and
career development
1. Enthusiasm
2. Perseverance
3. Integrity
4. Self-confidence
5. Self-reflection
6. Responsibility
1. Preparation & prioritisation
2. Commitment to research
3. Time management
4. Responsiveness to change
5. Work-life balance
1. Career management
2. Continuing professional development
3. Responsiveness to opportunities
4. Networking
5. Reputation and esteem
What skills should PGRs develop?
C1Professional
conduct
Domain C: Research governance and organisation
C2Research
management
C3Finance, funding
& resources
1. Health and safety
2. Ethics, principles & sustainability
3. Legal requirements
4. IPR & copyright
5. Respect & confidentiality
6. Attribution & co-authorship
7. Appropriate practice
1. Research strategy
2. Project planning & delivery
3. Risk management
1. Income & funding generation
2. Financial management
3. Infrastructures & resources
What skills should PGRs develop?
D1Working
with others
Domain D: Engagement, influence and impact
D2Communicati
on & dissemination
D3Engagement & impact
1. Collegiality
2. Team working
3. People management
4. Supervision
5. Mentoring
6. Influence & leadership
7. Collaboration
8. Equality & diversity
1. Communication methods
2. Communication media
3. Publication
1. Teaching
2. Public engagement
3. Enterprise
4. Policy
5. Society & culture
6. Global citizenship
What abilities did I develop as a PGR?
Research methods theory &
application
Strategies for searching & accessing academic literature
Research design &
management
Critical approach
to evaluating
others’ research
Academic writing
Presenting my research
to others
Ethical approach
to research
Developed a
researcher identity
Networking. Building contacts
How did I develop these skills?
Volunteered to help on other
research projects
Advice and support from
supervisory team, academic
librarians, other PGRs
Read a lot of texts – didn’t
read for pleasure when
a PGR
Identified & attended research
conferences & seminars
Did a lot of writing & sought
constructive criticism
Presented at conferences &
seminars
Said ‘yes’ to select opportunities & ‘no’ to
many more
Prioritised developing a researcher
identity – made sacrifices
Learned from observing others’
practices
Identified individuals, journals & organisations
central to research interests. Followed them.
Did I use social media for academic purposes? Was I a digital PGR?
Which skills & abilities might be enhanced using social
media?Subject knowledge, Research methods knowledge, Info seeking &
management, Language, Academic literacy, Critical thinking, Evaluating, Inquiring mind, Intellectual insight, Argument construction.
Enthusiasm, Self-confidence, Self-reflection, Responsibility, Preparation & prioritisation, Commitment to research
Ethics & principles, Respect, Co-authorship, Appropriate practice, Research Strategy, Project planning, Funding generation, Infrastructure & resources
Collegiality, Team working, Supervision, Mentoring, Collaboration, Communication methods & media, Publication, Teaching, Public engagement,
Enterprise, Policy, Society & culture, Global citizenship
How do I use Twitter for academic purposes?
Find out what other people are thinking & doing in your area of research & professional practice: identify & follow academics, researchers, policy makers, teachers, educational organisations, colleagues & students. Locally, nationally & internationally. Respond to their questions & ideas.
Make yourself & your practices visible: Tweet regularly about what you are thinking & doing (academically & professionally)
Rally up support: Tweet questions at those you follow and your followers. Have conversations with your followers.
Share unique content: Tweet interesting & relevant links whenever possible.
Learn from others: Observe others’ critical thinking in action on your subject area.
Respond to opportunities tweeted by others
So how might we investigate the value of social media for developing
PGRs? Potential Research Questions
In what ways is the use of Twitter (within and beyond the classroom) of value for processes of doctoral learning?
In what ways does Twitter usage by doctoral students and staff allow the building of communities of practice: within a cohort of learners? between two cohorts of learners?between learners and a range of academics,
practitioners and doctoral students beyond the University?
Proposed Objectives:To produce an initial Doctorate in Education (EdD) Social Media
Strategy, particularly focusing on the use of Twitter for effective doctoral learning.
To use this initial EdD Social Media Strategy to run a staff development workshop for the EdD programme team in 2013-14.
To use this initial EdD Social Media Strategy to run a ‘Twitter for Doctoral Purposes’ workshop for the EdD students in 2013-14.
To trial the use of Twitter for doctoral learning within the professional doctorate classroom with a cohort or Year 1 EdD students and a cohort of Year 2 EdD students.
To trial EdD students’ use of Twitter for doctoral learning outside the classroom.
To evaluate from both staff and students’ perspectives the process and value of using Twitter, within and beyond the classroom, to build an effective, active and engaged community of practice.
Short term: Intended outcomes
To impact positively on the doctoral learning experience of EdD students by introducing and developing their use of Twitter for academic purposes
To impact positively upon their dialogic interaction with their peers and staff, as well as other academics, professionals and doctoral students outside the University.
To develop their confidence and autonomy in relation to ‘becoming a researcher’, as well as being able to practice their ‘critical voice’ in a public sphere.
Short term: Intended outputs
Draft School of Education Social Media Strategy for PGRs
Project Blog
Project Evaluation Report
Presentation of findings at a range of Faculty and University events.
References Burgess, H., Sieminski, S. and Arthur, L. (2006) Achieving your Doctorate in Education, London: Sage.
Crossouard, B. and Pryor, J. (2008) Becoming researchers: a sociocultural perspective on assessment,
learning and the construction of identity in a professional doctorate, Pedagogy, Culture and Society, 16
(3), 221-237.
Drake, P. (2011) Practitioner Research at Doctoral Level, Abingdon: Routledge.
Green, B. (2009) Doctoral education in transition, in D. Boud and A. Lee (Eds) Changing Practices of
Doctoral Education, Abingdon: Routledge.
Minocha, S. and Petre, M. (2012) Handbook of social media for researchers and supervisors: digital
technologies for researcher dialogues, Cambridge: Vitae.
Lee, N. (2009) Achieving your Professional Doctorate, Maidenhead: OU Press.
Lee, A. and Aitchison, C. (2009) Writing for the doctorate and beyond, in D. Boud and A. Lee (Eds)
Changing Practices of Doctoral Education, Abingdon: Routledge.
Leonard, D., Metcalfe, J., Becker, R. and Evans, J. (2006) Review of the literature on the doctoral
experience for the Higher Education Academy, Cambridge: Institute of Education and UK GRAD
Programme.
Leonard, D. and Becker, R. (2009) Enhancing the doctoral experience at the local level, in D. Boud and A.
Lee (Eds) Changing Practices of Doctoral Education, Abingdon: Routledge.
Mollet, A., Moran, D. and Dunleavy, P. (2010) Using Twitter in university research, teaching and impact
activities: A guide for academics and researchers, London: LSE Public Policy Group.
Vitae (2010) Researcher Development Framework, Cambridge: Vitae. Available at
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/Vitae-Researcher-Development-Framework.pdf