Academic development for doctoral students: exploring the relevance of teaching-research integration, discipline-sensitivity and collaboration

ABSTRACT

The focus of this study is an academic development program for doctoral students which takes a broadened perspective. A thematic analysis of interviews with 23 program graduates provides insight into the perceived value of the program; graduates’ learning about teaching in a multidisciplinary environment; their reflections on changes in perceptions of teaching; and the challenges they experienced. Results suggest that an integrated approach to academic development can contribute to doctoral students’ simultaneous development as teachers and researchers, prepare them for multidisciplinary collaborations, and foster reflective disciplinary practice. Nevertheless, the simultaneous cultivation of academic and research development should be staged to reinforce an integrated perspective on academic work.

KEYWORDS:

• Holistic academic development
• doctoral students
• program theory

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Due to the nature of this research, participants of this study did not agree for their data to be shared publicly, so supporting data are not available.

Correction Statement

This article has been corrected with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Helga Dorner

Helga Dorner is an Associate Professor and Director at the Institute of Research on Adult Education and Knowledge Management at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Hungary. Before joining ELTE, she was a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at the Central European University, Hungary. She was the lead faculty member of the Program for Excellence in Teaching in Higher Education for Doctoral Students and taught courses in the field of teaching and learning in higher education and socialization of academics. She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She researches teaching innovations, academic professionalism, and mentoring for teaching in higher education.

Swapna Kumar

Swapna Kumar is a Clinical Professor of Educational Technology at the College of Education, University of Florida (UF), USA, where she directs the online doctoral program in Educational Technology. Before joining UF, she was the coordinator of online education and responsible for faculty development at the School of Education, Boston University. She was a Fulbright Scholar to the Central European University, Budapest, Hungary and has several years of teaching, professional development, and evaluation experience in international settings. Her research focuses on online doctoral education, online pedagogy, online mentoring, and quality in online programs, with an emphasis on connections between theory, research, and practice.