SEMINAR FOR BOLOGNA AND HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM EXPERTS Organisation and Profile of Doctoral Studies...

SEMINAR FOR BOLOGNA AND HIGHER EDUCATION REFORM EXPERTS Organisation and Profile of Doctoral StudiesSalzburg PrinciplesChafic Mokbel, University of Balamand, Research Council, HER Expert LebanonMazen El Khatib, HER Expert Lebanon, Pierre Gedeon, HER Expert Lebanon,Amer Helwani, NTO Lebanon, Aref Soufi, NTO Lebanon

Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, USEK, 11-12 March 2013

>History, Context and Motivation

>Some Challenges Facing Doctoral Studies

>Salzburg Principles and Excellence in

Doctoral Studies

>Discussions and Perspectives

Outline

> March 2005: The European Charter for Researchers – The Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers

● Defines general principles and requirements to specify the roles, responsibilities and entitlements of researchers as well as of employers and research funders

> February 2005: Bologna Seminar yields to the Salzburg Principles

● Seminar set to discuss the new action line “EHEA and ERA two pillars of Knowledge-based Society”

● OrganizersAustrian federal ministry of education. Science and cultureGerman federal ministry of education and researchEuropean University Association

● 300 participants, 48 universities and 25 countries => Large interest to contribute to policy debate

● Seminar discussed the European Charter for Researchers

> June 2010: Salzburg II Recommendations● EUA-CDE (Council for Doctoral Education) annual meeting● Free University in Berlin● Intensive Consultation● 220 participants, 165 institutions and 36 countries● Recommendations in 3 categories

Research as the basis and the differenceCues for successClearing the obstacles

> June 2011: Report of Mapping Exercise on Doctoral Training in Europe: “Towards a Common Approach”

History, Context and Motivation

>Few Numbers (2008)● 1.5 Millions FTE researchers in Europe● Researchers share of the total labour market:

6‰ in Europe, 9‰ in USA and, 11‰ in Japan● Share of Researchers in Business Sector: 46% in

Europe, 68% in Japan, 79% in USA● R&D intensity (percentage of GDP): 1.9% in

Europe, 2.8% in USA, 3.4% in Japan● 600,000 doctoral candidates in Europe; 110,000

graduating every year

>Need for more researchers and therefore to further develop the high quality doctoral studies and training


> This reflected in the Europe 2020 flagship● 1. By the end of 2011, Member States should have strategies in

place to train enough researchers to meet their national R&D targets and to promote attractive employment conditions in public research institutions. Gender and dual career considerations should be fully taken into account in these strategies

● 4. In 2012, the Commission will propose [on the basis of the provisions on ERA in the New Lisbon Treaty] a European Research Area framework and supporting measures to remove obstacles to mobility and cross-border cooperation, aiming for them to be in force by end 2014. They will notably seek to ensure through a common approach:- quality of doctoral training, attractive employment conditions and gender balance in research careers;- mobility of researchers across countries and sectors, including through open recruitment in public research institutions and comparable research career structures and by facilitating the creation of European supplementary pension funds;


>Key stakeholders working on Doctoral Studies and Training● EUA - CDE

● LERE (League of European Research Universities)

● Coimbra group

● Thematic Inititiatives

>The ten Salzburg principles are set to guide the development of relevant and high quality doctoral studies and training





Doctoral Studies


Outline

> Rapid Development of Science and Technology

Some Challenges Facing Doctoral Studies

First Cycle

Second Cycle

Third Cycle

Development of Science and Technology

Three Cycle System

Where to place the boundaries?

What to include in the 3rd cycle?

Duration of PhD preparation and originality?

> Knowledge based society (economy)● Central role to higher education and especially Doctoral Studies

● Balance to find between long-term and short-term research

● Demand for more PhD holders


Long-term ResearchShort-term ResearchTheoretical ResearchApplied Research

Number of Researchers?Bandwidth of doctoral programmes?

http://lifeskillsfromthedojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/e-balance-01.jpg

> Globalisation● Originality and competitiveness to be shown at wider

scale

● Relevance to be sought at the international level

● Recognition a more crucial issue

● PhD candidates and researchers to be more dynamic

> Other Challenges● Local levels of knowledge and skills

● Socioeconomic levels

● Resources allocated to research

● …





Doctoral Studies


Outline

Salzburg Principles

> i/ The core component of doctoral training is the advancement of knowledge through original research● However, meet the increasing needs of employment market● Training by research

Provide candidates with core skills– problem solving; innovative, creative and critical thinking; analyzing and synthesizing

knowledge; developing strategies

● Training in transferable, “generic” skills and competences should become an integral part of all doctoral programmes in order to meet the challenges of the global labour market

> ii/ Embedding in institutional strategies and policies● The university is responsible for design, structure and

organisation of its doctoral programmes with regulations covering: recruitment, supervision, exams, evaluations and monitoring, and defence of the thesis throughout the university

● Orientation● Tutoring and Advising

Salzburg Principles

> iii/ The importance of diversityDiversity at all levels throughout the European space

should be seen as a strength Diversity needs transparency and quality Discipline differences require more different

approaches than institutional or system differences

> iv/ Doctoral candidates as early stage researchers● In the European Charter for Researchers: “Early

stage researchers are professionals who are trained through research in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems, and in the management of the projects concerned”

● Doctoral stage should be recognised as the first part in a professional career

● Doctoral candidates to participate at all levels in the University governance process

Salzburg Principles

>v/ The crucial role of supervision and assessment● Arrangements for supervision and assessment

should be based on a transparent contractual framework of shared responsibilities between doctoral candidates, supervisors and the institution

● Who can be a supervisor? ● How often she/he meets with the candidate? ● How many candidates the supervisor can

manage and how the research progress is monitored?

>vi/ Achieving critical mass● Crucial to have an impact● Bilateral and multilateral collaboration at

local, national and international levels● Virtual research networks

Salzburg Principles

>vii/ Duration● Between 3 to 4 years● Flexibility in the duration is needed: for discipline

differences, gender issues, …● Full-time and part-time doctoral studies?

>viii/ The promotion of innovative structures● To meet the challenge of interdisciplinary training and

the development of transferable skills ● Transferable (“generic” professional and personal) skills

and competences to ensure wider employability of doctoral candidates in different sectors of the economy and society: communication and presentation skills, writing skills, project and time management, human resources management, financial resources management, teamwork, risk and failure management, etc

● Transferable skills and competences facilitate multidisciplinarity

● ECTS to be used in structured course-part of doctoral programmes and not for measuring research progress

Salzburg Principles

>ix/ Increasing mobility● Doctoral programmes should seek to offer

geographical as well as interdisciplinary and intersectoral mobility and international collaboration within an integrated framework of cooperation between universities and other partners

● Several support programmes exist: Marie-Curie, Joint doctoral programmes, Co-tutelle

● Classical obstacles exist● Inter-diciplinary and inter-sectoral mobility exist● No consensus on doctoral label

>x/ Ensuring appropriate funding● The development of quality doctoral programmes

and the successful completion by doctoral candidates requires appropriate and sustainable funding




Doctoral Studies


Outline

Discussions and perspectives

>The Salzburg ten Principles aim at fostering [formal and recognized](ii) doctoral training models and their [well defined supervision and assessment processes](v) that prepare [good young researchers](i) [formally recognized as such](iv) with [transferable skills and competences](viii) in an [appropriate period of time](vii) and with an [adequate financial support scheme](x) in fields with recognized [critical mass](vi) while making good use of [mobility](ix) and preserving [diversity](iii)


>This copes with nearly all the challenges and clearly point out that, with the present socioeconomic context and with the fast development of science and technology, although research is first an individual effort, a formal and well thought setting is needed to make the best out of the doctoral studies


>The optimal balance is to be found between the Salzburg principles

SupportAndSupervision

Duration

Relevance


Transferable competences

Core R&DSkills


>While the 10 Salzburg principles are suitable, the good balance is still to be found●Depending on the context: system,

institution●But also sector, discipline

>Is it relevant and appropriate to integrate the postgraduate within the third cycle?● Is it the good timing?

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