Richard Waites’ Post

It's that time of the year when students are graduating and I have been seeing recent PhD graduates taking (or wanting to take) on the role of a professor, but my question is- Is anyone with a PhD who takes on the role of an educator ready or even suited for the responsibilities that teaching entails? Sure, one can have that love for the subject or maybe, maybe perhaps the motivation and the discipline to embark on the lifelong journey of learning and research but teaching requires more than subject matter expertise. What about the love for the students? What about empathy, creativity and the ability to foster critical thought in students. How has your time as a PhD student shaped your decision of becoming an instructor? Do you even have the right skills and if so, what are those skills? While I also understand that passion for teaching can grow over time, the question remains on how can academia better distinguish those who truly love to teach from those who simply find themselves in the role? It would be a shame to see teaching becomes a fallback option i.e. an escape from the uncertainties of industry rather than a purposeful commitment to educating the youth? As an individual and as part of a academic institute, we should reflect on how we prepare PhDs for teaching not just as an employment option, but as a vocation.

🆕 New article: Sense of Purpose in Life Predicts University Performance and Attrition Jacob E Alderson, Nathan A Lewis, Patrick L Hill and Nicholas A Turiano 🔹 Open access article: https://lnkd.in/grGqp7ck Individual differences are important predictors of academic success. A sense of purpose in life is gaining increasing attention as a key individual difference factor to foster in university students. The current study examined whether a sense of purpose in life, a dispositional tendency to pursue goals and activities in line with one’s overarching life direction, predicted better academic success across several years of university. Students (n = 769) at a large, U.S. public university were asked to complete a baseline survey in the summer prior to entering university, which included measures for a sense of purpose and background characteristics. Students were then followed throughout their first three years of university. Results demonstrated that higher levels of purpose were associated with a higher grade point average (GPA), more credits earned, less credits dropped, and an increased odds of persisting through the first three years of university. A sense of purpose also appeared to buffer the negative effect of low entrance scores on university GPA. These findings support cultivating a strong sense of purpose prior to entering university as an effective means of improving a variety of academic outcomes. Karen Nelson PhD PFHEA Rachael Field Ron Oliver Jason M. Lodge Jason T. Sally Kift Marcia Devlin AM, PhD Professor Kerri-Lee Krause PhD, GAICD, PFHEA, FSRHE Steve Larkin Ruth Pickford Lorraine Stefani Vincent Tinto (Intellectual Icon) Jennifer Keup Nicolette Lee PhD PFHEA Liz Thomas Tracy Creagh (AFHEA) Carmel O'Sullivan Christopher Hart

A new study from Dr Kaiyun Feng, a colleague and a fellow third space researcher from the University of Cambridge. A comparative study (research-intensive, public universities in China, the UK and Canada) explores the roles, identities and institutional positioning of teaching professionals, conceptualised as 'third space professionals': these are the university staff members primarily with academic contracts whose roles range from providing educational support to students and academic colleagues, academic development including research into scholarship of teaching and learning and whose identity is 'intrinsically academic' (Bennett et al., 2016). Owing to their interstitial positioning (not in the faculty or belonging to a particular discipline but rather centrally located and 'managed'), these professionals are indeed third-space workers. In this paper, Dr Kaiyun Feng proposes a scalable three-dimensional model to capture the complexity of the university work(ers) performing the roles of teaching and training, research and service. A following discussion may be considered as to whether universities are becoming one giant third space.... Congratulations Dr Kaiyun Feng on promoting the critical discussion! #thirdspace #universities #academic #highereducation #professionals #professionalidentity

A new essay collection published by The British Academy in collaboration with the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) features personal stories from postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers about their experiences in UK higher education and proposes solutions to some of the challenges they face. The collection features eleven contributions covering a wide range of subjects, from navigating parenthood as researchers, to comparing academic life between the US and the UK, to addressing imposter syndrome in academia. The collection is a valuable resource informing the future of higher education in the UK. Professor Simon Swain FBA, the British Academy’s Vice-President for Higher Education Research and Policy, commented: "In the face of an increasingly precarious higher education sector, we can’t afford to lose sight of those who will shape the sector’s future: the academics themselves. Their voices, particularly those in the early stages of their academic careers, play a central part in informing the decisions we take to futureproof our universities. This collection of essays offers vital insights and creative solutions to help steer a bright course for ECRs in UK higher education. The lives of early career researchers underscores the British Academy and HEPI’s shared commitment to support and advocate for the next generation of academics, ensuring their invaluable contributions continue to drive progress." The essay authors are all members of the British Academy’s Early Career Researcher Network (ECRN) – a researcher led membership body accessible to UK based early career researchers working in the humanities and social sciences developed to specifically support them to address the challenges they face daily." https://lnkd.in/eqGgmsU7 #researchers #academia #universities #careers

📰 Five aspirations for effective academic support systems Drawing on insight from a new project we're working on with Wonkhe, our Principal Advisor, Dr Rachel Maxwell, PhD, PFHEA and Debbie McVitty explore how universities are approaching the wicked problem of reimagining academic support. 🔗Read the article: https://lnkd.in/esA4e2zU

Really great stuff planned for the 21st Annual York University Graduate Student Conference in Education -- February 19, 2025 -- in Toronto. This year’s conference theme extends an invitation to linger with the con-current(s) of tensions and possibilities encountered in our own scholarship and in our pedagogical relationships. Whether these are methodological, ethical, historical, epistemological — compared with the familiar ‘concurrent sessions’ found at a typical conference (which split attention and attendance into separate spaces, apart from the whole) — we are designing a space where what is experienced as con-current(s) may be the varied practices we animate across our scholarship. And what might that con-current(s) tell us about the questions we ask in our inquiry?  https://lnkd.in/geVRNRT9

I am very excited to share my paper published in Higher Education Quarterly, titled 'Third space professionals and undergraduate teaching – A comparative study in China, the United Kingdom and Canada'. To access: https://lnkd.in/eqTNu2ts Based on some of my PhD study findings, this research explores the emerging position of teaching professionals in research universities through the framework of ‘third space professionals’. One of the main findings is that teaching professionals' relationship with academics can influence their positioning within the university and the value they bring to teaching and learning. Additionally, universities’ expectations of teaching professionals play an important role in shaping their collective identities. By proposing a three-dimensional space model for higher education, this research builds on previous studies on the higher education space and offers an alternate framework for interpreting and analysing university staffing.

🎓 Planning to apply for a PhD in Information Science at Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science? Our Student-Applicant Reading Program (SARP) is officially open from 9/23 to 10/31! 🎓 We welcome all applicants and are especially committed to supporting scholars who have navigated significant barriers in their pursuit of higher education. Please share this to help us reach a wider community and foster more inclusive access to higher education! 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘏𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘗𝘩.𝘋. 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮. https://lnkd.in/e7EmiBa3

I've started a 5-part series of blog articles on the purpose of higher education asking whether it's become a quaint anachronism or if it still serves a purpose. If so what is it? I focus on the 3 primary actors – the institution, students, and employers –, though I acknowledge secondary players. Capitalism or its close relatives have altered Education as they've altered Science and Medicine. I don't say this to flatter. Give it a read. I'd love to read your thoughts. #HigherEducation #UniversityReform #Education #AcademicLeadership #EducationPolicy #UniversityLife #Academia #EducationalInnovation #FutureOfEducation #Universities #Research #HigherEd #EdLeadership #Learning #KnowledgeEconomy #EducationTransformation #GlobalEducation #AcademicExcellence #EducationalChange

"In the first quarter of my Ph.D., I enrolled in indoor cycling classes at the university gym. One evening, the instructor delivered a motivational phrase that, though meant to encourage us to break out in a sweat, has shaped my Ph.D. journey to this day: “You are here to improve, not to impress.” In the humanities and social sciences, many people believe that completing a Ph.D. involves spending years conducting research to write a dissertation that “extends the boundary of human knowledge.” But the real story is quite different from that. Although key, fulfilling your research project is the least important aspect of your Ph.D. Most of your energy should be focused on three other areas: improving your skills as a researcher, building a community and engaging in professional hands-on activities. As a doctoral student, you should take advantage of these years to acquire new skills and develop the abilities you will need as an academic." By Maria P. Angel at @insidehighered https://lnkd.in/ed6xYBRC