Twittering on about research: Using social media to develop

postgraduate researchers (PGRs)?

Dr Katy Vigurs

k.vigurs@staffs.ac.uk

@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