scholarly journals A Qualitative Examination of Challenges Influencing Doctoral Students in an Online Doctoral Program

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anant Deshpande

<p class="apa">The main purpose of the study was to investigate the challenges faced by students in completion of an online doctoral program at the University of Liverpool, Online Doctoral Business Administration program. We analyse the responses of 91 doctoral students in an online DBA program. Based on the exploratory qualitative study themes were developed based on student perceptions. Various themes identified were course structure and workload, resources, absence of human interaction, technological challenges, support systems, and satisfaction with instructor and quality of instruction. Discussion, Implications and avenues for future research are presented.</p>

10.28945/3529 ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen L MacLennan ◽  
Anthony A Pina ◽  
Kenneth A Moran ◽  
Patrick F Hafford

Is the Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A) a viable degree option for those wishing a career in academe? The D.B.A. degree is often considered to be a professional degree, in-tended for business practitioners, while the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree is por-trayed as the degree for preparing college or university faculty. Conversely, many academic programs market their D.B.A. programs to future academicians. In this study, we investigat-ed whether the D.B.A. is, in fact, a viable faculty credential by gathering data from univer-sity catalogs and doctoral program websites and handbooks from 427 graduate business and management programs to analyze the terminal degrees held by 6159 faculty. The analysis indicated that 173 institutions (just over 40% of the total) employed 372 faculty whose ter-minal degree was the D.B.A. This constituted just over 6% of the total number of faculty. Additionally, the program and faculty qualification standards of the six regional accrediting agencies and the three programmatic accrediting agencies for business programs (AACSB, IACBE, and ACBSP) were analyzed. Results indicated that all these accrediting agencies treated the D.B.A. and Ph.D. in business identically and that the D.B.A. was universally considered to be a valid credential for teaching business at the university level. Suggestions for future research are also offered.


10.28945/4252 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 307-324
Author(s):  
Kam C Chan ◽  
Barbara R Farrell ◽  
Patricia Healy ◽  
Annie Wong

Aim/Purpose: Although there are calls for better teaching training for accounting doctoral students, there are limited research findings on rankings of accounting doctoral programs based on the teaching effectiveness of their graduates. Background: There are two research objectives of this study. First, we rank the US accounting doctoral programs based on the student perceptions of the teaching effectiveness of their graduates using student ratings in ratemyprofessors.com. Second, we examine whether the ranking is associated with the presence of formal teaching training in the doctoral programs. Methodology: Overall quality ratings posted in ratemyprofessors.com are collected for 822 accounting professors who graduated in 2001-10 from 75 US accounting doctoral programs. The curriculum information is collected from the web pages of their doctoral programs. Contribution: This study fills two voids in the literature. Unlike previous accounting doctoral studies that rank programs based on the amount of research output of the graduates, this paper ranks programs based on the perceived teaching effectiveness of the graduates. It also adds insights into the importance of offering formal teaching training to doctoral students, which is called for by the AACSB. Findings: We find that the teaching ranking in this study is only mildly related to previous research rankings that were based on the research output of doctoral graduates. We also find that doctoral programs with higher rankings in this study are more likely to have formal teaching training in their programs. Recommendations for Practitioners: Given the findings in this study and the literature, accounting doctoral program administrators should incorporate or strengthen a formal teaching training component in doctoral programs. Recommendation for Researchers: There is a need for researchers on doctoral program evaluations to broaden their scope of assessment to include both teaching scholarship and research output of the doctoral graduates. Impact on Society: The findings in this study show that there is limited formal teaching training for accounting doctoral students, which is consistent with results in the literature of other fields. This study echoes the calls for more training on how to teach to improve the teaching ability of the graduates. When doctoral graduates become more effective professors, the learning outcome among college students can be improved as a result. Future Research: Future research can explore other better and more direct measures of teaching effectiveness in the evaluation of the accounting doctoral graduates and the accounting doctoral programs. The effect and the methods of more innovative pedagogical training on doctoral students can also be examined.


Author(s):  
Bob Ives

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic required an abrupt shift from face-to-face to online instruction for many students in higher education in the United States. Prior research has raised some concerns about both equitable access to online courses, and the quality of instruction in online courses compared to face-to-face courses. This survey study included a retrospective pretest approach to comparing students experiences before and after the transition to online instruction. The sample of 1731 students ranged across all available topics of study and all class standings from first-year students to doctoral students at a R1: Doctoral Universities—Very High Research Activity university according to the Carnegie classifications. Quality of instruction was addressed through the three principles of Universal Design for Learning. Students reported that most areas of quality of instruction were poorer after the transition, with having Engagement dropping by the largest effect size. However, Representation showed a small effect of improvement following the transition. Students who preferred online instruction reported less loss of instructional quality. Similarly, students eligible for disability services also reported less loss of instructional quality. Doctoral students reported significantly poorer access on multiple measures compared to all four years of undergraduate students’ standings. Results are discussed in terms of patterns, exceptions, effect sizes, and recommendations for future research.


Author(s):  
Elizabeth Kuley ◽  
Sean Maw ◽  
Terry Fonstad

This paper focuses on feedback received from a set of qualitative questions that were administered to undergraduate students in the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan, as part of a larger mixed methods study. The larger study aims to identify what characteristics, if any, can predict or are related to student success; The “start-stop-continue” method was utilized to assess student perceptions about  their success in the college as a whole. The students were asked: Are there any specific things that you can think of that act/acted as barriers to your success in engineering (stop)? What could the college do/change to make first year more successful for engineering students (start)? Is there anything in your engineering degree so far that you feel is done well and helps students succeed (continue)? Students identified the quality of instruction early in their program as well as adjustment to college workloads and self-directed learning as the most significant barriers tostudent success.


2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 334-341
Author(s):  
Ulfa Auliyah ◽  
M. Nawawiy Loebis

Space cannot be separated from human life, both psychologically emotional (perception) and dimensional. Humans are moving and living, thinking, and also creating space to express the shape of their world and formed when people react to the environment in giving meaning to their environment. It can be said that environmental evaluation, furthermore, is a response to the overall influence of a detailed analysis of specific aspects, and more of a compared to the manifest function and is strongly influenced by images. This paper explains the results of the study, which intends to find out student perceptions of the meaning of space in the Architectural building of the Faculty of Engineering, University of North Sumatra. The study uses data analysis methods. The results of the study show that students' perceptions of space use are not by the allocation of the Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, University of North Sumatra, because it is influenced by culture, space settings, and accessibility. The benefits of this study as a reference to the Department of Architecture of the University of North Sumatra to be able to improve the quality of teaching and to learn in supporting the comfort of student learning.


10.28945/4414 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 637-649
Author(s):  
Anique A Falconer ◽  
Borivoje-Boris Djokic

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine to which degree age, race, and Socioeconomic Status (SES) influence academic self-efficacy and academic self-handicapping behaviors in doctoral. Background: Across all disciplines, more than 50% of students who begin a doctoral program do not persist to graduation. Although the issue of student retention and psychological factors have been proffered, much attention has not been placed on this relationship. Past researchers have focused primarily on academic-related, student-related, institutional, and financial factors. Methodology: A quantitative study was conducted, using the exploratory factor analysis. One-hundred and sixty-five participants, of legal age, who had completed at least one semester of a doctoral program, were involved in this current study. Contribution: The findings from this study increase the empirical evidence reported on the scarce literature on student retention and psychological factors in doctoral students. Findings: The factor analysis test did not show a statistically significance between the dependent variables -academic self-efficacy and academic self-handicapping- and any of the independent variables – gender, race, age, and socioeconomic status. Recommendations for Practitioners: Higher education leaders should make a proactive effort to understand the issue of student retention from a psychological perspective and make implementations to reduce these problems for doctoral students. Recommendation for Researchers: Future researchers should explore in-depth psychological variables that contribute to the high attrition rates in doctoral students. Impact on Society: A better understanding of the factors affecting the cognitive strategies and self-constructs of doctoral students could provide those working in academia with a better understanding of the problem and increase awareness at a societal level. Future Research: It is recommended that future research be carried using a mixed methods approach to offset the limitations found in the quantitative strand and gain thick, rich data from the qualitative strand.


10.28945/4770 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Azad Ali ◽  
Shardul Pandya

Aim/Purpose: Provide methodology suggesting steps to doctoral mentors to work with students in constructing their research problem statement in their dissertation. Background: Doctoral students face difficulties writing their dissertation and they begin by writing the research problem statement. Methodology: This paper uses a framework widely used to describe student adjustment to graduate studies in general and to doctoral program in particular. Contribution: This study provides a framework to mentors/advisors that is helpful in guiding the students to writing their research problem statement. Findings: Writing a research problem statement is difficult by itself. Following a methodological approach suggested in this study could help with writing it. Recommendations for Practitioners: A methodological approach in writing the dissertation is helpful to mitigate the difficulties of writing the dissertation. Our study tackles difficulties with writing the research problem statement. Recommendations for Researchers: More research needs to be done on methodological approach to writing the other sections in the dissertation. Impact on Society: Our findings in this research will help doctoral mentors/advisors as they guide students in completing the writing of their research problem statement Future Research: Intention for future research is to follow similar methodological approach in guiding students in writing the other sections of the dissertation. *** NOTE: This Proceedings paper was revised and published in the International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 16, 469-485 Click DOWNLOAD PDF to download the published paper. ***


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Andrew Darley ◽  
Ashley N. Hannings ◽  
Linda D. Logan ◽  
Kay L. Brooks

Description of the Opportunity: Traditional advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) in academia provide students exposure to job responsibilities and expectations of pharmacy faculty members. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the development and structure of a precepting-focused academic APPE, APPE student perceptions of the experience, and introductory pharmacy practice experience (IPPE) student perceptions of being precepted by APPE students. Innovation: An academic pharmacy APPE was developed to emphasize preceptor development in addition to traditional academic pharmacy topics and responsibilities. Pre- and post-experience surveys were completed by APPE students to collect perceptions of academic pharmacy and precepting. During the experience, APPE students, under the supervision of faculty, precepted IPPE students, who were given the opportunity to assess the APPE student’s precepting ability by completing a survey following the experience. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the results. Findings: Nine students completed the academic APPE and the corresponding pre- and post-surveys. All students indicated the rotation increased their understanding of academia, and the majority (7/9) indicated an increased confidence in their precepting ability. Eighty-five IPPE students evaluated the APPE students, and the majority (78%) rated the quality of instruction from APPE students as “similar” to faculty instruction. Conclusion: The structure of this experience allowed APPE students to gain exposure to academia and increase confidence in precepting, while facilitating the delivery of the IPPE program. Results indicate offering an academic APPE with an emphasis on experiential teaching is a potential strategy to prepare future pharmacy preceptors.   Article Type: Note


10.28945/4450 ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 761-782
Author(s):  
Erin Breitenbach ◽  
Josh Bernstein ◽  
Candace L Ayars ◽  
Lynda Tierney Konecny

Aim/Purpose: This qualitative case-study explores how a doctoral student’s family influences the doctoral student’s success from the perspective of doctoral students who were enrolled in an online doctoral program. Background: Previous research has shown that family can significantly influence doctoral student success; however, it is not clear what is meant by family nor what the details of the influence of family look like from the perspective of the doctoral student. Methodology: A qualitative case-study method was used. More than 500 former students enrolled in an online doctoral program were emailed a web-based survey that elicited information about who they considered to be in their family, how they thought their relationship with their family changed while they were a doctoral student, and how much they thought their family understood what it means to be a doctoral student. One hundred thirty-three (24%) former students participated in the study. Qualitative data were analyzed both manually and electronically by three researchers who subsequently triangulated the data to confirm themes. Contribution: This study defines ‘family’ from the doctoral student perspective and provides an in-depth look at how family influences doctoral student success including explanation of family support and lack thereof that previously has been shown to be significant to facilitating or hindering doctoral student success. Findings: Doctoral students mostly considered their immediate and extended family (i.e., spouses, significant others, children, grandchildren, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and parents-in-law) to be family, but some considered friends and coworkers to be part of their family as well. Most doctoral students experienced positive family support, but for those who did not, two major themes emerged as problematic: a reduction in the amount of time spent with family and family not understanding the value of earning a doctoral degree. Recommendations for Practitioners: Institutions of higher education should consider these findings when creating interventions to increase retention of doctoral students. Interventions might include orientation programs to help family members understand the value of earning a doctoral degree, the time commitment necessary to complete a doctoral degree, and ways to support a family member earning a doctoral degree. Recommendation for Researchers: The findings inform future research by surfacing more specific information about what family support and lack thereof looks like for doctoral students and what interventions for improving family support might include. Impact on Society: Improving family support may improve doctoral student success by adding more doctoral-trained leaders, innovators, scholars, and influential educators to society and by supporting the financial investment of students and their families by decreasing attrition. Future Research: Future research should focus on creating quantitative instrumentation to measure the influence of family on doctoral student success. Student populations from different types of doctoral programs (e.g., PhD, MD, DO) might be studied as well. Interventions aimed at improving family support should be designed, implemented, and evaluated for effectiveness.


2021 ◽  
pp. 117-136
Author(s):  
Camilo Peña Ramírez ◽  
Leonardo Concha ◽  
Eric Forcael ◽  
Gonzalo Garcés

This work seeks to find the Most Valuable Researcher (MVR) within the academics of Faculties of Engineering and Business of a University in Chile, applying bibliometric indicators and collaboration networks. The methodology consisted in reviewing the literature referring to similar bibliometric studies from open databases, such as SciELO and Google Scholar. As a result of the study, a model was proposed based on the main bibliometric indicators used, with it was possible to filter the researchers from both faculties and establish a ranking with those academics with the best results and the current situation facing the research in each unit. This ranking indicates the standard that the most valuable researchers have, identifying that the variable “collaborative networks” has a direct relationship with the productivity of researchers and, also, the existence of correlations with indicators of network grade, co-authorship, and research area. This work seeks to deliver recommendations on the quantity and quality of scientific production within the University. Future research should include other databases and expand the scope by region, country, and area of expertise, and consider other factors such as the age of the researcher, forms of citation, and characteristics by area of knowledge, as well as deepen the concept of MVR, and its virtuous effect on the productivity of an academic unit.


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