Postgraduate research training: A case of the South African doctoral consortium of universities
Date
2008-03-31T08:01:13Z
Authors
Machel, James Lucky
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Abstract
Abstract
This study is about the program of the Consortium and how it addresses postgraduate
research training. In particular, this study focuses on the need to form partnerships and
collaboration in higher education because of shrinking budgets. In addition, it examined
other related associations and how they assist in developing research such as the Education
policy Units, Human Resources Councils and many more. Analyses were conducted on the
interview responses of five doctoral students, four supervisors and three coordinators.
Thematic analyses were utilized for discussions under three major sub-topics, namely, the
program, students’ experiences, and institutional implications. Results revealed that the
program has brought together key institutions in the higher education sectors that
traditionally have tended to work in isolation. In addition, the program of the Consortium
brings together academics with different skills and capacities to enable students to think
creatively about how they might together address difficulties, which in their individual
institutions, may not have been able to solve. While there was a relationship that was
observed between diminishing funds in higher education and the formulation of
partnerships findings suggest that partnerships in higher education can lead to the
development of more effective postgraduate research training in a developing world
context.