Paper ID #27849Transition Zone: a Training Ethos Designed to Scaffold a Ph.D. SegreeDr. Carmen Torres-S´anchez, Loughborough University Dr Torres-S´anchez is an Associate Professor at Loughborough University, England, United Kingdom, and the Executive Director of the Centre of Doctoral Training in Embedded Intelligence (CDT-EI). She is the architect of the novel Doctoral Transition ZoneTM Training ethos. She has been working in industry- informed, academically-led education for more than 10 years. Her research interests are in the design and manufacture of multifunctional materials with tailored properties to meet
provides adedicated and safe environment for PhDs and post-docs to discuss their career possibilities andplans outside academia.” And lastly, participants liked having a structure for career exploration(i.e., step-by-step process, dedicated time). One participant said “Good to do it from start to end -it becomes a journey where all the small steps create a bigger picture.”When examining the responses to “What did you not like about the program” from all threecohorts, two themes emerged. First, some participants disliked the instructional strategy of smalland large group discussions/activities because it made classes long and exhausting. We suspectparticipants, who are upper PhDs and post-doctoral fellows, may not have taken a class in acouple
relates to what the person wants to bedoing; and expected relates to what the participant thinks others will want them to do or requirethem to do. Importantly, the data is gathered through the participants’ perceptions of these items.MethodsA survey informed by role identity theory was developed for and distributed to a population ofengineering, education, and engineering education students to better understand their views onbeing teachers, researchers, and lifelong learners. The survey was developed through an iterativerefinement process that employed multiple experts and a pilot study with individuals outside ofthe population. Once the data was collected, it was analyzed using statistical techniques tocompare the groups’ professional identities