The design of doctorate curricula for practising professionals

Transdisciplinary qualities in practice doctorates

“…These developments bring attention to a less recognised aspect: the value of integrating transdisciplinarity in doctoral research pedagogy and curricula in order to overcome the structure of disciplinary differentiation in academia and prepare researchers for the complex challenges of society and organisations. The DProf and other practice doctorates have developed curricula and pedagogical approaches that recognise the potential for transdisciplinarity and thus facilitate the production of knowledge in situations rooted in professional practice (Armsby et al, 2017). A key issue is the nature of course design and candidate support that provides flexible patterns of research and development.…”

Traversing the Doctorate: Situating Scholarship and Identifying Issues

“…A third significant focus of the doctoral study and supervision scholarship is related to the associations between such doctoral study and supervision on the one hand and broader issues connected with the national and international knowledge economy on the other hand. For instance, Wildy, Peden and Chan (2015) linked the increased popularity of professional doctorates with the respective knowledge economies in Australia, China and Iceland, while Armsby, Costley and Cranfield (2018) stressed the broader significance of doctoral programs: "…a wider understanding of the values and purpose of doctoral education within and beyond the academy that recognises the production of knowledge through practice, and supports ethical social action" (p. 2226). Two different perspectives on conceptualising this broader significance were provided by focusing on knowledge management (Stamou, 2017) and on moral positions (Hancock, Hughes, & Walsh, 2017).…”

Professional doctorates for practitioner psychologists: understanding the territory and its impact on programme development

“…The regulatory governance of professional doctorates and where they best reside is an interesting question that, due to its pros and cons, will probably divide opinion. Armsby et al (2017) advocate the benefits of conducting practitioner-driven research, but also highlight the tensions that often exist in a HEI in their willingness to recognize the value of production of knowledge through practice and then to provide the necessary infrastructure, framework and resources, including the importance of skilled research and practice supervision, that this entails. Some HEI's locate professional doctorate programmes in a PGT residence, which certainly creates ongoing quality assurance challenges for programme developers and leaders in relation to, for example, recruitment, delivery, supervision, progression and annual monitoring of provision that operates in a non-standard academic calendar timeline.…”