Working Groups Meet for Annual Review

On 23rd September UKCGE working groups held an annual review meeting at the Priory Rooms in Birmingham to look back at the past 12 months, and set an agenda for the forthcoming academic year.

Membership of the working groups, supported by the QAA, the Higher Education Academy and Think Postgrad is drawn from UKCGE member institutions, and associated HE sector organisations. The Groups are:

Postgraduate Funding

• The Postgraduate Student Experience
• Quality and Reputation of the UK Doctorate
• Diversity and Sustainability of Organisational Structures for Doctoral Provision

Over the last 12 months the working groups have developed a number of work streams, which were presented at the 2015 Annual conference in Glasgow. Posters summarising the groups’ work can be found in the resources section of the website (direct link).

Rob Daley, Chair of the Postgraduate Student Experience Group said,

​‘This was a great opportunity to revisit some of the excellent work we have put together so far with renewed vim and vigour. As a group, we have a lot of exciting pieces of work to pull together between now and the Annual Conference in Liverpool.’

The working group on Diversity and Sustainability of Organisational Structures for Doctoral Provision will soon publish an eagerly anticipated update of the UKCGE Graduate Schools in the UK report, titled ​‘Structural Changes in Doctoral Education in the UK’. The publication’s author and new UKCGE executive committee member Dr Rebekah Smith McGloin said,

​‘The report has been a considerable undertaking but does present some useful data on changing structures for doctoral training in institutions. I would like to thank all colleagues who have supported the development of the report, especially Carolyn in the UKCGE office.’

In addition to formulating work streams for the coming months, each working group undertook a review of its work, noting progress to date and tasks to be undertaken in the coming months. In addition to the report on training structures, the Council will be publishing outputs from the other groups, including a report from the Quality and Reputation working group based on a preliminary study of international comparisons in doctoral assessment.

The working groups are currently confirming membership and replacing those who have decided they are unable to continue. Any working group vacancies will be advertised in next month’s Postgraduate Newsletter.

Carolyn Wynne, UKCGE’s Principal Officer said,

​‘As an inclusive membership organisation that has the interests of the sector at its heart, it is important that all working groups gather momentum and continue to deliver outputs for the benefit of the community, at what is a significant time for postgraduate education in the UK.’