Research activities
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Evaluation of the effectiveness of Transferable Skills development activities
Student Experience
International Programmes and Developments
Evaluation of the effectiveness of Transferable Skills development activities
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Evaluating the effectiveness of skills development activities on the RSD course
Evaluation of the transferable skills programme as a whole
RCUK review of researcher development activities
Evaluating the effectiveness of skills development activities on the RSD course
In 2007 and 2008 research was published which demonstrated the positive effect of the Research
Skills Development (RSD) course on the skill levels of doctoral students. Results were derived
from questionnaires completed both before and after the course. Key findings:
 After attending the course, there were statistically significant increases in the participants’
perceived levels of skill in group work, communication skills, planning and project
management and personal awareness
 Students’ views of the value and benefits of skills training also improved
For more information about this research see:
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Alpay E. & E. Walsh. 2008. A skills perception inventory for evaluating postgraduate
transferable skills development Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 33,
Pages:581-598, ISSN:0260-2938(doi).
Alpay E. & E. Walsh. 2007. Evaluating Student Skills and Development: Current Practice and
the Imperial College Experience, ln: Skills Training in Research Degree Programmes: Politics &
Practice, Editor(s): Hinchcliffe et al. Open University Press, 2007 see the book here)
Evaluation of the transferable skills programme as a whole
Conducted in 2009, this research focussed on the views of late stage PhD students in Science,
Engineering and Medicine at Imperial. Key findings:
 Students reported a positive impact from having taken part in transferable skills initiatives
 Participants reported an enduring positive impact on their behaviour and considered that
the training met their perceived needs as they progressed as researchers
 Greater importance was attached to training opportunities by female students, overseas
students and PhD students motivated by career-related reasons
For more information about this research see:
 Walsh, E et al. 2010. Evaluation of a programme of transferable skills development within the PhD:
views of late stage students. Link to paper here:
http://www.dspace.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/224931
RCUK review of researcher development activities
In April 2010, RCUK visited the five UK universities who had received the most funding for
researcher development activities. You can see an extract of their report here:
“The skills programme for PGRs is excellent. The Panel were very pleased to see that evaluation
of the skills development programme has been undertaken throughout, allowing for evidence-
based policy making, and convincing academic staff of the value of this training. The clear
leadership of and advocacy for the programme from a high level within the university, and the
systematic approach to quality assurance and evaluation (which were used to continually improve
the programme), were particular strengths of the management of the programme.”
Please also link to the RCUK website which has a summary report of all 5 visits.
http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/documents/researchcareers/RCUKvisitstopfiverecipientsofRoberts.pdf
Here is a poster prepared for the visit which summarises our evaluation research. Poster link here.
(the poster is “RobertSkip_Poster”)
Student experience
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PhD Well-being survey
Creativity in STEM research
Transitions from Work to the PhD
The PhD in the Knowledge Economy
PhD Well-being survey
With support from the student union and GSA (link), research was carried out into the wellbeing of
PhD students at Imperial College London in 2009. 1202 PhD students responded. The top three
most troublesome items were:
 Feeling frustrated / demotivated by results and apparent lack of progress
 Experiencing high levels of stress because of research
 Being unclear about the next career stage after the PhD
It is crucial to understand that all researchers experience setbacks, confusion and difficulties in
their work. Newer researchers often experience a loss of confidence at these times. Instead, it is
helpful to realise that such problems are a normal part of research life and to be proactive in
getting appropriate support and feedback and in managing stress levels. The links below provide
information, questions to consider and some guidance.
Information for PhD students:
pdf
Information for supervisors:
pdf
For more information about this research see: a publication is currently in press
Link in this section to stress management workshop.
Creativity in STEM research
This on-going Vitae funded project is investigating the factors that facilitate creativity in research.
More than 30 interviews have been carried out with PhD students, postdocs and supervisors/
principle investigators.
For more information about this research see:
http://www2.imperial.ac.uk/blog/reporter/2010/12/16/mini-profile-katie-anders/
Good practice guides are currently being prepared.
Transitions from Work to the PhD
This project investigates the particular challenges faced by those returning to PhD study after
working full time. Initial data has shown that such students are less confident of timely completion
of their degree, experience greater financial strain and enjoy less support from family and friends.
The findings will inform efforts to better support this group of students at Imperial (about 25% of our
PhD students). This work is ongoing.
For more information about this research see: (link to leaflet)
The PhD in the Knowledge Economy
This project is exploring what the 'knowledge economy' - a favourite catchphrase of politicians and
industry - means for UK STEM PhD students at Imperial College. Over one year's worth of data
collection, including; focus groups; an online questionnaire; and depth-interviews with PhD
students and their supervisors, will explore whether the ideas of policy-makers compliment or
impact upon the real day-to-day experience of doing a PhD. STEM PhD students are seen to be
integral to the development of the UK's knowledge economy, yet their understanding and
perception of the concept marks a void in current policy debate. By asking students about their
awareness, views, reasons for undertaking the PhD and plans thereafter, the project hopes to
represent the stories of STEM PhDs amidst the UK's knowledge economy, and identify areas of
consistency and disconnect with the political and business communities.
International Programmes and Developments
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Improving support for international students and staff
Employability and Entrepreneurship research
Impact of the international summer schools
Improving support for international students and staff
International students: This project examined the major difficulties identified by new overseas
PhD students at Imperial College. It resulted in a new model (link to table) of research group
“microclimates”. As a result of this, the training of supervisors at Imperial was modified.
For more information see:
Walsh, E. 2010. A model of research group microclimate: environmental and cultural factors
affecting the experiences of overseas research students in the UK, Studies in Higher
Education, 2010, Vol:35
DOI: 10.1080/03075070903243092 (link)
Link to poster.
International Staff:
A study was carried out to investigate the experiences of academic acculturation of a group of
Chinese academic staff in two research-intensive UK universities. This revealed different
perceptions of academic practice in the UK and China. Acculturation was found to be dependent
upon:
 The development of disciplinary identity
 The cultural affiliation of the academic staff
 Perceived norms in the new academic culture
 Relative proficiency in English language
For more information see:
Jiang X, Di Napoli R, Borg M, et al, Becoming and being an academic: The perspectives of
Chinese staff in two research-intensive UK universities, Studies in Higher Education,
2010, Vol:35(doi)
Borg M, Maunder R, Jiang X, et al, International students and academic acculturation: the
role of relationships in the doctoral process., ln:Internationalisation: The Student Voice,
Editor(s): Jones, 2010, ISBN:978-0-415-87128-0
Link to book image
Employability and Entrepreneurship research
This work was partly funded by the British Council (PMI2) and was conducted as we designed the
Employability and Entrepreneurship summer school 2010. Research was carried out into the views
of PhD students at Imperial College London and Tsinghua University, Beijing. Key findings:
 British and Chinese PhD student views of entrepreneurship are very different, in spite of
similar levels of commercial activity at the two universities.
 Cultural and PhD programme differences influence views on employability.
Nevertheless, the importance of transferable skills is recognised by both British and
Chinese students.
For more about this research see: Vitae link http://www.vitae.ac.uk/policy-practice/167180111/Workshops/271371/Vitae-researcher-development-conference-2010-realising-thepotential-of-researchers-.html#pageInfo
Impact of the International summer schools
This research focuses on our international summer schools. Both early- and late-stage Imperial
College London PhD students have the opportunity to take part in research placements and
residential courses at universities in Singapore, Hong Kong and Beijing with doctoral students from
NTU, NUS, HKU, Shanghai Jiao Tong and Tsinghua. Students who attend the courses express
increased interest in international collaborations, spending time abroad and cultural understanding.
Link to poster
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you want me to put this and how, e.g. fixed as a pdf? so that you can link to it?)
Impact
We have anecdotal evidence of both the establishment of new research partnerships and the
strengthening of existing collaborations resulting from participation in the international summer
schools. This project seeks to capture more information about these and to identify the factors
most likely to yield productive results.