Ooooo Tara, you're on fire in this vlog! Thank you for the insight into the background of the UK's decision to transition 34 polytechnics to Universities. Yes, they had something of a massive learning curve but they also had a substantial amount of money invested in them to ensure that they succeeded. Most of all, the initiative was a brilliant one and it meant that those young adults who may not have got a chance to go to University, were given new opportunities to do so but from a vocational perspective, rather than 'reading' for their degree. We also had a lot of youth unemployment and this marked the start of getting them off the unemployment stats to make it look like the problem was far less concerning that it actually was. UK Govt is still busy massaging the unemployment stats in all sorts of creative ways. In defence of the academic staff, I was one of those students in 1999 who took a polytechnic degree and the challenge was just as massive and, more importantly, the venue was commutable. I could live at home and work alongside studying. The staff were appropriately knowledgeable but I quickly found that a degree was very much an independent piece of work. It didn't seem to matter who marked it - what mattered was that I could produce great work, independently. I was a mature student who only got one offer of a University place out of five applications in the 'old days' so didn't go first time round. I would say that the polytechnics may have been trying harder to prove their worth, rather than settling in to a dumbed down system. No prisoners were taken by the lecturers - if you didn't complete the work to the required standard, you were kicked out. So the great social experiment paid off and degrees were no longer the preserve of the privileged. Universities of all persuasions continue to goad their lesser qualified teaching staff to upgrade to PhD level so nothing new there ;-) I'll finish by reminding everyone that PhD holders know a lot about very little and that publications have had a tremendous amount of reading, writing, drafting behind them. I see them as an equally competitive body of work as prep for a Doctorate because the work required to convert them is still massively challenging. I am a final year (DProf) doctoral student and my study programme has been the easiest I've done so far in my academic career - a massive amount of work, but less of a challenge than my polytechnic degree was, because my (First class with honours) degree prepared me well for it all these years later, although some of my lecturers only had a Masters degrees. Those poor relatives of yours (not personally but you know what I mean!) pulled off a remarkable shift in societal change where vocational competence came to be recognised as equally as valuable as academic prowess. Am I studying for a dumbed down Doctorate - not at all - I've got 25 years of postgrad vocational work and continued professional development under my belt which is a heck of a lot more than most PhD students fresh from their Masters :-0 Keep up the great work, Tara! You are an inspiration to me and your vlogs have been hugely helpful.
I'd be in a constant fog if not for your enlightening vlog. Tara you are a blessing. Thank you for all your passion and energy to help connect people and shine a bright shiny light on the secret world of phd business.
You sort, package and unpack academic matters very well Tara. I love your vlogs so much that I don't watch you unless I know that nobody is going to interrupt me during that time.
Tara you are a Godsend! I am just discovering all your vlogs and wish that I had seen this one year ago when I first started my PhD! Well, better late than never :) Your videos are so inspiring!
Congratulations on the 100th vlog Tara! I'm still doing my undergrad (final year whoop!) but I've been watching your vlogs and they're just so insightful and interesting! Thank you! xx
I admire you all for starting on and at varying stages of your PHD ! I am just starting my Academic journey with an Access Module with the Open University then an Hons Degree in Forensic Psychology BSc.
You are just amazing Tara! I don’t have words to describe how privileged I feel knowing you are the dean of graduate research at our uni. ❤️❤️❤️. I love this vlog. Have already watched it 3 times!
Ok, I must admit that I have watched this vlog numerous times. I watch at least one of your vlogs each day. Your vlogs motivate me. Now that you have reached your 100th vlog, I would love for you to make a vlog on your top 5 or top 10 most popular vlogs. The top 10 most popular vlogs can give a brief summary on what you discussed and countdown to your #1 most popular vlog. Hector can accompany you on this vlog. lol :-)
Now that you mentioned your beloved husband, would you mind recording a video about how to manage relationships while doing a PhD? Especially for international students whose husbands and wives are at home while you are studying the whole day. Thank you very much Mrs. Tara!
Dear Tara, I agree that 5 manuscripts are not equivalent to a classic dissertation (that's why I have included 14 manuscripts in my publication-based dissertation, and added an extensive introduction and discussion), but can you please elaborate on your claim that refereeing is different from examination? Isn't the point of examination to ensure that the candidate is prepared for publishing in peer-reviewed journals? Thank you - Sascha
Hi Sascha - so lovely to hear from you :) Great question. Sascha - the point of examination is to ensure that the PhD is of international quality. Full stop. That means that the candidate has an original contribution to knowledge, can manage the literature, holds information literacy, can configure an argument and recognizes their place in scholarship. Crucial. All of that can be attained without publications. Refereeing is confirming that an article matches the criteria of a specific journal. Those criteria differ enormously, just as refereeing differs enormously (non blind, blind, double blind) and the quality of that refereeing varies (as we all know!). So an article is nested in the criteria of a journal, confirmed by refereeing. Examination confirms the standard of a degree :) Thanks for being you :) Txxx
Hi Tara! I know my comment won't reach you but I just wanted to tell you that you're teachings are really valuable however I can't agree with you when you say a Masters is NOT an original contribution. A Msc student can contribute just as original research as a PhD depending on where you are. PhD is more comprehensive than Msc but as a double masters degree holder I have published original research papers in peer review journals and I don't believe PhD is always better than Msc. I believe that's outdated thinking and honestly it's hurtful to someone who works just as hard but gets half the recognition. Otherwise good video!
Morning Niki - Tara here. Niki - I absolutely know that the Masters can hold incredibly original ideas. I'm about to enrol in my 4th Masters. I LOVE them. And great original work _can_ emerge. The examiners for my first research masters put in their reports that this should be a PhD - because it had originality :). But the definitional difference - in policy - is originality. That is always a proxy - an inelegant one - for scope and scale. But you will never hear me question the fabulous masters. But in definitional terms - that is the distinction between a masters and a PhD. You are wonderful. Long live the Masters! txxx
Ooooo Tara, you're on fire in this vlog! Thank you for the insight into the background of the UK's decision to transition 34 polytechnics to Universities. Yes, they had something of a massive learning curve but they also had a substantial amount of money invested in them to ensure that they succeeded. Most of all, the initiative was a brilliant one and it meant that those young adults who may not have got a chance to go to University, were given new opportunities to do so but from a vocational perspective, rather than 'reading' for their degree. We also had a lot of youth unemployment and this marked the start of getting them off the unemployment stats to make it look like the problem was far less concerning that it actually was. UK Govt is still busy massaging the unemployment stats in all sorts of creative ways.
In defence of the academic staff, I was one of those students in 1999 who took a polytechnic degree and the challenge was just as massive and, more importantly, the venue was commutable. I could live at home and work alongside studying. The staff were appropriately knowledgeable but I quickly found that a degree was very much an independent piece of work. It didn't seem to matter who marked it - what mattered was that I could produce great work, independently.
I was a mature student who only got one offer of a University place out of five applications in the 'old days' so didn't go first time round. I would say that the polytechnics may have been trying harder to prove their worth, rather than settling in to a dumbed down system. No prisoners were taken by the lecturers - if you didn't complete the work to the required standard, you were kicked out. So the great social experiment paid off and degrees were no longer the preserve of the privileged. Universities of all persuasions continue to goad their lesser qualified teaching staff to upgrade to PhD level so nothing new there ;-)
I'll finish by reminding everyone that PhD holders know a lot about very little and that publications have had a tremendous amount of reading, writing, drafting behind them. I see them as an equally competitive body of work as prep for a Doctorate because the work required to convert them is still massively challenging. I am a final year (DProf) doctoral student and my study programme has been the easiest I've done so far in my academic career - a massive amount of work, but less of a challenge than my polytechnic degree was, because my (First class with honours) degree prepared me well for it all these years later, although some of my lecturers only had a Masters degrees.
Those poor relatives of yours (not personally but you know what I mean!) pulled off a remarkable shift in societal change where vocational competence came to be recognised as equally as valuable as academic prowess. Am I studying for a dumbed down Doctorate - not at all - I've got 25 years of postgrad vocational work and continued professional development under my belt which is a heck of a lot more than most PhD students fresh from their Masters :-0
Keep up the great work, Tara! You are an inspiration to me and your vlogs have been hugely helpful.
I really thank God I found you here. Will watch to all your videos. Thank you so much, these are very helpful videos
100! Congratulations Tara! These vlogs are just getting better and better. Thank you. 🌸
I'd be in a constant fog if not for your enlightening vlog. Tara you are a blessing. Thank you for all your passion and energy to help connect people and shine a bright shiny light on the secret world of phd business.
I love your vlogs! Please, never stop making these videos! They are such a welcome appearance in my subscription box.
You sort, package and unpack academic matters very well Tara. I love your vlogs so much that I don't watch you unless I know that nobody is going to interrupt me during that time.
Thank you so much, Tara, for your guidance every step(Vlog) of the way!
Love it! I learn something new each time I watch your vlogs!
Thank you Tara for the very informative Vlog. I just stated my PhD this year at Curtin, watching your videos is timely and very important to me.
Thank you so much Tara for the Vlog. I am in my second year of PhD this year in Belgium. Watching your videos helps me. Thank you
Tara you are a Godsend! I am just discovering all your vlogs and wish that I had seen this one year ago when I first started my PhD! Well, better late than never :) Your videos are so inspiring!
Wow! I am writing my dissertation right now and your vlogs are helping me. I felt so alone, but now I feel like you are a mentor! Thanks!
Tq Tara! Love your 100th vlog!
Congratulations on the 100th vlog Tara! I'm still doing my undergrad (final year whoop!) but I've been watching your vlogs and they're just so insightful and interesting! Thank you! xx
Thank you and Congratulations Tara. 100!
I admire you all for starting on and at varying stages of your PHD ! I am just starting my Academic journey with an Access Module with the Open University then an Hons Degree in Forensic Psychology BSc.
Congratulations Tara. So inspiring to me your vlogs
Tara, I love your vlogs! It reminds me of my own PhD journey and all the ups and downs that underlie that fulfilling journey!
Thank you for teaching me and helping me in gaining knowledge
Thank you. I benefit tremendously from your Vlog 100. Bless you
You are just amazing Tara! I don’t have words to describe how privileged I feel knowing you are the dean of graduate research at our uni. ❤️❤️❤️. I love this vlog. Have already watched it 3 times!
Oh god I must change UA-cam name! This is my other account from way way back. Resh xxx
@@sexyreshmanram hahahah its perfect dont change it
It’s to the point where I click the thumbs up before Tara even starts talking.
Brava
Thank you madame! You’ve been giving us a lot!
How cool you are!!! I like your Vlog so much !
Thanks a lot professor for this wonderful video
it is just came to me on the right time, while im about to done writing my PhD thesis. God bless you
Very interesting lecture. Thank you
Ok, I must admit that I have watched this vlog numerous times. I watch at least one of your vlogs each day. Your vlogs motivate me. Now that you have reached your 100th vlog, I would love for you to make a vlog on your top 5 or top 10 most popular vlogs. The top 10 most popular vlogs can give a brief summary on what you discussed and countdown to your #1 most popular vlog. Hector can accompany you on this vlog. lol :-)
Yes! Top 10 Vlogs vlog.
I support this.
Are those Daleks on the shelf? Terrific!
Good job Tara!
Now that you mentioned your beloved husband, would you mind recording a video about how to manage relationships while doing a PhD? Especially for international students whose husbands and wives are at home while you are studying the whole day. Thank you very much Mrs. Tara!
Dear Tara,
I agree that 5 manuscripts are not equivalent to a classic dissertation (that's why I have included 14 manuscripts in my publication-based dissertation, and added an extensive introduction and discussion), but can you please elaborate on your claim that refereeing is different from examination? Isn't the point of examination to ensure that the candidate is prepared for publishing in peer-reviewed journals?
Thank you - Sascha
Hi Sascha - so lovely to hear from you :) Great question. Sascha - the point of examination is to ensure that the PhD is of international quality. Full stop. That means that the candidate has an original contribution to knowledge, can manage the literature, holds information literacy, can configure an argument and recognizes their place in scholarship. Crucial. All of that can be attained without publications. Refereeing is confirming that an article matches the criteria of a specific journal. Those criteria differ enormously, just as refereeing differs enormously (non blind, blind, double blind) and the quality of that refereeing varies (as we all know!). So an article is nested in the criteria of a journal, confirmed by refereeing. Examination confirms the standard of a degree :) Thanks for being you :) Txxx
Thx you for this, this has been reassuring for me, a PhD candidate ready to defend in 3 weeks
i am a masters student from Kenya,cant get enough
Congratulations professor for the 100 vlog
Brilliant
What is a prof Doctorate please?
Hi Tara! I know my comment won't reach you but I just wanted to tell you that you're teachings are really valuable however I can't agree with you when you say a Masters is NOT an original contribution. A Msc student can contribute just as original research as a PhD depending on where you are. PhD is more comprehensive than Msc but as a double masters degree holder I have published original research papers in peer review journals and I don't believe PhD is always better than Msc. I believe that's outdated thinking and honestly it's hurtful to someone who works just as hard but gets half the recognition. Otherwise good video!
Morning Niki - Tara here. Niki - I absolutely know that the Masters can hold incredibly original ideas. I'm about to enrol in my 4th Masters. I LOVE them. And great original work _can_ emerge. The examiners for my first research masters put in their reports that this should be a PhD - because it had originality :). But the definitional difference - in policy - is originality. That is always a proxy - an inelegant one - for scope and scale. But you will never hear me question the fabulous masters. But in definitional terms - that is the distinction between a masters and a PhD. You are wonderful. Long live the Masters! txxx
100!!