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Finnish Graduate Schools - Competition and Cooperation in Ph.D. Education

Finnish Graduate Schools - Competition and Cooperation in Ph.D. Education. Poika Isokoski and Kari- Jouko Räihä Graduate School on User Centered Information Technology , Tampere Unit for Computer-Human Interaction , and Department of Computer Sciences University of Tampere, Finland.

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Finnish Graduate Schools - Competition and Cooperation in Ph.D. Education

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  1. Finnish Graduate Schools - Competition and Cooperation in Ph.D. Education PoikaIsokoski and Kari-JoukoRäihä GraduateSchool on UserCenteredInformationTechnology,Tampere Unit for Computer-HumanInteraction,and Department of Computer Sciences University of Tampere, Finland

  2. Contents • The Finnish Graduate School System • UCIT

  3. The Finnish “Graduate Schools” University Doctoraldegree (4 years) GraduateSchool Master’sdegree (2 years) Univ. Of Applied Sciences (highervocationaltraining) Bachelor’sdegree (3 years) 12 years in school Gymnasium

  4. Pre-GraduateSchoolPh.D. Education • Graduatestudentssupervisedbyprofessors • Studentsworked as researchorteachingassistants in universities • Oftenshort-termappointments • Somefive-yearassistantshipswithteachinginclinationavailable in mostdepartments. • Manystudentsworking in companies • Progress in studies and thesisworkoftenslow

  5. Reformneeded? • Therewaspoliticalpressure in the 80’s and 90’s for moreefficientPh.D. ”production”. • Work in committees and ministries led to Graduateschoolsaddedon top of the oldsystem • The oldsystemremainsoperational • The five-yearassistantpositionshavegraduallybeendiscontinued in mostuniversities.

  6. GraduateSchools • A governmentfundingscheme. • Funding for the first 722 positions in 1995. • In 2010 paidpositions for 1600 doctoralstudents in about 110 graduateschools. • Graduateschoolsofferfunding for 4-year full-timedoctoralstudies

  7. Graduate Schools • Organize Ph.D. education for their members. • Are similar to research projects in the university administration. • Receive funding and spend it to achieve their goals. • May emerge or be discontinued according to the wishes of the funding source (Academy of Finland), discontinuation rare. • May involve many departments in many universities. • Do not award degrees – faculties do.

  8. Goals • Shorter duration of Doctoral education • Higher quality of Doctors • Better national and international networks for faculty and graduates • More doctoral degrees

  9. Paid and Unpaidstudents • In addition to studentswithsalaryfundingGraduateSchoolsmayinvolveotherdoctoralstudents • Graduateschoolhas the opportunity to involveallFinnishdoctoralstudents in itsdiscipline. • Unpaidstudentstypicallywork as researchersorresearchassistants in universitiesorotherresearchinstitutes.

  10. Competition • Graduate schools are evaluated every 2 years – the best are funded • Evaluation is done by a panel of experts. • Evaluation based on: • plan for future operation • statistics on past performance • self-evaluation. • Positions in graduate schools are given to the most promising applicants. • A large portion of Ph.D. work remains outside graduate schools.

  11. MoreCompetition • The graduatestudent ”owns” the fundingoncegranted • can shop for the bestsupervisor • canalso shop for the bestdepartment • can shop for the bestuniversity in the graduateschool • In practiceshopping is rare.

  12. Cooperation • Graduateschoolsarecooperationorganizations of universitydepartments • Competition for students and researchfunding. • Cooperation in the graduateschool • Cooperationmakessensebecause the graduateschoolfunding is otherwiseunavailable.

  13. Professor’sView • Plusses: • Money for hiringdoctoralstudents. • Some of the visitor/seminar/courseloadcanbesharedbetweenprofessors. • Graduateschoolsofferpeersupport for professors and students. • Minuses: • Complexity: manyschools and students outside schools • Mustparticipate in the administration of graduateschools.

  14. Student’sView • Plusses: • Fouryears of funding • Fewdistractions - canconcentrate on the Ph.D. work • Peers in one’sownsub-disciplinecanbefound in the graduateschool. • Minuses: • The salary is notcompetitive. • Possible to remaindetachedfrom the realworld -> poorjobprospects.

  15. UCIT – GraduateSchool on UserCenteredInformationTechnology UCIT • University of Helsinki- Dept. of Psychology • Helsinki Institute for InformationTechnology • University of Tampere- Dept. of Computer Sciences (TAUCHI) • Dept. of Social Research • Tampere School of Public Health VTT Nokia Research Center • Aalto University, Helsinki- Helsinki Institute for InformationTechnology • Dept. of Media Technology • Dept. Of Computer Science and Engineering (Stratus) • Center for Knowledge and InnovationResearch • School of Design • Tampere University of Technology- Dept. of Electronics • Dept. of Software Systems (IHTE) • Center for Safety Management and Engineering

  16. Whatdoes UCIT Do? • Courses: • Researchmethods • Scientificwriting • Annual UCIT researchseminar • Funding for researchvisitsbystudents • Funding for student-organizedevents • Summer schools • Visitinglecturers • Jointeventswithdomestic and foreignpeerorganizations.

  17. PracticalChallenges • ”Take the money and run” strategy. • Somepreferstaying in theirofficesinstead of joining the educationalprogram. • The graduateschoolsdonothavemuchpoweroveruniversitiesorindividuals in them. • Recruiting international students. • Paidpositionsavailableonlyperiodically. • Result of an applicationunsure. Long wait for the results and for the nextopportunity.

  18. MorePracticalChallenges • Operatinggraduatesschools is complicated • Network of independentorganizations is difficult to steer. • Sometimesdifficult to fittogether the needs of the multiplefields of science. • Differentpractices in differentdisciplines • E.g. the four-yeardoctoralprogram is notuniversallyideal. • Somedepartmentsmake the studentsworkharderthanothers.

  19. UCIT – What Works Well • HCI is a marginalarea in manydepartments • UCIT brings the otherwisemarginalizedstudents (and teirsupervisors) together. • Ph.D. education in HCI in differentdisciplines is compared in UCIT. • Leads to harmonizedrequirements. • Graduatesknow the keypeople in Finland. • ”Outside” position allowedsignificantinvestment in HCI researchertrainingwithoutpainfulpolitics inside universities.

  20. Results • Shorter duration of doctoral education • Graduation faster in graduate schools. (Is this due to student selection or good work in the schools?) • Higher quality of graduates • Difficult to measure • Better national and international networks for faculty and graduates • Most likely true. • More doctoral degrees • Yes

  21. iSchool/UCIT/Future? • Universities in Finland areunderreform • Someuniversitiesaremerging • Severalcross-universityfaculty/departmentsplits and mergersareunderway. • Ministry of education is encouraging the universities to take the lead in shaping the graduateschools • It is a goodtime to changethings. • Howshouldwe set upourdoctoralprograms? • WhatcanwelearnfromiSchools?

  22. FurtherInformation • UCIT: http://www.cs.uta.fi/ucit • Academy of Finland: http://www.aka.fi

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