Authors

Professor Shelda Debowski: Lead advisor

Shelda is a higher education consultant with experience as a Deputy Vice Chancellor. As Winthrop Professor of Higher Education at the University of Western Australia, she developed a range of innovative programmes to support university leaders and researchers. A long-term advocate for improving development strategies for researchers, Shelda has guided a number of major development projects, including The Future Research Leaders Program, an online programme in operation in Australia and New Zealand. In 2011 Shelda visited the UK, USA and New Zealand to explore research development practices while completing a Churchill Fellowship.

Her book, The New Academic: A Strategic Handbook, draws on many years' experience in helping academics and researchers to build their professional skills. As President of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) and the International Consortium for Educational Development (ICED), Shelda took an active interest in promoting the need for improved mentorship and development of university researchers. She has presented on these issues in various forums across the world.

Dr Dave Filipović-Carter: Author

Dave runs a higher education training company that designs and delivers training courses for researchers across Europe, with a particular focus on the UK and Eastern Europe. He also provides consultancy to institutions on training provision. His expertise includes: team development and group dynamics, inter-cultural communication and collaboration, managing professional relationships, communication, developing a research career, and the PhD / research process.

Dave's PhD was in public international law. He has taught law and conflict resolution at the Universities of Southampton (UK) and Varna (Bulgaria), and is currently an Associate Lecturer with the Open University (UK) teaching law. His primary development interest is in the area of online and distance education. He also writes on a number of the topics covered in his training work.

Professor Ann E. Austin: Reviewer

Ann is Professor of Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University in the US, where she focuses her research and teaching on faculty careers and professional development, doctoral education, the academic workplace, organisational change, and the improvement of teaching and learning processes in higher education. She has served as the President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and is currently Co-Principal Investigator of the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning (CIRTL). One of her recent books is Rethinking Faculty Work: Higher Education's Strategic Imperative (Gappa, Austin & Trice (2007); Jossey-Bass).

Wilma Alexander: Accessibility advisor

Wilma Alexander is part of the Learning Services team at the University of Edinburgh, supporting the use of online tools and technologies across the University. She has a special interest in usable and accessible digital practice, tutors on usability and accessibility for the University's Masters in Digital Education, and promotes the use of online activities for inclusive teaching and learning in the context of staff development.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

  • Identify strategies, tools, opportunities and people to help you establish yourself as a research leader
  • Set realistic short-, medium- and long-term career goals for your career development and understand the importance of measuring your progress towards them
  • Construct a career development plan for your own context, taking into account your motivations and values.

Course structure

The bullet points below explain the chronology of the course and give a breakdown of each of the sections you will encounter.

Orientation

The Orientation section introduces you to the content and aims of the course. There is an opportunity to assess your current knowledge, to help you evaluate your learning at the end of the course.

  • Introduction

Course files

The course files contain the core course content. The content is divided into modules and screens.

  • Module 1: What research career do you want?
  • Module 2: Context awareness
  • Module 3: Your career strategy
  • Module 4: Developing your profile
  • Module 5: Moving your plan forward

Application

The Application section gives you the chance to apply the course content to practical examples.

  • Practice scenario

Closing

The Closing section summarises what you have learned and provides reference materials for further study.

  • Course summary
  • Resource bank
  • References

Learning assessment

The Learning assessment section allows you to assess and consolidate what you have learned in the course.

  • Course quiz

Highlights

Course highlights include:

  • An opportunity to create your own personalised career development plan
  • Interviews with researchers and research leaders discussing their careers
  • An animation illustrating the importance of context awareness

Supporting universities

The Professional Skills for Research Leaders programme has been developed in conjunction with the following institutions:

  • Anglia Ruskin University, UK
  • Brunel University, UK
  • Dublin City University, Ireland
  • Durham University, UK
  • Indiana University, USA
  • Macquarie University, Australia
  • Michigan State University, USA
  • Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
  • NUI Galway, Ireland
  • Queen's University Belfast, UK
  • Sheffield Hallam University, UK
  • The Open University, UK
  • Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
  • University College Cork, Ireland
  • University College Dublin, Ireland
  • University College London, UK
  • University of Greenwich, UK
  • University of Kansas, USA
  • University of Leicester, UK
  • University of Liège, Belgium
  • University of Limerick, Ireland
  • University of Sheffield, UK