PhD Studentship “Learning Gain in Higher Education”

Project Description

• Full-time


• Tenable from September 2016 to August 2019


• Tax-free stipend of c.£12k per annum


• Full tuition fee support for home or EU students

The University of Manchester, Manchester Institute of Education is pleased to announce a PhD studentship for the research grant “Piloting Measures of Learning Gain for HE”. An outstanding candidate is sought for a full-time, fully funded PhD position attached to a major research project funded by HEFCE. Members of the Manchester team with whom the candidate will work closely include Maria Pampaka, Julian Williams, Steven Jones and Daniel Swain.

The project aims to investigate ways of

a)    standardising entry and exit qualifications in (and out of) HE 

b)    designing and validating new measures of dispositions and critical skills

c)    modelling change in learning outcomes, for robust measurement of the ‘distance travelled’.

Information about the broader Learning Gain pilot

Our particular project is designed around the following objectives:

1. To design self-report instruments to measure various aspects of students’ academic dispositions at different stages of their undergraduate degree.


2. To design new generic instruments for the assessment of students’ critical skills.


3. To collect data from students at various stages of their study via grades achieved and via purpose-designed surveys/tests to validate our instruments cross-sectionally and to assess the comparability of these measures at different time points and on different disciplines.


4. To use existing (secondary, administrative) data to investigate the feasibility of standardisation of current entry and exit qualifications across different subject areas.


5. To model learning outcomes (dispositions and grades) cross-sectionally and longitudinally in order to test value added models of learning gain and the effect of students’ perceptions of academic support and experience, as well as their background characteristics on their trajectories.

The studentship project

We are looking for a candidate with proven research skills who also have substantial experience of the Higher Education context. The successful applicant will complete their PhD using data derived from the main project, and is expected to take a leading role on the design and validation of the new measures of learning gain.

The PhD will be supervised through Manchester Institute of Education at the University of Manchester (Main supervisor: Dr Maria Pampaka, Potential Supervisory team: Professor Julian Williams and Dr Steven Jones).

Applicants are invited to submit along with their application a short proposal (1000 words max or two sides of A4 paper) about how the area they want to focus their PhD work on will fit within this project. Please note that we don’t expect a PhD under this scheme to address all the above listed criteria, and ideally the proposal should not be based on them, but rather on the candidate’s interests, within the context of this project. 

Person specification

• Applicants must hold a Bachelors degree equivalent to a First Class or Upper Second Class Honours UK degree


• They must also have (or expect to gain) a Masters degree (or overseas equivalent) at minimum Merit level (with a coursework/examination average of 60% or more and a dissertation mark of 60% or more, with no mark below 50%) or above in a relevant Education or social science discipline. Preference will be given to candidates who performed at distinction level (70% or higher) or equivalent. The masters needs to be ESRC recognised or contain a substantial research methods (qualitative and quantitative) training component. In the absence of methods training within the Masters the candidate will need to demonstrate research experience


• Candidates must satisfy the ESRC’s academic and residential eligibility requirements and be UK (full award) or EU citizens (fees only). Find out more about eligibility 

The following particular criteria apply for this position:

Essential Attributes – to be demonstrated in application

Honours degree (2:1 or above) in education, social science, or other related discipline (e.g. psychology, psychometrics)

Master’s degree (merit or above) in (social) research methods or other related discipline (e.g. educational research, higher education studies, social statistics)

2 satisfactory references, at least one of which to be academic

Satisfactory Disclosure and Barring Service (previously CRB) clearance at the Enhanced Disclosure level

IELTS score of 7.0 or above for candidates speaking English as an additional language

Essential Attributes – to be demonstrated in application and interview

Knowledge and understanding of teaching and learning in HE

Proven research skills – quantitative data methods and analysis including multivariate techniques (e.g. regression analysis)

Excellent interpersonal and teamwork skills

Desirable Attributes – to be demonstrated in application and interview

Experience in using various statistical packages (such as SPSS, R, Stata or other similar)

Experience in applying advanced quantitative methods, for instance multilevel and/or longitudinal data analysis or measurement approaches (Rasch model, IRT).

Proven research skills – qualitative data generation and analysis

Further information

Informal enquiries regarding the studentship can be addressed to Maria Pampaka

It is anticipated that interviews will be held in mid – May. Candidates invited for interview are expected to cover their own travel expenses. 

Unfortunately, financial constraints mean that it is not possible to contact all unsuccessful applicants.

As an equal opportunities employer the University welcomes applications from suitably qualified people from all sections of the community regardless of race, religion, gender or disability.

The successful applicant will be required to submit a full application for a PhD in Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester.

Application

Applicants should submit the following documents via email to Maria Pampaka by Tuesday 3rd May 2016 5pm GMT

• A full academic CV: including two named referees (one of whom should be your most recent academic tutor/supervisor)


• A copy of your first degree and Master’s degree transcripts (or anticipated grade if masters is ongoing)


• A letter of application (not exceeding two pages) outlining your suitability for this studentship (based on the person specification criteria).


• A short proposal (not exceeding two pages) on how you would anticipate approaching the research during the PhD.