Pathways to improving policy and innovating practice in institutional, national and regional doctoral education systems.
Driven by the growing so-called knowledge economy, the demand for doctoral education is rising worldwide. Amid demands to meet national targets come concerns about the quality of the doctoral experience. This project brings together universities and national ministries to reflect on doctoral policies and practices in various national settings. By analysing the current landscape in Kenya, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Slovenia, we aim to identify opportunities to enhance doctoral education within our institutions, countries, and regions. As Kenya and South Africa are leaders in the East and Southern Africa regions respectively, the project has the potential to impact policy and practice in both regions.
We consider the doctorate a common good, rather than only a private one. The project fosters collaborative initiatives to ensure that the doctorate leads to contributions being made at the frontiers of fields and disciplines, while also nurturing critical graduates who can take responsibility for creating and disseminating knowledge.
What we aim to do
Collaborative identification of strengths, gaps and disjuncture in policies for doctoral education and related documentation at institutional, national, and (in the case of the EU) regional levels.
Collaborative analysis of strengths and weaknesses in current practices pertaining to doctoral education to identify disconnections with policy and areas for policy review and/ or practice improvement.
Bring about positive and long-lasting effects on the governance and policy systems for doctoral education in the East and Southern African regions through a series of cross-regional dialogues and development of policy briefs.
Enhancing the quality of doctoral education by implementing innovative practices and developing high-quality materials for sustained intra-university capacity building. We aim to produce ‘Key Considerations Guides’ to be used by policymakers and practitioners in relation to, for example, the introduction of coursework or changes to supervisory models. A module of doctoral coursework will be produced to guide developments in practice and to set the stage for continued innovation.
Collaborative identification of strengths, gaps and disjuncture in policies for doctoral education and related documentation at institutional, national, and (in the case of the EU) regional levels.
Collaborative analysis of strengths and weaknesses in current practices pertaining to doctoral education to identify disconnections with policy and areas for policy review and/ or practice improvement.
Bring about positive and long-lasting effects on the governance and policy systems for doctoral education in the East and Southern African regions through a series of cross-regional dialogues and development of policy briefs.
Enhancing the quality of doctoral education by implementing innovative practices and developing high-quality materials for sustained intra-university capacity building. We aim to produce ‘Key Considerations Guides’ to be used by policymakers and practitioners in relation to, for example, the introduction of coursework or changes to supervisory models. A module of doctoral coursework will be produced to guide developments in practice and to set the stage for continued innovation.
All our materials will be Creative Commons licensed, contextually relevant and free for all to use in their doctoral offerings.
Erasmus+ Strand III Project
EDE is an Erasmus+ Strand III Project, co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Strand III signifies a collaborative effort between universities and national ministries, working together to assess doctoral education policies and practices at institutional, national, and regional levels.
The project team identifies strengths, gaps, and disjunctures in existing policies while analyzing doctoral education practices to uncover discrepancies with policy. These insights inform recommendations for policy refinement and improvements in practice.
Latest news
Discourse Analysis on Policies in Doctoral Education
The EDE project team gathered in Nairobi, Kenya this October for an intensive week-long workshop, marking a significant milestone in enhancing doctoral education across Kenya and South Africa. Hosted by the University of Nairobi, this meeting brought together sharp minds and bold ideas from project members from universities in Kenya, Slovenia, South Africa and the Netherlands, [...]
Defining the Doctorate in Africa
Sioux McKenna (Rhodes University, South Africa) and Patrick Onyango (Maseno University, Kenya) were honoured to be invited to contribute to a collection of short pieces put together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of International Higher Education. This journal, published by the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College, brings together researchers around the globe [...]
EDE Project Recognised as a Model for International Academic Collaboration
We’re proud to share that our EDE project has been highlighted as a good practice example in the latest position paper by The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities. The Guild is a dynamic network of 23 research-led universities across 17 countries, committed to strengthening the voice of academia and advancing the role of research and [...]
