Supervising Doctoral Student Dissertations Online: Three Faculty From Three Continents Cultivate Equitable Education Opportunities

• In Event: Online Teaching and Learning Discourses in Higher Education From a Global Stance

Abstract

Writing a dissertation is a formidable challenge. The doctoral advisor plays the primary role of guidance and writing feedback. Yet, we know little about writing and advising strategies that successful supervisors employ, especially online. The purpose of the study was to describe and explain how three experienced doctoral student dissertation advisors from Australia, South Africa, and United States provided guidance and offered writing feedback online. Each of the three faculty completed an autoethnography regarding doctoral student supervision during the pandemic. The first phase was a reanalysis of these autoethnographies identifying faculty philosophies and online writing strategies. Faculty were consistent, unique, and experienced. The second phase will be another set of autoethnographies designed to elicit philosophies and identify specific practices.

Authors

• Dannelle D. Stevens, Portland State University

• Rajendra chetty, University of Cape Town

• Kerryn Butler-Henderson