Aims: 

The main aims of the project were to:

• identify the variety of ways that supervisors and students perceive the role played by ICT within the doctoral research processes
• identify the skills and understandings that underlie the effective use of ICT in academic settings
• identify how supervisors’ and students’ conceptions about ICT use may facilitate or inhibit effective degree completion and supervision processes
• address barriers to effective use of ICT, including developing resources for students and supervisors     
• develop guidelines that inform the research literature, policy, practice and staff/student professional development related to enhancing ICT skills within doctoral study processes.

Methodology:

Using an interpretive enquiry and analysis framework, the aim was to identify doctoral supervisors’ and students’ perceptions of their roles in using ICTs. Based on a 2017 pilot project, this project involved a range of participants from two universities. Data was gathered through:

• participants’ drawings about their doctoral research processes involving the use of ICT
• individual discussion sessions with participants to further develop their thoughts about their doctoral research processes involving the use of ICT.