The Possibilities Of Personalised Pathways And Portfolios For Enhancing PhD Programmes

Given different backgrounds, motivations and intended career pathways of PhD candidates, alongside doubts whether graduates are well-equipped for employment and contribution to society, this opinion piece explores a personalised approach for PhD programmes. Personalised curricula for individual and structured PhD programmes are proposed, based on constructive alignment to cater for personalised learning outcomes. In this approach, candidates take control of their pathway through doctoral study, using personal development plans to identify desired learning outcomes, planning their professional development alongside and through doctoral research, and generating a portfolio of evidence of achieving their desired outcomes. The approach is illustrated by considering the pathways of six fictional PhD candidates. Finally, the implications of personalised pathways and PhD assessment portfolios are considered. Supervisors need to encourage candidates to engage with career planning and professional development, and be careful not to denigrate careers outside academia. Institutions may need to reframe doctoral education to encompass structures and processes that enable broader professional development opportunities and portfolio approaches to assess the outcomes of doctoral study.