This document discusses the use of Twitter to support professional doctorate students at Staffordshire University. Based on analysis of critical incidents, the author observed that EdD students struggled to identify with research communities and see their supervisors' academic work. To address this, the author is exploring how Twitter can help students 1) connect with others and 2) make research practices more visible. 24 of 35 EdD students are using Twitter in various ways, such as following others, participating in discussions, and accessing information. The author plans to complete a research project by July to further examine the value of Twitter for EdD visibility, classroom use, and integration into doctoral pedagogy.

1. Actively building engaged communities of
practice? If so, which communities?
Dr Katy Vigurs, Staffordshire University
Using social media within &
beyond the professional
doctorate classroom
@drkatyvigurs
k.vigurs@staffs.ac.uk
#ICPD2014
How many of you
are also doing this?

2. #ICPD2014
@drkatyvigurs
Who am I? Why am I here? What are my
professional doctorate interests, roles and
responsibilities?
• Based in School of Education at
Staffordshire University
• Staffordshire University is a ‟new‟ post-1992
University in the Midlands, England
• EdD programme is 6 years old
• EdD Course Director (since 2010)
• EE for EdD at Sheffield Hallam & Greenwich
• Member of national EdD Leaders‟ Network
• Member of UKCGE Working Group ‟The
Postgraduate Student Experience‟
• Winner of Prospects Postgraduate Award
2013-14 (Best Postgraduate Teaching Team
for EdD)

3. #ICPD2014
Setting the context - EdD programme at
Staffordshire University
(I‟ll explain the pavlova image later…)
• Part-time programme (5-6 years long)
• First cohort graduated 2012-13
• Currently 35 students on the programme
across 4 cohorts
• EdD students work in
HEIs, FECs, Schools, Adult and
Community Education.
• Average group size of 10
• Years 1-2 structured by ‟taught‟ modules
• Classes in evening and weekends
• Some students live and work locally
• Others travel (e.g.
Rotherham, York, Bedford, Stockport, Man
chester)
• Years 3-6 run through supervisory teams
------------------------------------------------------------
-
• EdD staff team of 7 (plus guest lecturers)
• Each member of staff supervising up to 10

4. Your own footer Your Logo
Production of EdD critical incidents to develop
curriculum & pedagogies
”The majority of critical incidents…are mostly
straightforward accounts of very commonplace events
that occur in routine professional practice…that are
indicative of underlying trends, motives and structures.
These incidents appear to be ’typical’…but are rendered
critical through analysis.”
Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching:
Developing Professional Judgement (p.24-5)

5. Seemed to struggle to identify with and/or feel part of a research community or communities
(Value? Location? Hidden practices?)
Did not have a detailed sense of their supervisors‟ on-going „academic lives‟ – “what on
earth do you do everyday?” (invisible academic practices? One dimensional relationships?)
Seemed to compartmentalise their doctoral study – not part of their everyday activities
(Busy? Boundaries? Split identity?)
Outside of their cohorts, they were not mixing with other EdD students at Staffordshire
University (insular, cliques?)
Were not finding it easy to identify as researchers themselves (Identity change / shift?)
Experienced a sense of isolation when out of „taught‟ phase (Lost
motivation, momentum, peer support, support of wider team?).
Were also not mixing with other doctoral students or academics/practitioners conducting
educational research beyond the University (narrow frame of reference / experience?)
#ICPD2014
Where does this paper stem from?
What did I observe in our EdD students?
Analysis of critical incidents as EdD tutor
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

6. Compared CI issues with Vitae RDF
- where were issues impacting?

7. Is this about identifying existing
communities of practice or creating
new ones? Or a combination?
What could we be doing to provide better support?
#1 Opportunities for connection
What questions were raised for the EdD team?
How
identify, particip
ate in & shape
research
communities?
How connect &
interact with
others
externally?
How connect &
interact with
other SU EdD
students?

8. How overcome the barriers to
developing a researcher identity?
How make it seem
attractive, achievable, exciting, usefu
l?
What could we be doing to provide better support?
#2 Making research micropractices visible
What questions were raised for the EdD team?
How make
visible academic
rhythmns &
processes?
How embed
research
practices into the
everyday?

9. Building on the work of
Carmichael (2011), I
wanted to look at the role
of networks (as entities)
and networking (as a set
of practices) for
supporting the learning
and development of
professional doctorate
students.
Key challenges to address
Not mutually exclusive
#1
Providing
Opportunities
for
Connections
#2
Making Visible
Research
Micropractices

10. As a result of a successful bid, I am exploring the use of Twitter
as an online technology to promote & develop aspects #1 and #2
within the EdD programme (do we all know what Twitter is?)
So what am I doing in 2013-14?
• Equipment bought for newest
EdD group (cohort 6) – 10
Google Nexus tablets
• Designed session on using
Twitter for doctoral study - built
into induction session
• Set task to set up Twitter
account and complete a
number of Twitter activities
before next session.
• Cohort 6 has its own hashtag
#EdDSU6 - important
• Tweeting encouraged within
EdD classes too.
• All other EdD students also told
about use of Twitter &
encouraged to set up accounts
Student engagement side to the bid
• Can‟t assume that practice in
academia already digitized to a
high level? Is not a given that
most academics / researchers
use social media for
professional purposes daily?
THUS…
• My own use of Twitter (since
January 2013) needed to
develop.
• Needed to encourage other
EdD staff to use it too – this
has been difficult so far.
Staff engagement side to the bid?
1 2

11. What was it that appealed?
Why did I choose Twitter?
It’s an open, public space
Established. Lots of users.
I already had experience of it
Possibilities for responding to
#1 & #2 with Twitter?
• Sources of information
• Forms of communication &
interaction
• Participation in communities
(Fuchs, 2014)

12. What‟s going on in practice?
How is it working so far?
5/7 staff have
Twitter
accounts.
2 EdD
graduates are
using it (only 1
regularly).
But only I am
using it
regularly.
Data now being
generated on their
experiences
24/35 EdD
students are
using it.
But they are
using it in
quite different
ways

13. Emergent types of Twitter usage
• All are following a
number of relevant
individuals &
organisations.
• All are being followed
by others (internal &
external).
• Some of ‟favouriting‟ &
‟retweeting others‟
tweets.
• Some are asking
questions.
• Some are
commenting on
others‟ tweets.
• Some are taking part
in live ‟tweet chats‟
• Some post pics.
Communication &
Interactions
Accessing
Information
• Cohort 6 using it to
develop their own
cohort community e.g.
#tweetmydish
• Finding groups to
belong to based on
shared values &
interests & follow their
work
(BERA, BELMAS, BS
A, Vitae, UKCGE on
Twitter). Layering of
associations.
• Sparks connections in
other spheres too –
using Twitter to build
and deepen web of
relationships round
doctoral study.
Participating in
Communities
• All are using Twitter
to do this.
• Some are only using
Twitter to do this.
• Using Twitter to gain
access to
articles, blogs, report
s, events, sense of
micropractices ‟out
there‟:
• Policy
development &
critique
• Theory &
concepts
• Research
methods
• Subject
knowledge

14. Complete research project by July!!
Themes to be explored in research.
Next steps…
Value of using Twitter for EdD visibility & reputation?
Value of using Twitter within the doctoral classroom?
Integration and embedding within wider doctoral
pedagogies?
Issues of leadership and governance
Value of using Twitter beyond the doctoral classroom?
Issues of power and exclusion
Identifying theoretical frameworks to extend analysis

15. References
• Carmichael, P. (2011) Networking Research: New
Directions in Educational Enquiry, London:
Bloomsbury.
• Fuchs, C. (2014) Social Media: a critical
introduction, London: Sage.
• Tripp, D. (1993) Critical Incidents in Teaching:
Developing Professional Judgment, Abingdon,
Oxon: Routledge.

16. Over to you…
Please take 2 mins to discuss
your thoughts & experiences
with a neighbour.
Or tweet your comments!
@drkatyvigurs
Then let’s share.