Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the education sector. This second part of a Norwegian case study examined nearly three hundred Ph.D. supervisors to understand the professional, social, and existential challenges they faced during extended societal shutdowns. Building on our prior study of Ph.D. candidates, we investigated how remote work, digital teaching, and digital supervision (from March 2020 to autumn 2022) impacted doctoral supervisors.

Using a mixed-methods approach (formative dialog research and case study design), we collected data from a survey (N=298, response rate 80.54%), semi-structured interviews, and supplementary sources. This paper presents preliminary survey results (data collection continues until July 2023).

The study revealed that supervisors found digital tools like Zoom convenient but felt they sometimes lacked the quality needed for effective supervision, especially regarding the psychosocial well-being of their Ph.D. candidates. Research-related challenges also arose. For those working from home, altered conditions impacted research capacity, their ability to support Ph.D. candidates, and other job responsibilities.

Despite pandemic support, incremental measures proved insufficient. Ph.D. regulations, designed for normal conditions, did not adequately adjust to the extraordinary circumstances. This was particularly difficult for supervisors with young children, especially women, who faced lockdowns, homeschooling, quarantines, and illness alongside professional duties. This 'slow-motion disaster' lasted up to 20 months.

Our second part of our case study highlights the crucial need to understand how formulation, transformation, and realization arenas interact during societal crises. This understanding will help bridge the gap between incremental and fundamental changes in Ph.D. regulations and guidelines. While employer support was offered, the overall Ph.D. framework remained unchanged amidst the pandemic. This emphasizes the need for better crisis preparedness in doctoral education.

Keywords:

Regulations; Ph.D. supervisors, Experiences, COVID-19, Supervision, Ph.D. candidates.