PhD scholarship for 3 years commencing Semester 1, 2016

Teaching and assessment of 21st century skills:

University of Melbourne, Australia. Will commence PhD scholarship for 3 years, the Semester 1, start up by 2016.

Expressions of interest (EOI) are invited from suitable candidates (domestic and international) interested in undertaking their doctoral studies (PhD) as part of a program of research investigating the teaching and assessment of 21st century skills, with specific focus on collaborative problem solving. This program of research is led by the Assessment Research Centre in the Melbourne Graduate School of Education.


Previous research has focused on the definition of 21st century skills, the development of online collaborative assessments with automatic scoring and reporting systems, and associated teacher professional development materials. Future research will examine how teachers can use the assessment approach to collaborative problem solving that was developed previously to inform the teaching of the skill. There is also a focus on alternative approaches to the development of online collaborative assessment tasks. Two possible PhD projects have been developed to reflect these research objectives:
This research will focus on the effect of curriculum content on collaborative problem solving and the reciprocal influence of collaborative problem solving in enhancing the application of process skills in a curriculum area. The curriculum areas of interest are either Science or History in lower secondary school.
This project will investigate the capacity of templates use to generate assessment tasks to collect process data which reflects student skills. This represents a considerable shift from a previous project (ATC21S™) strategy where every new task had to be field tested with thousands of students and separately coded and calibrated.


Applicants with an interest in this program of research and a background in educational assessment, educational measurement, psychology and/or secondary teaching in Science or History are encouraged to apply.

Benefits

The successful applicant will receive a PhD scholarship to the value of $25,849 for the duration of three years, a tuition fee waiver (if applicable), extensive mentoring support, and will be part of an active research community working on a growing and stimulating program of research.

 Eligibility

In order to be eligible for this scholarship scheme, applicants must have completed tertiary studies equivalent to a Masters degree, with grades in the 'high distinction' (or equivalent) range. Relevant professional and research experience (including publications) will be regarded positively.


All applicants also need to satisfy the general University of Melbournerequirements for entry into the PhD program.


All scholarship offers will be made under the condition that applicants commit tofull-time study and commence their PhD studies here at the University in 2016.

How to apply

In the first instance, potential applicants are invited to contact Associate Professor Esther Care,e.care@unimelb.edu.au, 03 8344 0975, to discuss their application.
Upon this discussion, applicants should email a cover letter, CV, completed EOI form, research proposal, copy of academic transcripts and Masters thesis examiners' reports (if applicable) to Associate Professor Esther Care,e.care@unimelb.edu.au. The deadline for EOI is no later than Friday 21 August 2015.
Shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview in August –September 2015, with all applicants to be advised of the outcome of the EOI by the end of September 2015.
If offered the scholarship applicants must then formally apply for admission to the PhD – Education at the University of Melbourne. The deadline for applying for PhD studies at the University of Melbourne commencing in 2016 is 31 October 2015. For more information on the application process, visit How to Apply.