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Professor Alistair McCulloch

  • Head: Research Education Research and Innovation Services
  • Mawson Lakes Campus (GP2-01)
  • tel +61 8 830 21150
  • fax +61 8 830 27861
  • email Alistair.McCulloch@unisa.edu.au
  • Available for media comment
  • Research Degree Supervisor
  • About me
  • Research
  • External engagement & recognition
  • Teaching & student supervision
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About me

About me

Professor Alistair McCulloch
  • Doctoral education
  • Higher education
  • Research degree supervision

I have been at UniSA (and in Australia) for coming to ten years, having previously been Professor and Dean of Research and Knowledge Transfer at Edge Hill University - near Liverpool in the UK - for over 12 years. During my time at Edge Hill, I was responsible for the quality and development of the University’s research degree programs and for preparing the institution for an application for the power to award its own research degrees, powers which were granted in 2008. I was also responsible for institutional research policy and its implementation, and also for the University's submissions to the periodic Research Assessment Exercises through the period to 2008.

To see my Google Scholar profile, click here.

My interest in doctoral ... Read more

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About me

I have been at UniSA (and in Australia) for coming to ten years, having previously been Professor and Dean of Research and Knowledge Transfer at Edge Hill University - near Liverpool in the UK - for over 12 years. During my time at Edge Hill, I was responsible for the quality and development of the University’s research degree programs and for preparing the institution for an application for the power to award its own research degrees, powers which were granted in 2008. I was also responsible for institutional research policy and its implementation, and also for the University's submissions to the periodic Research Assessment Exercises through the period to 2008.

To see my Google Scholar profile, click here.

My interest in doctoral education and supervision in particular is long-standing. In 1999, I developed at Edge Hill the UK’s first Masters-level qualification in research degree supervision (a PG Cert in Research Degree Supervision), and also led the development in 2006 of an MA in Academic Practice designed to provide accredited training for both doctoral students and also academic staff. Whilst at Edge Hill, I was engaged in the national debates over the development of British doctoral education being a member of the group that in 2004 revised the QAA (Quality Assurance Agency) Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research Degree Programmes. I was also a member of the Executive Committee of the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) between 2004 - 2009 and a joint-coordinator of the Society for Research into Higher Education’s (SRHE) Postgraduate Issues Network (PIN) over the same period.

How did I get here? Born in Scotland, I have lived and worked the length and breadth of the UK following entry to higher education as a mature undergraduate in 1976. My first degree in Politics and History was undertaken at what was then Huddersfield Polytechnic and this was followed by a period at Exeter University where I gained a PhD in Politics. During this time, I took all the detours that research students follow including acting (unpaid) as in-house political commentator and psephologist for the local radio station, Devonair Radio. My next stop was back at Huddersfield where I worked as a Research Assistant and part-time lecturer before, in 1987, taking my first permanent post as a Lecturer in Public Administration at what was then the Robert Gordon Institute of Technology (RGIT) in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 1997, having become Professor in Public Administration, I left what was by then the Robert Gordon University to take up my Dean's post at Edge Hill.

In Australia, I continue to work in the area of doctoral education and have had the pleasure and privilege of leading the organisation of and convening the 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018 Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR) conferences.

In 2017, I was awarded a Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning as part of the Australian Awards for University Teaching. The award was won jointly with my colleague Dr Cassie Loeser and the citation reads: 'For a sustained and outstanding contribution to research degree supervisor development and the development of a method for measuring the impact of supervisor professional development.' This followed the award in 2016 of a UniSA Citation for making an 'Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning'. In both cases, the 'students' being referred to are academic staff members engaged in supervising doctoral students.

Away from work, my interests lie in the areas of reading and good music. I have occasionally been known to suggest that, with a few notable exceptions, they stopped making really good music at 23.59pm on 31st December 1969. Sometimes when I'm listening, I actually believe it!

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Professional Associations

UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)
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Experience

Qualifications

  • Doctor in Politics Exeter University, UK

  • Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Humanities Huddersfield Polytechnic, UK

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  • About me
  • Professional associations
  • Experience
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Research

Research themes

  • Transforming societies

Research focus

  • Education Systems
  • Specialist Studies in Education
  • Anthropology
  • Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology
  • Business and Management

Highlights

Doctoral education

  • Research into PhDs and research degrees
  • Postgraduate and graduate education
  • Research degree supervision
  • Research degrees
  • Higher education policy
  • Higher education
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Research

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Projects

Excludes commercial-in-confidence projects.

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Research

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Outputs

Research since 2008 is shown below. To see earlier years visit ResearcherID or Scopus

Open access indicates that an output is open access.

Highlights

Year Output
2018

McCulloch, A 2018, 'The disciplinary status of doctoral education', Higher education review, vol. 50, no.2, pp. 86-104.

2017

McCulloch, A, Guerin, C, Jayatilaka, A, Calder, P & Ranasinghe, D 2017, 'Choosing to study for a PhD: A framework for examining decisions to become a research student', Higher education review, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 85-106.

Open access
2017

Taylor, S & McCulloch, A 2017, 'Mapping the landscape of awards for research supervision: a comparison of Australia and the UK*', Innovations in education and teaching international, vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 601-614.

2 2 3
2016

McCulloch, AJA & Loeser, CJ 2016, 'Does research degree supervisor training work? The impact of a professional development induction workshop on supervision practice', Higher education research and development, online, pp.1-15.

5 5 6
2009

McCulloch, AJA 2009, 'The student as co-producer: learning from public administration about the student-university relationship', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 171-183.

103 98 3

Books

Year Output
2010

McCulloch, AJA 2010, Induction for Postgraduate Researc Students.

Chapters

Year Output
2008

McCulloch, AJA 2008, The Silent Majority: Meeting the Needs of Part-time Research Students, SRHE.

Journal Articles

Year Output
2018

McCulloch, A 2018, 'Dress codes and the academic conference: McCulloch's Iron Laws of Conferences', Australian universities' review, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 50-53.

Open access
2018

McCulloch, A 2018, 'The disciplinary status of doctoral education', Higher education review, vol. 50, no.2, pp. 86-104.

2017

McCulloch, A, Guerin, C, Jayatilaka, A, Calder, P & Ranasinghe, D 2017, 'Choosing to study for a PhD: A framework for examining decisions to become a research student', Higher education review, vol. 49, no. 2, pp. 85-106.

Open access
2017

Taylor, S & McCulloch, A 2017, 'Mapping the landscape of awards for research supervision: a comparison of Australia and the UK*', Innovations in education and teaching international, vol. 54, no. 6, pp. 601-614.

2 2 3
2016

Guerin, C, Jayatilaka, A, Ranasinghe, D, McCulloch, A & Calder, P 2016, 'Research degrees in Information and Communication Technology (ICT): why so few doctoral students?', Journal of further and higher education, vol. 45, no. 5, pp. 625-641.

Open access 1 1
2016

McCulloch, A, Kumar, V, van Schalkwyk, S & Wisker, G 2016, 'Excellence in doctoral supervision: an examination of authoritative sources across four countries in search of performance higher than competence', Quality in higher education, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 64-77.

Open access 5 3 4
2016

McCulloch, AJA & Loeser, CJ 2016, 'Does research degree supervisor training work? The impact of a professional development induction workshop on supervision practice', Higher education research and development, online, pp.1-15.

5 5 6
2015

McCulloch, A & Picard, MY 2015, ''PhD, meet QPR': the quality in postgraduate research conference and the development of doctoral education', International Journal for Researcher Development, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 2-8.

2013

McCulloch, A 2013, 'The quest for the PhD : a better metaphor for doctoral education', International journal for researcher development, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 55-66.

7
2012

McCulloch, A & Thomas, L 2012, 'Widening participation to doctoral education and research degrees: a research agenda for an emerging policy issue', Higher education research and development, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 214-227.

11 8 7
2009

McCulloch, AJA 2009, 'The student as co-producer: learning from public administration about the student-university relationship', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 34, no. 2, pp. 171-183.

103 98 3

Conferences

Year Output
2015

Guerin, C, Jayatilaka, A, Calder, P, McCulloch, A & Ranasinghe, D 2015, 'Why Don't more ICT Students Do PhDs?', in D D'Souza & K Falkner (eds), 17th Australasian Computing Education Conference (ACE 2015), ACS - Australian Computer Society, pp. 73-80.

Open access
2010

Bastalich, WL, Behrend, MB, Bloomfield, RJ, Ford, JH, Loeser, CJ & McCulloch, AJA 2010, 'Communicating research: audiences, academics and research students', in Margaret Kiley, 9th Quality in Postgraduate research Conference: Educating Researchers in the 21st Century, Centre for Educational Development & Academic Methods, pp. 207-215.

2010

McCulloch, AJA & Thomas, L 2010, 'Widening participation to doctoral study: Issues, methodology and a research agenda', Quality In postgraduate Reasearch: Educating Researchers for the 21st Century, pp. 49-58.

2010

McCulloch, AJA 2010, 'Excellence in doctoral supervision: Competing models of what constitutes good supervision', Quality In postgraduate Reasearch: Educating Researchers for the 21st Century, pp. 187-198.

2010

McCulloch, AJA, Thomas, M & McInerney, C 2010, 'Research integrity: An unfolding tragedy in six scenes with an overture by Professor Mandy Thomas', Quality In postgraduate Reasearch: Educating Researchers for the 21st Century, pp. 21-30.

2010

Stokes, P & McCulloch, AJA 2010, 'A generational analysis of the 'How to Get a PhD' literature: Towards a classification of the game', Quality In postgraduate Reasearch: Educating Researchers for the 21st Century, pp. 93-99.

Other outputs

Google Scholar Profile

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Research

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Current research & highlights

Doctoral education

  • Research into PhDs and research degrees
  • Postgraduate and graduate education
  • Research degree supervision
  • Research degrees
  • Higher education policy
  • Higher education
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  • Outputs
  • Current research & highlights
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External engagement & recognition

Collaborations

Highlights

(With Dr Cassandra Loeser): Awarded a national Australian Awards for University Teaching Citation for an Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning for 'a sustained and outstanding contribution to research degree supervisor development, and the development of a method for measuring the impact of supervisor professional development'. (September 2017)

(With Dr Cassandra Loeser): Awarded a UniSA Teaching Award Citation for an Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning for'For a sustained and outstanding contribution to research degree supervisor development' *(December 2016)

Convenor and chair of the organising committee for the Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR) conferences held in 2012, 2014, 2016 & 2018.

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External engagement & recognition

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Collaborations

Organisation Country
Australian National University AUSTRALIA
Edge Hill University UNITED KINGDOM
Flinders University AUSTRALIA
Stellenbosch University SOUTH AFRICA
University of Adelaide AUSTRALIA
University of Brighton UNITED KINGDOM
University of Durham UNITED KINGDOM
University of Otago NEW ZEALAND
University of South Australia AUSTRALIA
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External engagement & recognition

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External engagement & recognition

Engagement/recognition Year

Convenor and chair, Organising Committee

Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR)

2018

Citations for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning

Department of Education and Training, Australian Government

2017

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2017

Convenor and chair, Organising Committee

Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR)

2016

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2016

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2015

Convenor and chair, Organising Committee

Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR)

2014

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2014

Keynote Speaker

International Conference on Doctoral Education, Organizational Diversity and Difference in Practice

2013

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2013

Convenor and chair, Organising Committee

Quality in Postgraduate Research (QPR)

2012

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2012

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2011

Member

United Kingdom Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE)

2010

Other

'Doctoral education: policy, diversity and experience', seminar presented to the South Australian branch of HERDSA (the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia), University of Adelaide, 26 July 2017.

Member, UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) [Executive Committee Member 2004-9;

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  • Collaborations
  • External engagement & recognition
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Teaching & student supervision

Highlights

Research degree supervision,Research management,Research education,Higher education
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Teaching & student supervision

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Courses and programs

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Teaching & student supervision

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Research degree supervision

Supervisions from 2010 shown

Thesis title Student status
Widening participation in Australian higher education: a study of equity  transition and enculturation Completed
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Gallery

Professor Alistair McCulloch
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