How Italian PhD students reap the benefits of institutional resources

and digital services in the open Web

Antonella Esposito, Albert Sangrà, Marcelo Maina

UOC - Open University of Catalonia

INTED 2013, 4-6 March, Valencia

BACKGROUND

Empirical settings of the e-survey

Università degliStudi di MilanoAbout 1.400 PhDstudents

Università degliStudi Milano-BicoccaAbout 600 PhDstudents

Politecnico diMilanoAbout 900 PhDstudents

Summary of responses

Started questionnaires

Completed questionnaires

Potentialinterviewees

Total 624 483 123

University % respondents N° respondents

Milan >18% 258

Milano-Bicocca 32% 193

Politecnico 20% 173

N = 3000Defined threshold: 10%Reached threshold: 20%Responses from about 20 subject areas

Demographics of the respondents

89% Italian students89% awarded scholarshipsEqually distributed along 3 years

12% (31-35) and 6% >35 include nontraditional PhD students

Prevalent mode of study

How? Mainlyin ‘isolated mode’

Interactions with supervisors and forms of networking

Only 6% states to use theopen Web for networkingactivity

Digital services provided by the institution

E-learning platforms: 1%E-portfolios: 1%Web 2.0 applications: 3%

Web 2.0 tools in everyday life

Tools for supporting PhD activites

Use of social media for individual activities

Lit Search activity is mostly carried out using social media.Social media are not currently used to practice academic writing.

Academic presence online

Drivers in the adoption of social media

Inhibitors in the adoption of social media

Expectations towards future use of the social Web

High expectations on Updating potentialVery low expectations on improving Critical discussion

Conclusions

PhD researchers self-select a few tools from the range of options they usually adopt in they everyday life. Actual use: Early exploration and specific Lit Searches.High Expectations related to Updating area of application.Main Driver: Occasional, practical needs related to their ownresearch.Main Inhibitors: Lack of awareness and training.

Tactic, not strategic approach: cautious and tentative adoption of Web 2.0 tools for research purposes.

Social Web to efficiently support existing practices rather than as a venue where experimenting new practices.

Thank you very much for your kind attention!

Twitter: @antoesp