Dear Colleagues,
This is from Sharon Poggenpohl. It looks
like IIT addresses are having trouble getting
through.
Ken Friedman
-- Dissertation supervision --
I agree completely with David that at some point the PhD candidate's
knowledge far outstrips that of their advisor. In fact that is the
beauty of working with PhDs - we learn from them - they spark our own
thinking in new ways.
At the Institute of Design we think it is important for the primary
advisor (secondary too if possible) to share the research interest.
In other words we are not just technically advising the development
of whatever research someone decides to do. We (the faculty and
school) have a research agenda and we seek PhDs who would like to
share in this work. This means the faculty has in depth knowledge of
the research area and thus can more effectively guide the work. It
also means the research question itself can be examined from the
standpoint of its unanswered-ness and its potential contribution.
Another benefit is that new PhDs are encouraged to piggyback on the
work of those who preceded them.
With little formal structure to design, a weak disciplinary
structure, and only the beginnings of serious research in design, our
approach is modest and I think sane. We cannot be all things to all
people for many reasons.
Our PhDs work with a team of 4 advisors. One is an external advisor
brought on board because of particular expertise in relation to the
research. Two of my completed PhDs and two more who will finish this
semester have worked with either a psychologist or sociologist
(Christena Nippert-Eng known to this list). Their contribution is
often critical with regard to research method. The multiple advisors
offer different points of view and much critical feedback. In this
way, the research is carefully considered and polished.
Prof. Sharon Poggenpohl
Coordinator, PhD in Design
Institute of Design, IIT
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