Transforming Quality in Research Supervision: A knowledge-management approach

Abstract

The emergence of the knowledge-management concept has profound implications for transforming the quality of postgraduate research supervision in universities where knowledge business dominates. Knowledge management refers to the enrichment of knowledge of customers (students), the building of knowledge assets (theses, intellectual property) and developing enhanced access to knowledge (through knowledge technologies and networks such as advanced IT tools and methods). The primary goal of research supervision is the achievement of quality and completion. The research supervision process will more effectively achieve the goal if knowledge management is effectively integrated into the process. The continuous growth of the current and future knowledge-based economy and society warrants innovations in research education. Based on the view that quality in higher education is about transforming students, the paper constructs a research supervision framework to help transform research students into knowledge workers and managers. The framework demonstrates close synergies between the knowledge conversion process and research supervision. The paper concludes with an empirical case study from Australia.