Assisting Ph.D. Completion Following a Natural Disaster

Abstract

This article describes the experiences and outcomes for 761 doctoral students enrolled at the University of Canterbury who had their research disrupted by a magnitude 6.2 earthquake on 22 nd February 2011. We describe the measures that were put in place to assist the students to continue their studies through continued disruption from aftershocks, dislocation, building demolition and remediation, equipment failure, and limited access to resources. We used data from a number of University databases and student surveys to assess the impact of the disruption on student outcomes, considering measures such as completion rates and times, attrition rates, and student satisfaction. Overall the findings showed little impact of the disruption on completion rates or student satisfaction and only a slight increase in completion times. We consider the impact of additional factors, such as temporary relocation, and draw attention to key lessons learned that may assist those confronted with similar situations in the future.

The Beginning of More Worries: Doctoral Candidates’ Untold Stories After Submission of Dissertation

“…The university administration should take serious action of reporting any of this delaying tactic to smooth proceedings of completed work of the candidate. Moreover, personal grudge between members of the faculty of the same department and lack of interest in other doctoral candidates’ research due to personal conflicts with their supervisors, cause many hindrances for proper processing of dissertation work ( Helm, 1989 ; Jacobs, 1994 ; Johnston et al, 2016 ; Katz, 1997 ; Sayed et al, 1998 ; Mouton, 2001 ). The other researchers emphasized that the successful completion of a dissertation is acutely dependent on collaboration between the candidate and the research supervisor for fair judgment of abilities of a candidate and smooth process of the dissertation after completion ( Smith et al, 1993 ; Hockey, 1994 ; Rademeyer, 1994 ).…”

A natural disaster student support program for online students faces the challenge of COVID‐19

“…The use of a proactive process for communication, collaboration, and support following a disaster is an indicator of ongoing academic success (Costa et al., 2015 ). Other research found that students recovering from a major earthquake who received constant communication, staff and faculty collaboration, and equipment assistance were able to continue their coursework and were highly satisfied amidst aftershocks, dislocation, building demolition and remediation, equipment loss or failure, and limited access to resources (Johnston et al., 2016 ). These studies support the need for online universities to explore natural disaster student support models that offer timely and personalized support for students facing these unfortunate barriers to their success.…”