18 March 2021

CaRST eNewsletter

Director's Message

The University of Adelaide, like many organisations, has been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and has had to assess and adapt how it will continue to deliver its range of current programs and services for students. Due to low numbers of commencing international HDRs, the iCaRST program, which aimed at developing oral and written communication skills for international HDR candidates, has been modified into a new offering under CaRST that will optimise the delivery of research communication training for all HDRs.

Essential language and communication training that was part of iCaRST has been consolidated into a series of five standalone workshops that will assist students to better understand the requirements of key aspects of the research process and further develop their language researcher communication skills:

Planning your Research Proposal
Appropriate Citation & Avoiding Plagiarism
Writing the Introduction and Literature Review Sections of your Research Proposal
Writing the Theory, Methodology, and Summary Sections of your Research Proposal
Writing Journal Reviews & Systematic Reviews

The revised program offering commences in April and will be available through CaRST to all HDRs, both domestic and international, who are able to opt into the modules that will best support their development, as with other CaRST units.

While iCaRST is no longer running, international HDRs should note that they are still required to participate in CaRST, the overarching development component of the degree for all HDRs, and record a minimum number of professional development activities/hours throughout candidature.

In other news, expressions of interest for our online program Career Control for Researchers closes this month. Be sure to check below for further information.

Best,

Dr Monica Kerr
Director, CaRST

2021 CaRST Handbook

The CaRST Handbook has been updated for 2021 and includes everything you need to know about engaging with the CaRST program, including a step-by-step guide and a catalogue of workshops categorised by domain and candidature stage. Download the guide.

CaRST Events

Please note that CaRST Events are for HDR students only unless otherwise specified. Before registering for CaRST events, please review our no-show policy.

Seven Secrets of Highly Successful Research Students

Date: 19 March 2021
Time: 2:00pm - 4:30pm
Credits: 2.5 credits, Domain B
Delivery mode: Zoom webinar

What do Higher Degree by Research students do to finish on time, to overcome isolation, doubt and writer’s block, and to enjoy the process? Presented by Hugh Kearns, this workshop describes the key habits that research and experience with thousands of students shows will make a difference to how quickly and easily you complete your HDR. This session will be live streamed. Register here.

IT Tools for Researchers: What, Why, How and Where

Date: 22 March 2021
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Credits: 1 credit, Domain A
Delivery mode: Zoom webinar

This session will provide an overview of the many IT systems and tools on offer to make the most of your research, from building your research profile to managing your data and promoting your outputs. It will cover what is available, where to find them, and where to find more help and training when it is needed. Register here.

Getting started with NVivo

Date: 24 March 2021
Time: 9.30 am - 12.30 pm
Credits: 3 credits, Domain A
Delivery mode: Interactive class, online

Does your research see you working through unstructured and non-numerical data? NVivo is fast becoming a tool of choice for researchers who need to collect, manage and analyse data from a variety of sources. Join this introductory training to learn the basics of NVivo. Limited places available. Register here.

Clinical Research: Establishing Investigator Initiated Trials

Date: 25 March 2021
Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Credits: 2 credits, Domain A
Delivery mode: Zoom webinar

This course will cover the wide range of factors in investigator initiated clinical trials including the context of health science translation, determining the research question, study design, setting up collaborations, the role of industry partners, writing the protocol, assessing study feasibility, managing study participants, costing essentials and funding options for studies. After the course, students should feel confident in joining a clinical research team and understand how it should be conducted. Register here.

Researcher Profiles and Personal Branding

Date: 29 March 2021
Time: 2:00pm - 3:00pm
Credits: 1 credit, Domain B
Delivery mode: Zoom webinar

This session will provide an overview of why having a researcher profile is important, and how this contributes to developing your personal brand. It will cover where to find the relevant systems, how they link together, managing a personal brand and profile, and where to find more help and training when it is needed. Register here.

Planning your Research Proposal

Date: 1 April 2021
Time: 10:00am – 1:00pm
Credits: 3 credits, Domain A
Delivery mode: Zoom webinar

This session focuses on understanding the Research Proposal and the foundation steps needed for a successful proposal and thesis. It will detail the requirements of a proposal and the importance of establishing an action plan. Further, it will provide guidelines for an effective reading plan and techniques for the documentation of successful notes. Register here.

Learn to program: Python

Date: 7-8 April 2021
Time: 1.30pm - 4.30pm
Credits: 6 credits, Domain A
Delivery mode: Interactive class, online

Python has deservedly become a popular language for scientific computing, but getting started can be challenging, especially if you have never programmed before. That's where this introductory live coding workshop comes in, where we will use Jupyter notebooks to write programs and produce results. Limited places available. Register here.

Other Training & Development

Career Control for Researchers - Applications now open

Career Control for Researchers is an online program which gives HDR students the tools, guidance and confidence to take charge of their career direction, determine their own priorities and accelerate their progress.

The next Career Control for Researchers course will run from 12 April 2021 to 4 June 2021, and Expressions of Interest for this program are now open. This online program is delivered over an 8 weeks timeframe and includes live, web-based discussion with career specialists. You will also complete self-paced modules with a total average time commitment of 1-1.5 hours per week. See CaRST Online for further information. This program is recognised for 13 CaRST credits in Domain B.

To register your interest in the course, please complete and submit the online Expression of interest form.

Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 9:00am Monday 22 March 2021.

Thinking like a Computer - The Fundamentals of Programming

This Intersect webinar discusses the foundational concepts found in every programming language. Suitable for the programming novice, this webinar is good preparation for researchers wanting to learn how to program. Following this webinar, Intersect will be hosting a discussion on the topic open to anyone. April 13, 2021 11.30am -12.30pm (followed by a 45 minute discussion). Register here.

Online Training

Statistical Methods for Research

Statistical Methods for Research is a foundation programme in statistics, providing HDR students with the practical, transferable skills needed to conduct statistical analysis at postgraduate level and beyond. This self-paced course is completed via MyUni, and is available to HDR students in five discipline streams. Eligible for 12 credits in Domain A. Further information.

Undertaking a Literature Review

The Research Methods in Literature Review online courses support doctoral and postdoctoral researchers undertaking independent research. The course aims to assist you in developing a sound understanding of the literature review process. Examples are taken from many different disciplines and will be relevant to all researchers, regardless of academic field. This self-paced course is completed via MyUni, and is available to HDR students. Eligible for 3 credits in Domain A. Further information.

Principles of Research Methods

Principles of Research Methods aims to give doctoral researchers a sound understanding of core theoretical principles that underpin research methods across all disciplines, exploring available methodologies, and supporting interdisciplinary approaches and mixed method approaches. Examples are taken from many different disciplines and will be relevant to all researchers, regardless of academic field. This self-paced course is completed via MyUni, and is available to HDR students. Eligible for 3 credits in Domain A. Further information.

Research Methods in Practice

This course aims to develop an awareness of the practical and conceptual skills that support effective independent scholarly research in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The end goal is to help researchers to understand the issues involved in making an informed choice about the methodology and approach most suitable for their own specific project. This self-paced course is completed via MyUni, and is available to HDR students in three broad discipline streams. Eligible for 3 credits in Domain A. Further information.

Endnote Essentials

As your research becomes more complex, the number of resources you need to manage and track increases. EndNote Essentials is an online course to help you learn the skills you need to get up and running with EndNote. Completing the self-paced online course will give you an understanding of the functions of Endnote and how it can be a tool to support you in your studies. Enrol in Endnote Essentials through MyUni.

Industry Opportunities

APR Internship Opportunities Available!

The University of Adelaide has partnered with APR.Intern to expand the range of placement opportunities available to our PhD students. At this time, there are lots of exciting opportunities available for SA. APR.Intern facilitates short term 3-5 month placements for students to apply their research expertise to projects while gaining invaluable industry experience. For current APR.Intern opportunities and program information, please visit their website.

News

Pitch it Clever now open for submissions

Pitch it Clever is an annual competition run by Universities Australia challenging early career researchers to communicate their research and why it matters to non-specialist audiences via video. If you are an Australian university PhD candidate or early career researcher up to five years from conferral, you’re eligible to apply. Your challenge is to create a one to two-minute video that clearly unpacks your research and how it can be applied. Visit the Pitch It Clever website to learn more about how to submit your work. Submissions close 30 April 2021.

About CaRST

Located within the Adelaide Graduate Centre, CaRST is a specialised training and development program for HDR students at the University of Adelaide. For further information on CaRST visit the CaRST website.