The Shifting Roles and Positions of Students and Faculty Members across the Online Doctoral Education Trajectory
Abstract: Across the doctoral education trajectory, students shift from being consumers of knowledge in the classroom to creators of knowledge through their original research. In the process, the relationships between students and faculty members change. Over time, students might be concerned about (1) the transition that they are making to the more independent and less structured environment, (2) their relationships with faculty members as they conduct their research, and (3) the need to become more autonomous (Gardner, 2008). In this roundtable discussion, specific attention is paid to the shifting roles and positions of students and faculty members across the doctoral education trajectory as well as ways in which faculty members, especially dissertation chairs, can help students to navigate these challenges and become independent scholars in an online environment. Information about and strategies for enhancing this transition as well as avenues for future research and practice are discussed.