The #altac trackStrategies to imagine & build

alternative academic careers

Jason Ensor

Research & Technical Development Manager

Digital Humanities Research Group

University of Western Sydney

@JasonEnsor @AustLiterature

Digital Humanities Australasia, March 2014

Perth, Western Australia

Jo Hawkins

PhD Candidate

History

University of Western Australia

@History_Punk

What is #altac?

• Alternative academic careers have been described as

off the tenure track but within the academic orbit.

• #Altac positions are serviced by ‘hybrid’ humanities

scholars who work in a diverse range of institutions

including:

• Universities

• Cultural heritage bodies

• Libraries

• Museums

• Academic publishing

• The public sector

• Roles often include a combination of administration,

project management, teaching and research work.

#dha2014 #altac

The traditional purpose of a PhD was

to provide the training necessary to

start on an academic career. This is no

longer the case and in some countries

as few as five percent of PhD

graduates find permanent academic

positions.

The Changing PhD: Discussion Paper, Group of Eight, March 2013,

p.5 <http://www.go8.edu.au/__documents/go8-policy-

analysis/2013/the-changing-phd_final.pdf>

#dha2014 #altac

‘While the disconnect between the

availability of tenure-track jobs and

the single-minded focus with which

graduate programs prepare students

for that specific career path is not at

all new, the problem is becoming ever

more urgent due to the increasing

casualization of academic

labor…menial salaries, no benefits,

and no job security…’

Katina Rogers, Humanities Unbound: Supporting Careers and

Scholarship Beyond the Tenure Track, University of Virginia Library,

August 2013 <http://libra.virginia.edu/catalog/libra-oa:3480>

‘#dha2014 #altac

The young people we select to

undertake PhD training are by

definition amongst the best and

brightest we have in terms of their

intellectual capabilities. We might

expect them to become our future

leaders and to contribute in many

ways to the development of a

prosperous, healthy and happy world

– and hope they do so.

The Changing PhD: Discussion Paper, Group of Eight, March 2013,

p.6 <http://www.go8.edu.au/__documents/go8-policy-

analysis/2013/the-changing-phd_final.pdf>

#dha2014 #altac

Why are you here

today?

Sarah McQuade

Director - Community, Learning &

Discovery

State Library of WA

@sarah_mcquade

Jonathon Hutchinson,

Researcher & Lecturer, Online Media

University of Sydney

@dhutchman

#altac #firesidechat

Ingrid Mason

eResearch Analyst at Intersect Australia

Data specialist at Australian National Data

Service

@1n9r1d

Daniel Powell

PhD candidate, Digital Humanities

University of Victoria, Canada

@djp2025

We’ll be back after this short break.

1. Think individually about how you could ‘pitch’ yourself

to a potential employer. Refer to the worksheet. (5

minutes)

2. Get in groups of 3-4 people to share your ideas. Panel

members will work with groups during this time. (10

minutes)

3. We’ll ask volunteers to deliver a 2-minute pitch to the

Panel (25 minutes)

#dha2014 #altac

Managing your digital

footprint.

What others say about youWhat you say about yourself

Blogs

Twitter

Academia.edu

LinkedIn

YouTube

Google Scholar

Your digital shadowYour digital footprint

What is altmetrics?

• ‘Altmetrics is the creation and study of new metrics

based on the Social Web for analyzing and informing

scholarship.’ (Source: http://altmetrics.org/manifesto)

• Why do we need new ways to measure research impact?

• What tools should you use to measure and record

altmetrics?

• Do altmetrics reflect research impact - or just empty

buzz?

Altmetrics show & tell

1. Work individually to identify some of your own altmetrics

using your laptop/tablet. (5 minutes)

• Tweets (retweets, replies, reach)

• Blog posts (views, comments)

• Video/ slideshare / Prezi views

• Downloads/ visits to academia.edu.au

• Other ie: Conversation.edu articles

2. Share results in groups of 3-4 (5 minutes)

3. Please share and discuss your findings with the entire

group. (10 minutes)

#dha2014 #altac

Making

connections

Making connections

• What kind of attitudes do our panel members share?

• What technical skills-sets do they possess?

• How important was networking?

• What skills did they learn ‘on the job’ and what skills did they develop

before or during their candidature?

• Has building a digital footprint (blogs, social media) helped our

panelists in their careers?

• How flexible are they within the employment market?

• What challenges have they faced?

• To what extent did panel members plan their careers? Did they have a

clear idea of their direction or did they make sense of it as they go?

#dha2014 #altac

Any questions?

Stay in touch#altac