Tuesday, 18 March 2014 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (AWST) Digital Humanities Australasia #Altac careers have been described as off the tenure track, but within the academic orbit. These positions are serviced by “hybrid humanities scholars” who work in a diverse range of institutions including universities, cultural heritage bodies, libraries, museums, academic publishing, and the public sector. Roles often include a combination of administration, project management, teaching and research work. This free, 3-hour workshop explored strategies and tools to help PhD candidates and early career researchers imagine and build alternative academic careers. It included a panel session with several practicing “alt-academics”, hands-on activities and plenty of lively discussion and debate. The workshop was facilitated by Jo Hawkins (PhD Candidate, University of Western Australia) and Dr Jason Ensor (Research & Technical Development Manager, Digital Humanities, University of Western Sydney). Panel members included: Sarah McQuade Director - Community, Learning & Discovery State Library of WA @sarah_mcquade Ingrid Mason eResearch Analyst, Intersect Australia Data specialist, Australian National Data Service @1n9r1d Daniel Powell PhD candidate, Digital Humanities University of Victoria, Canada @djp2025 http://djp2025.com/ Jonathon Hutchinson Researcher and Lecturer, Online Media University of Sydney @dhutchman http://jonathonhutchinson.com/

1. The #altac track
Strategies 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 2014
Perth, Western Australia
Jo Hawkins
PhD Candidate
History
University of Western Australia
@History_Punk

2. 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

3. 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

4. ‘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

5. 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

6. Why are you
here today?

7. 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

8. We’ll be back after this short break.

9. 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

10. Managing your
digital footprint.

12. What others say about you
What you say about yourself
Blogs
Twitter
Academia.edu
LinkedIn
YouTube
Google Scholar
Your digital shadow
Your digital footprint

13. 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?

14. 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

15. Making
connections

16. 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

17. Any questions?

18. Stay in touch
#altac