Work

Navigating the doctorate together: students' perspectives on an inter-institutional significant learning community

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Objective Meaningful peer and social interactions, sustained support, and collaborative engagement are critical to academic success and well-being, yet guidance on intentionally designing hybrid doctoral learning communities remains limited. This study explores a biweekly hybrid doctoral seminar on educational innovation and digital transformation, designed as a Significant Learning Community (SILC) grounded in Rogers's person-centered significant learning, social constructivism, and self-determination theory. Methods Using thematic analysis of 44 reaction sheets from the first of five semesters, we traced participants' academic progress, dissertation development, and personal and interpersonal growth. We examined the SILC's characteristics, its community dynamics, contributions to students' development, challenges and suggestions for improvement, and the hybrid setting. Results Participants highlighted collaboration, sharing, active listening, feedback, and experiential activities as central to their development. The emphasis on relatedness and autonomy aligns with self-determination theory, while appreciation for creative expression in a constructive atmosphere is consistent with person-centered views of creativity and the actualizing tendency inherent in humans. Recurring challenges concerned time management, translating creative tasks into the hybrid setting, and occasional technical issues. Conclusion Overall, the findings indicate that the SILC concept bridges theoretical and practical dimensions of significant learning and benefits hybrid participation when carefully facilitated. The study offers qualitatively derived insights for academics, advisors, and institutions designing person-centered, technology-enhanced learning environments that promote research excellence, interpersonal skills, creativity, democratic values, and the thoughtful integration of digital tools.

Source: Frontiers in Education

DOI: 10.3389/feduc.2026.1836970

Authors: Renate Motschnig, Pelin Yüksel-Arslan, Vera Schwarz

Institution: University of Vienna

Language: English

Topic: Doctoral Education Challenges and Solutions

Subfield: General Health Professions

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Quality education

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,353