A paper from the HEA Annual Conference 2008.
This paper will consider developments in Post Graduate Research Education (PGRE) in the School of Nursing Midwifery and Social Work (SNMSW) in the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences (FMHS) at the University of Manchester UK (UoM). In particular this paper will focus on the development implementation and evaluation of an on-line PhD. The paper's analysis will draw upon a case study of the experiences of and rationale behind the development of on-line post graduate education in the SNMSW at the UoM. The case study includes: an outline of strategic drives for change; selected results of a 2 year study into the early impact of on-line education on post graduate education in the SNMSW description of the application and integration of diverse technologies to provide a technological framework for on-line PhD students and early evaluative data from students obtained through a series of focus groups.