Urdu Weekly | Urdu News |Online Weekly Urdu Newspaper

Tag: Bath Spa University

  • Ph.D. by Prior Publication

    Ph.D. by Prior Publication

    Ph.D. by Prior Publication
    Ph.D. by Prior Publication is also known by other titles such as Ph.D. by Portfolio, Published Works, Published Papers, and sometimes even Ph.D. under Special Regulations. This type of degree is awarded to a candidate who has already published substantial work which could be recognized by the University equivalent to a traditional Ph.D. The prior research should be comparable to an accepted dissertation of a 3 years doctoral program. It should be novel at the time when it was printed and has to be an original contribution to the knowledge available in the public domain. This route was introduced and adopted in the UK, however, it is now being encouraged in other countries also. It usually takes one year to complete the process but may be extended a year more if the committee of examiners believe that more time is required by the candidate to present a coherent image of his/her work. Before registration, the candidate is vetted for suitability, quality, and availability of the Supervisor. The criteria to register for this program are when a candidate can demonstrate a prior record of publications in peer-reviewed journals in terms of quality and although there is no minimum number of publications; at least four publications are the starting point in terms of quantity.
    However, the quantity can vary considerably where the degree has been awarded on a single submission to sometimes more than a dozen articles. The eligibility may also require a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree with a gap of a few years. Please take note that this is not for candidates who have just graduated. The applicant should be an established researcher, practitioner, or professional with experience to show on the CV. All the work should be original, unique, well researched, coherent, and provide solution/s to problem/s.
    Before applying for registration in the program, the candidate should make sure that he/she has enough work to submit by contacting the concerned person at the University. The candidate should also write a word wrap of 10000 words explaining how the prior research has benefitted the real world i.e. ‘what significant and specific impact has the published work had on professional practice?’
    The process of assessing the portfolio is as same as a traditional doctoral degree where usually two examiners are assigned approving or disapproving after reviewing the portfolio minutely and viva voce. If the examiners are satisfied by the submissions and oral vetting of the candidate, then the degree is awarded. The process could be more exhaustive than then traditional route as aspirants may have names of several authors on their papers and might find it difficult to segregate their work and may be subject to more evidence and verbal explanations. The student is expected to be the first author in the work submitted. If the candidate is not the first author the contribution should be identifiable in the publication.
    A supervisor is usually assigned to candidates pursuing this route, who guides through by choosing the papers from the bouquet of work presented so that a coherent body of documents and other material is submitted. The work is scaled on the freshness, the number of papers published, the quality of journals who accepted the work, the field, and how exhaustive is the peer-review. It can be said it is your most detailed CV of the applicant to date. The portfolio may include academic papers, chapters, monographs, books, scholarly edition of the text, technical reports, documentaries, films, creative work in relevant fields, and other artifacts. The collection may be as diverse as feedback from the project sponsor, conference papers, patents, surveys, multimedia packages. The Portfolio Ph.D. can be theoretically carried out in any field however Medical and Law candidates have been its prime source of admissions. Over the period now people have initiated to pursue this route in the field of social sciences. The business and management postgraduates are also now becoming interested in the Doctorate of Business Administration (DBA) by Publication which is being offered by reputable Universities and Business Schools.
    The qualification is sometimes restricted by universities to staff or alumni. During this doctorate process, the candidate might lack access to labs or research facilities and even might encounter bias from traditional Ph.D. Holders as all fields are not suitable for this category of doctorate. Thus it is very significant for candidates before deciding to join the qualification to consult the university management and talk to seniors about the access to the required facilities and support from peers pursuing a conventional doctorate. However the route is bound to grow more popular by time as people become aware and more institutions offer it.
    By.Mr. Khuram Amin,
    Bath Spa University
    Prof_amin@outlook.com
  • Fourth Industrial Revolution – Past,Current and Future Trends

    Fourth Industrial Revolution – Past,Current and Future Trends

    (Ras Al Khaimah):

    Fourth Industrial Revolution – Past,Current and Future Trends

    by: Khuram Amin,
    Bath Spa University (Ras al Khaimah Campus)
    prof_amin@outlook.com

    The industrial revolutions occurring since the 17th century has entered the fourth phase and gathering pace with time and their life span getting shorter and shorter. Currently, as we are in the fourth business revolution now the difference between physical, electromagnetic, and biological spheres are merging day by day.The Industry 1.0 was initiated by Great Britain in the 17th century when the steam engine was invented and the basic mechanization processes were adopted in the industries. Textile factories benefited the most as massive efficiency was recorded and manual work ended in the sector. Railroads, coal, and iron also acted as the catalyst for this part of economic history.
    By the Year 1870, the world witnessed a new industrialization 2.0 of manufacturing with the introduction of
    electricity. Large scale production based on assembly lines changed the production forever. Division of labour also contributed to the massive output as workers specialized in their tasks resulting in extra efficiency and waste management. Telephone and the combustive engine had a force multiplier effect on trade and commerce opening new commercial avenues.
    In the second half of the nineteenth-century, Industry 3.0 also termed as the information age was influenced by the exponential increase in computing power. As the computers appeared on the horizon, machines could be controlled electronically and automation was introduced across all sectors. Semiconductors, chemical compounds,and the Internet played a very significant role during this time.
    Now in the Twentieth-Century, Industrial Revolution 4.0 is in the making. This uprising is dependent upon
    connectivity, fusion between technologies, and cyber-physical systems. Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things,Block Chain, Cloud Computing, Big Data and Autonomous Robots are few fields dictating the independent virtual physical domain now.
    The world economic forum identified the trends in the current era from self-driving vehicles, 3D printing to new materials applying nano-technology. Integration and interconnected technologies are enhancing efficiency,productivity, cost-effectiveness, and innovating new products and services.
    The world will witness a digitized economy where value chains are integrated across boundaries through
    connectivity and platform integration. The commercial and customer information is stored and retrieved instantly and data is mined in huge quantities to generate information for decision-making. Data Analysts and Information Scientists are in demand which will increase in the coming years with millions of jobs created each year.The 5G technology ensures that all devices are connected, communicating among themselves, data being processed by artificial intelligence to provide deep insight into the human mind and behavior, while machines competing with each other on the quality of artificial intelligence basis.
    New Job titles and employment opportunities are now becoming common across sectors. Augmented Reality Architects, Drone Managers, Plant Psychologists, Business Economy Managers are some of the designations examples which are not only unique but being adopted by organizational leaders.
    Disruption is a word becoming popular nowadays as new technologies are developed and introduced which upset the whole industry once and for all. The new entrants thus change the whole outlook and sometimes result in the sudden demise of the existing enterprises. Net Flix is the new norm in the entertainment field, while Online Education has become the standard now in the education sector thus altering the entire chain of distribution.
    The disruption has to be accepted as part and parcel of life to not only survive but to lead. Each leader should rethink the roles their staff would play in the future. Adopt the latest technologies, innovate, and provide entrepreneurship through cross-channel identification, integration, and use. The IR 4.0 will be based on disruptions in industries, jobs, and skills, while promoting innovation, inequality, and technology fusion. As the industry evolves, the skills required by young people will also vary. The skills will be dynamic in nature calling for regular updates by learning new software packages and techniques. To mention a few new future trends are computational and design thinking, collaboration and connectivity, creativity and digital transformation, problem solving, and applied learning. Products and services are also being morphed into one another blurring the lines of tangible and intangible distinctness thus making them more portable, compact, and economical.
    Some of the new situations we will experience will be the rise of freelancers, retirement age flexibility,
    technological unemployment, abundance, reverse brain drain, global digital inequality, flexible work locations and hours, and an increase in elder care.
    The future scenario will include smart electric grids, homes, vehicles, connected health care, automation
    everywhere, electronic currency, human-machine synthesis. As the 4th era progresses it is anticipated that we will enter a new generation of established practices such as democracy 2.0, agriculture 2.0, transportation 2.0, and money 2.0. The aggressive competition between the two competing countries leading the Globalization 4.0 namely the USA and China is creating uncertainty seen like never before. The two competitors are partners and contestants at the same time with interdependent economies making industrialization and globalization 4.0 inseparable and adding paces to the two.
    The Covid-19 has catapulted the revolution 4.0 as people work from home and become more IT literate. It
    will accelerate this phase by affecting the manufacturing, healthcare, and retail sector the most. We should now focus on the future by preparing ourselves for the inevitable. Thus, we have to digitally transform ourselves for the new future.