来源：《自然》
原文刊登日期：2023年1月18日
As Nature and other publications have reported persistently, PhD training worldwide has been in trouble for some time. Early-career researchers constantly report concerns about a chronic lack of support and poor-quality supervision, with senior researchers rarely trained in mentorship.
正如《自然》杂志和其他出版物不断报道的那样，一段时间以来，全世界的博士培训都陷入了困境。早期职业研究人员经常报告对严重缺乏支持和低质量监督的担忧，高级研究人员很少接受培训，学习如何当导师。
Furthermore, PhD candidates are inadequately prepared for the cross-disciplinary working and large teams that characterize cutting-edge science today. This is especially true for careers outside academic research, where the overwhelming majority of PhD candidates will be heading.
此外，当今尖端科学以跨学科工作和大型团队合作为特点，博士生还没有为此做好充分准备。对于学术研究以外的职业来说尤其如此，而这是绝大多数博士候选人最终的就业去向。
It is not all bad. Universities in a small number of high-income countries have reformed, or are reforming, PhD assessment. But in most places, and especially in low- and middle-income countries, a candidate’s work is still evaluated using a single-authored dissertation. This is ‘defended’ before a scholarly panel, a nod to its nineteenth-century origins. And in many countries, candidates must publish in a journal before they get a PhD.
也不全是坏消息。少数高收入国家的大学已经或正在改革博士评估制度。但在大多数地方，尤其是在中低收入国家，候选人的工作仍然是用一篇单独撰写的学位论文来评估的。候选人要在一个学术小组面前“答辩”，这是对其19世纪起源的致意。在许多国家，候选人在获得博士学位之前必须在期刊上发表文章。
The system’s strains have become more obvious because the number of people doing PhD training has been rising sharply. According to the 2022 book Towards a Global Core Value System in Doctoral Education, the number of PhDs awarded in China more than doubled from 23,400 in 2004 to 55,011 in 2016. India’s numbers increased from 17,850 in 2004 to 25,095 in 2016; US figures climbed from 48,500 to 69,525 over the same period.
由于攻读博士学位的人数急剧增加，学位评估体系的压力变得更加明显。根据2022年出版的《迈向全球博士教育核心价值体系》一书，中国授予博士学位的人数从2004年的23400人增加到2016年的55011人，增长了一倍多。印度的人数从2004年的17850人增加到2016年的25095人；同期，美国的数字从48500攀升至69525。
Too often, PhD training is still, at least conceptually, organized as it was after its development in and subsequent export from mid-nineteenth-century Germany. At that time, young scholars were attached to individual professors in a master–apprentice relationship, with the objective of safeguarding and advancing knowledge in individual disciplines.
博士训练起源于19世纪中期的德国，并随后输出到世界各地。很多时候，当前的博士培训仍然以，至少在概念上，这样的形式组织。当时，青年学者以师徒关系依附于个别教授，目的是维护和发展个别学科的知识。
That cannot continue if the next generation of scholars is to meet society’s demands. There needs to be a revolution in the organization and funding of PhD training. As education expanded to be open to everyone, it was no longer feasible to offer tuition in small groups where one person did most of the teaching. Countries introduced subject specialists as teachers; they limited class sizes, experimented with new educational technologies, collaborated on quality-assurance measures and drew on educational research to understand how students learn in different ways.
如果下一代学者要满足社会的需求，目前的博士培养方式就不能继续下去。在博士培训的组织和资助方面需要一场革命。随着教育向所有人开放，在一个人做大部分教学的小组中提供教学已不再可行。各国引入学科专家作为教师；它们限制班级规模，试验新的教育技术，合作制定质量保证措施，并利用教育研究来了解学生如何以不同的方式学习。
The editors and contributors of Towards a Global Core Value System in Doctoral Education, who are all experts in higher-education research, policy or practice, provide snapshots of the state of play in various countries, including all-important examples of innovation in PhD training. Some candidates are instructed by more than one supervisor, so that students are less isolated and better protected if a relationship with a single supervisor goes bad. Some take additional courses of study, or have their research progress assessed periodically.
《迈向全球博士教育核心价值体系》的编辑和撰稿人都是高等教育研究、政策或实践方面的专家，他们简要介绍了各国的发展状况，包括博士培训创新的重要例子。有些博士生有两个或以上的导师，这样，如果与一名导师的关系恶化，学生就不会那么孤立，也能得到更好的保护。有些博士生参加额外的学习课程，或者定期评估他们的研究进展。