Information Systems Research Education in Australia: Continuing the Past or Gearing up for the Future

As the information systems discipline grows, so do the number of programs offering graduate research degrees (GRD). In Australasia these include one year post-graduate (honors) programs with research components, masters by research degrees, and doctorate degree programs. Graduate students entering their first research program are faced with a quantum leap in expectations and required skills. The burden is significant: they need to find a referent discipline, select a research method and paradigm, defend the research relevance, and fulfil the requirements of adding to a body of knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to inform discussion on the issue of graduate research skills. We identify the critical research skills needed and present two pragmatic models for teaching them. This provides a basis for a shared knowledge and discourse based on lessons learnt