Resilience and the distance higher degree by research candidate

In the context of higher education, resilience is often defined as being a reaction to adversity or hardship rather than a pre-emptive strategy to prevent or minimise attrition. Moreover, resilience is at times framed in relation to a student deficit, as opposed to an ecological construct for which many are responsible. While resilience is a necessary attribute of the successful Higher Degree Research (HDR) candidate, resilience is an issue and shared responsibility for students, educators, institutions and communities alike. This chapter proposes a model to assess and promote resilience strategies in higher education for the purposes of the retention and development of distance higher degree candidates.