Challenge of being an Effective Supervisor

Faculty: This seminar has been developed by a team of academics which includes:

Dan Remenyi PhD
Biography

Arthur Money PhD
Biography

David Price DPhil
Biography

Carole Brooke PhD
Biography

Les Worral PhD
Biography

What this seminar is about
Increasing numbers of doctoral candidates have meant that there is a growing demand for supervisors and quality supervision. Whereas only a few years ago anyone who had a doctorate or even a modest track record in publishing research was virtually automatically deemed to be a competent supervisor, today we have realised that this is not actually the case.

The supervision of doctoral candidates is a demanding business for which new supervisors need careful preparation. There are many issues involved and to competently undertake this work is not trivial. Furthermore in the past few years’ more and more part-time doctoral candidates have registered for degrees. These are often experienced individuals who are highly accomplished in their own right. It is therefore essential that all doctoral degree candidates be offered well-prepared supervisors.

How the seminar works
This is a two-day intensive seminar that covers a wide range of issues relating to the doctoral supervision process. The seminar clearly spells out what is required for successful supervision and how this can be managed to produce the result required of successful doctoral degrees.

This seminar is open only to those who wish to supervise doctoral degree candidates. These supervisors will normally have a doctorate themselves. However individuals who have an outstanding track record in the publication of research will also be considered. To attend this course participants need to apply for a place. The format of the seminar consist of lectures and formal presentations as well as case studies and role playing exercises by the seminar members.

SEMINAR OUTLINE:

DAY ONE - Session One

	What is a doctorate and how does it differ from a masters degree?
	Different doctoral degrees and the criteria for awarding them.
	The nature of a doctoral degree – inputs, process and outputs.
	How is the quality of the output accessed? Can the nature of a contribution be defined?
	What difference is there between the PhD and the DBA etc?
	Rigor versus relevance debate. Reflections of the different modes of knowledge production
	A theoretical versus an empirical doctorate

Session Two

	The degree candidate, the institution and the supervisor
	Defining responsibilities and duties - agreeing Terms of Engagement
	Is there a pastoral/counselling role? When the relationship starts to go wrong.
	Understanding objectives and priorities
	Administration keeping records - how much/shared with whom? – the second supervisor. Reporting to the University, the Dean and/or the Director of Doctoral Research etc.

Session Three

	Disaggregating the role of the supervisor in the doctoral degree process
	Identifying a field of study
	Using the literature
	Establishing a research question
	Understanding methodology and choosing an appropriate set of research methods
	Collecting the evidence
	Understanding the evidence
	Drawing conclusions
	Developing management guidelines
	Writing up the dissertation

DAY TWO - Session Four

	Preparing for examination – the Viva Voce
	Supporting the candidate through changes and resubmission
	How much working is actually involved for the student and the supervisor?
	How to project manage the doctoral degree process for the full-timer, the part-timer, and the remote candidate

Session Five

	Ethical considerations
	What type of issues can cause research to be ethically questionable?
	How much help should the degree candidate be allowed?
	Copy right and other Intellectual Property Rights issues.

Session Six

	Encouraging the degree candidate to publish and to present at seminars and conferences.
	Refereed papers, books, joint authorship etc.
	e-Journals and e-Conferences

The cost of the seminar is £550 + VAT = £ 646.25. This includes course workbook, lunch and refreshments but not overnight accommodation.

Course A01: The Challenge of being an Effective Supervisor

Course A01:
The Challenge of being an Effective Supervisor