Hello Julie-Anne

We have developed an online module on Research Supervision at Sheffield through our Virtual Graduate School .  To do this, we took an inquiry-based learning approach where we developed case studies (through video narratives) and scenarios that can be searched and used by both research supervisors and research students (so that the online content is based on authentic practice).  The research supervision topics (curriculum) that emerged from this are as follows:

1.  Introduction and Overview
2.  Role of the Research Supervisor
3.  What is Good Research Supervision?
4.  What is Bad Research Supervision?
5.  Phases of Research Supervision
6.  Role of the Internal Examiner
7.  Supervisor Expectations of Students
8.  Student Expectations of Supervisors
9.  Supporting International Research Students
10.Transferable Skills and Employability (how these are embedded in the superviion process)
11. Online Resources and Readings

We also developed a number of interactive Scenarios of research supervision (based on diaries of researchers):

1.  What is Good Supervision? (roles/responsibilities/establishing relationships)
2.  Training needs analysis and skills development (how to analyse and implement a training programme)
3.  Getting started: the first year of doctoral studies
4.  Problems of progress in doctoral studies (focus on year 2 of the doctorate and sustaining momentum)
5.  Writing up a doctoral thesis (problems in the final stages and preparation for oral examination)
6.  Overcoming problems in doctoral studies (some of the challenges students face and how to deal with them)
7.  Supervising international studies (specific challenges including language, cultural differences and family problems)

The module has been well received here.  Hope this helps you to frame your module descriptors.

Best wishes, Sheena

Sheena Banks
Virtual Graduate School Coordinator
School of Education
University of Sheffield


On 15 December 2012 13:23, Nicholas Bowskill <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hi Julie-Anne,
There's a good book by Barbara Allen on supervision of research students. Could be useful as a resource.

Best Wishes,
Nick

------------------------------------
Sent while on the move

Nicholas Bowskill,
Faculty of Education,
University of Glasgow
Scotland.

Shared Thinking - Collectivist Pedagogy

http://www.sharedthinking.info



On 15 Dec 2012, at 12:54, "O'Mahony, Catherine (NAIRTL)" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Dear Julie-Anne,
> You may be interested in a NAIRTL publication " Developing an institutional framework for supporting supervisors: a practical guide". Ireland's National Academy for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (NAIRTL) funded a major inter-institutional project between 2008 and 2012 to develop strategies for optimised support for supervisors of research students. This unique project involved six Irish Higher Education institutions and has culminated in the creation of a new interactive publication which summarises the experiences of the participating institutions, as well as outlining a framework for supervisor support and providing related resources and tools. It is intended that this information may be of use to any institutions interested in developing their own supports for research supervisors, and ultimately will be of benefit to the supervisors themselves and, of course, their students.
>
> Download your free copy of the interactive guide from www.nairtl.ie/workgroupDocs/SupervisorSupport_Guide.pdf
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Catherine O'Mahony
> ____________________
> Catherine O'Mahony
> Acting Manager
> NAIRTL
> Distillery House
> North Mall
> Cork
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> t: +353 21 490 4690
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>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Online forum for SEDA, the Staff & Educational Development Association [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Julie-Anne Regan
> Sent: 13 December 2012 17:39
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Development of Research Supervision
>
> Dear All,
> Some colleagues of mine are developing a module to prepare PhD supervisors for their role. I know that similar modules exist elsewhere and wondered if any of you would be happy to share your module descriptors.
> As part of our ongoing work to enhance our research supervision, I was also wondering if anyone had an effective evaluation tool for supervisors to elicit feedback from their supervisee at the end of the PhD process, in order to feed into their practice development.
> regards
> Julie-Anne