POSTGRADUATE SUPERVISION AND SUPERVISOR DEVELOPMENT SKILLS

DEVELOPMENT

PROFESSOR BENON C BASHEKA (PHD,FCIPS)DEAN-SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT

UGANDA TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY

INTRODUCTION Siddle (2001) posits that the education and training of postgraduate students

is one of the most important functions of any university.

The role is to train successive generations of students and researchers who are capable of innovative and pragmatic research across the spectrum from fundamental, to user inspired, to applied research in a variety of educational, research and development, commercial and industry contexts (Siddle, 2001).

Pearson and Kayrooz (2005) argue that the development of academic supervisors has been constrained by a “lack of robust conceptual understanding of what supervision involves”.

INTROD… Governments see universities as engines for change and expansion of

prosperity.

The work of postgraduate students constitutes a vital component of a university's research effort and contributes significantly to the institution's research profile.

Since the quality of supervisory practice has a demonstrable effect on postgraduate outcomes (Cullen et al., 1994) it is in the interest of universities to reliably improve the efficacy of postgraduate supervision.

High quality supervision facilitates students completion and it further improves their potential which, in turn, enhances the institution's research reputation.

High calibre students are attracted by a reputation for excellent supervision and a strong research profile of the university faculty

IT IS A FACT THAT… Researchers, practitioners, and professionals have attempted

to understand and make sense of the world of supervision with findings suggesting supervision to be a particularly challenging engagement.

Numerous factors have been identified in the literature as significant predictors of candidate completion. Attendance status (part- or full-time) Availability of research funding Age Prior completion of an honours degree Discipline (sciences or humanities)

Gender

Research topic suitability

The intellectual environment of the department

Access to appropriate equipment and computers

Efficiency of graduate monitoring systems

Effective supervision

Parsloe (1993) found that students’ moods (excitement, despair, boredom and confidence) had predictable stages as they moved through the degree.

Edwards (2002) four major problems in the postgraduate experience: being at cross purposes with supervisors, finding few supporting structures, isolation and confusion over resources.

Powles (1989) reported that 25% of postgraduate research students surveyed were either “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with their experience. Problems with the supervisory relationship were cited by 31% (i.e. 8% of the

total) of this group.

Within a discipline, the quality of supervision is the key factor determining the successful and timely completion (Seagram et al., 1998; Dinham & Scott, 1998; Knowles, 1999).

Woodward (1993) also found that more frequent supervision was strongly correlated with successful completion.

Cullen, Pearson, and Saha (1994) report that there are certain key generic processes in supervising students effectively. Due to disciplinary boundaries, the actual process and therefore the ‘best

practices’ exhibited differ across related areas of study and, taking this point further, between Universities with different mission statements and value propositions.

Cullen et al.’s work is supported by Black (1994), who stated that the actual relationship between the student and the supervisor is the key that enables effective supervision to occur.

Having good dialogue between the supervisor and the student obviously helps to enable a positive learning experience for the research student (Todd et al, 2006).

Cullen et al. (1994)….

As part of a major study carried out at the Australian National University, Canberra, produced a list of the characteristics of a ‘good supervisor’ (which they noted is very similar to lists of what undergraduates hold as desirable features of a good lecturer): approachable and friendly supportive, positive attitude open minded, prepared to acknowledge error; organised and thorough; and stimulating and conveys enthusiasm for research.

A more structured list of supervisory roles and attitudes is provided by Brown and Atkins (1989):

Director (determining topic and method, providing ideas);

Facilitator (providing access to resources or expertise, arranging field-work);

Adviser (helping to resolve technical problems, suggesting alternatives);

Teacher (of research techniques);

Guide (suggesting timetable for writing up, giving feedback on progress, identifying critical path for data collection);

Critic (of design of enquiry, of draft chapters, of interpretations or data);

Freedom giver (authorises student to make decisions, supports student’s decisions);

…

Supporter (gives encouragement, shows interest, discusses student’s ideas);

Friend (extends interest and concern to non-academic aspects of student’s life);

Manager (checks progress regularly, monitors study, gives systematic feedback, plans work)

Some Influences on Supervision Disciplinary pedagogy

Departmental practices

Conceptual approach of supervisor

Codes of practice

Employers/funders’ requirements

Full or part time students?

Experienced or inexperienced students?

International or home students?

PhD, professional or practitioner doctorate?

Supervisor/co-supervisor

,

TOPICoccupational

fertility

UNIVERSITY PROCEDURES

recruitment, upgrading, networking

financial support

SUPERVISOR’S CONCEPTIONScontacts, own PhD

experience

METHODS OF SUPERVISIONdepartment norms,

co-supervision, team supervision, group supervision

Occupational influences

STUDENT

previous experience,

contacts, knowledge

aptitude, skills,

financial aims

1. Supervisory style (correct level of direction, regular meetings, making time for students, interest in project, encourage ideas/individuality);

2. Supervisor competence with respect to the student project; personal characteristics and attitude of the supervisor (approachable, supportive, positive, open-minded, prepared to acknowledge error, organized, enthusiastic);

3. Academic and intellectual standing of the supervisor; that students view their supervisors as mixtures of strengths and weaknesses; in addition, those student-supervisor relation-ships are highly complex, dynamic and relational.

4. Methodological orientation of the supervisor and the field of specialization and research topic selected by the student and nature of the study

Role of supervisor Be familiar with the subject area and the research process for that discipline

area. Be familiar with the rules and regulations that govern the student’s research

work. Provide advice and guidance of an academic nature to the student in the

conduct of the re-search, and in some cases, direct instruction in experimental procedures.

Assist the student with pastoral/social services issues (i.e., personal, health or financial problems) by directing the student to the appropriate trained agencies.

Support students in the development of their career both during candidature (e.g., support for conference attendance, teaching experience, application for awards/scholarships, entry into competitions, publication) and beyond (e.g., referee reports for position and grant applications).

Develop a 'memorandum of understanding' with the student, particularly outlining regularity of formal meetings.

Provide a constructive, critical assessment of the work of the candidate.

Advise students promptly of unsatisfactory progress with regard to any aspect of their candidature, and put this advice in writing if such unsatisfactory progress is considered likely to interfere with satisfactory completion of the research.

Provide guidance and specific advice on the format of the proposal /thesis to meet University requirements

Actively engage in the preparation of a research plan with the student.

Write a statement on progress of the research project at the time of progress review.

Assist students in identifying ethical and intellectual property issues, and complying with ethical and intellectual property regulations, and ensure that they know about the consequences of misconduct in research.

Assist the student in identifying relevant literature or study materials

Recommend further classes to the student where specific skills are needed

Problems that students face – the supervisors’ view

Dependency Not admitting to problems Slow progress against set guidelines Not understanding the required standard of work Showing insufficient initiative Supervisor not interested in topic Conceptual difficulties Differences between supervisors

Some Problems: the students views Loneliness Not enjoying the topic Not knowing what is expected Practical issues: money, lifestyle, getting hold of the

supervisor Ethical issues: are we being used? Stress (especially at and viva) Supervisor being too prescriptive ‘my way is the only way’ Lack of confidence – is my work good enough?

KEY STEPS IN SUPERVISING

A: GET TO KNOW THE STUDENT Establish whether the student is motivated

Try to know the student’s weaknesses and strengths

Know what they have read in their study

Establish whether the student knows appropriate literature

What has influenced their choice of research area

Whether the student has potential to work independently

Ability of student to write a preliminary introductory chapter

Whether the research question is in the field of competence

B: THE QUESTION OF CHEMISTRY It is important if the student and supervisor like each other

as friends If there is good chemistry between the two then it makes

work easy However it is not essential as many degrees have been

obtained even when the student and supervisor did not like each other much well

C: The Pastoral or counselling role Where younger students are involved, the supervisor may

find himself or herself taking on a pastoral or counselling role

The supervisor makes time to help the student with personal problems that may arise

Supervisors are not professional counsellors and where substantial problems occur the student can be advised to seek assistance elsewhere

Older and mature students may need less help in this regard

D: Writing language and following guidelines Some students may not be so competent in English Supervisors should encourage students to do language

editing Ensure all the student’s submission follow the prescribed

guidelines

A Proposal is a plan of intention

Has limited pages

Is written in future tense

Has key components

Addresses a noble area of research

Has mandatory sections and optional ones

Is written in a scholarly style

Is different from a project proposal

Is double-spaced with font size 12 times new roman

Follows a prescribed referring style (APA at UTAMU)

A: COVER PAGE

Topic of study (not more than 20 words) Name and identity of student (mind the order of names) Name of the supervisor (mind the order of the name Purpose of the study Month and Yea

B: Preliminary pages

Table of contentsList of figures (if applicable)List of tables (if applicable)

C: CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Introduction Background to the study (check approach used) Purpose of the study Objectives of the study Research questions Hypotheses of the study Conceptual framework Justification of the study Significance of the study Scope of the study Operational definition of terms and concepts

D: CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Theoretical review Conceptual review Actual literature review (done thematically objective by

objective) Empirical studies on the subject (global, African and country

specific) Synthesis and gap analysis

E: CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY Introduction

Research design

Population of the study

Sample size determination and selection strategies

Data collection methods

Data collection instruments

Validity and reliability (piloting)

Data collection procedures

Data analysis

Measurement of variables

Ethical considerations

F: REFERENCES Ensure all cited works appear in reference list

Ensure all details of citations are included

Ensure you follow APA style formatting strictly

Do not underline your references

G: APPENDICES

Instruments like questionnaire Organogram Maps if applicable Budget Schedule of activities

Remember

The number of students successfully supervised counts on your promotion or building a CV

The supervision project can be used to build your research capacity

Publications can emerge out of this project and the student is always to be the main author and the supervisor being a co-author