Learning and Teaching Centre

Special Supervisor Series

This is a series of one hour lunchtime meetings. The sessions look at topics of interest for supervisors and researchers. The four sessions described below are indicative of the series. Supervisors are encouraged to attend at least one of these sessions each year to maintain the currency of their supervisory knowledge and to maintain their place on the HDR Supervisor Register. The series also includes grants workshops developed in conjunction with the Research Office.

  1. Examining a Thesis
    This one hour session is aims to demystify the process of examining thesis. It seeks to answer the questions: What does it mean to examine a thesis? How do you know what the other institution wants? How can you tell the difference between a clear 'accept' in contrast with a 'make some changes', or a 'fail'? What components should there be in a thesis report? What sort of 'tone' should be adopted?

    This session would be of use to those who are starting to examine, and also to those whose candidates are about to complete. The session will be facilitated by A/Prof Janice Orrell and A/Prof Anna Reid. View the slides (PowerPoint - 220 kb)

  2. Cohort Supervision
    This one hour session looks at strategies for a) working with a cohort of research students and b) working as a supervisory panel. These two ways of working with research students provide different opportunities for collaboration and peer learning. They require subtly different ways of communicating and providing critical direction.

    This session would be suitable for research teams seeking to develop their skills as panel supervisors, and also to those who want to create a positive intellectual environment for groups of research students. The session will be facilitated by A/Prof Janice Orrell and A/Prof Anna Reid. View the slides (PowerPoint - 44 kb)

  3. Supervising Challenging Research Students
    Sometimes research students can provide supervisors with incredible challenges. They can have levels of disciplinary knowledge which are not what you expected, they can be multi-lingual and bring with them experiences of different international research environments, they can have strong political views that may be different from yours, they may have personalities that may require special sensitivity and care, and they may be prevaricators .

    This session looks at these diverse issues and provides some strategies for developing positive research situations. The session will be facilitated by Prof Janice Orrell and A/Prof Anna Reid. View the slides (PowerPoint - 52 kb)

  4. Coming to Completion
    How do you know when a student is coming to the completion of their research? How can you help tardy students meet final deadlines? How do you select examiners? Who is responsible for 'proof reading'? How do you deal with examiners' comments?

    This one hour session looks at the critical last months of research candidacy and aims at equipping supervisors with the tools required to keep research momentum going until the thesis is presented, examined and ratified. The session will be facilitated by A/Prof Janice Orrell and A/Prof Anna Reid.View the slides (PowerPoint - 40 kb)

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