What did my supervisors do well?

This is a guest post by Dr Sazan M. Mandalawi, who has recently completed her doctorate at the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. She has published two recent papers, one on doing distance doctorates, and the other on the supervision of distance doctorates. I began my Doctoral journey at the University of Southern Queensland in …

‘Fail early and fail fast’: the value of research groups for breaking and rebuilding ideas

Dr Kirstin Wilmot is a senior lecturer and coordinator of the Higher Education Studies Doctoral Programme in the Centre for Higher Education Research, Teaching and Learning (CHERTL) at Rhodes University, South Africa. This post is based on her 2021 research paper ‘Fail early and fail fast’: the value of group supervision for doctoral candidates. Many …

Trust grows when supervisors take the lead in online supervision

This is a guest post by Dr Michele Jacobsen, Dr Sharon Friesen, and Dr Sandra Becker, higher education specialists at the University of Calgary. The rapid and widespread pivot to online teaching and supervision in the pandemic has created a pressing need to improve understanding of effective online supervisory relationships. Our case study research with …

Changing the shape of Doctoral Supervision Training at Coventry University

This is a guest post by Nikki Harkin, Assistant Lecturer – Research Capability & Development at Coventry University. Nikki delivers the Doctoral Supervision Programme at Coventry University. The 'winds of change' as we adapt supervisor training for the contemporary context Coventry University are host to around 800 PGRs across 13 Research Centres. In September 2020, …

The unplanned but supported part-time DPsych experience – how to foster belonging and becoming in part time doctoral students

Dr Lindsey Burns is the Director of the Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology at GCU. Dr Richard Golsworthy is the Director of the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology at GCU, and Dr Paul McCarthy is the Director of the Professional Doctorate in Sport and Exercise Psychology at GCU. All three are HCPC registered Practitioner Psychologists and Chartered …

Is there an award for postdocs who supervise? Now there is!

By Dr Kay Guccione The UKCGE Recognised Associate Supervisor Award has now launched! The Recognised Associate Supervisor Award is based on a the sector-approved UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework, and provides guidance and a route to professional recognition for those early in their supervisory careers and those with informal supervisory roles. This new award, now …

Community Acuity (35): Growing Professional Doctorate programmes – overcoming the challenges of supervision when your team is small

This is a guest post by Dr Dan Butcher (@Dan_ButcherOBU), Course Lead for the Professional Doctorate in Nursing at Oxford Brookes University, and supervisor for both PhDs and professional doctorates. Photo by Leon on Unsplash There are a number of subtle (and not so subtle) differences between PhD and Professional Doctorate programmes and the doctoral student experience is dependent on the …

Community Acuity (33): Crossing international borders, potential for confusion

This is a guest post by Kristina Areskoug Josefsson, Professor in Public Health and Rehabilitation, VID Specialized University, Norway & Associate Professor in Quality Improvement and Leadership in Health and Welfare, Jonkoping University, Sweden and Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway. After being a PhD-supervisor a couple of years in Sweden and Denmark, and now working in …

Graduate students’ motivations for (not) participating in development workshops

This is a guest post by Dr Eli Sætnan (@DrSaetnan), Senior Academic Developer at the University of Liverpool. Read her blog here, and read her latest paper, which this blog is based on, here. Photo by Rubén Rodriguez on Unsplash I am sitting in an empty classroom, ready for my next workshop to begin. Slides are loaded, …

postdocs can’t supervise!

Institutional and sector pressures on the doctorate, on doctoral supervision, and on academic practice, have increased in recent years, and supervision is just one element of academic practice in an increasingly high demand ‘all-rounder’ academic role. Supervision, and the supervisory relationship, is often described as the most important determinant of doctoral success (linked to success, happiness, and mental health) …