STUDENT SUPERVISION EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION PROCESS ACELLT Leadership Development

STUDENT SUPERVISION: EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION PROCESS ACELLT Leadership Development Training Programme in Student Supervision (Level 1) Akademi Kepimpinan Pengajian Tinggi - AKEPT Bandar Enstek, Negeri Sembilan.

Effective Supervision Process Learning Outcomes: • Reflect on your own supervision practices • Identify barriers in communication and negotiation • Share best practices in supervision

Effective Supervision Process Topics of discussion: 1. Roles and responsibilities of supervisors and supervisees 2. Different stages of student supervision

Supervisor’s role: • Is it the supervisor’s duty to push the postgraduate student towards his/her graduation?

1. Roles and Responsibilities between Supervisor and Supervisees Activity 1: Listing the key roles and responsibilities of supervisors and supervisees (20 minutes) Focus group discussion on postgraduate supervision. In your group, share and list the key roles and responsibilities of supervisors and supervisees. Presentation: List the key roles and responsibilities of supervisor and supervisee (15 Minutes) 1. Share your list with the class 2. Make a note of the differences in roles and responsibilities and give your opinions based on your perceptions on how to become better supervisors. 3. Draft a list of do’s and don’ts on supervision from different universities.

Supervisor’s concern: Duration of a doctoral degree. . GOT?

2. Different stages of student supervision • Student supervision is a relationship involving human dimensions, managing research and thesis. • Early stages of proposal development: Supervisee: • identifies and present the issues • degree of autonomy in identifying the research topics and corresponding research questions • submit project or research summary

Activity 2: Key Roles of Supervisors at different stages of Research Process (35 minutes) Working in your group, each member state the key roles of a supervisor based on your perspective in each stage of research process. Derive scenarios of experiences among group members and discuss responses to the situations in different stages of research supervision (20 minutes). Presentation– Key Roles of Supervisors at different stages of Research Process(15 Minutes) Share your group scenario with the class. Make a note of the comments and feedbacks from the class.

Productivity vs. distraction of a postgraduate student

Supervisor: • The role of a sounding board for ideas • Suggestions for further readings or literature review • Candidate’s interests and competency level • issues related to the research topic that needs attention • language competency or command • identification of specific research issues/problems and research questions • ability of the student to conceptualize the research • the risk of plagiarism • provide a feedback for the candidate to pursue the next stage of the research process.

Supervisor provide feedback (respond and reflect) crucial aspect of the supervisor’s role promptly revert with comments to written work submitted by the supervisee with constructive feedback Feedback is a powerful tool in supervision Timely Proactive quality feedback and constructive criticisms Written work- read the material and revert to the student with constructive but pointed criticism and in reasonable time, probably a week. Guide the supervisee in the right direction through comments, pointed questions and employing critical evaluation Have regular meetings leading to quality points of discussion on feedback and comments

Related Readings Eley, A. R. and Jennings, R. (2005). Effective Postgraduate Supervision – improving the students/supervisor relationship. New York: Open University Press. Eley, A and Murray, R ( 2009)How to be an Effective Supervisor: Best Practice in Research Student Supervision. New York : Open University Press. Johnson, S. (1999). Research supervision- Setting the Scene. In A. Holbrook and S. Johnson ( Eds), Supervision of Postgradaute Research in Educaiton , pp-17 -31. Victoria : AARE. Laske, S. and Zuber-Skerritt, O. (1996). Frameworks for Postgraduate Research and Supervision. Lismore : Southern Cross University Press. Yeatman, A. (1995). Making supervision relationships accountable: Graduate student logs. Australian Universities/review, 2(1005), 9 -11.

More than 30 months of Ph. D work wasted Malaysia. Kini 10 Nov. 2014

I am a Master's degree holder and was also once a senior lecturer, before joining a United Kingdom-based private research university at its campus in Malaysia for a Ph. D programme. I was a research assistant under the supervision of an assistant professor for the first two years of my Ph. D programme in resistance spot welding and was later converted to research student category under the internal changes in the university policy. I successfully completed the research title given, even though I was not properly guided in my research after a whole year. In order complete my research study, I was forced to develop and maintain a web page for my supervisor, which is beyond the scope of my study.

When I reported this additional task to the faculty dean, I started to have problems. And many! After this, I was not properly guided for the completion of my Ph. D and the whole programme was delayed for one year because of the lack of proper guidance from Dean of Faculty of Engineering. My Ph. D viva voce examination took place after one year of delay, without acceptable reason, but in the UK campus and I failed, largely because of insufficient guidance in thesis preparation. This was in April 2013.