Supervision Course Subotica Handout Sep10

7/21/2019 Supervision Course Subotica Handout Sep10

1/24

Discussion of mentoring experiences

I have supervised 6 students at the John Innes Centre, and beenco-supervisor for 2 students at Newcastle University, UK

I have been exainer for 6 !h" student theses, includin# $el#rade

University%

I a honorary, visitin#, contract or #uest professor at&Newcastle University, UK&University of 'ast (n#lia, UK&University of !ara, Italy

&)aculty of $iolo#y, $el#rade University *!h" student trainin#+%

6. Good quality

supervision

1. Doing good quality

research

4. How to manage

everything

2. u!lishing your

results

". #riting proposals

for pro$ects

%. resenting your

results


2/24

&t is extremely important to learn now how to train post'graduate(

post'diploma students

-to learn to loo for the truth,-to learn how to reco#nise it when they find it,-to learn how to identify all the factors involved,-to learn how to set up hypotheses,-to desi#n experients successfully to test the,-to learn the techniues necessary to test the,-to learn to be observant and critical in collectin# the inforation,-to learn the best ethods to process it, and-to learn how to interpret the results and draw conclusions fro the

on the truth, and thus

-to be able to set up new hypotheses to test%

#hat is the purpose of wor)ing for a post'graduate( post'diploma

degree*

.o do research% #+,-G

.o learn how to do research% +&GH/

/ow any supervisors use their post-#raduate students as

technicians0

/ow any post-#raduate students feelas if they are used astechnicians0

/ow any supervisors abandon their post-#raduate students0

/ow any post-#raduate students feelas if they are abandoned0

.he purpose of the post-#raduate education is to teach the students

how to THINK and to becoe RELIABLE as independent scientists

usin# research as the vehicle for these #oals%


3/24

0 !ecause ...

1 the aority of faculty teachin# staff have not had trainin# theselves

in how to be #ood supervisors, and if youdon3t now how it should be

done, you can3t be expected to teach thenext generation of researchers and lecturershow it should be done%

!uttin# to#ether your own ission stateent on what you want to

achieve for your students forces you to consider what supervision is all

about%

.his aes it clear to your students at the be#innin# that you have a

plan for the and that the students will achieve your ission for the

throu#h a ran#e of different activities - not ust doin# research%

4our activities as a student supervisor should have a ission stateent

and strate#ic plan - for each of your !h" students5 a list of learning

outcomes%

4ou should ensure that your students achieve their axiu potential

for doin# #ood uality research%

Heres how you can achieve that 0.

.his is where your

student should #et to%

start finish

.ie durin# the !h"

start finish

.ie durin# the !h"

.his is where your

student #ets to now%


4/24

http5www%ncl%ac%ustudentspro#ressstaff-resourcesp#-researchhandboo%ht

http5www%ncl%ac%ustudentspro#ressassetsdocuents!78/$oo%pdf

.he University has detailed #uidelines available for both post-#raduate

students and student supervisors on how to #et the ost out of a post-

#raduate trainin# pro#rae based on research%

UK universities will norally have a set of foralised procedures to

support the supervisor in achievin# a ission for hisher !h" students%

/ere is how they do it at Newcastle University%


5/24

University of Newcastle upon Tyne Research Handbook

Academic Matters

University Guidelines

Here you will find Guidelines and Best Practice advice for research supervisors

and research students. In addition to providing what is hoped to be

comprehensive guidance, each section ends with an opportunity for Reviewing

Practice for those who feel they may benefit from it.

All the Guidelines featured here are important and you are

encouraged to look carefully at them.Contents Page

..

9tudents and supervisors have about :; pa#es of advice%

It now has

pa#es of help

and advice


6/24

Now, it ay not be possible to introduce these types of uality checs

on an official basis here at this tie, but %%%

there should be aspects of the inforation you are about to be #iven

that you can introduce with your future students on an inforal basis%

(s well as this advice, students are reuired to attend a series of

trainin# courses on other essential sills%

.he research trainin# pro#rae is also foralised by havin# re#ular

official assessents of the student3s research pro#ress%

7uidelines on 7ood !ractice in 8esearch 9upervision


7/24

.hat will ae you feel that you are doin# soethin# useful to help

iprove the uality of your student3s post-diploa!h" trainin#, and

it will ae your students feel that you are interested in their pro#ress

and een to #ive the every help to iprove theselves?

and to ae the feel they are not ust technicians and are not

abandoned to stru##le throu#h the pitfalls @difficultiesA of research on

their own%

9o, here are exaples of inforation available to students andsupervisors as part of the foral pro#rae of student trainin# at

Newcastle University %%%

$efore picin# up any

test tube or pipettor,

the student has an

introductory eetin#

with the supervisor%

(spects of the post-

#raduate pro#rae

of wor and trainin#

are presented and

discussed at this

eetin#%

Note that the student

still can3t pic up any

test tube or pipettor

until essential safety

instruction has been

#iven%


8/24

'xtract fro student

handboo5

B4ou should record here yourwor)plan for the pro$ect%

(t the be#innin#3 of your

pro#rae this i#ht include

the overall ais and

obectives of the proect

to#ether with an outline of

your wor) for the first "

months%D

B%%% this should be updated %%%

at least every 6 onths% .his

#ives you the opportunity to

review progress to identify

your targets and to plan

accordingly%D

B.his section provides a

record of foral eetin#s

with your supervisor%D

'xtract fro studenthandboo5

B.hese formal meetings are

not intended to replace the

day to day contact !etweensupervisor and studentbut

provide a record that foral

contact has occurred%D

B.he tiin#s of these foral

eetin#s should be a#reed

with your supervisor? in

#eneral they should not !e

morethan"'4months

apart%D


9/24

3elf'ssessment 3)ills

udit and ersonal

Development lan

5D

B.he followin# self-

assessent sets out a

oint stateent of the

sills that individuals

would be expected to

develop durin# their

research trainin#%D

B.hese sills ay be

present on

coenceent,

explicitly tau#ht, or

developed durin# the

course of the research%D

9ill level5 ; - Unaware to : - 8eco#nised by others

3elf'ssessment 3)ills udit

and ersonal Development

lan 5D

9tudents are expected to carryout a self-assessent of their

sills in = cate#ories5

B!lease describe how you intend

to developare developin# these

sills%D


10/24

'xtract fro student

handboo5

B(n iportant part of yourtrainin# is the sills that you

acuire throu#h courses and

attending modules%D

B4ou should record here

details of these courses and

of the GsillsG covered *e#

written counication,interpersonal counication,

oral presentation, teawor,

plannin# and or#anisation,

coputer literacy etc+%D

.hin of this as yourpersonal

skillsportfolio%

'xtract fro student

handboo5

B.his section is provided for

you to record details of yourprofessional development

in terms of conferences and

wor)shopsattended%D

B4ou should also record

whether you #ave an invited

or offered paper, whetheryou presented the paper etc%D

-ote that there are no su!$ect'

specific hD courses.


11/24

Scientific ethics and culture

Research project planning and

management

Writing a paper

!ost#raduate

trainin# courses5

.rainin# courses

are compulsory

for post#raduate

students to provide

the with the sills

they will need

-to carry out

research

successfully-to prepare and

defend a

successful !h"

thesis

-to present their

results to the

scientific

counity

- to develop theircareer prospects

.his exaple is for

first-year student

courses5

How realistic would it !e to introduce aspects of that here*

Hould the supervisors accept the extra wor and responsibility0

Hould the students accept the extra wor and responsibility0

9ills that your !h" students could easily acuire are as follows5

!ractice at writin# reports5

Hritten reports of any conferences attended by the student or visits toother research institutions, etc%


12/24

'ffective supervision of research students doesn3t coe naturally% It

needs to be wored at%

8esearch supervision has been characterised by $rown and (tins

*>5


13/24

9tudents will probably need to be #radually reoved fro

dependence upon their supervisors, while supervisors ay need to

adust to the idea of the students abandonin# the nest and be#innin#

to fly on their own5

' a delicate !alancing act

Getting the student started7

'stablish a professional relationship with the research student at the

start%

"elationships have to be worked at and discussed! because most

later problems arise from a failure to set out the e#pectations both

parties have for the relationship at the beginning.

ne way to do this is to establish an a#reeent between the

supervisor and student settin# out expectations of each other, as

follows 1%

.he research student a#rees to5turn up on tie for supervisions and #ive as uch notice as

possible of cancellationsbe properly preparedwrite re#ularly and share the draft aterialsaintain the hi#hest standards of acadeic conductaintain contact *by eail or telephone+do the tass a#reed to the best of their ability within the a#reed tie

- to learn how to wor to deadlines%

.he research supervisor a#rees to5#ive student supervision a hi#h priorityturn up on tie for supervisions and #ive as uch notice as

possible of cancellationsread wor subitted proptly#ive written and oral feedbacrespect deadlines for readin# wor and #ivin# feedbac%

:oth a#ree to5treat supervision in a business-lie way by preparin#

notes or a#endas for eetin#seep records of supervisions detailin# what was discussed, tar#ets

a#reed, and when they were to be achieved by%


14/24

9upervisors could indicate what they can or cannot do to assist the

student% 9o, the supervisor ay say that he or she will7help with the choice of a topic for the researchadvise on sources for the literature searchadvise on ethodolo#yadvise on statistical analysisfacilitate data collection in ters of access or euipentdiscuss resultsread text drafts to advise on substanceadvise on thesis subissionadvise on publishin# research and authors3 naeshelp prepare the student for the exaination%

$ut he or she will not5

undertae the actual researchanalyse any of the datawrite or re-draft chaptersproof-read3 the thesis

9tudents are liely to be unprepared for research%

It is written up in boos and ournals, as a coherent pro#ression fro

initial idea to an addition to nowled#e and understandin#%

.he iceber# !elowthe waterline is5-ideas that were discarded,-investi#ations that ended up in blind alleys,

-the istaes ade by bad experiental desi#n,-the correlations that were in the wron# direction,-the experients that #ave ne#ative results,-the rare chance that led to the aor advance1

.hese aspects of research rarely see the li#ht of day%

9o it is not surprisin# that any students expect their research to

pro#ress without probles and, when it does not, they blae

theselves%

.here is a fine line separatin# corrections to a thesis draft to ae the

eanin# clearer or better uality 'n#lish *9erbian+, and making the

thesis the super"isor#s !or$and not the student#s$

$ut what is published is only the visible part of the iceber#

.herefore, explain the liely challen#es they will coe across in their

research topic and support the when experients don3t #o as

expected%


15/24

.he research topic identified mustresult in publications in

international ournals

9oeties I see here that research topics are too narrow or not lielyto be internationally si#nificant%

.he student mustbe able to develop an internationalresearch

career - at least #radually%

.he student shouldbe first author in any scientific publications that

arise fro the student3s research%

Lae sure your students understand that goodexperimental design

is the ey to #ood research%

/owever, ore usually, the research topic for the student will already

be decided% In that case5

&explain to the student the ais of the research

&explain the context in which it is neededive plenty of bac#round to the research topicive the student plenty of readin# aterial&explain how far the student should be expected to #et in the

research topic durin# hisher !h"

( supervision eetin# can then be spent on discussin# the ey

uestions relatin# to suitability5

&is this topic worth doin#0&is the ethodolo#y sufficiently nown for it to be done0

&could it be done within the tie available0&what resources would be reuired to do it and are they available0&would it sustain interest0&would it lead to #ood uality publications0&if copleted, would it eet the reuireents for the de#ree0

4our students need to appreciate the concept of loo$ing for the truth

- as explained in odule < of the course%

&dentifying a research topic7

/ere3s an idealised approach to identifyin# a suitable research topic%

@Not so typical nowA

.he student could be ased to read a review article *which can providevaluable trainin# in criticalevaluation+ and ased to identify a couple

of stateents that could act as Gtri##ersG @initiatorsA for research

proects%


16/24

7et your students used to the concept of settin# up a hypothesis and

desi#nin# experients to test it%

.hin of the 8esearch !yraid fro odule


17/24

9hort experients at the start to introduce the student to research

techniues - expectin# that probles will arise

9tudents should learn fro their istaes, when thin#s #o wron#%

It is better to find out the istaes sooner than later

Lae sure the student understands why thin#s went wron# and

appreciates how to avoid the istae in the future% Could a betterprotocol avoid istaes0

.o be doin# #ood uality research they have to avoid ain# the

coent5

=& didnt thin) of that>, and especially avoidin# their supervisor havin#

to say =#hy didnt you thin) of that*>%

7ood experiental desi#n and careful plannin# !eforestartin# an

experient save a lot of pain afterwards

?mphasise the importance of thin)ing !efore doing '

identifying all the factors eforethe experiment starts.


18/24

ne ethod to help appreciate the iportance of plannin# was

developed by "elaont et al. *


19/24

"urin# discussions with your students, get them used to the idea of

thinking critically.

(s the -

Hhy is %%%0Hhat if %%%0

/ave you considered 10

Is it the only interpretation if 10

Hhat would happen if 10

Hhat does it ean if 10

(nd why do you expect this 10

(lways uestions5 why, how, what

Challen#e the to thin beyond their specific research subect area%

4ou should train their inds to be flexible enou#h to thin critically

about everythin# and not ust their own research subect%

?mphasise the importance of research ethics.

.he process of searchin# for answers to those uestions of why, what

and how is also the process of loo)ing for the truth.

(s senior ebers of the acadeicresearch counity it is your

duty to ensure that you and your staff are always loo$ing for the

truth.

Newcastle University3s detailed notes on student supervision have a

lon# section on pla#iaris *or cheatin#+%

?ncourage your students to tal) to others and to !e !rave

enough to question your own statements ' you do not have a

monopoly on the truth

(s supervisors it is iportant for you to open your student3s ind to

new ideas and for hiher to learn to interact with other researchers%

8e#ular #roup and inter-#roup discussion eetin#s will encoura#e the

concept that e"eryonecan benefit fro an exchan#e of inforation%

=How would you ma)e a pencil*>


20/24

7et the student used to writin#5

s students !egin to ma)e progress with their pro$ects they need

to !e encouraged to put pen to paper as soon as possi!le for four

reasons7&it enables the to eep records of what they have done fro the

start to serve as a basis for later wor?&it encoura#es the to thin about what they have done so far and

where they will #o fro here?&it #ives the supervisor the chance to see what has been done, and

to advise the student how to proceed?&it #ets students into the discipline of acadeic writin# at an early

sta#e rather than leavin# it until later when it is ore difficult to

acuire%

9tudents are freuently extreely reluctant to produce written wor%.here are probably two aor factors which are responsible for this5

&lac of experience of writin# re#ularly,

- to produce lon#ish written texts, or

- to produce acadeic writin# with its demands of precision

clarity organi@ation and explicit structure,&lac of confidence%

.his leads to a hi#h activation ener#y to start writin#

"elaont et al. *%&&( %)%+ have described four G#olden rulesG of

writin#, naely5

&the ore they write, the easier it #ets?

&if they write every day, it becoes a habit?

&tiny bits of writin# add up to a lot of writin#?

&the lon#er they donGt write, the ore difficult it is to #et bac into

the habit


21/24

(s #uides, they need to explain5&where they started fro 9&ntroduction8,&what other #uides they read 9literature review8,&why they decided to undertae the ourney at all 9the

o!$ectives of the research8,&why they went off in a particular direction 9


22/24

$y the tie you finalise your thesis, youand you aloneare the worldGs

expert on this wor% 9o,&the aspects that ae your wor si#nificant and

ori#inal and worthy of a !h" %%% need to be ephasised and

ar#ued coherently?

&each step needs to be spelt out and ustified?

&the outcoes ust be stated unabi#uously, and

&all their iplications identified and discussed in depth%G

/he student should !e told7

repare your student for the "i"a

8eind your student to becoe failiar with every pa#e of the thesis -

to refer uicly to inforation%

8eind the student to becoe failiar with the latest literature on the

subect%

Identify aspects of the thesis that are liely to stiulate detailed

uestions fro the exainer*s+%

"iscuss suitable answers to those uestions with the student%'phasise the iportance of nowin# where *s+he would tae the

research if the student continued%

9trate#y E ay lead to learnin# lots of ethods, but results in a poorly-

defined ourney


23/24

.o develop their careers effectively students will need to develop their

suppleentary sills durin# their tie as !h" students, so ae sure

you #ive the those opportunities%

Hhile all suppleentary sills are iportant for a research career, one

in particular is worth hi#hli#htin# -

to encoura#e research students to acuire the sills to #ive effective

oral presentations%

9uch sills are vital in the acadeic context as students need to ae

presentations at seinars and conferences, and to discuss their

research with others%

'ffective counication sills in #eneral are extreely iportant,

whatever career the student develops%

It is usual at UK universities to expect L9c and !h" students to #ive

one *L9c+ or ore oral presentations durin# the course of their

research trainin#, and ost universities run courses specifically on

oral *as well as written+ presentational sills%

(t Cabrid#e University, students at the "epartent of !lant

9ciences #ive annual oral seinars to departental collea#ues and

the presentations are assessed to #ive the student feedbac usin# the

followin# uestionnaire %%%


24/24

/ere is the checlist of uestions staff at the "epartent of !lant9ciences, Cabrid#e University use to #ive

Documents

Supervision Course Subotica Handout Sep10