Building Research Supervision and Training in Australian Universities was undertaken with the aims of identifying existing higher degree research supervisor training provisions; identifying current and future needs of supervisors and making recommendations that assist universities in their on-going development of effective higher degree research supervisor training.

 

Outcomes from the project as a whole highlight the importance of the changing place of knowledge in contemporary society and resulting implications for higher education. They also highlight the significance of the changing context of research education for both supervisors and their students; and the impact of such changes on the roles and responsibilities of supervisors and on supervisor development. Specific outcomes and their implications from the project have been addressed in the report under four major headings:

 

The project provides evidence that pressures within universities for increasing professionalisation and formalisation of research education have resulted in supervision of research students becoming more transparent and accountable, and supervisory practices becoming increasingly subject to scrutiny. A major finding from the project is that, with these changes, there is a need for increasingly sophisticated and constructive conversations about supervision pedagogy that engage all supervisors, both new and more experienced. Such conversations need to go beyond issues of compliance to address quality of supervision and good supervisory practices. A further finding from the project is that there is a need in many universities for greater emphasis on professional leadership in research education. (See Recommendations 1, 2 and 3.)

 

All project participants identified diversity as a major factor in research education: in the linguistic and cultural diversity of students; in diverse process of and modes of study; in the role of technology in mediating supervision and /or conducting research; in non-traditional and interdisciplinary outcomes from research education; and in the diverse career paths followed by students on completion of their degrees. Project outcomes suggest the need for greater acknowledgement within universities of the theoretical and practical challenges of supervising and examining interdisciplinary and non-traditional research education projects. They suggest the need for at least some universities to update their systems, rules and regulations governing supervision and examination of theses. They also suggest the need for universities to further acknowledge and address the issue of research students’ academic literacies. (See Recommendations 4, 5 and 6.)

 

The changing context of research education has resulted in changes to supervision and supervision practices. Project outcomes provide evidence that the roles required of supervisors are changing and expanding. At the same time supervisors are expected to comply with QA processes. Outcomes highlight the additional demands placed on supervisors by international and local students who are experiencing difficulties, and indicate the need for further/better support and resources to assist supervisors address these demands. Outcomes also show that supervisors are concerned about their workload pressures, not from supervision per se, but from the need to balance time for supervision against demands of teaching, research and administration. (See Recommendations 7 and 8.)

 

Changes in research education and supervision have resulted in changes for supervisor development, and point to new challenges for those responsible for supervisor development and training. Project findings indicate general agreement on the need for systematic support for new supervisors to introduce them to roles and responsibilities of supervision; to key QA processes; to issues of compliance and possible pitfalls; as well as to good supervisory practices. However, the findings also indicate considerable resistance from more experienced supervisors to compulsory, centralised and formal training programs; and a strong preference for locally and informally supported learning, especially that which addresses ‘just in time’, and on-demand supervisor support and development. The project thus provides evidence of the need to rethink some of the ways in which supervisor development is currently conceived and organised. Further, it suggests the need for locally situated programs that can engage experienced supervisors in creative and innovative ways. (See Recommendation 9.)

 

Project outcomes provide evidence of overall levels of dissatisfaction amongst supervisors regarding existing levels of resources, and indicate the need for additional targeted resources for supervisors and for supervisor training and development. (See Recommendation 10.)