The course will focus on supervision as the facilitation of research student learning in the context of the research setting. It is intended to encourage supervisors to extend their repertoire of supervisory strategies and their awareness of current issues in research and research training which are impacting on supervisory practices. The course also aims to promote critical reflection and engagement with the scholarship of research education and supervision.

Course Website

See the Research Supervision website http://researchsuper.cedam.anu.edu.au. This site provides most of the content, readings and research for the entire course. The site is also a location where participant’s work, where appropriate and agreed, can be included for access by all users of the site which is public. (Note: The site has been licensed by CEDAM and the ANU to Oxford University, UK; and McGill University, Canada; and so any work that goes onto the site is available to staff in those universities also.)

See Wattle at http://wattle.anu.edu.au. The Wattle site is where we will hold discussions on each topic. The discussions are an integral part of the course and all participants are expected to engage in ways similar to that of tutorial/face-to-face discussions and seminars.

• Increased understanding of current issues and developments in doctoral supervision at national and international levels.
• Heightened awareness and critical appreciation of effective approaches to research supervision.
• Enhanced capacity to contribute to the process of supervision in mono- or inter-disciplinary fields of study.

EDUC8004 Research Supervision consists of a prerequisite and then three main parts:

The prerequisite is participation in the equivalent of a one-day (3 modules) supervision workshop. These workshops might be an induction to supervision or special topics modules; CEDAM generally conducts a number induction workshops each year, they are listed in full at:  http://cedam.anu.edu.au/research-supervision/workshops-supervisors.

In addition to these workshops, ANU Colleges host workshops on specific topics. These workshops can be attended either prior to enrolment in the course or concurrently with the course. Participants who have attended a similar workshop at another university may be given credit.

The assessment for EDUC 8004 requires:

1. The completion and submission of the six reading and research summaries.
2. Active involvement in each of the online discussions with reference to the literature, your own practice, practice in your discipline/group and the comments of fellow participants.
3. Submission of a 2000 word Statement of Supervisory Expectations

1. Each topic reading summary of approximately 600 words will be due for submission on the dates noted above by uploading to the Wattle site. Basically everyone posts his or her 600 words on a topic by the Monday of the second week for the topic and the discussion begins the following day (Tuesday) and finishes the following Sunday (to be honest experience suggests that most of you do most of your activity over the weekend).

2. Given participants will not be attending face-to-face classes it is expected that instead we will have a vigorous and active online discussion of each topic. The discussion will be based on the readings from the previous ten days and so there is an expectation that the reading summaries will have been submitted by the due date to allow informed discussion. While there is no specific word minimum or maximum for the online discussion it is assumed each participant will engage with colleagues in scholarly debate.

3. Participants are expected to prepare a 2000 word Statement of Supervisory Expectations or Statement of Philosophy. The audience for the statement is current and future research candidates seeking to work with the participant as a supervisor. However, if a participant is planning to go for promotion in the near future the statement could be a statement of Philosophy suitable for a promotion application.

The statement should take into account the readings and discussion from the course and address the writer’s:

• Philosophy of research education
• Views on specifics of supervising such as writing, providing feedback and reaching milestones
• Expectations of self as a supervisor and of candidates.

EDUC8004 is a 6-unit course that consists of:

• Attendance at a one day, face-to-face workshop on research supervision
• Involvement and contribution as outlined on the class Wattle site.

It is anticipated that the time required for this course will average 8 hours during each week of the course including:

• One day workshop
• Reading of the specific topic materials and the related information on the Research Supervision web site
• Talking with/interviewing colleagues
• Regular online discussions throughout the semester
• Reflection and preparation of a Statement of Supervisory Philosophy

Participants will typically be expected to be supervising at least one research student (Honours, Coursework Masters, Research Masters or Doctoral), or be a member of a supervisory panel. However, this course will also be relevant to participants who are about to commence supervision, although it seems from all reports to be more challenging without this practical experience.

Participation in the equivalent of a one-day (3 modules) workshop on supervision. Workshops might take the form an induction to supervision, special topic modules, and/or other forms of structured training and development. CEDAM generally conducts a number of full day (3 modules) induction workshops each year. In addition to these workshops, ANU Colleges host workshops on related topics. These workshops can be attended either prior to enrolment in the course or concurrently with the course. Participants who have attended a similar workshop at another university may be given credit.

For example, University of Canberra staff who undertook

• the 2010 UC Supervisor Development Program would be deemed to have completed the workshop requirement.
• Beginning PG Supervision at UC (2009 or prior) as a component of their GCHE could apply for full credit for that course within the Application for Status (Credit Transfer) rules of the ANU.

Workshop attendance is required to ensure that participants have both a skills base and a research base for their supervisory practice.

This course is often conducted at the same time as the course EDUC8002 Learning & Teaching in Higher Education, which forms part of CEDAM’s postgraduate provision in higher education.

See http://researchsuper.cedam.anu.edu.au/

See http://researchsuper.cedam.anu.edu.au/

See http://researchsuper.cedam.anu.edu.au/

This course is based primarily upon a web-based learning resource Research Supervision, allowing a substantial degree of self-study. Familiarity with online technologies, particularly Wattle which is used for course delivery is expected.  The Wattle site includes course information, discussion and additional resources.

Participants in this course may be studying at either Graduate Certificate or Masters Degree level.