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Training is needed in order to help academics to develop more effectively
in their roles as supervisors. We take this view as a result of participating
over a period of years in discussion groups attended by supervisors from
many different universities, where we have seen the benefits they gain in
knowledge and skill.
A majority of universities are accepting this responsibility and allocating
resources to enable training groups to be mounted for new supervisors, but
188 HOW TO GET A PhD
only a minority arrange them for all supervisors, experienced as well as
new. We believe they should be available to all supervisors, even though
we accept that, realistically, experienced supervisors are less likely to take
advantage of them.
During the training there should be the opportunity for supervisors to
think about issues specific to managing research; to listen to what special-
ists in the area have to say and to discuss with their peers any doubts or
problems they may have.
Some supervisors believe that they are doing a good job, while some
presume that others are doing better. Some think that everyone is using
the same framework and are astonished to discover large variations in
practice. Some may be surprised to learn that others are as unsure about
what constitutes good supervision as they are themselves. The topics
covered will vary but should include improving selection of research
students, and the skills involved in giving effective feedback, supervising
students writing and inculcating appropriate academic standards. Such
training permits staff to work toward a general improvement in standards.
If adequate resources were allocated by all universities to enable this
activity to take place, the role of the academic supervisor would become
more clearly defined and the standards improved.
Teaching credit for doctoral supervision
One important prerequisite to improving supervisory capability is the
allocation of teaching credit for doctoral supervision. Traditionally aca-
demics have been expected to accept doctoral students as an addition to
other duties. They have not been given any teaching compensation for
this activity because it was held that the higher status gained by having
such students was sufficient reward in itself. This has sometimes resulted
in research students being treated in a perfunctory way because super-
visors feel that any supervision is being done out of the goodness of their
heart and supplementary to their real duties.
There is thus a vital need for supervision to be recognized as an import-
ant staff role and to be counted into the time spent on teaching duties, in a
similar way to lecturing and attending to the needs of undergraduate stu-
dents. Supervision of research students should be accounted for in staff
planning schedules and budgeted for accordingly, both in staff time and
financial costs.
Guidelines should also be established on the appropriate limit to the
number of research students that one academic may supervise. This is a
particular concern with lead supervisors who will be expected to spend
considerable time with their students. Universities vary in their practice
with a maximum of anything from three to 10 being allowed. We consider
six to be an appropriate maximum but, for this to be effective, it assumes
INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES 189
that there is good back-up support from the research tutor and other
academics in associated roles.
In some institutions credit is already given, but the amount varies from
department to department. Other institutions inappropriately regard
supervising PhD students as research work rather than teaching and so
give no teaching credit. A system of teaching credit should be devised and
applied to all supervisors. Such a development can only take place in the
context of a system that attempts to monitor all the work of academics in
order to ensure that the teaching and administrative tasks are distributed
fairly and this needs to be established.
Knowing that the supervisory role is taken seriously, and is one of the
factors in considering promotion, would encourage supervisors to support
students in the manner put forward in this book. Making resources avail-
able to ensure that supervision is an integral and recognized part of an
academic s responsibilities would greatly improve the effectiveness of
doctoral education.
Faculty/departmental doctoral research tutor
The role of the faculty/departmental research tutor needs to be supported
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