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Supporting the Professional Development of Research Supervisors

Workshop
Research Supervision

Date(s): 11 May 2022
Location: Online
Price: £80

The UK Research Supervision Survey (UKRSS) reveals that supervisors enjoy and value their role immensely. The data also indicates that in many cases they are lacking the training and support they need to properly support candidates. Supervisors reported they lack confidence in supporting wellbeing, professional development and in providing the cultural support they feel is necessary for candidates from diverse backgrounds.

This workshop will showcase different approaches to professional development for supervisors with a view to opening up discussion about what and how supervisors can be supported and recognised for the important role they play. Each session will include time for questions and there will be facilitated breakout sessions to enable sharing of practice.

Programme

09:15

A Funder Perspective and Opportunities for Change

Dr Lucy Thorne | ESRC

Duration: 15 mins

09:30

An Overview of the UK Research Supervision Survey (UKRSS)

Karen Clegg | University of York & UKSS lead &

Owen Gower | Director, UKCGE

Duration: 30 mins

What we know about supervisor training in the UK and globally and the drivers for change

10:00

Successful Supervisor Development Programs — A Danish case

Gitte Wichman-Hansen | Aarhus University, Denmark

Duration: 30 mins

In this talk, Gitte Wichmann-Hansen presents an example of an established and ongoing supervisor development program, which has proven successful in terms of being large-scale, well-evaluated, and producing local cultural-change. She invites us into the program design, the incentives structures and the long term positive impact of the program on supervisory practice. She openly shares the obstacles met when implementing such a program, including possible ways to overcome them.

10:30

Discussion

Duration: 30 mins

11:00

Break

Duration: 15 mins

11:15

Institutional Approaches to Supervision Training and Support

Victoria Crossley | Imperial College London

Heather Sears | Coventry University

Duration: 45 mins

Cornerstone: Imperial’s new foundation for successful student-supervisor partnerships

Victoria Crossley will present ‘Cornerstone’, Imperial’s new approach to doctoral supervisor support and development. The core components of Imperial’s updated provision aims to improve capacity and reach of training and CPD through an umbrella programme that brings together College-wide supervisory resources and is tailored to meet the individual needs of supervisors and their departments.

The Supervisor Development Framework

Heather will reflect on the journey to the implementation of a Supervisor Development Framework at Coventry University. The Framework maps supervisors’ roles and experience to a flexible, modularised, blended Supervisor Development Programme. She will outline the pedagogy underpinning the Programme and how the Programme’s format and design has greatly increased participation in supervisor development.

12:00

Supporting Supervisors in Practice and Performance Based Subjects

Nicola Palmer | Management and Doctoral School Sheffield Hallam University and the University of York

Duration: 30 mins

In this session Nicola will reflect on the extent to which we prepare and support supervisors to work with practice-based and professional doctoral candidates. We will start to identify commonalities and differences in the learning context for different types of doctoral candidate and the potential implications for supervisory practice and the design and implementation of supervisor development initiatives. The extent to which distinct communities of practice may be highlighted for supervisors of practice-based and professional doctorate candidates will be considered.

12:30

Reflections & Key Messages

To be fed into the UKRI consultation on the New Deal for PG Research

Duration: 30 mins

Discussion may cover:

Being a SUPER visor — mentor, wellbeing advisor, subject expert, career advisor. Should a main supervisor wear many hats?
Team supervision — advantages and disadvantages
Pros and Cons of disciplinary specific supervisor training v sharing of practice across disciplines
Recognition Schemes and Awards — how do we acknowledge the contributions of those involved with supervision

13:00

Close

Speakers

Lucy Thorne | ESRC
- Tue 10 May, 09.15
- A Funder Perspective and Opportunities for Change
Dr Lucy Thorne is Head of Leadership and Skills at the Economic and Social Research Council
Karen Clegg | University of York
- Wed 11 May, 09.30
- An Overview of the UK Research Supervision Survey (UKRSS)
Dr Karen Clegg, workshop convenor, is a executive member and trustee of the UK Council for Graduate Education and instigated the 2021 UK Research Supervision Survey supported by UKRI and Wellcome Trust. The UKRSS now forms part of the empirical data underpinning the UKRI Consultation on the New Deal for PG Research. Karen leads the Building Research and Innovation Capacity team at the University of York.
Owen Gower | UKCGE
- Wed 11 May, 09.30
- An Overview of the UK Research Supervision Survey (UKRSS)
Dr Owen Gower is Director of the UK Council for Graduate Education where he leads the Council’s advocacy on a range of issues in postgraduate affairs, most recently in relation to widening participation and supervision.
Gitte Wichman-Hansen | Aarhus University, Denmark
- Wed 11 May, 10.00
- Successful Supervisor Development Programs — A Danish case
Dr Gitte Wichaman-Hansen is Associate Professor at Centre for Educational Development, Aarhus University in Denmark. Her research focus is on Doctoral supervision, especially on the balancing act between hands-on supervision and doctoral candidates’ independence. Information on her recent books and articles on supervision can be found on her personal website. She is responsible for the mandatory development programs for experienced supervisors at Aarhus University and she has initiated a large number of supervisor development programs at Scandinavian Universities. For many years, she has advised institutional leaders and academic developers across Europe on supervision quality assurance and improvement strategies
Victoria Crossley | Imperial College London
- Wed 11 May, 11.15
- Institutional Approaches to Supervision Training and Support — Cornerstone: Imperial’s new foundation for successful student-supervisor partnerships
Dr Victoria Crossley has a background in basic science and veterinary medicine from the University of Bristol, University of Edinburgh and Royal Veterinary College (RVC), and is a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. Victoria was the RVC’s Impact Case Manager for REF2021 before moving to her current position, where she leads on the Research Impact and Cornerstone programmes in the Graduate School at Imperial College London.
Heather Sears | Coventry University
- Wed 11 May, 11.15
- Institutional Approaches to Supervision Training and Support — The Supervisor Development Framework
Dr Heather Sears leads the Researcher Capability and Development Team (Team ReCap) at Coventry University who develop and deliver the institutional programme of development activities for researchers from ‘PhD to Professor’. She has been a researcher developer for 18 years (and long before the term was invented!) firstly at the University of Leeds and at Coventry University since 2016. LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/hea…
Twitter @HJSears
Nicola Palmer | Management and Doctoral School Sheffield Hallam University and the University of York
- Wed 11 May, 12.00
- Supporting Supervisors in Practice and Performance Based Subjects
Dr Nicola Palmer is an active doctoral research supervisor and holds national UKCGE Research Supervisor Recognition. To date, she has 18 doctoral completions (PhD and DBA) and has examined 19 doctorates. She has been involved in doctoral programmes leadership for 13 years and sits on the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) Doctoral Steering Group.