Role of the Postgraduate Research Lead Good Practice Sharing Workshop Nov ‘16 Dan Lambert Director of PGR, School of Clinical Dentistry d.w.lambert@sheffield.ac.uk @lambertlab1

Overview Key roles Practical considerations Main challenges 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Key roles (based on my experience) Recruitment (inc strategy) Monitoring of progress (& submissions) Supporting & advising PGR students Supporting & advising supervisors Liaising with Dept, Faculty & R&IS 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Practical considerations Define the role! Knowledge of TUoS processes Lead on recruitment Engage with students More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Practical considerations Define the role! Knowledge of TUoS processes Recruitment Engage with students More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

1. Defining the role What are your responsibilities? What is relationship with other senior staff eg Director of Research, PGT lead? Helpful to be involved in decision making (ie Dept Exec, SMT) Ensure supervisors are aware of your role Administrative support crucial More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Benefits Improves oversight Allows innovation PG research day Submission review process Recruitment process Improves oversight Staff and students will come to you for advice 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Practical considerations Define the role! Knowledge of TUoS processes Recruitment Engage with students More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Understanding TUoS processes Who is contact in R&IS? Who is Faculty PGR lead? Familiarise with regulations Awareness of support available for PGR students (& supervisors) More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Benefits Helps avoid problems UKBA issues Late submissions (!) Leave of absences/extensions UKBA issues Late submissions (!) Supervisors/students will ask you for advice…. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Practical considerations Define the role! Knowledge of TUoS processes Recruitment Engage with students More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Recruitment What are key/emerging markets Can recruitment process be improved? Online pre-application enquiry system – routing enquiries through one portal Capitalise on student & staff contacts – home and oversees More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Practical considerations Define the role! Take the time to understand TUoS processes Recruitment Engage with students More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Engage with PGR students PGR representatives (more than one helpful if lot of students) Support establishment of informal societies – SU can provide funding Hold feedback sessions (PGR Forums, interactive feedback) More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Benefits Discourages ‘them and us’ culture Get to know students – anticipate problems Creates social networks between students Can support public engagement activities 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Challenges Recruitment Government policies (UKBA) Funding Possible solutions: Opportunities in course development? Proactive marketing More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield

Challenges 2. Submission rates Impact on department (ie RCUK funding) Difficult to enforce Different funding arrangements (ie 3/4 years funding, HEFCE placements etc) Solutions– students and supervisors informed of issue and impact. Close monitoring. Others? More information: You can crop a picture (trim slices from the side, top or bottom) by selecting on the slide the picture that you want to crop, going to the “format” menu, selecting “picture…” and in the “picture” dialog box clicking the “picture” button. This opens the crop options. The preview button allows you to see whether the crop achieves the effect you wanted. (If you have an old version of PowerPoint these controls may be located differently - refer to the PowerPoint Help menu.) Before importing a picture into your presentation save it in a suitable format (eg jpeg) at a resolution of 72 dots per inch if possible. This resolution keeps the size of the picture file small but still displays fine on screen – particularly important if you’re using several pictures, because half a dozen taken on a five megapixel digital camera and imported at full resolution could mean that your presentation is over 20 megabytes in size. This means it will take up unnecessary disk space, will be slow to open and run on many less powerful computers – and will be too big to e-mail. 08/05/2018 © The University of Sheffield