1. Putting the Super in Supervision Dr. Mark Matthews, Student Learning Development

2. What is supervision? Supervisor the key person Vital for student development Mentorship / apprentice Secure and trusting relationship

3. Supervisor’s Responsibilities Guidance on what is expected Advise on academic standard of work Maintain regular contact Meet regularly for formal supervision Provide constructive feedback on written work Guidance on presentation/publication of research Guidance on writing thesis Read the final thesis Ensure student is prepared for viva Assist with postdoctoral opportunities

4. Undertake research training as agreed Produce written work as agreed Aware of process / protocol for transfer (Calendar part II) 12 – 18 months Decide when to submit the thesis Ensure thesis complies with regulations. Your Responsibilities

5. But… These are only guidelines Supervision is the number one complaint Quality varies

6. So what can you do?

7. Power “it is vital that supervisors realise that students usually perceive themselves to be at the power-receiving end of the supervisor-student relationship. This can lead to an over-reliance on the supervisor and an inhibition of communication.” TCD Supervisor Guidelines

8. Be Proactive find out what is expected tackle concerns early on discuss how to make guidance more effective agree and organise process

9. What else? Set ground rules Set realistic time-based goals Set deadlines Open professional communication Ask for help when needed Talk to others

10. Meetings Set an agenda for your meeting (email) Take as much time as necessary (no more) Be direct about everything What are outputs from meeting? Set date of next meeting

11. Successful Students Meet regularly Communicate well Establish clear groundrules Set clear, regular goals

12. Find out: Research Interests Recent publications Experience supervising How much time they will have? Will you be able to get on? What kind of role does your supervisor expect? Rowena Murray, ‘How to write a thesis’ Managing Your Supervisor

13. Know Yourself What are you good at? What do areas need improvement? Communication

14. Managing the Process Agree a plan of supervisions Prepare for supervision Six monthly review of progress Annual review of progress Submit work for supervisor to read Attend supervision Summarise what you agreed Send summary to supervisor Source: www.vitae.co.uk

15. Assertiveness “Assertiveness means asking for what you want or giving people an honest no to things you don’t want. It means not using other people and not letting yourself be used either.”

16. Assertiveness Body Language direct eye contact facing the person you are talking to audible, steady, clear voice tone sitting up straight or standing tall

17. Assertiveness Models 3 step model Step 1: State the situation Step 2: State your position & how you feel Step 3: Say what you want to happen ‘Broken Record’ Approach Keep repeating yourself until you are heard

18. Role-Play In groups of 3, take turns in the following roles Student: practice the 3 step method to get what you need Supervisor: you’re busy so try and protect your time Observer: listen and provide feedback on the conversation

19. Complaints are common “I feel like I’m being taken advantage of – doing work not related to my PhD”

20. “I feel like I’m on my own”

21. Complaints are common “I’m really unhappy with how often my supervisor is meeting me”

22. “I’m really unhappy with the quality of my supervisor – he doesn’t know anything about my research area”

23. Complaints are common “My supervisor is really intimidating”

24. If all else fails 1.Go to supervisor 2.Department 3.Director of teaching and learning 4.Dean of Graduate Studies

25. Supports Graduate Studies http://www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/ Postgraduate Advisory Service http://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/postgraduate/ http://www.tcd.ie/Senior_Tutor/postgraduate/ Student Counselling Service http://www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/ http://www.tcd.ie/Student_Counselling/ Graduate Student’s Union http://www.gsu.tcd.ie/

26. Read Estelle M. Phillips and D.S. Pugh, How to get a Ph.D.: a handbook for students and their supervisors; Buckingham: Open University Press, 1994 Best Practice Guidelines on Research Supervision for Academic Staff and Students http://www.tcd.ie/Graduate_Studies/docs/Supervison%20Guidelines.pdf University of Dublin Calendar Part 2, 2.8 http://www.tcd.ie/calendar/assets/pdf/calendar-part-2-2009-2010.pdf

27. Key Points Be proactive, take control Set ground rules for supervision Clear communication Set goals & milestones If something is worrying you or you think not right, tackle it early on before it becomes a bigger problem.

28. Student Learning Development Visit our website at: http://student-learning.tcd.ie http://student-learning.tcd.ie Email student-learning@tcd.iestudent-learning@tcd.ie Phone us on 01 8961407 Come to general session 16:15 ‘Your Study, Your Life, Your Choices’