role of dissertation supervisor

Roles and responsibilities of supervisors

Introduction

Knowledge of regulations, policies and procedures
Advice on program of study, research and professional development
Meetings/consultation
Financial assistance
Intellectual property
Publications
Withdrawal of supervisory duties
Accommodation

Introduction

Effective graduate student supervision requires complex interactions between graduate students and their supervisors. The role of a supervisor is threefold: to advise graduate students, monitor their academic progress, and act as a mentor. Supervisors not only provide guidance, instruction and encouragement in the research activities of their students, but also take part in the evaluation and examination of their students’ progress, performance and navigation through the requirements of their academic program with the goal to ensure that their students are successful.

Supervisors are responsible for fostering the intellectual and scholarly development of their students. They also play an important role in providing advice about professional development and both academic and non-academic career opportunities, as they are able, and based upon the student’s career interests.

While these expectations apply to all graduate students, supervising PhD students reflects a longer-term, more substantive commitment. The privilege to supervise PhD students requires that the supervisor hold Approved Doctoral Dissertation Supervisor (ADDS) status. The intent of ADDS policy is to ensure that faculty have the appropriate knowledge to facilitate excellence in PhD supervision.

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Knowledge of regulations, policies and procedures

Effective graduate student supervision requires a knowledge and understanding of the University’s requirements and expectations. To this end, supervisors should:

2.1 Be knowledgeable and remain updated on department, Faculty and University regulations, policies and procedures, and have these protocols guide the supervisors’ decision-making and behaviour as they interact with graduate students. Supervisors are encouraged to take the necessary steps to be well-informed with those Policies identified in section 1.2 .

2.2 Be familiar with the support services available to students and faculty at the University including those articulated in section 1.2 . This information is normally available through department graduate co-ordinators, Faculty Graduate Studies Offices, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA), the Graduate Student Association (GSA) or the University Secretariat.

2.3 Be informed about University of Waterloo policies and procedures that inform academic integrity (Office of Research).

2.4 Be aware of the University of Waterloo and Tri-Agency policies and procedures associated with the conduct of research. Where appropriate, supervisors should be prepared to provide guidance to students on:

The responsible conduct of research, with particular emphasis on the Tri-Agency Framework as defined in the Faculty Association of University of Waterloo (FAUW) /University of Waterloo memorandum of Agreement (Section 14).
The ethical conduct of research (Office of Research) involving animals, animal or human tissues, and human participants

2.5 Have knowledge of the policies and procedures that govern international travel and security that can be found at Waterloo International.

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Advice on program of study, research and professional development

As noted above, supervisors are expected to serve as mentors to their graduate students. To this end, supervisors should be prepared to provide well-informed advice on academics and professional development. More specifically, supervisors should be prepared to advise students on:

2.6 An academic program that is challenging, at the appropriate level for the degree being sought, and that can be accomplished within commonly understood and desirable time and resource expectations of the student and the supervisor.

2.7 The choice of courses and seminars needed to fulfil the degree requirements.

2.8 The development and construct of a research topic and proposal.

2.9 The development of a communication plan with the supervisory/advisory committee as to how the student’s progress will be assessed (including during thesis writing and completion), and the role of advisory committee members in the assessment.

2.10 The availability of internships, practica, co-op or other experiential learning opportunities as part of the program.

2.11 The availability of professional development resources for Waterloo graduate students to help advance the students’ career objectives.

Meetings/consultation

The establishment and communication of common expectations are critical elements to positive experiences for both graduate students and their supervisors. Achieving these outcomes can be facilitated by regular meetings and/or consultation between students, their supervisors, and where appropriate advisory committees. Especially important is timely feedback on students’ written submissions.

The University encourages supervisors to:

2.12 Ensure, especially important in the case of doctoral students, that the student has:

An advisory committee as required.
A program of study consistent with department and Faculty requirements that has been approved by the advisory committee as required.
A research plan that is appropriate in breadth, depth and time to completion (see Milestones in master's and doctoral programs ).

2.13 Arrange for regular (as agreed by the student and supervisor) meetings (which may involve the advisory committee) with students for consultation to ensure steady progress. The frequency of such meetings will depend on the discipline/field of study, type of program, and the student’s progress. At least two, preferably more, meetings should be arranged in each academic term. Supervisors should also be reasonably accessible for meetings requested by their students. The approach to these student meetings should be individualized to reflect the needs of the student. For example, some students may need more support while other may need less.

2.14 Communicate their evaluation of student progress to the department once a year or more often if required. The report should clearly indicate the status of the student’s progress (i.e., satisfactory or unsatisfactory). In the latter case, the report must include a clearly articulated set of conditions that if satisfied will restore the student’s status to satisfactory. Where the supervisor feels that the student will have serious difficulties finishing the program, the supervisor, in consultation with the advisory committee as appropriate, will inform in writing, both the student and the graduate officer of the nature of the problem(s), suggested remedies and may recommend withdrawal from the program. More information on assessing students’ progress can be found in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

2.15 Thoroughly review and provide constructive feedback on all written materials relevant to the thesis or research paper submitted by their students. The supervisor and the student are encouraged to establish in writing expectations on what constitutes timely feedback; a timeframe of two to three weeks depending on the complexity of the document is commonly applied. However, this can vary depending on various circumstances such as travel or vacation. These circumstances should be discussed between the supervisor and student.

2.16 Have knowledge of the guidelines for evaluating students’ progress in a research program (Graduate Studies Academic Calendar).

2.17 Inform students about the broad spectrum of resources available (Writing and Communication Centre) to facilitate development of oral communication and writing skills.

2.18 Be active and supportive in promoting students’ well-being. This may include:

Inquiring about a student’s well-being, as appropriate.
Directing students to appropriate support services , including Mental Health and Wellness resources (Campus Wellness).
Displaying empathy towards the student.

2.19 Complete as appropriate the University requirements for Sexual violence awareness, referral and support training (Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion Office) to understand how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence and refer students to the appropriate supports.

The University recognizes that supervisors will be away from the University for extended periods of time (e.g., sabbatical, satellite campus, visiting professorship). Being physically away from the University does not preclude a supervisor from remaining engaged with their graduate students. In cases where the supervisor will not be available either in person or via electronic communications, the supervisor should:

2.20 Inform students, prospective students and the department of any anticipated extended period where communication will not be occurring. In cases when the absence is for a period of two months or more, supervisors should arrange for suitable communication methods. Interim supervision also must be arranged, for example, using members of advisory committees. Supervisors must inform the student’s department (chair/graduate officer) of the arrangements made for the period of absence, including supervision of laboratory or field work where graduate students continue to work during the absence.

2.21 Ensure students know that in situations where a supervisor works away from campus for two months or more and where their students can accompany the supervisor, the decision to remain on campus or to follow the supervisor rests entirely with the student. Students shall face no pressure (explicit or implicit) or consequences when making this choice and are not required to provide any reason.

As with the departmental representatives, supervisors have responsibility to advance safety. More specifically, supervisors should:

2.22 Ensure a safe working environment both on and off campus (working alone, field work) by assessing hazards and implementing appropriate controls. This must be in accordance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Policy 34 (Secretariat) and department and Faculty regulations. All supervisors must complete mandatory health and safety supervisor awareness training (Safety Office) and must ensure that graduate students complete both mandatory and work-specific safety training. More information can be found on the Safety Office website.

2.23 Ensure that students obtain additional training when new safety risks arise and ensure training is kept up to date.

Inherent to graduate education are the dissemination of knowledge and the participation in scholarly activities away from the University campus. Travel (domestic and international) can include fieldwork, conferences, course work and other work related to the thesis. Supervisors are encouraged to support students’ travel to accomplish these important objectives. Supervisors should:

2.24 Follow or encourage students to follow Policy 31 (Secretariat) that governs University-sanctioned travel.

2.25 Categorize and report risk associated with travel. Low risk (Safety Office) are activities for which it is expected that participants will encounter hazards that are no greater than what they encounter in their everyday lives. Examples of significant risk (e.g. industrial sites, remote regions etc.) are noted on the Safety Office website . Travel or field work that involves significant risk must be documented using the Fieldwork Risk Management Form from the Safety Office . For low risk activities off campus, supervisors should:

Provide advice on preparation for pre-departure orientation and planning for any travel and including associated risk, as they are able;

2.26 Document the student(s) location and duration of travel, including personal and emergency contact information. Review the material provided by Waterloo International to understand how to best mitigate risk and ensure safety for international travel.

2.27 Encourage students to register using the Pre-departure Travel Form at Waterloo International .

2.28 Consult the Government of Canada Travel Advice and Advisories web page for the international destination and discuss the mitigation of risk with the students to the destination.

Financial assistance

Supervisors regularly provide financial support for their graduate students. Both the supervisor and the student benefit when a clear understanding exists of the value of funding, and the academic outcomes that should occur from the supported activities. Specifically, supervisors should:

2.29 Be informed about the spectrum of funding opportunities available through the department, Faculty and Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) for students in financial need and to communicate these sources to student.

2.30 Communicate clearly and in writing to their students the terms (e.g., amounts, length of time, conditions) of the financial commitment being made when financial assistance is to be provided from research grants or contracts under the supervisor’s direction.

2.31 Support students’ understanding of their funding, including a consideration of student expenses (primarily tuition and housing) and taxation, if appropriate.

Intellectual property

Increasingly, students and supervisors enter into their academic relationships with previously established intellectual property (IP). Moreover, students and supervisors may have an expectation that their collective work may produce new IP. Best practices include the articulation of students’ and supervisors’ understanding of IP relationships at regular intervals throughout the students’ academic program. More specifically, supervisors should:

2.32 Discuss issues related to intellectual property such as patents, software, copyright, and income from sales and royalties, and inform students of University policies about intellectual property and the conduct of research. It should be recognized that, in accordance with Policy 73 (Secretariat), intellectual property normally is owned by the creators. However, the University retains a royalty-free right to use, for educational and research purposes, any intellectual property created by faculty, staff and students. Ideally, supervisors and students should enter into a written agreement that expresses IP owned by either party prior to beginning the research relationship and the default way in which IP created by the researchers’ joint activities will be owned. A common example is an assumption in the absence of an explicit agreement of joint IP ownership, with each researcher owning an equal share.

2.33 Ensure that students are aware of implications and/or obligations regarding intellectual property of research conducted under contract. If appropriate, discuss with their students and any research partners the protection of intellectual property by patent or copyright. Any significant intellectual contribution by a student must be recognized in the form of co-authorship. Supervisors must convey to students, in advance of publication, whether they intend to recognize the student as co-author for work under contract.

Publications

Academic outputs – in various forms – document and demonstrate ownership of creative research and other scholarly activities. These outputs are important for advancing knowledge and catalyzing additional scholarly activity in these areas and should be encouraged. When supervisors and graduate students work collectively on these academic works, it is important for both that their relative contributions are represented appropriately. To achieve these goals, supervisors should:

2.34 Discuss with their students, at an early stage of their program, authorship practices within the discipline and University policies about publications ( Policy 73 on the Secretariat website).

2.35 Discuss and reach agreement with students, well in advance of publication and ideally at the outset of collaboration, the way in which authorship will be shared, if appropriate, between the supervisor, the student and other contributors for work conducted under contract.

2.36 Encourage the dissemination of students’ research results by publication in scholarly and research journals, presentation at conferences (domestic or international) and seminars;

2.37 Motivate the dissemination of research through non-traditional or non-academic avenues (e.g. Open Access resources, public presentations, and popular media).

Withdrawal of supervisory duties

In rare cases supervisors may determine that they are not prepared or able to continue in a supervisory capacity. When this occurs, the supervisor is required to:

2.38 Follow the guidelines in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar regarding University Responsibilities Regarding Supervisory Relationships that outlines the steps for dissolution of the supervisory relationship.

Accommodation

The University is eager to establish conditions that maximize graduate students’ likelihood of success. To this end, supervisors:

2.39 Have a duty to engage in accommodations processes with AccessAbility Services , as requested, and to provide appropriate accommodation to the point of undue hardship.

2.40 Remain informed of their roles and responsibilities with respect to accommodations.

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Supervising Dissertations

First Online: 13 January 2024

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Katharina Rietig 2

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This chapter discusses central elements and steps in the research supervision process. The chapter proceeds to explore the key steps in the supervision process such as finding and specifying/narrowing down the topic, identifying the research question and contribution, discussing the research strategy and methods, the literature review and finding the path through the literature forest, identifying and selecting theoretical frameworks and theories, and subsequently proceeding to the case study/empirical part of the dissertation. It discusses the difference between primary/secondary literature-based dissertations (e.g., in philosophy or history) and case study-based dissertations that include the collection and/or analysis of primary/secondary empirical data. It reflects on different approaches and strategies around primary data collection through interviews, field work, and participant observation, as well as complying with risk assessment and research ethics in the process, and then proceeds to the analysis of quantitative/qualitative data. It closes with key considerations around writing the central discussion chapter that links the theoretical framework/theory to the empirical findings and discusses how they fit within the broader academic literature on the topic, before moving to the conclusion chapter that summarizes the contribution and offers broader implications for theory and policy/practice.

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The reflections offered in this chapter are based on supervising over 50 undergraduate and Master dissertations across environmental studies, political science, and international relations with a focus on empirical or case-study based dissertations.

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Rietig, K. (2023). Supervising Dissertations. In: Innovative Social Sciences Teaching and Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41452-7_8

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Writing your dissertation - working with your supervisor

Posted in: dissertations

Your supervisor

Before you begin your dissertation, it is highly likely you will be assigned a supervisor to oversee your progress from first steps to completion. Your supervisor will help you formulate ideas and give you guidance on how best to develop your research topic and course of action. But you need to always remember that this is your project, and your supervisor will not provide you with content or additional lessons on a particular topic. Their role is to help you work out your own pathways to success.

Get organised

Lecturers are very busy people, and your dissertation is only a small part of the duties and responsibilities they have to carry out during the summer months. So in order to get the most out of your supervisor and maintain a positive and productive professional relationship with them, you need to get organised.

Here are some important guidelines to follow:

Agree a timetable of meetings at the start of your project and stick to it.
Ensure that each meeting has a focus e.g. “setting a research problem”, “analysing the data”, with a clear set of questions to ask.
your research plan
early results of your data collection
draft chapters.
Arrive on time to each meeting you have arranged. At the end of each supervision meeting agree some action points for you to focus on before the next time you meet.
Keep a record of what you decide in supervision sessions.
Don't bug your supervisor with emails in between your meetings. Save up your questions for your next scheduled appointment.

If you are not happy with an aspect of your supervision, discuss this with your supervisor. If this is too difficult or awkward, your personal tutor may also be able to offer advice.

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National Teaching Fellow 2017

Dissertation supervision.

A dissertation supervisor provides regular guidance and support to a student undertaking a dissertation.

The supervisory relationship is built on clear communication and mutually agreed expectation in terms of progress. Working in partnership with the student a supervisor assists in the definition of a research topic the design of a programme of study and the implementation of this. They also provide expertise at the writing stage and support in the face of deadlines.

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Research and project supervision (all levels): an introduction

Supervising projects, dissertations and research at UCL from undergraduate to PhD.

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1 August 2019

Many academics say supervision is one of their favourite, most challenging and most fulfilling parts of their job.

Supervision can play a vital role in enabling students to fulfil their potential. Helping a student to become an independent researcher is a significant achievement – and can enhance your own teaching and research.

Supervision is also a critical element in achieving UCL’s strategic aim of integrating research and education. As a research-intensive university, we want all students, not just those working towards a PhD, to engage in research.

Successful research needs good supervision.

This guide provides guidance and recommendations on supervising students in their research. It offers general principles and tips for those new to supervision, at PhD, Master’s or undergraduate level and directs you to further support available at UCL.

What supervision means

Typically, a supervisor acts as a guide, mentor, source of information and facilitator to the student as they progress through a research project.

Every supervision will be unique. It will vary depending on the circumstances of the student, the research they plan to do, and the relationship between you and the student. You will have to deal with a range of situations using a sensitive and informed approach.

As a supervisor at UCL, you’ll help create an intellectually challenging and fulfilling learning experience for your students.

This could include helping students to:

formulate their research project and question
decide what methods of research to use
become familiar with the wider research community in their chosen field
evaluate the results of their research
ensure their work meets the necessary standards expected by UCL
keep to deadlines
use feedback to enhance their work
overcome any problems they might have
present their work to other students, academics or interested parties
prepare for the next steps in their career or further study.

At UCL, doctoral students always have at least two supervisors. Some faculties and departments operate a model of thesis committees, which can include people from industry, as well as UCL staff.

Rules and regulations

Phd supervision.

The supervision of doctoral students’ research is governed by regulation. This means that there are some things you must – and must not – do when supervising a PhD.

All the essential information is found in the UCL Code of Practice for Research Degrees .
Full regulations in the UCL Academic Manual .

All staff must complete the online course Introduction to Research Supervision at UCL before beginning doctoral supervision.

Undergraduate and Masters supervision

There are also regulations around Master’s and undergraduate dissertations and projects. Check with the Programme Lead, your Department Graduate Tutor or Departmental Administrator for the latest regulations related to student supervision.

You should attend other training around research supervision.

Supervision training available through UCL Arena .

Doctoral (PhD) supervision: introducing your student to the university

For most doctoral students, you will often be their main point of contact at UCL and as such you are responsible for inducting them into the department and wider community.

Check that your student:

knows their way around the department and about the facilities available to them locally (desk space, common room, support staff)
has attended the Doctoral School induction and has received all relevant documents (including the Handbook and code of practice for graduate research degrees )
has attended any departmental or faculty inductions and has a copy of the departmental handbook.

Make sure your student is aware of:

key central services such as: Student Support and Wellbeing , UCL Students' Union (UCLU) and Careers
opportunities to broaden their skills through UCL’s Doctoral Skills Development Programme
the wider disciplinary culture, including relevant networks, websites and mailing lists.

The UCL Good Supervision Guide (for PhD supervisors)

Establishing an effective relationship

The first few meetings you have with your student are critical and can help to set the tone for the whole supervisory experience for you and your student.

An early discussion about both of your expectations is essential:

Find out your student’s motivations for undertaking the project, their aspirations, academic background and any personal matters they feel might be relevant.
Discuss any gaps in their preparation and consider their individual training needs.
Be clear about who will arrange meetings, how often you’ll meet, how quickly you’ll respond when the student contacts you, what kind of feedback they’ll get, and the norms and standards expected for academic writing.
Set agendas and coordinate any follow-up actions. Minute meetings, perhaps taking it in turns with your student.
For PhD students, hold a meeting with your student’s other supervisor(s) to clarify your expectations, roles, frequency of meetings and approaches.

Styles of supervision

Supervisory styles are often conceptualized on a spectrum from laissez-faire to more contractual or from managerial to supportive. Every supervisor will adopt different approaches to supervision depending on their own preferences, the individual relationship and the stage the student is at in the project.

Be aware of the positive and negative aspects of different approaches and styles.

Reflect on your personal style and what has prompted this – it may be that you are adopting the style of your own supervisor, or wanting to take a certain approach because it is the way that it would work for you.

No one style fits every situation: approaches change and adapt to accommodate the student and the stage of the project.

However, to ensure a smooth and effective supervision process, it is important to align your expectations from the very beginning. Discuss expectations in an early meeting and re-visit them periodically.

Checking the student’s progress

Make sure you help your student break down the work into manageable chunks, agreeing deadlines and asking them to show you work regularly.

Give your student helpful and constructive feedback on the work they submit (see the various assessment and feedback toolkits on the Teaching & Learning Portal ).

Check they are getting the relevant ethical clearance for research and/or risk assessments.

Ask your student for evidence that they are building a wider awareness of the research field.

Encourage your student to meet other research students and read each other’s work or present to each other.

Encourage your student to write early and often.

Checking your own performance

Regularly review progress with your student and any co-supervisors. Discuss any problems you might be having, and whether you need to revise the roles and expectations you agreed at the start.

Make sure you know what students in your department are feeding back to the Student Consultative Committee or in surveys, such as the Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES) .

Responsibility for the student’s research project does not rest solely on you. If you need help, talk to someone more experienced in your department. Whatever the problem is you’re having, the chances are that someone will have experienced it before and will be able to advise you.

Continuing students can often provide the most effective form of support to new students. Supervisors and departments can foster this, for example through organising mentoring, coffee mornings or writing groups.

Be aware that supervision is about helping students carry out independent research – not necessarily about preparing them for a career in academia. In fact, very few PhD students go on to be academics.

Make sure you support your student’s personal and professional development, whatever direction this might take.

Every research supervision can be different – and equally rewarding.

Where to find help and support

Research supervision web pages from the UCL Arena Centre, including details of the compulsory Research Supervision online course.

Appropriate Forms of Supervision Guide from the UCL Academic Manual

the PhD diaries

Good Supervision videos (Requires UCL login)

The UCL Doctoral School

Handbook and code of practice for graduate research degrees

Doctoral Skills Development programme

Student skills support (including academic writing)

Student Support and Wellbeing

UCL Students' Union (UCLU)

UCL Careers

External resources

Vitae: supervising a docorate

UK Council for Graduate Education

Higher Education Academy – supervising international students (pdf)

Becoming a Successful Early Career Researcher , Adrian Eley, Jerry Wellington, Stephanie Pitts and Catherine Biggs (Routledge, 2012) - book available on Amazon

This guide has been produced by the UCL Arena Centre for Research-based Education . You are welcome to use this guide if you are from another educational facility, but you must credit the UCL Arena Centre. 

Further information

More teaching toolkits - back to the toolkits menu

Research supervision at UCL

UCL Education Strategy 2016–21

Connected Curriculum: a framework for research-based education

The Laidlaw research and leadership programme (for undergraduates)

[email protected] : contact the UCL Arena Centre

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Open University

Supervision work is closely linked to the intended learning outcomes of the degree and thesis as well as the related grading criteria. In accordance with the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students’ Rights at the University of Helsinki, the student must receive instruction both during their studies and while writing their thesis. See here for instructions on ensuring that your supervision is aligned with the learning outcomes.

The Rector decides on the principles of supervision, including the rights and obligations of the student and the supervisor. The degree programme’s curriculum must contain instructions on how to prepare a personal study plan, along with the practices for approving and updating the plan. Please review the curriculum of your faculty and the thesis grading criteria in order to ensure that your supervision is aligned with the learning outcomes.

In the Rector’s decision, supervision refers to the support provided for the student’s or doctoral candidate’s learning process as they change, gain experience and grow as an expert. As a whole, supervision consists of communication, advice, instruction and special guidance. Supervision and counselling can be organised in a group led by the supervisor, at a seminar, in a peer group of students or doctoral candidates organised by the supervisor or in a personal meeting separately agreed between the supervisor and the student/doctoral candidate. Supervision and counselling can also be provided electronically through, for example, Moodle or other teaching tools available.

Members of the teaching and research staff provide counselling that is related to teaching and research and requires knowledge of the content of different studies and disciplines. This counselling may concern, for example, personal study plans or thesis supervision.

Guidance and counselling are provided in the Finnish and Swedish-language and multilingual degree programmes in Finnish or Swedish depending on the student’s native language or in English or another language as agreed with the student. If the student’s native language is a language other than Finnish or Swedish, guidance and counselling are provided in English or, if agreed with the student, in another language. In English-language master’s programmes and doctoral programmes, guidance can also be provided solely in English.

The degree programme steering group is responsible for ensuring that each student is appointed with a primary supervisor who is responsible for the supervision of their thesis. Additional supervisors may also be appointed. Your supervision plan can be used to agree on the responsibilities related to the supervision.

Supervision as interaction and the supervision plan

Supervision is about interaction with responsibilities that are divided between the different parties of the supervision relationship. Ambiguities related to supervision are often due to the parties’ different expectations regarding the content and responsibilities of the supervision and the fact that the parties are often unaware of the others’ expectations. Below, you can find a table that serves as a great tool for considering the different rights and obligations related to supervision

The policies and practices of supervision should be discussed in the early stages of the thesis process. The supervisor and the student may also prepare a written supervision plan that clarifies the schedule for the supervision and the thesis work as well as the content of the supervision. The plan can also be utilised if any problems arise or you fall behind schedule.

Topics the supervisor should incorporate in the supervision

When supervising a student’s thesis work, remember to pay attention to the following topics:

the responsible conduct of research and avoiding cheating
guiding the student in matters related to data protection
matters related to open access publications and the public availability of theses
inform the student of the general process of thesis examination and approval and the related schedule

Different faculties may have their own decisions and instructions on thesis supervision. Please read the instructions provided by your faculty.

Bachelor’s theses and maturity tests

Thesis and maturity test in master's and licentiate's programmes.

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Research article
Open access
Published: 22 August 2019

The journey of thesis supervisors from novice to expert: a grounded theory study

Leila Bazrafkan 1 ,
Alireza Yousefy 2 ,
Mitra Amini 1 &
Nikoo Yamani 2

BMC Medical Education volume 19 , Article number: 320 ( 2019 ) Cite this article

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Supervision is a well-defined interpersonal relationship between the thesis supervisors and their students. The purpose of this study was to identify the patterns which can explain the process of expertise attainment by thesis supervisors. We aimed at developing a conceptual framework/model to explain this development based on the experience of both students and supervisors.

We have conducted a qualitative grounded theory study in 20 universities of medical sciences in Iran since 2017 by using purposive, snowball sampling, and theoretical sampling and enrolled 84 participants. The data were gathered through semi-structured interviews. Based on the encoding approach of Strauss and Corbin (1998), the data underwent open, axial, and selective coding by constant comparative analysis. Then, the core variables were selected, and a model was developed.

We could obtain three themes and seven related subthemes, the central variable, which explains the process of expertise as the phenomenon of concentration and makes an association among the subthemes, was interactive accountability. The key dimensions during expertise process which generated the supervisors’ competence development in research supervision consisted maturation; also, seven subthemes as curious observation, evaluation of the reality, poorly structured rules, lack of time, reflection in action, reflection on action, and interactive accountability emerged which explain the process of expertise attainment by thesis supervisors.

Conclusions

As the core variable in the expertise process, accountability must be considered in expertise development program planning and decision- making. In other words, efforts must be made to improve responsibility and responsiveness.

Peer Review reports

Supervision is a well-defined term in the interpersonal relationship between thesis supervisors and students. A supervisor is designated to assist the student’s development in terms of their research project [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. Faculty members supervise the students because qualified supervision leads to success on the part of the student, and it has moral, reputational, and financial outcomes for the institution. Supervisors are expected to train students to gain competence in areas such as specialist skills, generalist skills, self-reliance skills, and group/team skills [ 4 ]. Expertise is derived from the three essential elements of knowledge, experience, and the ability to solve problems in society [ 5 , 6 , 7 ]. .According to Dreyfus, acquisition of expertise or practical wisdom represents a higher level of “self-actualization.” At this point, one reaches a level in which they can flourish in their talents and abilities. This enables the teachers to function in scientific communities and multicultural environments [ 7 ].

Wiscer has identified three stages in the thesis supervision process and describes the duties of the supervisors in each of them [ 8 ]. Pearson and Brew state that maturation in specialist skills, generalist skills, self-reliance skills, and group/team skills are the major areas that need to be promoted in the student. Moreover, these are the generic processes in which the supervisors should be involved for efficacious supervision if they aim to help the students develop in various institutional, disciplinary and professional settings; acquire appropriate expertise and features needed for employment; and make an outline of what might form a flexible professional development program for supervisors in this setting [ 3 ]. Vereijken et al. emphasized novice supervisors’ approaches to reach expertise in supervision and explained the relationship between practice and dilemmas among novice supervisors [ 9 ].

.Despite the importance of expertise in higher education and particularly research supervision, research abilities are not considered as one of the priorities in the employment of the academic staff. Furthermore, the newly employed faculty members are often involved in teaching, administrative tasks, and services in health care; this inhibits them from expertise attainment in other aspects such as research supervision [ 10 , 11 , 12 ]. In this regard, Malekafzali believes that in the area of research activities, the faculty members have serious weaknesses in defining the problem, choosing the appropriate method for research, analyzing the data, interpreting the results, and publishing scientific articles. Besides, there is a lack of coherent and compiled training programs which can enhance their research capabilities [ 13 ].

One of the most important factors contributing to the thesis and research quality is the process of developing expertise in supervisors’ research supervision. Most studies in our country have focused on research abilities during the research, and fewer studies have focused on the process of expertise acquisition in thesis supervision, and no actual model has been proposed for this [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. The quantitative researches could not explain exactly how and through which process the faculty members, as thesis supervisors, become experts in thesis supervision since the expertise process is multi-factorial and has many unknown aspects. Considering the effective role of qualitative research in clarifying ambiguous and unknown aspects, we chose the grounded theory approach for this study [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. This theory will be used when the investigator intends to determine the patterns of actions and social interactions needed for the development of expertise by specific groups of people in a specific setting [ 17 , 18 ].

In this study, we aimed to identify the themes that explain the expertise development process among thesis supervisors in Iran, and also to develop a conceptual framework/model to explain this development based on the experience of both students and supervisors.

This study was carried out in 20 universities of medical sciences with different ranks in Iran because universities are the places where supervisors and students interact purposefully to discourse the needs of experts on specific occasions and in specific conditions. In these universities, different students study with various disciplines. There are three types of universities in Iran. Type 1 universities are the ones with the most facilities, faculties, research presentations, international collaborations, and scientific outcomes. The second rank belongs to type 2, and the one with the least mentioned qualities is type 3 universities. All three types of universities were included in this study. In all these courses, writing a thesis is one of the requirements with the same role and regulation. The majority of the students in this research project were in the late stages of both undergraduate and postgraduate educational programs within the same function and regulation.

Study design

We conducted this qualitative study based on a grounded theory approach in a systematic form [ 17 , 18 ]. Grounded theory is a symbolic interaction which is derived from systematic data collection during the research process. In this strategy, collecting and analyzing data and the theory derived from the data have a close association [ 17 , 19 ]. The investigator’s purpose in using grounded theory is to describe and clarify a phenomenon in the social condition and to identify the essential processes working within [ 17 ].

Participants

In this study, 84 subjects including 56 faculty members of medical sciences, 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students (medical students, MS of Science, Ph.D. and residents), and eight managers in the field of research supervision participated. Using purposive sampling, snowball sampling with maximum variation, we selected the participants from a variety of academic ranks with different work experiences, as the key informants in thesis supervisors. Then, to continue the sampling, we used theoretical sampling and data saturation. The inclusion criterion was 5 years of work experience in thesis supervision, and the exclusion criterion was the unwillingness to participate in the study. Firstly, we collected data in Shiraz University with the help of a research supervisor who is known for his high quality of supervision and then data gathering was initiated in the university of Isfahan. There were 34 key informants from the two universities and 22 individuals from other universities. Students were selected based on their willingness to participate.

Theoretical sampling was used next to develop the tentative theory. The basis for theoretical sampling was the queries that emerged during data analysis. At this stage, the researcher interviewed the supervisor, administrators, and students. Theoretical sampling facilitated in verifying the supervisors’ responses and credibility of categories and resulted in more conceptual density. Data saturation was obtained when no new data emerged in the last five interviews. Therefore, data gathering by interviews was terminated.

Data collection

We collected the data primarily by semi-structured interviews from September 2017 to September 2018. The participants were recognized with unknown codes based on their field of work and setting, and each participant was interviewed in one or two sessions. Having obtained the participants’ informed consent, we recorded the interviews and they were transcribed verbatim immediately. The interviews began with open-ended general questions such as, “What did you experience during research supervision?” and then the participants were asked to describe their perceptions regarding their expertise process. Leading questions were also used to deeply explore the conditions, processes, and other factors that participants recognized as significant issues. The interview was based mostly on the questions which came up during the interview. On average, each interview lasted for an hour, during which field notes and memos were taken. At the end of each session, the participants were asked to give an opinion on other important topics which did not come up during the interview, followed by data collection and analysis which are simultaneously done in grounded theory; analytic thought and queries that arose from one interview were carried to the next one [ 20 ].

The data were also collected by unstructured observations of the educational atmosphere in the laboratory, and the faculty member and students’ counseling offices. These observations lasted 5 weeks, during which the faculties and students’ interactions and the manner of supervision were closely monitored. The observation was arranged to sample the maximum variety of research supervisor activity for some faculty member who is known to be a good or poor supervisor and detailed organized field notes were kept.

Also, we used the field notes to reflect emergent analytic concepts as a source of three angulations of data, frequently reconsidering the data, and referring to field notes in the context of each participant’s explanation. Analysis of the field notes facilitated in shaping contextual conditions and clarifying variations in the supervisors’ responses in each context. This led to the arrangement of several assumptions in the effect of contexts.

Data analysis

We simultaneously performed data collection and analysis. We read the scripts carefully several times and then entered them into MAXQDA (version10). We collected and analyzed the data practically and simultaneously by using a constant comparative method. Data were analyzed based on the 3-stage coding approach, including open, axial, and selective coding by Strauss and Corbin In the open coding stage, we extracted the basic concepts or meaning units from the gathered information. Then, more general concepts were formed by grouping similar concepts into one theme. The themes became clearer throughout the interviews. Then, the constructs of them were compared with each other to form tentative categories. After that, we conducted axial coding by using the guidelines given in Corbin and Strauss’s (2008) Paradigm Model [ 21 ]. The extracted themes (codes) in the previous (open coding) stage were summarized in 3 main themes during the axial coding stage, and then the core variables were selected in the selective coding stage [ 20 ]. To generate a reasonable theory to the community, a grounded theorist needs to condense the studied happenings a the precise sequence. To check the data against categories, the researcher asks questions related to certain categories and returns to the data to seek evidence. After developing a theory, the researcher is required to confirm the theory by comparing it with existing theories found in the recently available research [ 21 ]. We finalized the model after 5 days; during this time, we explained the relations between subcategories and the core category for realizing theoretical saturation and clarifying the theoretical power of the analysis explained about work as narration.

In terms of accuracy improvement, we used the Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, including credibility, dependability, conformability, and transferability [ 22 , 23 ].

To increase credibility, we collected data from different universities in Iran, and their credibility was also confirmed by three reviewers and experts in qualitative research. Also, some of the participants rechecked the data and the investigators’ description and interpretation of their experiences carefully. Prolonged engagement and tenacious observation facilitated the data credibility. In this way, the process of data collection and analysis took 12 months. Data triangulation and method triangulation also confirmed credibility [ 20 ]. The use of the maximum variation sampling method contributed to the dependability and conformability of data. Furthermore, once the explanation of the phenomenon was full, it was returned for confirmation to 3 participants of each university, and they validated the descriptions. Finally, to attain transferability, we adequately described the data in this article, so that a judgment of transferability can be made by readers.

Ethical considerations

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences (92–6746). The participants were informed about the research aim and interviews. Informed consent for conducting and recording the interview was obtained. The confidentiality of the participants’ information was maintained throughout the study.

In this study, the mean age of the faculty members and students was 44.34 ± 14.60 and 28.54 ± 2.38 years, respectively. All the faculty members and most of the students were married. Only three students were single. Three themes and seven interrelated sub-themes emerged from the data (Table 1 ). The main variable, which explains the process of expertise as the phenomenon of concentration and makes an association among the categories, was interactive accountability. The key dimensions of the expertise process are displayed in a model (Fig. 1 ).

The process of expertise attainment in research supervisor model

Theme 1: engagement

In this theme, the initial phase of expertise, the supervisor starts to observe the others’ behavior in the students’ supervision and guidance based on the practical and cognitive skills previously acquired. They attempt to recognize the different needs based on the amount of their motivation and previous competence so that the models become important for them, and they recognize the scope of the needs based on their importance. Then, they try to understand the needs and values of real thesis supervision in this context. In this theme, two sub-themes, curious observation, and evaluation with reality emerged.

Curious observation

In this sub-theme, several concepts such as personal interest, self-awareness, ability to meet the students’ needs, ability to detect weaknesses in research skills, and observation of role models in this area act as the impellent factors in expertise attainment in research supervision.

Regarding personal interest, a successful faculty member in the area of research supervision said:

“…In my experience, faculties must be selected from those who have curious personalities as well as being good observers, first of all. In this way, they will have the appropriate intrinsic character to acquire knowledge in guidance and supervision)…” (Faculty member N0.3)

According to our participants, the most important intrinsic motivation is the desire to update the content knowledge and skills in research supervision. An experienced professor said:

“ … The knowledge gap between the new and old generations of faculty members is what forced me to update my knowledge...and it has been detected by myself…” (Faculty member N0.3).

Another important intrinsic motivation is the ability to meet the educational and research needs of students. However, usually these needs are combined; one of the faculty members put it:

“…I would like to be an expert in this process (thesis supervision) to meet my students’ needs. Because I have seen and felt this need many times before…” (Faculty member N0.12).

Since the publication of research directly affects the promotion of a faculty, some professors seek skills that are practical in article publication such as several statistical and basic skills for thesis writing. The participants considered the self-awareness and consciousness elements as very important. Through consciousness, one can better understand their needs.

Evaluation with reality

In this sub-theme, in the initial phase maintaining academic dignity and competition motivates the faculty members to obtain expertise in research supervision. At this point, the supervisor evaluates themself and their potentialities considering more precise features and acquired information (or data), so that they can find the distance between the optimal state and the existing conditions. They also evaluate the others’ potentialities in this field realistically and compete. Good supervision is then highlighted for them. Based on the supervisors’ experience, at this stage, they are seriously engaged in evaluation and competition.

Another motivation was obtaining academic and social promotion. Although the number of theses supervised by them can affect the academic promotion of supervisors, this effect is insignificant. The real motivation is maintaining academic dignity and competition amongst peers. A member of the clinical faculties stated:

“ … To enhance academic dignity, a faculty member should master various skills such as patient care, teaching, educational skills, and last but not least, research supervision. I got involved in research and thesis supervision because I felt I should not be left behind…” ( Faculty member N0.17).

At this stage, the junior supervisor tries to increase the cognitive knowledge in research supervision such as increasing specific knowledge of the discipline, planning, directing of a project effectively, and developing good interpersonal skills presented in research supervision.

Theme 2: supervision climate

In this theme, we describe the contextual factor which changes the process of expertise attainment in thesis supervisors. The result of the study reflects some concerns about the relationship between individuals in the context in that they interact purposefully but with barriers. The supervision climate in the thesis supervision process in this theme led to the emergence of two sub-themes, challenging shortcomings and role ambiguity. These challenges include poorly structured rules and regulations which, in turn, can cause confusion and role ambiguity.

Challenging shortcomings

This report shows that contextual factor plays a significant role in promoting the quality of a thesis in a university, but the process is faced with altered challenges such as inadequate resources, inadequate time, and ineffective evaluation and rule and regulation deficit. These challenges include the following. Most faculty members and students have experienced these shortcomings.

Various inadequate resources, such as access to new and online journals, laboratory equipment were one of the challenges for supervisors in certain aspects which required more competency, and the constraints on communication with the other academic centers worldwide undermine the sense of competition and hinder the effort put in to become an expert. One of the students said: “… I see how difficult it is to gain access to a good article or laboratory materials in this situation …we try, but it just isn’t possible...” (Faculty member N0.17).

Based on our results, the sudden changes in personal life, work position, and organizational change can affect the path to expertise. These changes such as marriage, work overload, admission of students over the capacity, new rules and regulation of scholar citizenship, promotion and so on can have both positive and negative impacts, depending on whether they facilitate or restrict the professional development of faculties as supervisors. For instance, an increase in student admission causes work overload, which results in neglecting self-improvement.

“…As you know, we are over- loaded with students (they have increased the number of admissions), which is beyond our capacity. This means that most of our time will be dedicated to teaching. Self-improvement is difficult due to lack of time…” (Faculty member N0.6).

Role ambiguity

Poorly structured supervision can occur where there is an ambiguous context of supervision structure, supervisors and students’ roles. Most participants, as faculty members, managers, and students have experienced some difficulties in this regard, due to poorly structured rules(EDITORS NOTE; do you mean ‘rules and regulations ‘here) and regulations and its impact on the thesis supervision. It is not only the rules themselves but also the way they are implemented. One of the faculty members expressed confusion over the rules related to the dissertation as follows:

“…It should be made clear what I must do exactly. It is obvious regarding supervision on the work of students; there are not the same expectations from an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and a professor. Most problems occur as a result of the gap in legislation; For example, the rules imply a full Professor does not need a statistical consult, while many supervisors like me do not have enough knowledge and skills in statistical analysis...” (Faculty member N0.1).

Failure to implement the rules also increases the sense of this ambiguity, and there are no specific rules for verifying capability and audits to determine inadequate experts in thesis supervision. The role ambiguity or unclear roles and responsibilities of the supervisor and student in the thesis process were other limitations that were emphasized by the majority of participants. A faculty member stated:

“… Supervisors have different roles during the thesis process. To enhance this process, one must exactly know one’s responsibilities. For instance, in the beginning, the supervisor should guide the students through the process of finding a suitable research topic, but if the teacher's role is unclear, then instead of guiding they may actually choose the topic, and if so, the students will be prevented from exploring, using their creative thinking, and improving their problem-solving abilities…” (Faculty member N0.1).

Various performance

Based on the participants’ experiences, in this situation in which there are inadequate resources and organizational and social problems, some faculty members are well-trained in the field of supervision. One of the senior faculty members said: “It is my honor to mention that despite the existence of many obstacles, I have been able to train well-educated students, who have become researchers and contribute to the development of science in my country.”

One of the most important causes of poor performance is ineffective evaluation. Based on the participants experiences, two main problems can result in ineffective evaluation. First of all is the inadequate feedback from the supervisor which leads to unmotivated learners and the second one is lack of feedback from the stakeholders and educational institutes which in turn diminishes the supervisor’s efforts toward self-improvement. These can lead to poor performance both in students and supervisors.

In one of the Ph.D. student’s words:

“…In this system, there is no supervision on the supervisors; there is no control or evaluation of their work. Also, the supervisors don't get feedback from their students during the research process, and there is no third person who investigates whether the report is real or not…” (student N0. 7).

Evidence from data suggests that an unfair judgment and evaluation of academic theses are other problems in the process of acquiring the merit of teachers. If there isn’t proper evaluation, students and supervisors would not have the right standards to correct their performance.

The professors do not always consider the lack of expertise to be the only cause of poor performance. Many believe that inadequate monitoring can also reduce the motivation for quality performance. This means that supervisors may obtain the necessary expertise, but they are not motivated to enhance their performance since they are not expected to do this. One student had experienced:

“…I was so thrilled that my thesis supervisor was an experienced, older and well-known professor, but unfortunately, I soon found out that not only was his scientific knowledge outdated, but also he lacked the necessary supervision skills, so he let the students do all the work unsupervised. He did not take any responsibility during the process…” (Student N0.4).

Another point which leads to poor performance is the fact that some faculty members do not comprehend the main purpose of the thesis writing process; actually, they do not know the difference between teaching and guiding in the project or thesis supervision. One of the basic science supervisors said: “… Some faculties consider a thesis as research work and not a lesson in which research methodology should be taught...” (Faculty member N0.5).

Performing poorly along with ignoring professional ethics can also lead to increased tension and stress in student-teacher relationships. This can result in despondency and frustration in both students and teachers and create a vicious cycle of inefficient supervisors who will train inefficient students or future supervisors.

One of the students put it this way:

“...I feel the absence of a supervisor in my research; I would have been more successful, and my results would have been better if I had had more guidance.” (Student N0.6).

Theme 3: maturation

In this theme, the secondary phase of expertise, the individual is emotionally involved and feels that success or failure is important. This is a stage in which the learner needs an integrated schedule to be competent, and as a result, success or failure will follow. The supervisors frequently think about personal promotion and takes action in this way. They try out different approaches, and sometimes due to disappointment and embarrassment they fail. Some individuals quit at this stage and never reach competence, or they have what may be called an artificial competence. And this does not mean that they are not considered to be well-known supervisors; rather, they know, as do the students, that they are not competent. At this stage, the supervisor attempts to acquire the identity of a researcher and tries to enhance his availability, and be dutiful, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic in research supervision. Along the lines of this theme, three sub-themes of Reflection in action, Reflection on action, and Interactive accountability emerged.

Reflection in action

In this sub-theme, the patterns of expertise development begin, and self-directed learning, participatory teaching and learning strategies through a hidden curriculum are considered. At this stage, the supervisor tries to follow self-directed learning, and the amount of time allocated to expertise acquirement seems to be one of the most important factors. In this regard, one stated:

“…My success in this case (research supervision) is, first of all, due to self-evaluation and self-effort. For instance, to be in control and take full responsibility, I think about everything related to the guidance of the students, and I felt the need to master every aspect of research, even the statistical skills needed for analysis…” (Faculty member N0.8).

The supervisors’ activities were divided into two groups: self-directed –learning strategy and gaining experience through individual effort. Expertise requires continuous interaction and experience. They evaluate their learning, and by this, they experience the manner of managing and allocating time for effective supervision. According to participants, the amount of time allocation for expertise seems to be one of the most important factors for self-directed learning and expertise acquirement.

The formal training workshops provided an opportunity for supervisors with similar terms and the same problems in terms of learning experiences, environmental features, students, and educational problems to come together in one place. Participants also considered the formal participatory teaching necessary since it can provide an opportunity for the peers to get together and exchange their experiences. As a clinical faculty member put it:

“…Collaborative strategies can be beneficial in many ways. One of them is the facilitation of experience exchanges amongst teachers, peers, and colleagues and modeling the behavior of teachers and teaching workshops that emphasize the importance of their expertise in research supervision…” (Faculty member N0.1).

In our participants’ experience, this self-directed learning is effective if, and only if, it is done accompanied by proper training and participatory teaching. Otherwise, it is a waste of time. As an example, one of the students in this field said:

“…my supervisor was a great teacher and put in a lot of time and effort on my thesis supervision; however, due to his lack of research skills, I had to change my thesis proposal three times. However, after he participated in a training course at the University of Oxford, his progress was unbelievable and impressive…and I saw his expertise…” (Student N0.11).

One of the faculty members also quoted:

“…When the teachers feel a gap in their knowledge or skill, the university must provide a comfortable, appropriate, and easy way for learning them …” (Faculty member N0.10).

Regarding this subject, one of the Managers in this field stated:

“…Another improvement strategy is the use of interpersonal interactions among faculty members, these instructive interpersonal interactions among the faculty members in similar conditions make it possible to benefit from peers’ feedback …” (Manager N0.1).

A hidden curriculum strategy, like learning through trial and error can also affect the expertise process. One of the professors expressed:

“… Learning through trial and error is very effective; through the supervision of each thesis, we learn some of our mistakes and try not to remake them in the next one …” (Faculty member N0.3).

Reflection on action

The learner provides an integrated schedule for their competence and uses all the facilitators and facilities around them for further efficiency and promotion. This stage is named Conditional Self-efficacy by expertise experience. At this stage, the supervisor is considered a competent individual who can guide the students based on the experiences of specialized and non-specialized faculty members.

In this regard, one of the students said:

“…I can acknowledge that my supervisor functioned very impressively in this thesis, but guidance and supervision are not static; rather, it is an active process. To be a good supervisor, the faculty members should try to keep up to date and revise their attitudes, duties, and their specialty and knowledge. …” (Student N0.3).

According to the participants, at this stage the supervisors have achieved meta-competence and general characteristics or professional value; are able to guide the students and others; and develop characteristics such as acquiring specific knowledge of the discipline, especially well-organized knowledge, planning, directing of a project effectively, having good interpersonal skills, and being dutiful, knowledgeable and enthusiastic in research.

One of the PhD students states: “… My supervisor is typical of an expert. His ingenious inquiries, extraordinary attention to science and his personality have always been admired and he has been a role model for me…” (Student N0.6).

For example, the supervisors attend educational programs on scientific writing and thesis evaluation as well as ethics in research and apply them in team work. Gradually, their competency can enable them to function as a good supervisor for their students. At this stage, the supervisor develops so that they can respond due to discovery and intuition. These responses replace their dubious and unskilled reactions. The supervisor now reflects various stages of supervision and guidance. They take action, and in fact, a part of their reactions are achieved through observation and recognition. In this stage, they not only recognize what should be done but also distinguish how to achieve it with more precise discretion. A competent person does the appropriate task in the most appropriate time using the right platform.

The time period required for training or acquiring expertise varies from one person to another. Some individuals become experts very soon, whilst it takes others longer.. As one of the professors said:

“…In the beginning, I was too concerned with my responsibility as a thesis supervisor and was not sure what I should do. However, after ten years of experience, I have gained a sense of awareness which makes supervision easier for me. Of course, up to date knowledge and skill as to managing a thesis are always necessary. It took me about 12 years to reach where I am today. Furthermore, an individual who is expert at present, will not be so in two years, so I want to say that the expertise in thesis supervision in a continuum, which depends on the supervisor’s reflections on work and activity …” (Faculty member N0.15).

The continuous path of expertise in supervision can be affected by various factors. This has resulted in a range of expertise and performance in supervisors. This range and continuum is a theme that most of our participants agreed with. One of the managers revealed:

“…There is surely a continuum of expertise. We cannot deny the expert supervisors; however, the existence of those with poor supervising skills must also be acknowledged (in thesis supervision). There are those on whose ethics, honesty, and knowledge we can rely on. On the other hand, there are a few who are not as trustworthy as needed.” (Manager N0.1).

The core variable: interactive accountability

As shown in Fig. 1 , through this survey, we found that the core variable in thesis supervision process is the interactive accountability shaped by interactions of supervisors and students in an academic setting, so to enhance the accountability, each group must take responsibility and do his or her job. In this regard, one of the managers claimed:

“…When supervisors find themselves responsible, and the university officials recognize this responsibility, the supervisors are motivated to seek expertise and try to enhance their competencies and acquire learning strategies because of being accountable…” (Manager N0.2)

This means that teachers must be responsive to the needs of students, university and community. Accountability is a mutual interaction between the students and their supervisor, in other words, if the student is responsive to his duties, he creates motivation in his supervisor. One of the participants commented;

“…I've always tried to be a competent thesis supervisor, so that I have the ability to meet the needs of the community and university as well as students. I say to myself when I accept the supervision of a thesis, I should be well accountable for its results…” (Faculty member N0.32)

This study aimed at exploring the processes of expertise among thesis supervisors based on the experience of faculty members, students, and managers of Iranian universities of medical sciences. The section concludes with an explanation of how these themes are a cohesive relationship, which enables the expertise development of supervisors. It seems that the core variable in the expertise process is the concept of interactive accountability and efforts to acquire the capacity to respond to the students and academic needs. This will help them to promote their professional behavior in research supervision. The importance of accountability and various types of ability in thesis supervision has also been emphasized by other studies [ 24 , 25 , 26 ]. It was also mentioned as the major feature of the supervisor in other studies [ 26 , 27 ].

In this study, “accountability” emerged as the behavioral pattern through which the supervisors resolved their main concern of being an expert in being responsive to academic and students’ needs. Supervision training is complex since academic choices in the real world can depend on supervisor characteristics. The results of this study revealed that in the initial phase of supervision, observation, evaluation, and reflection in action and maturation stage in the secondary phase were the major themes that emerged. This result compared with Bandura’s social learning and self-efficacy theory was significant in similarity and difference. Bandura believes that achieving self-efficacy is one of the most important contributors to competence. In his model, he suggested four sources of self-efficacy, including previous accomplishments, vicarious experiences such as having a role model, verbal persuasion such as coaching and evaluative feedback, and emotional arousal [ 28 , 29 ]. Likewise, in this study, we found that the emotional arousals such as personal interest in cooperative learning, peer competition, meeting the needs of students, self-awareness and the need for upgrading are the significant factors for the faculties’ expertise. Also, our participants found that the utilization of previous experiences is the most effective method of achieving personal competence. However, this study indicates conditional expertise, which means if an expert’s information is not up to date and they do not make any effort in this regard, being an expert and having expertise is not a permanent condition.

This study also revealed that self-effort, workshops, and role models, as part of a hidden curriculum, are influential methods of teacher empowerment which agrees with the results of some studies such as those of Britzman et al. and Patel et al. Patel et al. have also suggested the importance of role modeling; they believe that modeling and observing other faculty members behavior is an effective tool for promoting and strengthening the sense of efficacy in learners [ 30 , 31 ].

Based on our study results, among the learning methods used in Iran, the collaborative education and problem-based learning is the widely accepted method which is preferred by most faculties. Therefore, cooperative and collaborative learning strategies can be used in educating the faculty members towards expertise in supervision, as revealed in other studies [ 32 , 33 ].

Lack of time is reported by supervisors to be one of the most common barriers in trying to become an expert and carry out respectable worthy supervision, and taking one’s time is acknowledged as a motivating factor for putting in more effort in thesis supervision [ 34 , 35 , 36 ].

The effect of contextual factors is studied in several surveys [ 36 , 37 , 38 ]. Gillet et al. state that contextual and organizational factors play a key role in the competence of teachers in research supervision [ 36 ]. This study also showed that faculty expertise in thesis supervision was significantly affected by the impact of contextual interventional factors such as sudden changes, structural shortcomings, and educational environment. Based on our and other studies’ results, among the sudden changes, increased workload due to the increase in the student population has greatly affected expertise. Moreover, while an increase in the workload can lead to more experienced faculty members, it is very time-consuming and, therefore, reduces the chance to obtain new information and skills in thesis supervision [ 33 , 37 ].

Similar to our study, other studies such as those of Al-Naggar et al. and Yousefi et al. have also found insufficient monitoring and lack of formative evaluations to be one of the main obstacles in the thesis supervision process. Studies have indicated that to improve the supervision process, careful planning and incentive rules must be applied [ 5 , 34 ]. Similarly, our participants mentioned that rules and regulations which have resulted in the positive effect of research on scholarship and promotion had truly motivated them. Like our study, other studies in Iran have also found that the amount of time allocated to learning is one of the influential factors affecting the faculty members’ expertise [ 13 , 38 ]. A malfunctioning relationship between the student and supervisors can affect both of them negatively; that is, it can compel the students to misbehave and also reduce the teachers’ motivation to develop better skills. This malfunction may be due to the lack of constructive interactions or paternalism leadership in research supervision [ 39 , 40 ]. As shown in Fig. 1 , this study provided a conceptual framework that can be used in policy making and studies of expertise development in research supervision. This framework is based on the perception and experience of the majority of those involved in the thesis process. It also provides teachers with an opportunity to compare and share their experiences.

This model has three fields of experience, which yields a comprehensive gradient of the factors used for the development and progress of thesis supervision quality. In other words, it is a rational structure that makes an effort to cover a comprehensible number of stages, of concept, achievement, and impact or consequence. In other words, this model is a combination of a great number of items that help to recognize the present and future processes of expertise in thesis supervision, and future challenges in this area which predict results and impacts of supervisor’s knowledge, attitude and research supervision. Table one offers the categories and clarifications [ 17 ].

This study is based on our overall model of expertise attainment. This model reveals that specific personal efforts such as observation of prior knowledge, evaluation or self-assessments alongside the university contextual dynamics help to figure out how supervisors select their approaches and engagements, and respond carefully to their task, which in turn impacts the supervisors’ level of expertise and, finally, outcomes such as work and perseverance, which then help them to become an expert. Similar to the social learning theory of Bandura, this model also states that there is a mutual relationship between different parts that can mutually affect one another. For instance, faculty members have shown in various studies how one’s previous academic success and failure can affect the future levels of involvement and motivation. Based on the study aims, we focused on only three of the components of the model: observation, evaluation, and self-efficacy; in terms of motivational processes, we focused on four motivational components. The first is self-efficacy, defined as students’ judgments of supervisor abilities to carry out a task, and their beliefs about their ability to do so show the highest levels of academic achievement and also engagement in academic behaviors promoting learning.

Through the use of this grounded theory, we can begin to understand the supervisors’ challenges and why it may be difficult to become an expert in research supervision in practice. The junior supervisors curiously observe and evaluate their environment by reflection and in action and do their best to attain knowledge and skills in the supervision of the theses, so that they can reach maturation. They are mainly supported by prior knowledge of the research supervision, which they had acquired when they were students. The concept of “interactive accountability” refers to the fact that if the supervisor is responsive to the students’ needs, they can be an expert in supervision. If they cannot overcome the barriers and shortcomings such as lack of time, they will not attain expertise in thesis supervision.

Strengths and limitations of the study

This grounded theory study describes the main dimensions of expertise in research supervision from straight reports of a large qualitative sample ( n = 84) which consists of thesis supervisors, from all Iranian universities in three different data collection phases. Like other qualitative research, the results of this study cannot be generalized; therefore, it is recommended that the researchers conduct further qualitative research in other contexts to support these findings.

Despite the above limitations, we believe that this model can be useful for supervisors in the thesis supervision area, not only in analyzing the supervisors’ experience of supervision and being an expert but also in recognizing the areas of intervention or development of teacher training.

Implications of the study

The findings of the present study will help administrators to choose the supervisor with definite criteria in medical sciences institutes and facilitate the expertise in the supervision process through elimination of the shortcomings and improvement of the educational climate. The supervisor’s interest, talent, and capabilities should be assessed at the beginning of their employment as academic staff. Supervisors should attend educational workshops for updating their knowledge about supervision. It is recommended that collaborative strategies and methods should be used, so that we can contribute to the process of becoming an expert. The assessment of supervisors’ functioning in supervising and provision of feedback can contribute to the process of expertise. Feedback received from students about their supervisors will improve the supervisor’s further expertise and capabilities. For future studies survey on the impact of successful models in thesis supervision, disclosure analysis studies about student and supervisor are recommended.

In this study, we aimed to find out how thesis supervisors achieve expertise in supervision. The results of our study indicated that thesis supervisors achieve expertise in supervision in two stages of engagement and maturation. The emotional need to be responsive towards peers and students is the main motivation for the acquisition of competency at observation and evaluation phase of engagement. Through the evaluation and observation phase, the supervisors reach cognitive competence, such as research skills. Also, in the maturation phases, they reach meta-competence in research supervision such as problem-solving and resolving dilemmas by reflection in and when exposed to dilemmas. Meanwhile, the effects of supervision climate include shortcomings and role ambiguities which should be taken into account. According to this model, when supervisors are exposed to such problems, they apply multiple strategies, such as self-directed and collaborative learning; and learning by trial and error and from the role models. This will help them to promote their professional behavior in research supervision. This study indicated that interactive accountability, as the core variable, can be guaranteed in thesis supervisors by making the role clear, creating a supportive context, and improving the academic competencies of staff in an ongoing fashion. Therefore, this can promote constructive expertise in supervisors and foster a deeper understanding of the supervisor’s expertise in thesis supervision.

Availability of data and materials

The datasets produced and analyzed during the present study are not publicly accessible due to participant confidentiality, but are obtainable from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgments

The researchers would like to thank all research participants of Medical Sciences Universities (faculty, student, and managers) who contributed to the study. The authors would also like to thank the Education Development Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences for cooperation in this study and special thanks to Professor Shokrpoour for her editing.

The present article was extracted from the thesis written by Leila Bazrafkan. The design and implementation of the project was financially supported by Esfahan University of Medical Sciences (Grant No. 92–6746).

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LB developed the study design, conducted the interviews and analysis, ensured trustworthiness, and drafted the manuscript. AY, as the supervisor participated in the study design, supervised the codes and data analysis process, and revised the manuscripts. NY as research advisor participated in the study and provided guidance during the study and MA revised the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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LB is an assistant professor of medical education in Medical Education Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,

AY is Professor of Medical Education Dept., Medical Education Research Center, University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan

MA is Professor of Medical Education in the Medical Education Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences,

NY Associate Professor of Medical Education Dept., Medical Education Research Center, University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

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Correspondence to Nikoo Yamani .

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Bazrafkan, L., Yousefy, A., Amini, M. et al. The journey of thesis supervisors from novice to expert: a grounded theory study. BMC Med Educ 19 , 320 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1739-z

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Dissertation supervision.

This article was originally published in the Spring 2001 issue of the CFT’s newsletter, Teaching Forum.

By Peggy Thoits, Professor of Sociology

During her career, Peggy Thoits has worked with graduate students at three major universities- Princeton, Indiana, and Vanderbilt- and supervised numerous dissertations. She has also been honored for her effectiveness as a mentor to women at Vanderbilt. Here, she describes her approach to working one-on-one with students during the dissertation process.

Dissertation supervision is one of the most enjoyable forms of one-on-one teaching. Dissertation students are working on interesting questions that really matter, and for me, this makes it intrinsically more enjoyable than other forms of independent study.

Dissertation supervision differs in other ways from other forms of independent study. With other individual study formats, the process is guided by me. I know what happens next. I know what the student should do next. But in the dissertation stage, it’s really much more mutual. Other kinds of individual supervision are graded, so there’s an explicit contract and an explicit product and an explicit process. In contrast, dissertation guidance is absolutely open ended; it depends on the dissertation student. In a way, it’s really student-initiated and student-directed. I provide information and guidance when it truly is missing, but more often I am responding to the next stages that the dissertation student has reached.

In deciding whether or not to supervise a dissertation it’s important for there to be some familiarity between the graduate student and the advisor and some sort of connection between the student’s topic and the advisor’s areas of expertise. Otherwise, I don’t think the supervision goes very well. In my experience, students who’ve never taken a seminar with me and whose interests may or may not fit within my general areas may need to be gently guided to some other potential advisors.

Once the advisor and the student are satisfied they have a good match, the work of the dissertation can begin. Because of my philosophy that dissertation work is largely student-directed and student-initiated, my personal involvement can vary widely and is based on the needs of individual and the phase of the dissertation research itself.

When the graduate student is early on in his or her development of a topic, my involvement varies from weekly meetings to occasional conferences, depending on how far along the student’s thinking has moved. If the topic is coming out of a prior research project, then the topic may be a natural extension of the preliminary work and there’s less need for frequent meetings to hammer out what the dissertation is going to do. If the student is starting cold with a new idea or an area in which she or he hasn’t done a lot of work before, then my advice usually is to have frequent meetings, one a week, until both the advisee and the advisor feel like they’re on the same page in terms of the topic, its importance, and its suitability as a topic for dissertation research.

When the student begins working on a written proposal, there may be a hiatus in the meetings because the graduate goes off to write. Here is an area where the variability on the whole process starts to emerge. There are folks who go away for two months and come back with 35 pages of rough draft that are in reasonable shape and there are people who go off and write five pages and come back and discuss the next section and then go off and write those five pages and return for more discussion.

This is an example of letting the graduate student lead. Whatever he or she needs, at the proposal writing stage, I’ll do. People have different writing styles, different paces, and different needs at that stage and I try to work within that.

Once the proposal is defended, a whole new stage of relationship emerges. The student is off doing the instrumental tasks of the dissertation and I may not see him or her but once a month or once every two months. I might even just get e-mail reports from graduate students at various stages of the data collection process when questions or issues arise that haven’t been anticipated. Sometimes we’ll have a periodic update meeting just to keep me informed of where things are and what decisions are being made in the process of doing the research. But again, that varies from person to person. I accommodate whatever style a person needs, because these needs are really variable. The analytical stage is fun, we end up having conversations more often and talking in more detail. Once the writing begins, my advisees and I often barely see one another. We are communicating through paper. I get a written, hard copy of a chapter, and I give written feedback both in terms of things that need to be fleshed out, and alternative arguments that could be tested and rebutted here. I may suggest redoing the analysis so that the findings may be simpler and easier to present.

For me, the key has been to let the relationship between me and the graduate student ebb and flow with the phases of the dissertation research and the individual needs of that student.

Preparation for both the proposal defense and the dissertation defense is a final area in which the one-on-one teaching relationship can be very helpful. Some faculty may forget that students don’t know what’s going to happen. It’s useful for the advisor and advisee to meet before the dissertation defense (and also the proposal defense), and talk through what the student should expect.

My best advice about both a good dissertation defense and a good proposal defense is that they are the only two times in a person’s career when people will sit around and concentrate on his or her work only. It’s important students know that the committee’s goal is not to stop them or to hurt them or to show them up. Their goal is to help make the student’s research be the best it can possibly be. If the faculty member, the committee, and the dissertation student have done the work they needed to do prior to the defense, it can be an exhilarating capstone experience in the process.

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Dissertation Advisor 101

How to get the most from the student-supervisor relationship

By: Derek Jansen (MBA) | Expert Reviewer: Dr Eunice Rautenbach | January 2024

Many students feel a little intimidated by the idea of having to work with a research advisor (or supervisor) to complete their dissertation or thesis. Similarly, many students struggle to “connect” with their advisor and feel that the relationship is somewhat strained or awkward. But this doesn’t need to be the case!

In this post, we’ll share five tried and tested tips to help you get the most from this relationship and pave the way for a smoother dissertation writing process.

Overview: Working With Your Advisor

Clarify everyone’s roles on day one
Establish (and stick to) a regular communication cycle
Develop a clear project plan upfront
Be proactive in engaging with problems
Navigate conflict like a diplomat

1. Clarify roles on day one

Each university will have slightly different expectations, rules and norms in terms of the research advisor’s role. Similarly, each advisor will have their own unique way of doing things. So, it’s always a good idea to begin the engagement process by clearly defining the roles and expectations in your relationship.

In practical terms, we suggest that you initiate a conversation at the very start of the engagement to discuss your goals, their expectations, and how they would like to work with you. Of course, you might not like what you hear in this conversation. However, this sort of candid conversation will help you get on the same page as early as possible and set the stage for a successful partnership.

To help you get started, here are some questions that you might consider asking in your initial conversation:

How often would you like to meet and for how long?
What should I do to prepare for each meeting?
What aspects of my work will you comment on (and what won’t you cover)?
Which key decisions should I seek your approval for beforehand?
What common mistakes should I try to avoid from the outset?
How can I help make this partnership as effective as possible?
My academic goals are… Do you have any suggestions at this stage to help me achieve this?

As you can see, these types of questions help you get a clear idea of how you’ll work together and how to get the most from the relatively limited face time you’ll have.

Need a helping hand?

2. Establish a regular communication cycle

Just like in any relationship, effective communication is crucial to making the student-supervisor relationship work. So, you should aim to establish a regular meeting schedule and stick to it. Don’t cancel or reschedule appointments with your advisor at short notice, or do anything that suggests you don’t value their time. Fragile egos are not uncommon in the academic world, so it’s important to clearly demonstrate that you value and respect your supervisor’s time and effort .

Practically speaking, be sure to prepare for each meeting with a clear agenda , including your progress, challenges, and any questions you have. Be open and honest in your communication, but most importantly, be receptive to your supervisor’s feedback . Ultimately, part of their role is to tell you when you’re missing the mark. So, don’t become upset or defensive when they criticise a specific aspect of your work.

Always remember that your research advisor is criticising your work, not you personally . It’s never easy to take negative feedback, but this is all part of the learning journey that takes place alongside the research journey.

Fragile egos are not uncommon in the academic world, so it’s important to demonstrate that you value and respect your advisor’s time.

3. Have a clear project plan

Few things will impress your supervisor more than a well-articulated, realistic plan of action (aka, a project plan). Investing the time to develop this shows that you take your project (and by extension, the relationship) seriously. It also helps your supervisor understand your intended timeline, which allows the two of you to better align your schedules .

In practical terms, you need to develop a project plan with achievable goals . A detailed Gantt chart can be a great way to do this. Importantly, you’ll need to break down your thesis or dissertation into a collection of practical, manageable steps , and set clear timelines and milestones for each. Once you’ve done that, you should regularly review and adjust this plan with your supervisor to ensure that you remain on track.

Of course, it’s unlikely that you’ll stick to your plan 100% of the time (there are always unexpected twists and turns in a research project. However, this plan will lay a foundation for effective collaboration between yourself and your supervisor. An imperfect plan beats no plan at all.

4. Engage with problems proactively

One surefire way to quickly annoy your advisor is to pester them every time you run into a problem in your dissertation or thesis. Unexpected challenges are par for the course when it comes to research – how you deal with them is what makes the difference.

When you encounter a problem, resist the urge to immediately send a panicked email to your supervisor – no matter how massive the issue may seem (at the time). Instead, take a step back and assess the situation as holistically as possible. Force yourself to sit with the issue for at least a few hours to ensure that you have a clear, accurate assessment of the issue at hand. In most cases, a little time, distance and deep breathing will reveal that the problem is not the existential threat it initially seemed to be.

When contacting your supervisor, you should ideally present both the problem and one or two potential solutions . The latter is the most important part here. In other words, you need to show that you’ve engaged with the issue and applied your mind to finding potential solutions. Granted, your solutions may miss the mark. However, providing some sort of solution beats impulsively throwing the problem at your supervisor and hoping that they’ll save the day.

Simply put, mishaps and mini-crises in your research journey present an opportunity to demonstrate your initiative and problem-solving skills – not a reason to lose your cool and outsource the problem to your supervisor.

5. Navigate conflict like a diplomat

As with any partnership, there’s always the possibility of some level of disagreement or conflict arising within the student-supervisor relationship. Of course, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of this happening by implementing some of the points we mentioned earlier. Neverthless, if a serious disagreement does arise between you and your supervisor, it’s absolutely essential that you approach it with professionalism and respect . Never let it escalate into a shouting contest.

In practical terms, it’s important to communicate your concerns as they arise (don’t let things simmer for too long). Simultaneously, it’s essential that you remain open to understanding your supervisor’s perspective – don’t become entrenched in your position. After all, you are the less experienced researcher within this duo.

Keep in mind that a lot of context is lost in text-based communication , so it can often be a good idea to schedule a short call to discuss your concerns or points of contention, rather than sending a 3000-word email essay. When going this route, be sure to take the time to prepare a clear, cohesive argument beforehand – don’t just “thought vomit” on your supervisor.

In the event that you do have a significant disagreement with your advisor, remember that the goal is to find a solution that serves your project (not your ego). This often requires compromise and flexibility. A “win at all costs” mindset is definitely not suitable here. Ultimately, you need to solve the problem, while still maintaining the relationship .

If you feel that you have already exhausted all possible avenues and still can’t find an acceptable middle ground, you can of course reach out to your university to ask for their assistance. However, this should be the very last resort . Running to your university every time there’s a small disagreement will not serve you well.

Communicate your concerns as they arise and remain open to understanding your supervisor's perspective. They are the expert, after all.

Recap: Key Takeaways

To sum up, a fruitful student-supervisor relationship hinges on clear role definition , effective and regular communication , strategic planning , proactive engagement , and professional conflict resolution .

Remember, your dissertation supervisor is there to help you, but you still need to put in the work . In many cases, they’ll also be the first marker of your work, so it really pays to put in the effort and build a strong, functional relationship with them.

Psst... there’s more!

This post was based on one of our popular Research Bootcamps . If you're working on a research project, you'll definitely want to check this out ...

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Responsibilities of the supervisor

This page contains detailed information about the role and responsibilities of a postgraduate supervisor, including research planning and thesis requirements. Its content is relevant to staff and students across all of the UK, China and Malaysia campuses.

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Note: In addition to the responsibilities detailed in this section, Postgraduate Student Advisors should also see the additional Covid-19 related responsibilities for Heads of Schools, PGR Directors and Supervisors for 2020-21. For more information, please consult the following:

Responsibilities of the Head of School, Supervisor and Director of PGR Programme - Additional guidance for the 2020-21 academic year in response to Covid-19

Supervisors will provide guidance and assistance to PGRs so that they may carry out their research and present their results to the best advantage.

Every supervisor and every PGR will be provided with guidance on their respective roles and responsibilities.

2. Role of the supervisor

The general role of supervisors is to guide and assist PGRs until submission of their thesis and any subsequent period of corrections, until such a point that examiners have reached a final decision on the award of the degree. The roles of supervisor and examiner are quite distinct, and it is not one of the roles of the supervisor to assess the thesis.

The specific roles of supervisors may differ depending on the academic discipline, departmental practice and whether the member of staff is acting as lead, second, assistant, temporary or permanent supervisor. The lead supervisor (or delegate) will also consider requests for annual leave in line with School/Departmental policy.

3. Role of the assistant supervisor

Many postdoctoral research staff, level 4 Research Officers and research technicians make valuable contributions towards the supervision of the University’s PGRs.

The formal appointment of such staff as assistant supervisors as part of a supervisory team is intended to recognise and acknowledge this contribution and to identify the roles and responsibilities of assistant supervisors in order that this is clear to the candidate and all members of the supervisory team.

Assistant supervisors are responsible for:

providing regular support and advice to PGRs. This may include guidance on welfare matters and health and safety.
providing guidance on how to use equipment or specific research techniques and methods.
helping PGRs to resolve difficulties they encounter and/or direct them to others who can assist.
provide PGRs with informal feedback on their written work and/or presentations.
where applicable, contributing to the reporting of progress of PGRs noting that the level of involvement with this will be agreed, in advance, with the lead and co-supervisor(s).
encouraging PGRs to disseminate their research.
engaging with professional development opportunities to develop their supervisory practice including any mandatory training requirements.
ensuring they are familiar with policies and processes applicable to research degrees.

4. Continuing professional development

All supervisors must undertake continuing professional development, so that their work as a supervisor is supported.

Supervisors should take the initiative in updating their knowledge and skills by participating in a range of appropriate activities and sharing good practice.

More information on support for research supervisors can be found here:

Researcher Academy

5. Documentation check

Includes: responsibilities

At the outset the supervisor should check that the candidate has received information sent by the University concerning registration and that they have registered for that session.

Before or at initial registration or, at the latest within four weeks of initial registration, supervisors should check that all their PGRs have received copies of essential documentation relevant to their research studies or have been informed where to locate them on the web. As a minimum, this should include: information about registration and services, the School Handbook, and any relevant safety advice.

For more information about registration, please consult the following:

Student Services - registration

6. Research plan

Includes: assistance; designing a programme of research; for full-time doctoral students

Supervisors will assist their PGRs to plan their research studies, including helping them to define their research topic, to identify schemes and specific tasks, to identify the relevant research literature, databases and other relevant sources, and to be aware of the standards in the discipline.

The supervisor and candidate should design a programme of research in which (subject to research progress and taking into account special cases) all or much of the thesis will have been written up by the candidate by the end of their period of registered study. The design of the programme of research should not at the outset plan to include any period of thesis pending that the candidate is entitled to.

For full-time doctoral candidates on a three year programme, it is expected that the completion of the entire doctoral examination process is completed within four years. The PGR may need to register for some taught modules or attend research training courses - the supervisor will advise them how to do this.

7. Advising on regulations

Includes: understanding and knowledge; responsibilities

Supervisors should have a reasonable knowledge and understanding of the University's regulations governing research study and the University, Faculty and departmental procedures governing research study and supervision.

They are required to advise their PGRs on these regulations and procedures or, if they feel a question is outside their knowledge, to direct their PGR to other sources such as Student Services (or Central Administration at UNM and the Graduate School at UNNC).

Supervisors also have a responsibility to ensure that other members of the supervisory team are kept informed of the candidate’s progress, and any issues which may be having an impact on their programme.

8. Advising on services and facilities

Includes: responsibilities; review of PGR needs

Supervisors should have a reasonable knowledge of and be able to advise their PGRs on the availability of the University's academic services and facilities (for example library and computing facilities) and how to make use of them.

The supervisors in conjunction with the PGR should keep under review the facilities which are required in order to carry out the research and make these needs known to the Head of School.

9. Minimum number of supervisions

Includes: responsibility to provide appropriate and regular supervision; requirements for part-time PGRs

Supervisors are responsible for providing appropriate and regular supervision for their PGRs until submission of their thesis and any subsequent period of corrections, until such a point that examiners have reached a final decision on the award of the degree. They are also responsible for being accessible at mutually convenient times to listen and offer advice.

Students and supervisors are jointly responsible for arranging the supervision meetings.

Supervisors must provide their part-time candidates with a minimum of six recorded supervisions a year and their full-time candidates with a minimum of twelve recorded supervisions a year.

These supervisory meetings must be at least monthly for full time candidates and two-monthly for part time candidates. This is based on calendar months. Note, it is expected that in many cases the actual number of meetings between supervisors and candidates may exceed these minima.

If it is not possible for a meeting to take place as scheduled, the meeting should be re-arranged for the next available opportunity.

If no meetings are possible in any given month (or two months for part time students), the supervisor is responsible to ensure that the reason for the missed meeting is recorded appropriately. These reports should be regularly monitored by the School. University staff will review the missed meeting reports on a case by case basis, particularly for PGRs are at risk of breaching visa and immigration requirements, to see if any additional support is required. These requirements may also be modified under the rules for supervising students working off-site.

For students who are missing meetings, or who are not meeting the meeting minima requirements, the regulations governing attendance and engagement should be reviewed:

10. Format for supervisions

Includes: definition; purpose

A 'supervision meeting' is considered to be a any simultaneous contact between the supervisor(s) and PGR candidate for an academic purpose. It is important that at the supervision meetings the PGR’s progress to date and/or the future direction of their research or thesis writing is discussed. It is also necessary that these discussions must be summarised in writing so that they are available if required, for example for audit purposes, or to aid student wellbeing or support. These written reports must meet the minimum number requirements as detailed earlier.

There is no specified format for these meetings. For example, a daily chat at the lab bench and/or a pre-scheduled sit down meeting would meet these criteria, as long as a monthly report with a progress overview is still submitted. Group meetings of PGRs and/or seminars would be acceptable as long as the PGR’s progress to date and/or the future direction of their research or thesis writing is discussed.

A supervision meeting should typically take place as a face-to-face meeting, but can also include meetings conducted online, such as on Microsoft Teams. The exception to this is where the PGR is in the UK on a student visa, unless the student has been given formal permission to study at a different location, supervision meetings must be face-to-face and on campus.

11. Supervision record

Includes: reporting needs; annual review of PGRs

In order that proper audit of supervision provision can be carried out, so that supervisors may undertake continuous monitoring of their PGR’s progress, and records of this progress monitoring are available for formal Progression Review, supervisors are required to ensure the maintenance of a supervision record of at least the minimum number and frequency of supervision meetings a year (see Section 9 above).

Supervisors should advise their PGRs on the procedures for monitoring their progress which are described in the section of this Quality Manual entitled Progression Review of research students.

These include:

(i) Supervision Records - attendance at supervision sessions and completion of supervision records;

(ii) Progression Review - formal review of progress towards meeting the required outcomes, and assessment of whether the outcomes will be met in the required time. Completion of the Progression Review forms.

(iii) MPhil and doctoral registration - procedures for upgrading or downgrading candidates and for confirming MPhil or doctoral registration.

Supervisors may, from time to time, be required to provide reports on their PGR’s progress for other purposes and to other agencies, for example, the Research Councils and other sponsors. Such reports should be provided within the required deadline to ensure, in particular, that the continuation of candidate’s funding by outside agencies is not compromised.

For more information about the Progression Review of research students, please consult the following:

Progression Review of research students

12. Training needs

Includes: discussing personal, academic and professional skills; PGR training programme; research ethics; Code of research conduct and research ethics

The supervisor should discuss with the PGR what personal, academic and professional skills training they require in order to complete their research degree and to provide a skills base for a future career.

The supervisor should agree with the candidate a research training programme which is compatible with the PGRs needs and which is achievable in relation to the research commitments within the limits of their registered period of study, making it clear where attendance at training courses is compulsory or voluntary. This programme should be reviewed each year.

The supervisors should take reasonable steps to ensure that the PGR’s training needs are met - normally such training will be delivered within the University and the supervisor should, therefore, be aware of any research training offered through the Researcher Academy, the Doctoral Training Centre/Programme, the Faculty and the School.

The supervisor should also ensure that the PGR receives adequate training in research ethics and is given assistance in applying for ethical approval if appropriate.

For more information, please consult the following:

Code of research conduct and research ethics

Includes: correct procedures; seeking advice

14. Meetings, conferences and publication

The supervisor(s) should encourage and facilitate the PGR to engage with relevant academics that will support their doctoral research and future career development.

This could be through encouraging attendance at seminars, meetings and conferences; introducing them to relevant individuals and professional networks and encouraging them to publish the results of their research.

Where appropriate supervisors should also support the PGRs to participate in public and policy engagement activities or undertake placements and internships that will enable them to develop their broader research experiences.

15. Written work

16. supervision during thesis pending period.

Includes: minimum number of meetings; the role of proof readers

During the thesis pending period and any period of corrections or thesis re-submission, supervisors and PGRs should continue to meet regularly (as described above).

Supervisors will also read and comment on one draft of the candidate’s thesis prior to each submission (as appropriate) when submitted within the required timeframes for feedback to be given.

The Role of Proof Readers

A proof-reader may only ensure that the meaning of the author is not misrepresented due to the quality and standard of the English used. This can include correcting spelling and basic grammar errors.

Inaccuracies in academic content should not be corrected nor should the structure of the piece of work be changed; doing so may result in a charge of plagiarism.

17. Thesis presentation

Supervisors should advise candidate’s on the timing, construction and form of presentation of their thesis and should check that they receive a copy of the University's guidance on presenting a thesis, from Student Services (or Central Administration at University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) or Graduate School at University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC).

18. Examination of Thesis

19. submission of data, additional information.

Includes: PGR supervision record document; Research supervisor resources

Research supervisor resources

Students studying in outside organisations

UNUK students

Student services, unnc students .

UNM students

Staff , related content.

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9 - Dissertation or project supervision/tuition for the degree of masters (excluding MPhil programmes): code of good practice

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Chapter 9 - Dissertation or project supervision/tuition for the degree of masters (excluding MPhil programmes): Code of good practice

1 Responsibilities of dissertation supervisors/tutors 2 Responsibilites of students 3 Responsibilities of the Faculty

This code sets out the generic requirements of students, dissertation supervisors/tutors and the Faculty (or delegated School) in the completion of dissertation assessment items. It is supplemented by individual Faculty (or delegated School) codes approved by the Education Board. The University recognises that dissertation practice varies between departments and therefore this Code cannot set out prescriptive requirements for matters such as the level of contact which should be maintained between student and dissertation supervisor/tutor.

This code applies to both part-time and full-time taught postgraduate students completing dissertation or project assessment items.

This code should be read in conjunction with the University Regulations governing Taught Masters programmes and with other codes of good practice affecting postgraduate taught students, particularly those on the Personal Tutor System , the Duration of Taught Modules , the Handbook for Assessment, Progression and Awarding; Taught Programmes .

Where students are not content with any aspect of their tuition they are encouraged to address problems as soon as possible through discussions with their dissertation supervisor/tutor, personal tutor or programme director. If necessary they should pursue a complaint through the University's formal student complaints procedure .

During the period of supervision/tuition from the time of the assignment of a dissertation supervisor/tutor until the submission of the dissertation, responsibilities and obligations are as set out below.

To give guidance about the nature of the dissertation enquiry and the standard of work to be expected.
To advise students about the planning of the dissertation and to discuss a timetable if applicable and to give advice on the necessary completion dates of successive stages of the work so that the dissertation may be submitted within the scheduled time.
To direct the student to attend supplementary courses if necessary.
To encourage students to acquire and maintain familiarity with relevant developments in their subject.
To give advice about requisite techniques and arrange for instruction where necessary and, if appropriate, to advise students to undertake instruction in written/spoken English.
To maintain contact through dissertation meetings in accordance with Faculty (or delegated School) policy and in the light of any agreement reached with the student. The frequency and nature of these sessions will vary depending on the characteristics of the topic and the requirements of the discipline.
To be accessible to the student at other appropriate and reasonable times when advice may be needed.
In the event of being granted study leave or absence, proposing adequate arrangements for supervision/tuition of the student.
To arrange as appropriate, for the student to talk about his or her work at internal or external seminars/presentations.
To ensure that the student is made aware if the standard of work is below that expected.
To advise the Programme Director and the student, as soon as it is recognised that there is a problem, if in his or her opinion, there is significant likelihood that the student is likely to fail the dissertation. Dissertation supervisors/tutors are not required to indicate the standard of the work in progress as it is only the final submission which is formally assessed.
To give advice on the preparation of a dissertation and advise the student if the standard of English is inadequate.
Dissertation supervisors/tutors would normally comment on the structure of the dissertation, the balance of the sections and the content of various sections.
The dissertation supervisor/tutor will take the opportunity to read through and annotate (with the use of indicative comments), where the student needs to make changes.
Dissertation supervisors/tutors are not responsible for the in-depth checking and criticism of Masters dissertations.
To agree with the dissertation supervisor/tutor a suitable topic for research and work on that topic.
To agree with the dissertation supervisor/tutor a schedule of meetings, arrange these meetings, attend these meetings and inform the dissertation supervisor/tutor how they can be contacted. Supervisors are not responsible for chasing students who fail to arrange or attend meetings. Students should be aware that members of staff may be away from the campus outside of University terms and contact arrangements should be agreed between student and dissertation supervisor/tutor well in advance of this time.
To undertake work in accordance with a schedule agreed with the dissertation supervisor/tutor before proceeding to the next stage of the project.
To take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties with the dissertation supervisor/tutor, however elementary they may seem.
To attend formal instruction or presentations as required.
To familiarise themselves with guidelines issued by individual Faculty (or delegated School) on dissertation projects.
To discuss with the dissertation supervisor/tutor the preparation and completion of the dissertation and to take due account of advice from the dissertation supervisor/tutor.
To keep dissertation supervisors/tutors updated with the progress of their dissertation.
To provide the dissertation supervisor/tutor with an initial draft section (please refer to Faculty (or delegated School) specific guidelines on the size of the section), of their dissertation in good time before the submission date (as determined by the Faculty (or delegated School)). Dissertation supervisors/tutors are only required to look at a draft section of the dissertation once. Therefore every effort should be made to ensure that the draft section is sufficiently developed. The quality of the final submission rests with the student.
To make necessary amendments to their dissertation as indicated by their dissertation supervisor/tutor before submission and to proof read the final draft.
To submit a dissertation within the time allowed by the regulations. Dissertation supervisors/tutors are not responsible for chasing students to submit on time.
To ensure that students are assigned a dissertation supervisor/tutor at the start of their dissertation module (normally at the start of Semester Two for full time students), who will act for the duration of their dissertation.
To provide students with information and guidance on the on the Faculty (or delegated School), and University regulations and to make students aware of relevant regulations and legal issues including, but not limited to, plagiarism, copyright, data protection, health and safety, and any ethical issues that might arise in the course of dissertation research.
To ensure that students are informed of sources of independent advice should the student/dissertation supervisor/tutor relationship breakdown.
To provide students with dissertation module templates which (in addition to other Faculty (or delegated School) guidance), should detail the number of hours of dissertation supervision contact students should expect.
To facilitate extensions to dissertation assessments, noting that the extension length should be commensurate with the reason for the request, with a maximum extension period of three weeks. Any longer periods will require the approval of the Dean for Taught Students.
To monitor workloads for dissertation supervisors/tutors. Programme Directors may find it necessary to reassign students if workloads are excessive.

Last reviewed Sept 2022

Last updated Sept 2023

Research, Partnerships and Innovation
Postgraduate Research Hub
Supervision: The Code of Practice

Responsibilities of the supervisor

An outline of supervisors' responsibilities towards PGR students and the wider University.

At the outset of the research, the supervisor should explore in detail the student's academic background to identify any areas in which further training (including English language training) is required. In particular, the supervisor should advise the student in the choice of subject-specific knowledge and skills training required. Supervisors should be aware of the difficulties which may face international students who may, in the early stages, require more frequent contact and advice.
The supervisor will give guidance on the nature of the research and the standard expected; the selection of a research programme and the topic to be covered; the planning and timing of the successive stages of the research programme; literature and sources; research methods and instrumental techniques; attendance at appropriate courses; data management, avoidance of unfair means and respect for copyright.
The supervisor should ensure that they have a thorough understanding of the DDP and its benefits, to ensure students make the most appropriate choice of modules and other training and development opportunities.
The supervisor should ensure that the student has a clear understanding in general terms of the main aspects of graduate research: the concept of originality; the different kinds of research; the form and structure of the thesis (including the appropriate forms of referencing); the necessary standards to be achieved; the importance of planning and time management; the procedures for monitoring and reporting progress.
The supervisor should ensure that the student is aware of the University's Good Research and Innovation Practices (GRIP) Policy. In addition, the supervisor should ensure that the student has a clear understanding in general terms of 'research ethics', where this is relevant (i.e. if they are undertaking research that involves contact with human participants and/or with human data and/or human tissue) and a clear understanding of research governance, where this is relevant.
The supervisor should work with the student to establish an effective supervisory relationship, thereby supporting the student. This should include an agreement on the frequency of progress meetings and the arrangements for keeping records.
The supervisor should set a target date for Confirmation Review and and regular progress milestones at induction, to ensure that all parties acknowledge the length of time available for each stage of the project.

Supervision

The supervisor should ensure that the research project can be completed fully, including preparation and submission of the thesis, within the student's tuition fee-paying period, and should advise the student accordingly.
The supervisor must ensure that a clear agreement is made with the student on the frequency and nature of the supervisory contact required at any particular stage of the project. Supervisory sessions should be uninterrupted as far as possible by telephone calls, visitors and other departmental business. The frequency of such sessions should be every four to six weeks as a minimum (pro-rata for part-time); the frequency may depend on the nature of the research (e.g. whether laboratory work is involved) and the specific research project. The length of sessions will also vary, from student to student, across time and between disciplines.
The supervisor should comply with the attendance and engagement monitoring requirements of the department/University and notify their department at an early stage if a student's attendance or engagement gives cause for concern.
Written records of formal supervisory meetings should be made and retained by both the student and supervisor for at least the duration of the student's registration.
Both the supervisor and student should keep any relevant or significant correspondence, including emails, which relate to the student's degree. This is especially important for students who are studying via the Remote Location programme or who are spending a significant amount of time off-campus.
The student and supervisor must have an agreed procedure for dealing with urgent problems (e.g. by telephone, e-mail and/or the arrangement of additional meetings at short notice).
The supervisor should, in discussion with the student, establish and maintain a satisfactory timetable for the research, including the necessary completion dates for each stage, so that the thesis may be submitted on time. This planning should take into account the requirements of the relevant funding body in relation to submission.
The supervisor should read promptly all the written work submitted in accordance with the agreed timetable and provide constructive and timely feedback. The supervisor should advise the student of any obstacles to providing timely feedback, e.g. planned periods of time away from the University, particularly when the student is approaching submission.
The supervisor should arrange, as appropriate, (in many departments it is a requirement) for the student to present work to staff or graduate seminars and should take an active part in introducing the student to meetings of learned societies and to other researchers in the field. The supervisor should provide advice, where appropriate, on publication of any of the research.
The supervisor should advise the student, in advance, of any planned periods of absence from the University. If the period of absence is significant (more than the length of time between supervisory meetings), the supervisor should ensure that appropriate arrangements for alternative supervision are made and that the student is informed of them.
The supervisor should take note of feedback from the student.
The supervisor should engage with mandatory Continuing Professional Development appropriate to their level of supervisory experience, in line with University requirements.

Academic progress

The supervisor should ensure that the student is informed of any inadequacy of standards of work below that generally expected from research students and should suggest remedial action, or training, as appropriate.
The supervisor should comply with all departmental, faculty and/or sponsor requirements concerning the monitoring of progress and submission of progress reports.

The final stages

The supervisor should nominate appropriate examiners well in advance of the thesis being submitted, bearing in mind that all nominations require faculty approval before they can be appointed. Failure to do so will lead to delays in dispatching the student’s thesis and arranging the viva examination.
The supervisor should read and comment on drafts of the thesis before submission.
The supervisor should ensure that the student understands the procedures for the submission and examination of the thesis and should assist the student in preparing for the oral examination, including offering a mock viva.
Should the student be asked to resubmit their thesis, the supervisor will be responsible for continuing to provide support and supervision throughout the resubmission period.
The supervisor should discuss and agree with the student if there is a need to embargo the thesis and should sign off on the Access to Thesis form which specifies any embargo requirements.

Related information

Contact the Research Degree Support Team

Workshops for Research Supervisors

Responsibilities of the student

Responsibilities of the department

ARJESS JOURNAL

African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences

A Review of the Roles of Dissertation Supervisors as Mentors

Authors: Betty. M. Macharia

Department of Research and Evaluation Faculty of Education The Catholic University of Eastern Africa P. O. Box 62157, Nairobi, Kenya Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]

This paper is a review of the roles of dissertation supervisors as mentors. Primarily, research and enquiry skills are important for doctoral students. Doctoral supervisors should therefore become mentors to assist their students in developing a theory-driven and a research-based approach. The model that dissertation supervisors embed in their students encompasses different approaches that encourage doctoral students to participate in functional thinking, critical thinking, relationship development and emancipation. Effectively, dissertation supervisors should pursue mentorship strategies that will provide their students with a framework for writing to integrate different research approaches in reviewing relevant research and literature in the completion of their doctoral projects. The benefit of mentorship for doctoral students is that it creates an opportunity to develop requisite skills for academic development to conduct an enquiry based learning process. The review content is divided into subsections which explore the relationship between dissertation mentors and doctoral students with a view of assessing whether the involvement of dissertation supervisors as mentors can lower doctoral attrition rates and increase dissertation completion times. The implication and the conclusion of the paper is to urge postgraduate faculties to create a framework where dissertation supervisors act as student mentors.

Keywords: Dissertation supervisors, doctoral students, dissertation mentors, doctoral projects supervision, mentorship strategies, doctoral attrition rates, doctoral student mentors, doctoral student supervision, doctoral student mentorship

Introduction

Taylor, Kiley & Humphrey (2017) argue that numerous studies have been conducted to demonstrate the importance of dissertation supervisors in playing a mentorship role. In spite of the view that doctoral research students exercise a sense of independence, there is need for mentorship from dissertation supervisors. Taylor et. al. (2017) reiterate that the focus of supervision and mentorship is to instruct students in appropriate learning methodology and proper research methods. These may include various activities of mentorship such as sponsoring, coaching and assisting students in developing reflective practices in the research process. Kamler & Thomson, (2014) observe that supervisors who oversee the work of doctoral students could develop a research framework to assist students in improving their academic research skills. Orellana, Darder, Pérez, & Salinas, (2016) outline that effective mentorship by dissertation supervisors lies in proofreading and guiding students on the research methods that are appropriate in the doctoral research process.

Dissertation supervision is essential since it assists students in understanding how they should approach the writing process at every stage of their research work. Dissertation supervisors who act as mentors can help doctoral students to fill grant application forms. The supervisors could also assist doctoral students in upgrading their papers by providing feedback on the selected thesis for the writing process. Erichsen, Bolliger, & Halupa, (2014) argue that dissertation supervisors who act as mentors resolve problems associated with conceptual thinking which teaches the process of synthesising research material to assist doctoral students in completing their projects in good time. Granted, mentorship by dissertation supervisors is an integral part of the learning process as it enables doctoral students to complete their projects within the scheduled time. Bitchener, (2016) posits that mentorship in doctoral writing is crucial as it creates a supervisory framework to implement different approaches designed to assist students in completing their research projects. Therefore, the study is intended to determine the role of dissertation supervisors as mentors to explore the benefits to students when dissertation supervisors become mentors. Furthermore, the study will seek to establish the relationship between dissertation mentors and doctoral students with a view of assessing whether the involvement of dissertation supervisors as mentors can lower doctoral attrition rates and increase dissertation completion times.

The Role of Dissertation Supervisors as Mentors

Basturkmen, East, & Bitchener, (2014) observe that dissertation supervisors should adopt the role of mentors to assist doctoral students pursuing various disciplines. Dissertation supervisors have several roles in supporting doctoral students in completing their research projects. One of the principal roles that dissertation supervisors perform is a functional role where they help students in managing their projects. Pyhältö, Vekkaila, & Keskinen, (2015) have demonstrated that dissertation supervisors perform the role of assisting students to be critical thinkers where they assist students in analyzing their work critically. Dissertation supervisors should strive to develop an interpersonal relationship with students. As a matter of fact, supervisors perform the role of emancipation where they challenge students to question their knowledge base and to review it before they present a full review. Holloway & Brown, (2016) demonstrate that mentorship is essential to assess the abilities of doctoral students to be inspired to perform an elaborate research process and to complete the project. Dissertation supervisors are also preferred since they are more acceptable to students and they assist them in understanding how they should conduct the research process.

Hakkarainen, Hytönen, Makkonen, & Lehtinen, (2016) argue that writing tasks are considered to be a significant part of the completion of the doctoral project. Dissertation supervisors who are mentors assist doctoral students in completing their research projects and in assessing the root cause of their research problems that they are writing about. Rogers, Zawacki, & Baker, (2016) argue that mentors should also encourage doctoral students to attend seminars and workshops to assist them in the research process. Devos, Boudrenghien, Van der Linden, Azzi, Frenay, Galand, & Klein, (2017) make the case that the process of mentorship is essential to assist students to develop writing skills in the project completion process. Accordingly, mentors are important as they assist students in understanding the different purposes of writing that exist with the intention of helping them in formulating ideas and in developing their research projects. The establishment of a research framework is necessary to demonstrate how effective writing strategies should be improved. Lim, Loi, Hashim, & Liu, (2015) demonstrate that dissertation supervisors who play the role of mentors play a critical role in assisting doctoral students in developing a conceptual approach which facilitates the process of collecting information from different sources to complete their research projects. Parker-Jenkins, (2018) highlights that mentorship for doctoral students is important as it enables them to focus on different academic approaches instead of working on a limited scope of the research.

Tangen & Borders, (2016) observe that the experiences dissertation supervisors posses enable them to act as mentors to doctoral students through an efficient system of self-assessment. To a large extent, doctoral supervisors play a pivotal role in assisting their students in developing their writing skills and in facilitating the creation of joint learning support groups that provide a framework to assist students in receiving the writing support that they require. According to Aitchison (2015), dissertation supervisors can also assist doctoral students in focussing on areas where they formulate practical solutions to improve on their areas of weakness. The success of dissertation supervisors is increased by mentoring doctoral students and assisting them in brainstorming, drafting and editing their research projects. Lepp, Remmik, Leijen, & Leijen, (2016) argue that academic mentors should assist students in developing a conceptual understanding of how each stage of research should be tackled with a goal of completing the project according to preset schedules and according to set requirements (Aitchison, 2015). At any rate, dissertation supervisors should assist doctoral students in performing research which is holistic and integrates core research ideas.

The Benefits of Dissertation Supervisors Becoming Mentors

Taylor et al. (2017) outline that dissertation supervisors should also act as mentors to doctoral students to provide psychosocial mentorship where students are assisted in articulating their research ideas. Alternatively, dissertation supervisors could also be career mentors who assist the doctoral students in developing appropriate research channels. Pakdaman, Shafranske, & Falender, (2015) have shown that elements of role modelling, friendship and counselling should be adopted in the mentorship process. A review of the relationship between doctoral students and faculty members should be improved through mentorship and academic supervision. Mehr, Ladany, & Caskie, (2015) state that dissertation supervisors who take the role of mentors enhance their effectiveness by instructing students on the most effective research methodology to improve the quality of doctoral education that is offered. Kyiv & Thune, (2015) suggest that mentorship is important as it provides doctoral students with an opportunity of receiving helpful academic advice. It is crucial for dissertation supervisors to mentor doctoral students. Taylor et al. (2017) further demonstrate that mentorship creates a positive environment in the academic faculty thereby leading to successful socialisation between the department and students pursuing doctoral programs. Blessinger & Stockley, (2016) reiterate that doctoral mentorship is critical in promoting psychological health and propagating student development to assist doctoral students to complete their degree programs on a timely basis. Dissertation supervisors should also act as mentors to guarantee professional development, productivity and identity development immediately after graduation.

The relationship between dissertation supervisors and doctoral students should transition from being a primary academic mentorship role of providing supervision to a new role in providing mentorship (Taylor et. al, 2017). Another objective of mentorship is to assist students in identifying job opportunities in the market and available research opportunities in the field. Carter-Veale, Tull, Rutledge, & Joseph (2016) suggest that mentors could also perform the role of advising students on upcoming conferences and give them advice on how they should balance their personal and academic life. Academic mentors who are dissertation supervisors have also assisted their students in writing grant proposals, preparing presentations and publications and assisting them in accessing research resources. Carter & Kumar, (2017) attest to the fact that dissertation supervisors should be relied upon as mentors to help doctoral students to attain requisite skills and to assist them in executing administrative tasks in their professional life. Mehr, Ladany and Caskie (2015), on the other hand state that academic mentors who are dissertation supervisors can integrate reflective teaching methods in a manner that encourages academic modelling and the coaching of doctoral students. Woo, Jang, & Henfield, (2015) argue that doctoral students who are under mentorship can improve their communication skills as they engage with their fellow students and other members of the academia to receive assistance in completing their research projects.

One of the significant challenges that have affected doctoral students is a lack of sufficient pedagogical preparation (Nethsinghe & Southcott, 2015). Dissertation supervisors who act as mentors have a supervisory role that includes educational mentoring activities which enable students to prepare for a teaching career that they may choose to pursue after completing their research projects. Ghosh, Chauhan, & Rai, (2015) insist that apprenticeship is considered to be critical in assisting students in seeking relevant courses to encourage doctoral students to liaise with their advisors to pursue a teaching career. Dissertation supervisors who act as mentors facilitate their students to gain pedagogical skills by observing them, teaching them and advising them. Berman & Smyth, (2015) conclusively state that the intention of teaching mentorship is to assist doctoral students in satisfying the academic requirements set by institutions.

The Relationship between Dissertation Mentors and Doctoral Students

The role of a dissertation supervisor who becomes a mentor is to create an environment for career preparation suitable for doctoral students. Academic mentors have the responsibility of preparing PhD students to become skilled researchers in their field of study. According to Tribe & Tunariu, (2016) mentorship can be achieved by ensuring that students receive appropriate training which ensures that they can function according to the regulations set by the academic faculty. Kumar & Coe, (2017) note that a good mentorship program provides an opportunity for socialisation by instructing doctoral students on the intricacies of academic life. In this manner, doctoral students work within a framework which enables them to understand research theories and the teaching methodology that is employed in academia as well as the functioning of different universities. Anderson, (2017) outlines that the dissertation supervisor who is perceived as a mentor guides students to achieve their academic objectives.

The creation of formalised mentoring structures is essential to facilitate idea sharing and to allow students to experiment with their ideas to gain confidence before presenting in public forums. The primary focus of mentorship should be on research and career preparation. Stockman, (2015) has shown that students who associate with the career path of their mentors are also provided with an opportunity to emulate the personalised elements of their mentors. The career path of the mentor could also create a framework which doctoral students can follow and relate to. Mehr et al. (2015) demonstrate that the desire to emulate a mentor’s career path is a critical objective in promoting career advancement and in ensuring that the competence of doctoral students is considerably improved. Mentorship relationships between dissertation supervisors and doctoral students are also considered to be critical in assisting doctoral students in achieving capability and in carving out their identity in the academic sphere Aitchison, (2015) has shown that doctoral mentors can assist doctoral students in presenting their ideas coherently.

Dissertation supervisors who become mentors play a critical role in assisting students in achieving academic competence. Dissertation mentorship is made possible through asynchronous communication where feedback is provided, and doctoral students can integrate the feedback received in completing their research projects. Taylor et al. (2017) demonstrate that mutually beneficial relationships that exist between mentors and their doctoral students are considered to be beneficial and motivating than the one-sided relationships that exist between dissertation supervisors and doctoral students. Pakdaman et al. (2015) suggest that doctoral students who benefit from mentorship programs can improve their managerial, social, cognitive and communication competences.

The Involvement of Dissertation Supervisors as Mentors to Lower Doctoral Attrition Rates and Increase Dissertation Completion Times

In doctoral mentorship, students are presented with opportunities that positively engage them in using alternative research methodologies to develop their research projects even as they use appropriate research methods to complete their projects. Pakdaman et al. (2015) posit that mentorship is critical for doctoral students as it ensures that a dissertation supervisor assists doctoral students in achieving research competence and in increasing their skills and knowledge levels. Cognitive capability in the completion of doctoral projects is also considered to be critical as it is necessary for providing doctoral students with expert knowledge which they can use in disseminating knowledge. Stockman (2015) exemplifies the fact that the benefits of a mentor relationship are assessed by measuring the satisfaction level, the competence level and the academic opinions of the learner.

Taylor et al. (2017) point out to the fact that dissertation supervision and mentorship is necessary to reduce the level of doctoral student attrition which is considered to be a severe problem among students in pursuing doctoral programs. By using mentors in academic research, it is possible for the competence of doctoral students to be enhanced as they will be able to attain self-efficacy in research and expertise in their fields of study. Pakdaman et al. (2015) reiterate that mentorship is critical to encourage doctoral students to get involved in professional organisations and to increase their contribution to academic research processes. In further analysis, Taylor et al. (2017) designate that mentorship also assists doctoral dissertation students to exhibit a high level of commitment, personal responsibility and motivation. As a matter of fact, effective mentorship can help doctoral students in undertaking complex tasks and in ensuring that they have access to professional guidance. Mehr et al. (2015) have shown that when students are demotivated due to the challenges they face, mentorship at the doctoral stage can assist them in regaining their motivational levels and in developing a system of self-regulation. Additionally the role of a doctoral mentor lies in assisting learners to set their goals, analyse their tasks and to monitor the development of projects in completing their dissertation.

Institutions of higher learning are required to create elaborate mechanisms to support doctoral students to complete their research projects. There should be more mentorship programs for doctoral students to establish systems to develop their cognitive abilities, their research skills and their presentation skills. The creation of mentorship programs and the role of dissertation supervisors as mentors remain critical as it enables doctoral students to acquire pedagogical skills to prepare them to teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Further research should be done to evaluate how mentors can assist doctoral students in completing their projects within the scheduled time to achieve their research objectives.

In the increasingly complex academic environment within which doctoral students operate, it is necessary for dissertation supervisors to become mentors. This is an objective that is achievable if academic supervisors adopt a holistic approach to assist doctoral students by providing them with critical support in the research process. By utilizing the role of a mentor, doctoral supervisors assist students in presenting their research in a timely fashion. Dissertation supervisors who act as mentors also create a supervisory framework to assist students in writing papers which are holistic and conceptually sound. The use of a mentorship approach is helpful to a doctoral student who faces difficulties to complete their research projects by using integrated and varied approaches. Dissertation supervisors who act as mentors are also relevant as they assist students in completing their research projects. There is a need for further research to be conducted to establish critical factors which prevent doctoral students from completing their PhD dissertations. New research is required to determine how dissertation supervisors can become mentors to assist students in achieving their PhD programs according to pre-agreed time frames.

Going forward, there is a need to review the current set up where most dissertation supervisors are not mentors to doctoral students. This review intends to increase doctoral completion rates to ensure that doctoral students complete their dissertations rates within the scheduled time. Since doctoral programs have a high workload, dissertation supervisors who act as mentors guide doctoral students to ensure that they have the requisite skills to complete their dissertations according to preset research methodologies to meet set research objectives. It is also essential for dissertation supervisors to act as mentors to reduce doctoral students’ attrition rates.

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Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports

PhD defence: Effect of...

PhD defence: Effect of milk protein and whey permeate in large quantity lipidbased nutrient supplement

On growth and early child development among children with stunting in uganda .

Joseph Mbabazi

Background: Stunting affects 22% of children under 5 years globally, putting them at risk of adverse outcomes including delayed development. Nearly half of the children in low- and middle-income country settings (LMICs) are affected with 43% unable to attain their developmental potential. There are possible benefits for growth and early child development (ECD) by including milk in food supplements for undernourished children. However, the effect of individual milk ingredients is still unclear.

Objective: We assessed the effect of milk protein (MP) vs soy protein, and whey permeate (WP) vs maltodextrin, in large quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (LNS), and LNS itself vs no supplementation on growth and ECD among 12 – 59-month-old children with stunting. The baseline correlates, and predictors of change in ECD were also examined.

Methods: This study was nested within the MAGNUS trial (ISRCTN1309319) a randomized, double-blind, 2x2 factorial community-based trial in Uganda. Children were randomized to one of four formulations of LNS (~535 kcal/d), with or without MP (n=299 vs n=301), with or without WP (n=301 vs n=299), for 12 weeks or to no supplementation (n=150). Growth was measured by changes in length/height and weight plus changes in body composition.

Development was assessed using the Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT). Age adjusted MDAT z-scores were generated internally for the study sample across four domains of gross and fine motor, language and social skills, plus a summative total score. The effects of interventions were analysed based on intention-to-treat using linear mixed-effects models while linear regression was used to assess any linear relationship unless otherwise.

Results: Between February to September 2020, 750 children were enrolled with a median [interquartile range] age of 30 [23; 41] months. Their mean (±standard deviation) height-forage z-score (HAZ) was -3.02 ±0.74, there were 13% (n=95) currently breastfed children, slightly over half (n=415) resided in rural settings, and 21% (n=157) were from female-headed households, and 47% (n=338) of the mothers had no schooling. Only 4% (n=33) of the households were food secure with a quarter (n=196) eating a diverse diet. There were 98% (n=736) of children, evenly distributed among groups, who completed the 12-week follow-up. Eleven serious adverse events occurred to 1.3% (n=10) of the children which mainly included hospitalization due to illness (malaria and anaemia). All of these were deemed unrelated to the interventions.

Among the unsupplemented children, there was a decline of 0.06 (95% CI: 0.02; 0.10) HAZ with an increase of 0.29 (95% CI: 0.20; 0.39) kg/m2 fat mass index (FMI), and decline of 0.06 (95% CI: -0.002; 0.12) kg/m2 fat-free mass index (FFMI). There were no interactions between effects of MP and WP. Neither MP nor WP had any effect on growth or ECD, but, LNS irrespective of milk ingredients vs no LNS improved growth, including head circumference. Overall, LNS itself led to 0.56 (95% CI: 0.42; 0.70) cm greater height increment, corresponding to 0.17 (95% CI: 0.13; 0.21) greater HAZ increment, and 0.21 (95% CI: 0.14; 0.28) kg greater weight gain, of which 76.5% (95% CI: 61.9; 91.1) was fat-free mass (FFM). In addition, LNS itself resulted in 0.07 (95% CI: 0.004; 0.14) cm greater increase of head circumference.

The degree of stunting [HAZ (0.24, 95% CI: 0.14; 0.33)], head circumference (0.07, 95% CI:0.02; 0.12), and stimulation were positively associated with total MDAT z-score. On the contrary, current breastfeeding (-0.41, 95% CI: -0.65; -0.17), and having a single income earner (-0.22, 95% CI: -0.37; -0.06) were negatively associated with total MDAT z-score. Furthermore, stunting severity (moderate vs severe), higher fat-free mass, negative malaria test and no inflammation (serum α-1-acid glycoprotein <1 g/l) at baseline, predicted greater increase in ECD. On the contrary, older age and fat mass gain predicted lesser increase in ECD scores over time among children with stunting.

Conclusion: This study found that milk ingredients in LNS had no effects on growth or ECD among already stunted children. However, LNS in itself vs no supplementation resulted in improved linear catch-up growth, accretion of fat-free but not fat mass, and a larger increase of head circumference. In contrast, unsupplemented children continued on a stunting trajectory, and mainly gained fat at the expense of FFM. Smaller and anaemic children tended to be breastfed longer, perhaps explaining the association between current breastfeeding and low ECD scores by reverse causality. In view of the consequences without action, nutrition supplementation programs to treat children with stunting should be considered. The correlates and predictors of ECD identified in this study may inform future initiatives to support children with stunting to attain their developmental potential. There is a need to emphasize timeliness of interventions, focusing on younger children, promoting continued breastfeeding, and fat-free, rather than fat mass accretion. This should include ensuring an infection-free and stimulative home environment to promote improvement in ECD among children with stunting in LMICs.

2024, 172 pages.

28 May 2024, 08:00

MakCHS Conference Room, Makerere University, Uganda.

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/92964651207?pwd=TTFGc2tCcmVKdWNnS0g4T1ZwcVV1UT09

Meeting ID: 929 6465 1207 Passcode: 643748

Professor Jay Berkley, Oxford University, London – United Kingdom, Welcome Trust KEMRI, Kenya.

Professor Annettee Olivia Nakimuli, Dean, School of Medicine, MakCHS, Uganda (Chair).

Supervisors

Associate Professor Ezekiel Mupere, Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Uganda.

Associate Professor Nicolette Nabukeera-Barungi, Department of Paediatrics & Child Health, Makerere University College of Health Sciences.

Professor Henrik Friis, Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Nutrition and Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Associate Professor Mette Frahm Olsen, Department of Infectious Diseases, Righospitalet and Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Nutrition and Health Section, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Time: 28 May 2024, 8:00

Place: MakCHS Conference Room, Makerere University, Uganda, and Online

Organizer: Makerere University, Uganda and University of Copenhagen, Denmark

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What is the Role of a Dissertation Supervisor? (600 Words)
Choose Dissertation Supervisor
What is the role of a dissertation supervisor in a research paper
(PDF) Supervisor's Roles in Master's Thesis and PhD Dissertation
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Choose Right Dissertation Supervisor

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Narrowing Down the Topic || Research topic ko narrow down karna
Outrider 18
The role of the academic supervisor, Part 1 of 7
Characteristics and role of supervision
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Why is Theory Important?

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PDF 7-A Supervisor'S Roles for Successful Thesis and Dissertation
Five supportive roles. of a supervisor involving the supervision system are specific technical support, broader intellectual support, administrative support, management, and personal support brings about the output of the study. A supervisor's roles. for successful thesis and dissertation is reported by using the survey on graduate students ...
PDF Making the most of the relationship with your dissertation supervisor
Abstract Writing a dissertation can be stressful; one of the keys to success is for students to have a positive, fruitful relationship with their dissertation supervisor, whose guidance can be a great asset. Making the most of this important relationship starts with meeting the supervisor early in the process to agree on roles and expectations.
Roles and responsibilities of supervisors
Effective graduate student supervision requires complex interactions between graduate students and their supervisors. The role of a supervisor is threefold: to advise graduate students, monitor their academic progress, and act as a mentor. ... can include fieldwork, conferences, course work and other work related to the thesis. Supervisors are ...
Effective master's thesis supervision
In working on their thesis, students are guided by a master's thesis supervisor (or advisor) who is responsible for fostering the required skills and competences through one-on-one or small-group teaching over an extended period of time, making master's thesis supervision a key teaching role for student development, as well as an increasingly ...
The Many Roles of a Thesis Supervisor
In conclusion, the role of a thesis supervisor goes beyond scientific guidance. The supervisor ensures good working conditions, can develop an extra-scientific relationship and build up strong ...
PDF Supervising Master's Dissertations
the supervisor is the main point of contact and support for the student. It is important to acknowledge that anxiety concerning the role of the supervisor and an explanation of the supervisory role are common to both new supervisors and students (Grant, 2005). Consequently, clarifying the role of the supervisor and establishing a successful
Supervising Dissertations
Dissertation supervision at the undergraduate, Master's, and PhD levels includes a close mentoring relationship between the student and supervisor (Fleming & Kowalsky, 2021; Todd et al., 2006; Todd & Smith, 2020).Developing the research project, mentoring, motivating, and providing feedback over several rounds is at the core of this relationship (Reguant et al., 2018), with broad scope for ...
Writing your dissertation
Agree a timetable of meetings at the start of your project and stick to it. Ensure that each meeting has a focus e.g. "setting a research problem", "analysing the data", with a clear set of questions to ask. Keep your supervisor informed of progress. Before each meeting send relevant work to your supervisor. This could include:
dissertation supervision
A dissertation supervisor provides regular guidance and support to a student undertaking a dissertation. The supervisory relationship is built on clear communication and mutually agreed expectation in terms of progress. Working in partnership with the student a supervisor assists in the definition of a research topic the design of a programme ...
PDF Understanding the Needs of Masters Dissertation Supervisors: Supporting
effective" (Manathunga & Goozee, 2007, p. 310). Since most supervisors have limited personal experience as supervisees, the supervisor role to which they were exposed may be replicated. They may also have insecurities and a lack of clarity about the role. Even for an experienced lecturer there may be anxieties as expertise may be assumed by ...
Research and project supervision (all levels): an introduction
Many academics say supervision is one of their favourite, most challenging and most fulfilling parts of their job. Supervision can play a vital role in enabling students to fulfil their potential. Helping a student to become an independent researcher is a significant achievement - and can enhance your own teaching and research.
Duties of a thesis supervisor and the supervision plan
Supervision work is closely linked to the intended learning outcomes of the degree and thesis as well as the related grading criteria. In accordance with the Regulations on Degrees and the Protection of Students' Rights at the University of Helsinki, the student must receive instruction both during their studies and while writing their thesis.
The journey of thesis supervisors from novice to expert: a grounded
Supervision is a well-defined term in the interpersonal relationship between thesis supervisors and students. A supervisor is designated to assist the student's development in terms of their research project [1,2,3].Faculty members supervise the students because qualified supervision leads to success on the part of the student, and it has moral, reputational, and financial outcomes for the ...
Dissertation Supervision
Dissertation supervision is one of the most enjoyable forms of one-on-one teaching. Dissertation students are working on interesting questions that really matter, and for me, this makes it intrinsically more enjoyable than other forms of independent study. Dissertation supervision differs in other ways from other forms of independent study.
Good undergraduate dissertation supervision: perspectives of
There is a paucity of research, training, and material available to support supervisors of undergraduate dissertation students. This article explores what 'good' supervision might look like at this level. Interviews were conducted with eight new supervisors and six dissertation coordinators using a critical incident methodology. Thematic ...
Dissertation Advisor 101: How To Work With Your Advisor
Establish (and stick to) a regular communication cycle. Develop a clear project plan upfront. Be proactive in engaging with problems. Navigate conflict like a diplomat. 1. Clarify roles on day one. Each university will have slightly different expectations, rules and norms in terms of the research advisor's role.
Supervisor's Roles in Master's Thesis and PhD Dissertation
parts. Following 36 roles can help a supervisor to maintain a stan dard. supervising in thesis and dissertati on in their early supervising career. 2. At a Glance Supervisor's Roles. 1 ...
Responsibilities of the supervisor
The roles of supervisor and examiner are quite distinct, and it is not one of the roles of the supervisor to assess the thesis. The specific roles of supervisors may differ depending on the academic discipline, departmental practice and whether the member of staff is acting as lead, second, assistant, temporary or permanent supervisor.
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The role of the dissertation supervisor/tutor is to provide guidance and advice; they are not responsible for the quality of the submitted work. The responsibilities of the student include: To agree with the dissertation supervisor/tutor a suitable topic for research and work on that topic.
Responsibilities of the supervisor
The supervisor should ensure that the student understands the procedures for the submission and examination of the thesis and should assist the student in preparing for the oral examination, including offering a mock viva. Should the student be asked to resubmit their thesis, the supervisor will be responsible for continuing to provide support ...
A Review of the Roles of Dissertation Supervisors as Mentors
The role of a dissertation supervisor who becomes a mentor is to create an environment for career preparation suitable for doctoral students. Academic mentors have the responsibility of preparing PhD students to become skilled researchers in their field of study. According to Tribe & Tunariu, (2016) mentorship can be achieved by ensuring that ...
PhD defence: Effect of milk protein and whey permeate in large quantity
PhD thesis Background: Stunting affects 22% of children under 5 years globally, putting them at risk of adverse outcomes including delayed development. Nearly half of the children in low- and middle-income country settings (LMICs) are affected with 43% unable to attain their developmental potential.

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Research and project supervision (all levels): an introduction

What supervision means

Rules and regulations

Undergraduate and Masters supervision

Doctoral (PhD) supervision: introducing your student to the university

Establishing an effective relationship

Styles of supervision

Checking the student’s progress

Checking your own performance

Where to find help and support

External resources

Further information

Education events

Duties of a thesis supervisor and the supervision plan

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Bachelor's Programmes

Master's and Licentiate's Programmes

Doctoral Programmes

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On this page

Supervision as interaction and the supervision plan

Topics the supervisor should incorporate in the supervision

See also the Instructions for Students

Bachelor’s theses and maturity tests

The journey of thesis supervisors from novice to expert: a grounded theory study

Conclusions

Study design

Participants

Data collection

Data analysis

Ethical considerations

Theme 1: engagement

Curious observation

Evaluation with reality

Theme 2: supervision climate

Challenging shortcomings

Role ambiguity

Various performance

Theme 3: maturation

Reflection in action

Reflection on action

The core variable: interactive accountability

Strengths and limitations of the study

Implications of the study

Availability of data and materials

Acknowledgments

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