Awards for Excellence for Higher Degree by Research Supervision

Every year the University calls for nominations for at least one award to recognise and encourage sustained excellence in the supervision and support of Higher Degree by Research students. Each Faculty will nominate one supervisor for consideration.

Nomination Process

All nominees must be proposed by their Faculty and in accepting the nomination agree to provide an application according to the following Guidelines.

• Eligibility
• Selection Criteria
• Selection Process
• Essential Documentation
  • Application Cover Sheet
  • Written Application
  • References
  • Selective Curriculum Vitae
  • Optional Supporting Materials
• Application Presentation
• Submission of Applications and Closing Date
• Notification of Outcome and Presentation of the Award

Eligibility

Nominees must:

• be University of Adelaide academic staff (includes persons with affiliate, adjunct or clinical status);
• have supervisory responsibilities for research higher degree students, including normally at least five years as a principal supervisor;
• not have received the award in the previous six years;
• have been nominated by their Faculty Higher Degree Committee

Where exceptional circumstances exist an Executive Dean may draw to the attention of the Selection Committee a staff member with less than five years experience as a principal supervisor. In such cases the Selection Committee will determine if an application would be appropriate.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed against the five criteria set out below. The criteria reflect a range of areas in which supervision excellence can be demonstrated, taking into consideration the responsibilities of supervisors outlined in Appendix 2 of the Research Student Handbook.

Applicants should address each criterion in turn and so build the profile that best highlights their particular personal strengths as a research higher degree advisor. Applicants are not expected to demonstrate excellence in all of these areas; however, in determining awards the Selection Committee will look for major contributions to HDR education across a range of supervisory and student support activities.

1. The extent and range of supervision activity
   Which may include: the number of candidates supervised and the number of completions, the range of projects supervised, the nature of the research program and academic profile that attracts high calibre research students.
2. The outcomes for students
   Which may include: supervision practices that lead to research projects and research theses judged by examiners to be of outstanding quality; supervision practices that lead to students publishing books, chapters and articles, presenting papers at prestigious conferences, and winning prizes and awards; supervision practices that ensure students successfully complete their research and thesis writing in a timely manner.
3. Support for the development of students as individuals
   Which may include: the engagement of research students in the broader intellectual life of the school/discipline, faculty and University; support and encouragement for students to develop as independent researchers; support and encouragement for students to develop the full range of graduate attributes. Applicants are encouraged to identify contributions to the development of international students and special efforts made to help them adjust to the University research environment where English is for many not their first language.
4. Support for students' career development
   Which may include: the induction of students into the national and international research communities in their fields; the mentoring of students in their career development following completion of their research higher degrees and the facilitation of building professional networks
5. A contribution to the development of excellent supervision practices within faculties or the wider University
   Which may include: the mentoring of staff new to supervision; involvement in and contribution to supervisor workshops and training; development of faculty and school/discipline policies and programs to enhance the postgraduate community and the quality of the environment for postgraduate research.

Selection Process

Applicants will be assessed on the basis of their applications and written references. Short listed applicants may be interviewed.

The Selection Committee for the Award will be the Dean of Graduate Studies (Chair) and the Research Education and Development Committee.

Essential Documentation

All applicants must provide the following documents. Please adhere to the following style guidelines when preparing the written statement:

• Page Margins: L=1.5; R=1.5; T=1.5; B=1.7
• Font: Times New Roman 11pt with 13pts of space (leading) or Verdana 9pt with 13pts of space (leading)
• Alignment: Justified or aligned left

Application Cover Sheet

An application cover sheet should preface each written application submitted to the Graduate Centre.

Written Application

The written application is the central element considered by the Committee in making their decision. It provides the opportunity for candidates to describe their supervision and demonstrate its excellence. It should provide an overview, followed by a discussion of each of the five selection criteria, each under a separate heading.

The overview provides the opportunity for applicants to commence the written statement with a focus on the specific character of their supervision. It is recommended that the overview be no more than one page and that it include the nominees' educational philosophy and beliefs, a description of the supervisory context and an integrated summary of the claims relating to the selection criteria. The majority of the written statement should be devoted to addressing each of the five criteria in turn. Applicants must provide evidence in support of their claims against these criteria. The written statement is limited to 9 A4 pages in total.

References

One reference is required from the relevant Faculty Higher Degree Committee Convenor and two references, of no more than one A4 page each, must be provided by students (current or past) who are able to comment on the applicant’s supervision against the selection criteria as privious indicated.

A Referee Report Template is available for the use of referees; references must be submitted by referees to the Adelaide Graduate Centre by 5pm Monday 8 October

Selective Curriculum Vitae

The curriculum vitae should outline the applicant’s educational qualifications, career history, research activity and supervisory experience in relation to the criteria. The curriculum vitae is limited to four A4 pages.

Optional Supporting Materials

Applicants may include selected supporting materials provided they are appropriately referenced in the written statements and are demonstrably relevant to the case proposed by the applicant.

Examples of supporting materials might include:

• Examiners' reports which reflect on the quality of your supervision of the thesis
• Evidence of participation in relevant professional development activities
• Evidence of contributions to the literature on supervision

Only one copy of supporting materials is required. This should be separately packaged and labelled as Supporting Material. The label should also include the name of the applicant/nominee and the date.

Application Presentation

Please do not bind the application in any way, other than a staple in the top left hand corner.

Submission of Applications and Closing Date

Applications should be emailed or forwarded to the Adelaide Graduate Centre to arrive by 5.00pm on the closing date: Monday 8th October 2012.

Notification of Outcome and Presentation of the Award

The Research Education and Development Committee will notify applicants for the 2012 award for Excellence in Higher Degree by Research Supervision by the end of November.  The winner will be presented with a certificate recognising their accomplishment at the relevant Faculty Graduation Ceremony and a grant for $10,000 to be used for professional development purposes.