FAQ's: Integrated Bridging Program - Research
What is the value of the IBP?
Who must participate in the IBP?
Can local students attend the IBP?
What are the start dates for the IBP?
What are the participation options in the IBP?
How is IBP-R participation decided?
What are the supervisor's responsibilities in relation to the IBP?
What is the IBP lecturer's role?
When does the IBP finish?
Can late-candidature HDRs, post docs or visiting scholars participate in the IBP?
Who should supervisors or postgraduate coordinators contact?
What is the value of the IBP?
It provides students with explicit instruction on research communication issues and thus provides a sound foundation for future research writing and presentation.
It provides international students with a supportive peer group and insight into the conventions of research at an Australian university.
Who must participate in the IBP?
All international research students must be in contact with us irrespective of their research or language backgrounds.
Can local students attend the IBP?
Supervisors can advise local students to participate in the IBP-R if they discern that the student has ongoing language and/or research training needs. The Dean of Graduate Studies can also mandate that a local student attend.
Local students can choose to participate in the Program if they feel they have ongoing language and/or research training needs.
What are the start dates for the IBP?
The IBP start dates vary from year to year, but are generally in line with the University semester plan:
Semester 1: Beginning March or End of February
Semester 2: Beginning of August or End of July
Semester 3 (Summer IBP): Beginning of November till February of the following year.
What are the participation options in the IBP?
Full participation: 8 generic workshops minimum & 12 seminars in smaller discipline orientated groups, two research proposal drafts & 1 practice presentation, individual appointments with IBP-R lecturer around drafts as needed (student has clear language and or research skill development needs)
Negotiated participation: student is advised on what generic workshops/ lectures are suitable for them, student attends lectures and seminars as they see appropriate and hands in at least 1 draft proposal as a minimum, individual appointments with IBP-R lecturer around drafts as needed (student has high level skills in research and/or has English as a first language).
Exemption from participation: student has already completed the IBP-R or is from an English-speaking background AND has completed a Masters by Research at an English-medium university with significant research training and wishes to be exempt from the Program.
How is IBP-R participation decided?
There is now a diagnostic assessment task which all international students complete unless they have already participated in the IBP. Students are given advice based on this assessment, the recommendations of their supervisor and the students’ previous research experience and/or linguistic background. Honours graduates are not exempt, although they are often negotiated participants.
What are the supervisor’s responsibilities in relation to the IBP?
- To attend or send a representative to attend the students' IBP-R presentation so that they can act on the feedback before presenting in their discipline.
- To give the IBP-R lecturer formal feedback (either on one or two drafts) either on the forms provided or in the form of an email indicating issues that need work and/or their satisfaction with the student's progress. Feedback on the full proposal is needed from the supervisor before a student can be signed off as an IBP completion.
- To only agree to sign off on a student’s IBP completion if they are satisfied with the student's language and research skills for their stage of candidature and to negotiate an individually designed extension Program with the IBP lecturer if they are not satisfied.
What is the IBP lecturer's role?
- To teach the student generic research and language skills including citation and critical evaluation
- To work with the students on their language, technical presentation skills and the cohesion and coherence of the research documents.
- To give the student feedback on the above-mentioned issues both in class and in individual appointments
- To advise the student on how to develop their language and research skills after completion of the IBP. The IBP lecturer does not make decisions on IBP completion; extensions are based on the supervisors and in some cases students identifying the need for an extension program.
When does the IBP finish?
Although the formal IBP workshops and seminars are completed within the space of a semester (12 weeks), the students complete the full draft of their research proposals in line with their CCSP deadlines. Therefore, they generally should get feedback from their IBP-R lecturer and from their supervisor on their full draft one month (at least) prior to their CCSP completion date so that they can act on this feedback and the feedback of their supervisor before final submission.
Can late-candidature HDRs, post docs or visiting scholars participate in the IBP?
The program is designed for students early in their candidature and therefore the seminars are not usually appropriate for these cohorts. However, late-candidature HDR students, post docs, visiting scholars or even staff and are welcome to attend the language lectures/workshops. They should enrol online for individual workshops.
Who should supervisors or postgraduate coordinators contact?
Supervisors or postgraduate coordinators who have any questions, concerns or suggestions should contact Michelle Picard.
