Exploring Supervision Program: completing the full module
QUICK LINKS: WORKSHOPS | JOURNAL | TOOL ASSIGNMENT | RESEARCH PROJECT |
Academic staff can become eligible for registration as principal HDR supervisors by completing the 'full module' of the Exploring Supervision program.
This requires:
1) participation in the three workshops;
2) the writing up of a reflective journal;
3) completion of a short 'tool' assignment; and
4) the undertaking of an independent research project.
If they have not done so already, staff will also need to attend an HDR Supervisor Induction workshop.
On this page we set out the tasks required for successful completion of the full module.
Do I have to attend ALL the Exploring Supervision workshops?
Why do I also have to attend an HDR Supervisor InductionWorkshop?
What does the supervisory journal involve?
What does the 'tool' assignment involve?
What am I expected to do for the research project?
Do I have to attend ALL the Exploring Supervision workshops?
Yes.
Why do I also have to attend an HDR Supervisor Induction Workshop?
ALL new staff, or staff planning to participate in HDR supervision for the first time, are required to attend the HDR Supervisor Induction workshop. This workshop provides essential information on the policy, procedures, practice and strategic context of HDR supervision at the University of Adelaide, and complements the material covered in the Exploring Supervision program.
What does the supervisory journal involve?
Through the course of your participation in the program you should maintain a learning journal that reflects on HDR supervision issues, practices and procedures, as you are involved in them or observe them on a day-to-day basis. The learning journal should include some critical commentary on the usefulness, validity, etc. of the theories, approaches, and/or resources addressed in the Exploring Supervision workshops.
A reflective journal is a kind of diary that traces how you engage with and build your command of one or two key issues over time. It is ultimately a personal account, but it is at the same time a high level academic exercise which cites the relevant theoretical, pedagogical and case study literature, and which takes a reflective, critical view of the way in which theory relates to supervisory practice.
You should begin the journal at the first opportunity, and you should add to it on a weekly basis.
| Format: | any medium or format that you think appropriate (e.g. traditional diary; blog; powerpoint or keynote presentation; multimedia, etc.) |
| Length: | minimum 1500 wds (or equivalent multi-media) |
| Due date: | the reflective journal must be presented within two years of your commencement in the Exploring Supervision program |
| Assessment: | the journal will be graded as either pass, resubmission or fail. The journal must meet standards of expression, proofing and so on consistent with Graduate Certificate coursework levels |
What does the tool assignment involve?
For the short assignment you need to either:
- identify a supervisory tool, resource, technique etc. that you find interesting and provide a critical assessment of it, from pedagogical as well as practical perspectives, and based on your own experimentation with it as appropriate; OR
- develop and present a supervisory tool, resource, technique etc., explaining why this is needed, how it could be implemented and how it would enhance HDR supervision.
| Format: | any medium or format that you think appropriate (e.g. blog; powerpoint or keynote presentation; multimedia, etc.) |
| Length: | minimum 1500 wds (or equivalent multi-media) |
| Due date: | the tool assignment must be presented within two years of your commencement in the Exploring Supervision program |
| Assessment: | the tool assignment will be graded as either pass, resubmission or fail. The assignment must meet standards of expression, proofing and so on consistent with Graduate Certificate coursework levels |
What am I expected to do for the research project?
For the research project you need to:
- identify an issue, or issues, in researcher education and development in your Faculty/School/Discipline(s) or other relevant community;
- review the relevant research literature;
- review the relevant policy documents;
- review practices, and consult stakeholders (including students); and
- develop an approach, recognizing current policy contexts and resource limitations, to resolving the issue(s) that can be expressed ultimately as a set of recommendations to an appropriate person/body.
The project may be presented either as a seminar or as a written paper.
Research project seminars should be presented either to an audience of colleagues in your School or discipline, or as refereed conference presentations (e.g. at forums such as ERGA, HERDSA etc.). Project presentations should take at least 30 minutes each, including 10 minutes question time). Presentations should be appropriately supported by powerpoint slides, handouts, etc.; these should be submitted for assessment, together with an audio recording of the presentation, and a 1,000 word abstract.
Research project seminars will be assessed by a panel convened by the Researcher Education and Development unit, and drawn from senior supervisors and research education specialists. Projects will be rated by the panel as ‘satisfactory’, ‘requiring further negotiated work’ or ‘unsatisfactory’. Projects will be assessed on the quality of research as well as on the quality of presentation.
Research project papers are to be at least 3,500 words in length. Research project papers will be assessed by researcher education specialists, in consultation as necessary with senior researchers in the relevant discipline. Projects will be rated by the panel as ‘satisfactory’, ‘requiring further negotiated work’ or ‘unsatisfactory’. The scholarship, analysis, rigor and formatting of research papers should be at journal submission standard.
Group Projects. The research project may be undertaken on an individual or group basis. Group projects will, of course, need to be proportionally larger in scope or length. For assessment purposes, it will be assumed that all members of a group contribute equally to the research project.
Research Project & Tool Assignment. Many previous participants have undertaken research projects that follow on from their tool assignments, for example, exploring the pedagogy of the tool in more depth and/or trialling and refining the tool in practice. While this can make for some insightful extended research, it is important to remember that the research project content needs to be additional to - and not repeat - the content presented for the tool assignment.
Ethics Approval. People undertaking this assignment are reminded that any research which involves questioning of human subjects, as is likely to be the case here with stakeholder consultation, requires human research ethics approval. We will provide guidance in your preparation of your applications, if you are unfamiliar with the processes involved.
| Format: | seminar/conference presentation, with abstract, handouts, slides, audio etc OR written paper |
| Length: | 30 minutes, plus 1,000 word abstract, for oral presentation, plus 1,000 wd abstract; minimum 3,500 words for written paper |
| Due date: | the research project must be presented within two years of your commencement in the Exploring Supervision program |
| Assessment: | The research project will be graded as either ‘satisfactory’, ‘requiring further negotiated work’ or ‘unsatisfactory’. The research project must cover the five components listed above. Oral papers should exhibit a standard of scholarship, analysis and presentation acceptable at academic conferences. Written papers should be of journal submission standard. |
