Documenting the Quality of your Supervision

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Documenting the Quality of your Supervision
David Boud (with thanks to Mark Tennant and Tony
Moon)
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Why document supervisory practices?

• To improve your practice
• To improve research education generally
• To provide evidence for promotion applications
• To assist performance reviews with your academic
  supervisor
• To provide evidence for teaching excellence
  awards
• there is now a designated Award for
  supervisionhttp//www.uts.edu.au/teachlearn/teach
  ingawards.html
• To use in applications for academic positions

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What mechanisms are available?

• Documenting your philosophy and approach in
  context of research education and practices at
  UTS/in your Faculty, including literature on
  research education and supervision
• Documenting your development as a supervisor and
  improvements made over time
• Documenting your particular practices and
  resources
• Feedback from past and present students
• Peer review comparison of practices, use of
  critical friends

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What is the Postgraduate Research Experience
Questionnaire (PREQ)?

• Equivalent to Course Experience Questionnaire for
  research programs
• Administered to all research degree graduates
• Focus is on overall experience not particular
  supervision, data only available by Faculty, not
  by supervisor
• Helpful in setting your own data in context

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Postgraduate Research Experience Questionnaire
(PREQ) asks the student

• Supervision was available when I needed it
• I was given good guidance in topic selection and
  refinement
• I received good guidance in my literature search
• My supervisor/s provided additional information
  relevant to my topic
• My supervisor/s made a real effort to understand
  the difficulties I faced
• My supervisor/s provided helpful feedback on my
  progress
• The research ambience in the department or
  faculty stimulated my work
• A good seminar program for postgraduate students
  was provided
• The department provided opportunities for me to
  become involved in the broader research culture
• I was integrated into the departments community
• ... And more

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Documenting the quality of supervision and
contribution to research education 1

• How do you articulate your approach to
  supervision and research education in general?
• What process do you have for gaining feedback
  from students and evidence can you show of
  actions taken as a result?
• How have you participated in supervisor
  development?
• What are your completion indicators (numbers,
  times, etc) for your students?
• Other indicators such as examiners comments/
  ranking?

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Documenting the quality of supervision and
contribution to research education 2

• What contributions do you make to postgraduate
  research culture in the department/school/faculty?
  
• Have you had articles published on research
  supervision or postgraduate education?
• Have you contributed to supervisor development
  workshops, mentoring, seminars etc?
• Have you contributed to policy, procedure or
  curriculum initiatives in research education?
• Are you sought as an examiner of research theses?

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Documenting the quality of supervision and
contribution to research education 3

• What materials have you prepared for research
  students to assist them in their progress?
• Have your students received awards or prizes?
• Have you documented student outcomes (eg.
  publications, employment, patents)?
• Have you been able to secure funding for your
  students?

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Gaining feedback from your students

• Direct feedback making good use of your regular
  meetings, semester progress reports and other
  formal processes
• Structured discussions within a larger,
  non-threatening group at Research Group,
  Department, or School or Faculty level
• Feedback via your peers
• Research Student Feedback Surveynew development
  at UTS

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Research Student Feedback Survey (RSFS)

• Qualitative online evaluation survey tool
• Provides anonymous feedback on quality of
  supervision as experienced by students
• Asks students to reflect on experience rather
  than scaled responses
• Requires a minimum number of 5 current and/or
  completed students

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Resources

• Research Student Feedback Survey
  http//www.gradschool.uts.edu.au/current/currentpr
  ocess/researchsurvey.html
• Evaluating supervisionStudent perceptions of
  research supervision (SPORS), Centre for Staff
  Development (UWA)www.first.edu.au/members/tools/s
  pors/index.html
• Supervisory practicesStudent-supervisor
  alignment tool kit (USydney)www.first.edu.au/memb
  ers/tools/alignment/
• Code of Practicehttp//www.gradschool.uts.edu.au/
  policies/policiesprocess/CodeofPractice2005.pdf