Resources for Graduate Supervisors
Finding a Supervisor
Beginning of a Graduate Program
- This resource provides students and supervisors with relevant information and advice, presented in a concise manner. This resource touches on: clarifying expectations, student-supervisor relationships, work-life balance, avoiding delays, and what to do when starting out.
- This paper aims to uncover the reasons behind the high attrition rates (as much as 30-50%) among doctoral students. Poor advising and mentoring are consistently cited as reasons for the high attrition rates. Faculty members play a key role in the persistence and departure of doctoral students. There is also a lot of evidence that […]
During a Graduate Program
- The Code of Practice on Supervision of Graduate Research Students highlights the responsibilities of supervisors to their students and vice versa. It also outlines the process by which supervisors are appointed and the general requirements for such a position. The university requires all new and inexperienced supervisors to be accompanied by more experienced co-supervisors.
- This report identifies six research-based principles of excellent graduate supervision pedagogy with its main focus being on students, the teaching and learning process, academic progress, modelling and reflection, communication, and scholarly communities
- To investigate the factors that influence whether or not doctoral students complete their degrees, twenty-one former doctoral students are interviewed, eight of whom completed their doctoral degree, and thirteen of whom did not. Data for this study was collected through semi-structured interviews. Participants were selected to represent the diversity of experiences and contexts that PhD […]
- This is a quick and easy introductory video that gives students an idea of what they need to know about graduate supervision. This video serves as a guide for students who are starting their graduate studies and points them to the right resources for any further inquiry. It is essential to familiarize students with the […]
- This guideline summarizes the roles of the members involved in the supervision of graduate students. It begins by giving a detailed definition of supervision and explaining who is qualified to supervise graduate students. It then goes on to outline the responsibilities of the school of graduate studies.
- This study followed the habits of 16 participants completing doctoral degrees in social sciences at two different UK universities, in attempt to determine students’ day-to-day experiences of their supervisory relationships over time. Findings Four main categories of need were identified in the catalogued interactions of 15 of the students with their supervisors (although it is […]
- Problems in graduate education, especially with respect to completion and quality, have emerged in many countries, including Canada. To address these problems and related issues and practices, a comprehensive three-year research project has been conducted involving questionnaires and interviews in Canada, Australia, Great Britain, and other countries. Based on 781 interviews with university administrators, faculty, […]
- In this video, Professor Siva Muthaly pulls from his own experience as both a former graduate student and a current postgraduate supervisor to provide viewers with advice for a successful postgraduate supervision journey. He begins his speech by discussing the level of ambiguity that the students encounter when they first start their Ph.D., “they are […]
- This report is focused on addressing the most prominent issues that graduate students and supervisors may face on their journey. This article begins by shedding a light on the ever-increasing mental health and stress issues associated with graduate studies. Recent studies found that faculty have felt greater stress in their positions at research-intensive universities in […]
- This is a short but helpful guide that outlines the important principles to keep in mind in order to maintain high-quality graduate student supervision. This guide highlights the importance of clear and consistent communication between the graduate student and the supervisor to ensure that the student’s needs are being met regularly. Additionally, this guide focuses […]
Peer and Supervisor Support
Doctoral Peer Support
The study first looked at quality of the relationships that participants shared with other doctoral students, in addition to the emotional and instrumental support they received from their fellow doctoral students. Little difference was observed between completers and non-completers in the quality of support received from the doctoral peers.
Supervisor Support
No clear distinction could be made between student supervisory experience and student persistence. What seems to be more important is how students deal with their supervisory experience.
Progression and Project Comprehension
What seems to differentiate those who complete their doctoral degree from those who do not is the extent to which they are moving forward on a project that makes sense to them.
They propose three possible key elements in successful candidature:
- Being able to work on a project that makes sense to them
- Experiencing feelings of progress in the development of the material that will constitute the thesis
- Experiencing little to no feelings of distress
Weaknesses in this Study
- Relatively small sample size of twenty-one formal doctoral candidates
- Because the data was collected after the participants had engaged in doctoral studies, their perceptions of their doctoral experiences may be subject to influence by the outcome of said doctoral studies
- As with any study that relies on participants self-reporting, the study has to rely on the honesty and memory of the participants