Skip to main content

Just how many research students should we be supervising?

Just how many research students should we be supervising?

 

This was part of a conversation I had last weekend with a senior academic. We were discussing various approaches to rationalising an answer, but also the perspectives and approach different Universities take in establishing guidelines.




 

Between research, lecturing, departmental and faculty obligations (committees, etc), there isn’t really a lot of time remaining for supervision. An educated guestimate by both of us that 5 research students in a year would be considered a healthy contribution to the future of academia, accounting for approximately 25% of ones’ time – we agreed that such a proportion would not be unheard of.

 

Fast forward until yesterday. Change location and context to Malaysia. And what did I see, a local private university advertising for a supervisory-based senior position – to work with research students as a supervisor at post graduate levels.

 

The expectation: supervise up to twelve (12) students within an equivalency of three (3) days per week, AND … network to promote the school, mentor and support others, and publish. Quite a big ask in relation to the quality of focused input that one would hope is achieved.

 

We knew the pressure was on in Asia, but how does this result in relevant and productive supervision outcomes for research students?

 

Ignore the issue that the discipline was left purposefully wide – a generic supervision blanket to enable students to have an on-campus (or on-zoom) supervisor for both Masters and PhD – tick the box rather than contribute specifically – not a guarantee that the supervisor can strategically contribute to the student research per se.

 

What it does is add justification to what we are doing at #TheThirdDegree. Investment in our #ResearchStudents is essential for the future. Don’t skimp on that investment, either financially, or with allocation of time and other resources.

 

Interested on your feedback as to ideal number of students to supervise, and how you balance that from semester-to-semester, to ensure consistent outcomes for your students.

 

#PostGraduateResearch #ResearchSupervision #AcademicWorkLifeBalance #Universities

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Statement of Commitment on Climate Change (The Third Degree)

Statement of Commitment on Climate Change   The Third Degree acknowledges the scientific consensus regarding the existence of climate change and the substantial contribution the human population is now making to this via our greenhouse gas emissions.   Climate change is one of the biggest global health threats of the twenty-first century. Current international carbon reduction commitments are nowhere near enough to avoid this threat. Despite the urgent need for steep reductions in greenhouse gas emissions to avoid dangerous climate change, the level of global emissions continues to increase. The threat to future generations grows larger with every passing year.   The current generation of adults has a responsibility to do everything we possibly can to protect the children of today and tomorrow from dangerous climate change. Hence it is of utmost importance that climate change is included as an urgent priority area for advocacy, research, policy and practice...

Upcoming Webinars | June & July 2021

Upcoming Webinars | June & July 2021   For the remainder of June, plus the four (4) weeks in July, we have a series of webinars that focus on approaches to research, literature, and research communication. The webinar topics are applicable to early and mid-journey PhD candidates, but anyone thinking of, or nearing completion of their journey are welcome to attend.   Wednesday 23 June 2021 | Introduction to Observational Research Facilitator | Dr Craig J Selby   Observational research allows the researcher to see what their subjects really do when confronted with various choices or situations. As the name implies, is a way of collecting data through observing – either directly or indirectly – but either way, the researcher has an active involvement in the process. Observation data collection method is classified as a participatory study, as the researcher immerses themselves in the setting where the respondents are. Register Here: https://www.eventbrite...
Negativity & the PhD   I think we all know that the PhD is not a walk in the park; no one expects it to be. There are challenges, some quite big too, as part of the journey.   Our growth and development is both professional and personal.   Professional in developing our skills and credibility as a research. Developing research skills, intuition, communication skills, and of course, learning along the way. Personally, we grow in our confidence, in our interpersonal and collaborative skills, and in our negotiation, compromise, and maybe even crisis management skills.   To me, these are all positives. Growth is positive, even if there’s a little pain in the way.   What concerns me personally though is the excessive, almost overwhelming negativity out there about the journey, especially on social media. So called ‘support groups’ over-emphasise negatives on the journey – poor supervisors, funding issues, R2, the toxicity of academia – many as...