The Graduate Research School (GRS) offers a series of workshops to strengthen supervisors’ knowledge, skills, and tools in best supervisory practices.
Overview
As an HDR supervisor, you will have the privilege of watching your students grow into independent researchers who make a meaningful contribution to knowledge. You will also become part of a community of UTS staff who are committed to developing the next generation of professionals and researchers who can lead our global society.
In order to supervise HDR students, you must complete the initial supervision module Graduate research supervision at UTS (opens link to NEO). Registered supervisors are expected to continue developing their knowledge, skills, and capabilities to the satisfaction of the Responsible Academic Officer of their faculty. Failure to do so may result in removal from the register.
Foundations
Graduate research supervision at UTS
This online module is an introduction to graduate research supervision at UTS. It is an overview of the global, Australian, and UTS contexts for graduate research education. In addition to providing an important summary of UTS policies and guidelines, it also offers an entry point into understanding the foundations of effective HDR supervision practices. These practices must take into account the purpose of the contemporary HDR degree. The module is a mandatory requirement to register as an HDR supervisor.
Supervisor Development Workshops in 2024
Supervisor Conversations is a training suite facilitated by the Graduate Research School at UTS. It is a series by supervisors for supervisors seeking to refine, develop, and renew HDR supervision practice. The learning outcomes are intended to build knowledge resilience in supervision that builds on established best practice and is responsive to the challenges of a continually changing research landscape.
The GRS ran five Supervisor Conversations Series sessions in 2024 with the following topics:
Recruiting HDR Students
Supervisor Conversations Series #1 | 22 October 2024
The first step on the journey to HDR student success is a thoughtful and effective recruitment process.
This online seminar was designed for supervisors at all levels of experience who want to strategically explore the issue of recruitment effectiveness.
Hosted by A/Prof John Rees of the Graduate Research School, the session was framed by a conversation with Prof Shoudong Huang, UTS Vice Chancellor's Supervisor of the Year (2023).
The 1-hour interactive seminar will enable HDR supervisors to:
- identify challenges in HDR candidate recruitment
- consider factors in evaluating candidate suitability
- develop strategies for building a candidate cohort
- access resources for an enhanced understanding of HDR recruitment
Supervising Distant or Remote HDRs
Supervisor Conversations Series #2 | 5 November 2024
Supervising remote graduate researchers is a challenge. Maintaining engagement, embedding a sense of belonging and building relationships is difficult without the informal interactions that on campus research allows. For both supervisors and students, technology can both enable communication or create barriers, depending on how it is used to balance workloads, enhance time management, monitor progress and provide feedback.
Dr Keith Heggart and A/Prof John A. Rees discussed how supervisors can recognise the challenges they face and what techniques, tools and strategies can be implemented to support your students’ progress and well-being.
GenAI Implications for HDR Supervision
Supervisor Conversations Series #3 | 19 November 2024
The rapid evolution of GenAI technologies presents significant opportunities and challenges for HDR supervision. Two leading thinkers in this area discussed the implications that can be drawn from the recent report Apostles, Agnostics and Atheists: Engagement with Generative AI by Australian University Staff (QUT Centre for Decent Work and Industry).
Prof Paula McDonald is Pro Vice Chancellor, Research and Professor of Work and Organisation at QUT. Dr Stephen Hay is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Studies.
This session covered the basics of GenAI in supervision and discussed emerging practice-based issues from a supervisor perspective. An important conversation for supervisors at all levels of experience.
Understanding Neurodiversity
Supervisor Conversations Series #4 | 26 November 2024
It's estimated that 15-20% of the population is neurodivergent in Australia. People with neurodiversity have always been ever present in our population, and lack of diagnosis and social stigmas have often prevented people from seeking or being given appropriate accommodations to ensure they can thrive, and that their wellbeing is maintained.
This session started with an introduction to current terminology definitions and use, and provided information about a range of conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Tourette Syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) and Rejection Sensitivity Dysphoria (RSD). There was a discussion about the learning experience of adult learners with neurodivergence and what supervisors can do to assist HDR students' experiences. This included a look at supporting their mental health and wellbeing, and minimising anxiety.
The session included real, tangible strategies that can be implemented immediately to enhance and support the agency of HDR students and to create an environment in which they can thrive.
Presented by Sam Noonan of Diverse by Design
Supervisor, Mentor, Coach: Understanding your role/s on the candidate journey
Supervisor Conversations Series #5 | 5 December 2024
We're with our HDR students for a significant portion of their life - both in learning, career and duration. The HDR supervisor to HDR student relationship is complex, and this conversation tries to unpack the multiple roles a supervisor might have.
On 5 December 2024, A/Prof Ilaria Vanni Accarigi (Discovery profile and LinkedIn) and former HDR student Monica Galassi (Discovery profile and LinkedIn) joined the Graduate Research School for a conversation on Zoom.
The conversation was hosted by A/Professor John Rees, Director of Researcher Training and Development, GRS.
Recordings of these sessions (and more resources) are available to UTS staff through the Canvas course “GRS: HDR Supervisor Resource Library”.
Past themes and topics
Foundations
Research questions and beginning writing
The focus of this workshop is on working with graduate research students who are in their early stages of candidature. In particular, it looks at supporting students as they formulate research questions/problems, pursue initial research processes and begin writing—all of which need to be contextualised within the student’s specific discipline/field of practice. The module foregrounds how to help students get started and get writing, and how to give guidance and effective feedback on their work.
Watch the replay (Password: 2n@=e*UU)
Building strong supervisory practices
Supervising distance and part-time research students
Research doesn't always take place on campus. Whether a student is undertaking field research, completing a PhD by distance mode, or simply studying part-time, students who aren't on campus full-time can benefit from different approaches to supervision. This session focuses on how to maintain good communication and progress with distance and part-time students, as well as supporting their ongoing wellbeing and development as professional researchers.
Holding challenging conversations
Research supervision is a multiyear relationship that encompasses a variety of responsibilities, milestones, and potential approaches. Some conflict is likely, and not inherently a problem: what makes conflicts healthy or harmful depends on how they're managed. This workshop focuses on how to have challenging conversations in a way that helps produce resolution rather than resentment.
Working with graduate research students
This session considers ways of working as a supervisor or member of a supervisory panel for graduate research students. It explores a range of supervisory styles and how these develop different kinds of relationships with students. Topics under consideration include negotiating expectations and ways of working, collaboratively setting goals and developing research plans, working with students from diverse contexts, managing problems, and ensuring graduate research study plans assist students in successfully moving through the stages of assessment.
Collaborative, cross-disciplinary supervision
This session begins with an exploration of conceptions of cross-disciplinary research. It focuses on what this means for graduate research supervision and explores how supervisors can develop productive collaborative ways of working with one another and with students across disciplines and/or fields of practice. The session introduces ideas and strategies for working in a research environment where different theories are brought together and knowledge is being generated from different disciplinary frames using new methods and insights. It emphasises the importance of articulating what counts as quality research in cross-disciplinary work.
Mentoring and co-supervision
This session introduces a number of tools and practices that support a productive mentoring relationship between established and earlier career supervisors. It focuses on developing ways of working together as supervisors of graduate research students, including negotiating a mentoring agreement and exploring how roles might change during the course of a candidature.
Understanding industry PhD programs
Industry-embedded PhDs can be a powerful mechanism to build research partnerships, drive collaboration, and contribute to real-world impact. This workshop offers an overview of the why, what, and how of industry PhDs, including how to make existing programs like the National Industry PhD Program and UTS's Industry Doctorate Program work for you.
Supporting the thesis journey
Research questions and beginning writing
The focus of this session is on working with graduate research students who are in their early stages of candidature. In particular, it looks at supporting students as they formulate research questions/problems, pursue initial research processes and begin writing—all of which need to be contextualised within the student’s specific discipline/field of practice. The session foregrounds how to help students get started and get writing, and how to give guidance and effective feedback on their work.
Supporting progress: managing the graduate research journey
This session supports the ongoing relationship between supervisors and graduate research students who have completed Stage One of their candidature. It explores ways of ensuring that supervisory relationships remain positive and productive. Participants will consider a range of supervisory styles and discuss how these may be relevant to advanced candidates. Topics under consideration include (re)negotiating expectations and ways of working, publishing, managing problems, ethical practice and ensuring graduate research study plans assist students in achieving the goals set out in the final stage of their plan.
Writing up the thesis
The focus of this session is on working with graduate research students who are in their final stage of candidature. In particular, it is aimed at supporting students as they complete and submit their theses for examination, in the staged and organized ways that are appropriate for their discipline/field of practice. This involves extending students’ skills in conceptualising and categorising relevant literature; analysing, presenting and discussing data; and writing a well-structured, cohesive thesis.
So you want to do a NTRO?
Not all scholarly research turns into a journal article. A software algorithm, architectural design, film, or article of clothing could all be Non-Traditional Research Outputs (NTROs). UTS PhDs can integrate NTROs into their research journey, part of the distinctive way UTS supports our students to explore issues and problems that are meaningful to them. This session covers the value and impact of NTROs, how to evaluate their quality, and how to incorporate them into HDR research.
Fostering a healthy and inclusive research culture
Managing for success: supporting HDR mental health and wellbeing
This session focuses on understanding mental health and the role it plays in student success. Topics under consideration include the foundations of mental health, warning signs of stress and mental health concerns, and avoiding common pitfalls in mental health conversations with students. Supervisors will also learn about the resources available to support student wellbeing and how to implement strategies of self-care.
Neurodiversity ally and accessibility training
Ensuring that our research culture embraces diversity is critical to our excellence, creativity, and the future innovative capacity we are developing through our research training. This highly interactive workshop provides an immersive experience of Neurodiversity inclusion in a higher education context and equips participants to work confidently in Neurodiverse spaces in the future.
Supervising Indigenous Australian HDR students for success
This session will provide supervisors of Indigenous research students with various points to consider when supervising. This workshop has three key areas of focus: the HDR student, the research and support.
Supervising international research students
This session explores ways of working with international students, and the role research supervisors can play in supporting their effective acculturation and learning as a graduate research student at UTS. The workshop focuses on intercultural communication skills as well as ideas and strategies for working with students and colleagues from diverse backgrounds.
Thinking beyond the thesis
Strategic recruitment and admissions
The first step on the journey to HDR student success is a thoughtful recruitment and admissions process. This session will cover how to approach student recruitment and admissions proactively, strategically, and effectively—helping you maximise the likelihood of attracting and selecting the best candidates.
Publishing for (and with) HDRs
Scholarly publication is a critical part of an HDR student’s intellectual journey, development of a professional profile, and enculturation into a community of scholars. Yet expectations and norms around co-authorship can vary widely across disciplines and cultures, leading to interpersonal and professional challenges if not dealt with proactively. Incorporating a variety of disciplinary perspectives, this workshop will consider the practical, ethical, and intellectual property foundations of successful co-publishing.
Working on careers: around and beyond the thesis
This session focuses on working with graduate research students in developing their careers. It explores relevant trends in the future of work and the variety of ways HDR students create impactful careers. Participants will learn how to better support students in planning the next steps in their careers, with a particular emphasis on engaging with scholarly and professional research communities, establishing relationships and networks, communicating their research through scholarly and public channels, and leveraging UTS Careers resources.
Building industry engagement with research students
Supporting research students to undertake industry engagement has a number of benefits for all parties. Supervisors build research partnerships and develop a track record for research funding programs. Students develop multifaceted research thinking, enhance networks, and strengthen professional skills. This workshop focuses on effectively incorporating students into research partnerships and supervising them to ensure they, their thesis, and the partnership are all successful.