Lynne Roberts

What Constitutes ‘Good’ Supervision for Course Work Dissertations?

Student and Supervisor Perspectives

Lynne Roberts

Course Work Dissertations

• Essential component of some undergraduate, honours and master’s coursework degrees

• Most universities provide policy and procedural documents

• Limited research into practice of dissertation supervision in coursework degrees

• Existing research focuses on dissertation practice in PhDs, and may be applied to coursework degrees

BUT ….

TLF 2014: Good Supervision: Student and Supervisor Perspectives

….Coursework Students Differ from PhD Students

• No/limited previous independent research experience (Cook, 1980)

• May have lower interest in conducting research (Cook, 1980)

• Need to complete research in a shorter timeframe (Rowley & Slack, 2004).

• Degree may be viewed as route to a professional, rather than research career

AND….


….There are Many More of Them!

19992001

20032005

20072009

20110

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

PhDMaster's by ResearchMaster's by CourseworkBachelor's Honours

Research Question

How do students and supervisors conceptualise ‘good’ supervision in course work dissertations?


Research Participants


Semi-Structured Interviews

Can you tell me about a time when, from your perspective, supervision has gone well?

Prompts: What was it you/your supervisor/your student did that contributed to this? Other contributing factors?


Student Supervisor Relationship

Shared passion for topicClear expectations

Open communication

‘Good’ Supervision Meetings

Relaxed spaceConcerns listed to

Guidance and supportSynergy

Meeting Outcomes

Remotivated studentsFocus and clarity

Agreed course of actionReduced stressPreparation

OwnershipManagement

AvailableApproachableSupportive

Good Supervision: Student Perspectives

Student Perspectives

Supervisor Contribution• Approachable• Available• Supportive• Interest in student as person• Sensitive to student’s emotions


she’s just really helpful and I always feel like I can go

to her for help and I never feel like I’m a burden …

and she’s always so welcoming and helpful and

there and available

there is an element of knowing that you can

access a bit of emotional support as well, not

therapy, but just having that understanding and someone who’s sort of

compassionate and flexible and understanding

She takes interest in my life outside of uni, so she’s like, “How are you going?” And whatever, and she’s always like, “If you have

any other problems?” … I know that if anything comes up, that door is

open, that I can communicate with her

about that stuff


Student Contribution• Coming prepared• Taking ownership of project • ‘Managing’ supervision process


I had everything planned, had questions and they all

got answered and addressed in the session, so that was good because

I could progress as I wanted to and most of those questions were

addressed where needed

I can truly say that my research, this current project, is my own. [Supervisor] offers

guidance but it’s done so cleverly that it’s all coming

from me

I have like set questions that I need answered and I go in there and I go, “This is what I wanna know and I wanna know it now,” and that’s when I probably get the best information when

I take charge of the structure


Student Supervisor Relationship• Shared passion for topic• Clear expectations• Open communication– Asking questions– Discussing problems


She’s so passionate about this area and so that

makes it interesting and sort of fun to work alongside her in everything was very

organised and they knew exactly what we should be

doing and we were told what we should be doing

I was confused about a few things and that was

sorted out, talked through. And we discussed what

approach I might be able to take


‘Good’ Supervision Meetings• Relaxed space• Concerns listened to • Support– Guidance– Reassurance

• Synergy


I’m like this new fresh lamb and these are my shepherds. <laughs>

They’re helping me along like, “Here’s the best grass

over here.” Without telling me what to do

…she says, “Hang on. You need to stop for a second. Think about what you’re doing. Think about this,

this and this; you’re on the right track,” you know, “Just stay on the path

you’re on,” and it sort of allowed me to come back

and continue

it was all of us thinking together and working as a

team. It wasn’t just coming and saying, ‘Oh here’s my

idea.’ ‘Oh yeah that’s good okay’

It’s like a very relaxed space and I think when

you feel relaxed, I can be myself within the

boundaries of the teacher-student – and I think that really helps ‘cause I know if I get stressed, my brain,

cognitively, just shuts down


Meeting Outcomes• Remotivated student• Focus and clarity• Agreed course of action• Reduced stress


I was just lacking in motivation and I didn't have anything to say

about the dissertation but then when I left, I was like, “Oh, I actually do have my

head around this,” because she brought it out of me with our discussion and she was just asking questions and I’d found myself saying all these

things

we’d resolve that particular issue or it was in

the process of being resolved, and I came out feeling a lot more relaxed

and less stressed about the project

when we had meetings together, we would come out and say, “Oh, gee, I

feel great. I feel so relieved we’ve had this

meeting.”


Shared passion for topicClear expectations

Positive relationship/group dynamic


GuidanceClarification

Positive feedback

Meeting Outcomes

Personal growthSkill development

Student satisfactionInterestOwnership

SupportiveProvide structureResearch knowledge

Good Supervision: Supervisor Perspectives

Supervisor Contribution• Providing structure• Supportive• Ability to explain• Research knowledge


Supervisor Perspectives

being able to connect with the person on a personal

level as well as a professional level

making it seem relatively straight forward … They were sort of seeing it as

this big year long haul, and trying to break it down to show that it was doable, and this is how we were

going to do it

talking about their variables in real terms,

instead of scientific terms, so this is what it is all about, this is what we

know about it, this is what we can do

it’s really your experience in terms of what can be done in the time that you’ve got


Student Contribution• Interest in topic• Student ownership of project


it was their first choice topic and I think that that is always an advantage. So I

think they were just naturally interested in the

area

the supervision I like is when the students are able to

steer it

Student Supervisor Relationship• Shared passion for topic• Clear expectations• Positive relationship/ group dynamic


Supervisor PerspectivesI think that that

interpersonal process facilitates the teaching process, but unless you

have that supportive interpersonal relationship between the student and

the supervisor, if that’s not there, then I don’t

think that the end result is as good

it’s all a matter of getting those [expectations] sorted between the two people at the beginning and sitting

down

[cosupervisor] and I were a bit of more upbeat

because it’s like, “Hey, look. It’s [type of project]; this is our thing.” And the

group feeds off of that, and it’s also because they

are upbeat so this is a really nice atmosphere

‘Good’ Supervision Meetings• Discussion• Guidance• Clarification• Positive feedback


look to facilitate what the students are and

accommodate their interests and try and guide

them without sort of taking over or dictating

what it is that they should do

We give them like, “Hey. You guys are doing really

well. You should be proud of yourself. You’re getting this blah blah blah.” And

they were like, “Oh, yeah.”

clarification in terms of goals and stuff like that ...[to] “yank them [students]

out of that swamp or quagmire of uncertainty


Meeting Outcomes• Personal growth• Skill development• Student satisfaction



when I see the research group and they’re all, “Oh yes. This is so much fun! I

totally get it.” And see them change

They’re saying that all they want to do is they just want

to do their project, and they’ve got all this

coursework but they just want to do their project

I’m just satisfied when the student seems satisfied or I feel

like I’ve been helpful or been able to guide students and they seem

to have moved forward … it’s when I feel like I’ve been

competent in the sense of not necessarily giving answers but in providing instruction that helps the students move along and

acquire skills themselves


Open communicationShared passion for topic

Clear expectationsPositive relationship/group

dynamic


Relaxed spaceConcerns listed to

Guidance and supportSynergy

ClarificationPositive feedback

Meeting Outcomes

Remotivated studentFocus and clarity

Agreed course of actionReduced stress

Personal growthSkill development

Student satisfactionPreparationManagementOwnershipInterest

AvailableApproachableSupportiveProvide structureResearch knowledge

Good Supervision: Supervisor and Student Perspectives

Negotiated Practice


University/Faculty/School Guidelines

Negotiated Practice

Website: http://www.dissertationsupervision.org/

Invitation to Participate

• Forthcoming workshops for supervisors to identify and develop best practice

• Continuing interviews with new supervisors and dissertation coordinators


How do these models of good supervision fit with your own

experiences, as supervisor or as student?


Lynne Roberts

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