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Graduate Centre

Research Student Supervision Policy

Background and rationale:

The provision of quality supervision is one the risk factors identified for the satisfactory completion of research students. The University has policy statements on the responsibilities of Supervisors and Students and this policy adds to those policies by defining supervisor eligibility and standard practice. Schools and Academic Faculties may have additional policies and practices in relation to supervision and these are acceptable providing they are not inconsistent with the attached policy.

The Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee has determined that there are a number of clear advantages to Supervision Panels. Such panels would provide students with a rich source of ideas and direction, and give them wider access to assistance and expertise than a single supervisor can provide. Panels also give continuity across the stages of candidature and provide support if staff changes occur. The Committee recognises that the University has a duty of care to provide continued supervision for students. Supervision Panels can also capacity-build the quality of supervisors through the provision of mentoring support which can be enhanced further by supervision training and skill development (especially for early career researchers). The R&D Board provides supervisor training for both experienced and early career supervisors.

The New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Report in 2001 recommended to Murdoch University that it become normal practice for all students to have either more than one supervisor, or for the supervisor (and student) to be support by a small supervisory panel.

The Audit team recognised that Supervisor panels were already used in many supervision arrangements of research students at Murdoch, and in some Schools were mandatory. Implementation of a new policy would not affect existing research students, although existing students would be encouraged to seek a supervision panel if they did not already have one. The development of this policy follows the release of a discussion paper inviting comments, to which 28 responses were received.

Principles

1. Murdoch has a responsibility to ensure that students receive high quality supervision. This involves ensuring that students have adequate access to supervisors and that students are protected from adverse impacts when a supervisor has extended leave or resigns.
   
   
2. Murdoch wants to ensure that early career supervisors are helped to learn good practices in supervision skill development and that a supportive learning environment is created.

Key policies

Supervision of research students should normally be conducted by means of co-supervision or a supervision panel. Academic staff with fewer than two completions of postgraduate research students (research masters and research doctorates) may act as the principal supervisor of a research student if a supervision panel is used, but may not act as a sole supervisor. Experienced supervisors are strongly encouraged to collaborate with co-supervisors or use a supervision panel, but may act as sole supervisors. The views of the postgraduate student must be taken into account when deciding supervision arrangements. The Executive Dean or a nominee is required to allocate interim supervision arrangements as part of the admission process. The Principal Supervisor, in discussion with the postgraduate student will be responsible for nominating the Supervision panel in time for it to be convened to discuss the proposed Programme of Study. Formal confirmation of the Supervision panel will occur when the Programme of Study is approved by the School and Faculty. Where a principal supervisor proposesnot to engage a supervision panel, the Programme of Study must include a justification and approved by the School and Faculty

Membership of supervision panels

Supervision panels must have two or more members, one of whom must act as the principal supervisor and is expected to meet the experience criteria below. If the principal supervisor meets all other criteria but does not meet the experience criterion, one member of the supervision panel who is an experienced postgraduate research supervisor and meets the criteria must agree to act as a mentor for the principal supervisor. It is not necessary for other members of the supervisory panel to meet these criteria. The membership of supervision panels by people with suitable expertise from outside of the University may be approved. Members of supervision panels, including members from outside of the university do not receive remuneration from the Graduate Centre for this role.

The principal supervisor shall act as the chair of a supervision panel, and shall coordinate supervision and be responsible for administrative matters relating to supervision. A supervision panel is considered to embrace the concept of co-supervision, as a panel can consist of two or more co-supervisors. Under these circumstances credit for supervision should be allocated in accordance with the work involved. Members of panels will not be considered to be supervisors unless they receive a portion of the workload.

Qualifications and Experience:

The Principal Supervisor must:
• possess at least an equivalent degree to that being undertaken by the candidate

• be a full-time member of the academic staff of the University (if part-time, approval must be sought from the Dean of Postgraduate Studies)

• be experienced and active in research and the supervision of research. Suitable experience may include supervision of honours, or Masters project research and continuing postgraduate research students.

• have extensive knowledge of and expertise in the general field of research nominated by the student; and

• have sufficient time and access to adequate resources.

• the experience criterion requires that a sole supervisor or at least one member of the supervision panel must have successfully supervised the completion of at least two postgraduate research students.

Responsibilities of Principal Supervisors

Responsibilities of Supervision Panels

Supervision panels must formally meet at least once per year to review and discuss progress of the student and discuss research planning for the future with the student, although more regular meetings are encouraged. Supervision panels are required to meet at the time of consideration of the Programme of Study and Annual Progress Report to streamline approval of these documents. It is the responsibility of the principal supervisor to arrange these meetings of the supervision panel. A principal supervisor must be nominated at the time of admission, and a supervision panel must be convened prior to (and confirmed by) the submission of the Programme of Study. In the event that the role of a member of a supervision panel becomes substantially greater than that normally expected of a panel member, it would be appropriate that the supervision arrangements be reviewed and consideration given to a co-supervision arrangement with mutually agreed sharing of responsibilities.

Maximum number of students to be supervised

It is recognised that the circumstances of different supervisors can provide different capacities to supervised substantial number of research students. However, excessive responsibilities for supervision of research student can detract from the quality of supervision. In recognition of these factors, staff supervising more than five EFTSU of postgraduate research students must seek the approval of the Head of School and the Executive Dean for each additional research student. Supervision by enrolled PhD candidates
A member of staff who is enrolled as a PhD student at this University may not be a principal supervisor to another PhD or Masters by Research student, but may be appointed as a member of a supervision panel.

Principal Supervisor Leave

Supervisory panels will largely negate the need for replacement supervisors during periods of leave. However, if more than one panel member is to be on extended leave at the same time or if the Principal Supervisor is on extended leave, a replacement supervisor must be nominated. The replacement supervisor must agree in writing to provide supervision and must meet the qualifications and experience criteria if other panel members do not.

Principal Supervisor Resignation

In the event of a principal supervisor leaving the employment of the university, it is the responsibility of the Head of School in consultation with the supervisors, postgraduate students and the Faculty Director of Postgraduate studies to ensure that adequate and acceptable supervision arrangement are agreed prior to a principal supervisor leaving the employment of the university.

Review

This policy will be reviewed by the Research Degrees and Scholarships Committee in the second half of 2006.

This page was last updated on Friday, October 23, 2009 10:32