Supervising Doctoral Students

This course is definitely something for you, whether you have recently started your role as a research supervisor or have already managed to gather some experience.

Target Group

Post-doctorates (fellowships) with no or less experience of supervising doctoral students; new or senior lecturers holding a doctoral degree, as well as readers/docents with some or lots of doctoral supervising experience.
Number of participants is limited to 24. Selection will be made using different criteria (such as, spread of departmental affiliation, participant´s previous supervising experience).

Content

• The interaction between supervisor and doctoral student: `drawing up a contract´ (rights and obligations), the research tutorial, conflict management, different issues in supervising, to give feedback.
• What does the regulatory framework stating the conditions for current research education in Sweden look like? What changes of the supervisory context for supervisors and doctoral students may be identified? What criteria for assessment should be met in a senior lecturer/reader appointment; and how do you make preparations for such an appointment?
• How can gender- and diversity-related opinions and attitudes influence the supervisor and student in the supervising process? What is stated about equal opportunities in the regulatory framework for higher education? How do problems pertaining to these issues arise in practice?
• What ethical statements should the supervisor and the student depart from? How are both parties expected to act and relate themselves to each other in a professional way?
• The communicative perspectives of the student and the supervisor: the long journey from being admitted as doctoral student to the final defence of the dissertation (the stages of doctoral career building and the roles of the supervisor).

Extent

A total of three weeks on a full-time basis, comprising 7 days in-campus divided into four blocks (3 + 2 + 1 + 1) and 8 days for homework assignments off-campus.
Please note that your presence and participation during the first scheduled course session is mandatory in all courses arranged by the unit, unless otherwise stated.

Course Goals

By the end of the course, we expect you to be able to:

• identify, critically reflect on and independently assess the aims and the design of current research education in the light of historic, national and international perspectives, as well as legal matters.
• analyse and display in theory and practice your understanding for the supervisor-PhD student relationship and the dynamic character of supervising meetings, with considerations taken to ethnic, ethical and gender-related aspects.
• benefit, in terms of growth and support, from the communicative and situated training offered for approaching different supervising situations.
• make a written statement on your own philosophy of supervision, e.g., discussing and sharing what, in your opinion, makes for good doctoral supervision.
• reflect on the ideas of research education at your own department/division and, if possible, to identify a supervision policy formally/informally agreed upon.
• design an individual action plan using the statement made on your philosophy of supervision and the ideas of your department/division on research education and doctoral supervision.

Course requirements

Attendance in classes taught is compulsory. Absence may be permitted only on single occasions, at maximum two, excepting the first day of class. If absence is unavoidable, you will be required to do a catch-up assignment afterwards, in order to make-up for what you missed in morning or afternoon class.

Homework Assignments

Individual design of a case (vignette) which you would find worthwhile discussing and using as a point of departure for sharing your own experience of doctoral supervision, either as a student or supervisor, in Sweden or elsewhere.

• In a written form, reflecting on and discussing free-choice literature with the aim of broadening and deepening your knowledge of theoretical and practical perspectives on doctoral supervision and research education. .
• In a written form, stating your own philosophy of supervision as well as the ideas of what research education and doctoral supervision are and could be about in terms of policy at your own department/division. You are also to design an individual action plan.
• Observation out-of-class at a supervising meeting involving a supervisor and his/her doctoral student, with follow-up and discussion afterwards in-class.
• Online discussion about doctoral supervision at a distance, including a written follow-up in a small-group context.
• To learn best, and in order to receive a certificate of completion, the participants are expected to actively participate in every class taught in-campus, to act as an observer at a supervising meeting, and to complete the homework assignments given (individually or in a small-group context)

For dissemination of information, as well as for dealing with the assignments/tasks given before and during the course, the learning management system Studium will be used. Further information about this will be announced in the notification.

Course Period

For more information about dates and applications, see Calendar.

The course will be taught in Campus Blåsenhus. Classroom and the names of the facilitators will be announced in the notification.

Financial Conditions

The course is free of charge for staff members affiliated with Uppsala University.

More information

Division for Quality Enhancement

Cesar Pay Gómez, Phone: 018-471 68 18, E-mail: cesar.paygomez@uu.se

Anette Månsson, Phone: 018-471 13 39, E-mail: anette.mansson@lingfil.uu.se

The following applies for all courses given by the Unit for Academic Teaching and Learning: If a course participant is unable to complete a course within the given time frame, all elements / assignments must be completed within three years from the start of the course in order to receive a passing grade / certificate of completion. The prerequisite for this is that course information and course objectives are the same.