Courses featured in this programme:

• Introduction: The doctoral context

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1 hour 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Introduction: The doctoral context introduces the programme and prepares participants for later units. It asks the pressing question ‘What skills will supervisors need to successfully support candidates through this long, varied and complex process?’, which the full programme aims to answer.

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  Syllabus

  • Introduction to the programme and features
  • Characteristics of an effective doctoral supervisor
  • The contemporary doctorate and wider context
  • Institutional drivers and supervisor requirements
  • Diagnostic activity to help participants to map a route through the programme]

  Author: Dr Douglas Halliday
  Former Dean of the Graduate School and current Director of the Multidisciplinary Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy, Durham University; member of the Executive Committee for the UK Council for Graduate Education; QAA Institutional Reviewer

  Reviewer: Professor Nicholas Steneck 
  Director of the Research Ethics and Integrity Program of the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research and Professor Emeritus of History, University of Michigan, USA

• Attracting and selecting doctoral applicants

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1.3 hours 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Attracting and selecting doctoral applicants covers the full spectrum of candidate recruitment from optimising your supervisory profile to identifying the characteristics of a ‘successful’ candidate and to how to meet applicant needs and expectations.

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  Syllabus

  • Optimising your ability to attract desirable applicants
  • What are you looking for? Characteristics of a “successful” doctoral candidate
  • Evaluating research potential in applicants
  • Management of applicant perceptions

  Author: Dr Janet Carton 
  Graduate Education Development Manager at University College Dublin

  Reviewer: Professor Terry Evans 
  Emeritus Professor at Deakin University

• Approaching supervision

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1.3 hours 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Approaching supervision considers the varying ways in which doctoral degrees can be supervised. It encourages research supervisors to examine their own supervisory practices and personal experience of supervision with a view to informing and framing the working relationship with their doctoral candidate. The unit also examines the issues of diversity and inclusivity in the context of research supervision.

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  Syllabus

  • The pedagogical approach to doctoral supervision
  • Supervisor styles
  • Aligning supervisory styles with candidate needs
  • Clarifying expectations, roles and responsibilities of you and your candidate
  • Diversity and inclusivity in supervision

  Author: Dr Janet Carton 
  Graduate Education Development Manager at University College Dublin

  Reviewer: Professor Terry Evans 
  Emeritus Professor at Deakin University

• Setting your candidate on the right course

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1.5 hours 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Setting your candidate on the right course acknowledges the value of utilising a supervisor’s experience in order to address those aspects of doctoral education that will scaffold the candidate’s learning. With a clear direction and a sense of confidence, candidates will have the time and space for the individual transformation that occurs as they develop and learn.

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  Syllabus

  • The research environment and culture
  • Using institutional and national frameworks to support your candidate’s skills and career development
  • Academic integrity
  • Advising on research specifics
  • Monitoring progress
  • Foundations for effective feedback

  Author: Dr Margaret Kiley 
  Visiting Fellow at Australian National University

  Reviewer: Dr Anne Lee
  Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association & Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

• Managing progress

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1.8 hours 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Managing progress  helps support supervisors to ensure as far as possible that candidates successfully undertake their research projects, complete their degrees on time and are prepared for their future careers.

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  Syllabus

  • Assisting with academic problems
  • Supporting the development of academic writing
  • Supporting production of the thesis
  • Giving feedback
  • The pastoral role of the supervisor
  • Supporting professional and career development

  Author: Dr Stan Taylor 
  Honorary Fellow of the School of Education at Durham University

  Reviewer: Dr George Walker 
  Professor of Physics and the Chief Strategy Officer at Cleveland State University

• Expectations and preparing for examination

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1.5 hours 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Expectations and preparing for examination addresses the stage of the doctoral process which is often the most fraught for student and supervisor alike. This course explores key issues in the examination process to assist supervisors in working with candidates prior to, during, and following examination.

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  Syllabus

  • Thesis assessment criteria
  • Understanding your institution’s regulations
  • Selecting examiners
  • Finalising and submitting the thesis
  • The oral component of examination
  • Supporting your candidate following examination

  Author: Dr Margaret Kiley 
  Visiting Fellow at Australian National University

  Reviewer: Dr Anne Lee
  Senior Fellow of the Staff and Educational Development Association & Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

• Issues in supervision

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1.5 hours 
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  Issues in supervision addresses the fact that supervisors will experience a range of issues and need to respond to them effectively. Participants will consider a number of the commonplace issues and advice regarding the ways in which they might respond to them.

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  Syllabus

  • Aligning expectations
  • Motivating candidates who are procrastinating
  • Responding to candidates with disabilities
  • Dealing with plagiarism
  • Managing relationships with co-supervisors
  • Managing relationships with candidates

  Author: Dr Stan Taylor 
  Honorary Fellow of the School of Education at Durham University

  Reviewer: Dr George Walker 
  Professor of Physics and the Chief Strategy Officer at Cleveland State University

• Continuing your supervisory development

  Overview

  Publication date: Aug 2014 
  Core activities: 1 hour
  Additional activities: 2.5 hours   

  This concluding unit enables participants to reflect on the programme as a whole and establish an action plan for ongoing development.

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  Syllabus

  • Reflective practice and performance assessment
  • Working with a supervisory team or with a mentor
  • Broadening your horizons: Being a thesis examiner
  • What next? Steps for further development

  Author: Dr Douglas Halliday
  Former Dean of the Graduate School and current Director of the Multidisciplinary Centre for Doctoral Training in Energy, Durham University; member of the Executive Committee for the UK Council for Graduate Education; QAA Institutional Reviewer

  Reviewer: Professor Nicholas Steneck 
  Director of the Research Ethics and Integrity Program of the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research and Professor Emeritus of History, University of Michigan, USA