Supervisor workshops : Graduate Research School : The University of Western Australia

Supervision Professional Development Program

The Graduate Research School runs a Professional Development Program for staff supervising postgraduate research students. The program supports the UWA Supervisor Register.

Induction and refresher modules
Supervising Doctoral Students LMS module
Past supervision workshops and seminars
Supervisor register

1. Induction and refresher modules

Supervisor Induction

The Supervisor Induction Module is designed for staff new to supervision of research students or more experienced supervisors new to supervision at UWA. Completion of an online form, confirming that you have read the Supervisor Induction Module, will satisfy the training and development requirements of the supervisor register for L1 supervisors.

In the module, links are provided to webpages and youTube videos. If you would like these links to open in a new window, you may need to change your Browser settings. In Google Chrome, if you hold down the CTRL button while clicking on the link, the link will open in a new window.

Supervisor Refresher

The Supervisor Refresher Module is designed for experienced supervisors of research students at UWA wanting to update their understanding of recent changes to rules and administrative processes. Completion of an online form, confirming that you have read the Supervisor Refresher Module, will satisfy the training and development requirements of the supervisor register for L2 and L3 supervisors. The form can be accessed from the final page of the module. Experienced supervisors will need to complete this module, or other form of professional development, at least once every four years.

Supervising Doctoral Students Online Module

The Epigeum online course Supervising Doctoral Studies is available in the UWA Learning Management System (LMS). Supervising Doctoral Studies includes modules on selecting candidates, approaching supervision, managing progress, and preparing for examination. The course can be accessed through self-enrolment in the UWA LMS organisation, Supervisor Professional Development. Please contact Dr Jo Edmondston if you would like detailed instructions on how to access the unit. External supervisors without a Pheme account should also contact Jo for guest access to this unit.

To complement the Supervising Doctoral Studies module, is a series of videos to provide additional advice about UWA Thesis examination and the viva voce. This series of three videos covers examination of HDR students at UWA, including the viva voce for PhD students, formatting a thesis a series of papers, and management of adverse examination.

3. Past GRS supervision workshops and seminars

Finding the Right Student MAY 2021. HDR student selection advice. Includes discussion of attracting high quality HDR students, application and admission processes, scholarships, and induction. Complements the UWA LMS Supervising Doctoral Students Unit - Attracting and Selecting Doctoral Applicants. Held
Team Work in Supervision. 2021 Development of effective and respectful relationships in HDR teams. Includes discussion of student-supervisor relationships, supervisor-supervisor relationships, cross-cultural communication, constructive feedback and conflict resolution.
Expectations, Relationships and Wellbeing. 2021 Resources for support of the wellbeing of HDR students and supervisors. Includes discussion of pastoral care responsibilities, reporting and disclosure requirements, support services, and reasonable accommodation of requests for support.
Preparing HDR Students for Examination NOV 13. Explores examination of HDR students at UWA, including the viva voce for PhD students, formatting a thesis a series of papers, and management of adverse examination. Please email Jo Edmondston if you would like access to the video files for this workshop.
Wellbeing of HDR Students. Resources for support of the wellbeing of HDR students and supervisors, UWA’s policies and guidelines regarding supervisory responsibilities and pastoral care, reporting and disclosure requirements and support services referral, and ‘reasonable accommodation’ of HDR student requests for support.
Supporting the Academic Writing Development of HDR Students AUG 2020. The workshop aims to: 1) Examine the role of the supervisor in supporting HDR student’s academic writing development; 2) Explore strategies for delivery of constructive feedback; and 3) Support the identification of students who may need additional writing support, possibly through referral to StudySmarter or the GRS Graduate Education Officers, including details of DELNA testing
Developing HDR Students into Independent Researchers JUL 2020. Support for HDR students to develop a personal development plan and different supervisory approaches to developing independence in HDR students.
HDR Induction and Research Enculturation FEB 2020. Overview of student induction processes, supervisor’s role in supporting student’s research enculturation, and barriers to the induction and enculturation of HDR students
Research Students and Mental Health Workshop NOV 2019. Information, advice and strategies on how to best deal with mental health issues that may arise in students.
Commercialisation and Intellectual Property Seminar NOV 2019. Understanding funding agreements that place obligations on students and supervisors in relation to intellectual property, publishing, confidentiality, indemnities and other matters.
Roles and Responsibilities of the Graduate Research Coordinator Workshop JUN 2019. Explored Roles and responsibilities of GRCs.
Finding the Right Student Seminar JUN 2019. Advice about HDR student selection.
Supervisory Relationships Workshop FEB 2019. Explored approaches and tools for the development of effective and respectful relationships between students and supervisors.
Thesis as a Series of Papers Seminar FEB 2019. Pros and cons of formatting a thesis as a series of papers.
Research Integrity Workshop OCT 2018. Explored issues linked with ethics, intellectual property, data management, conflicts of interest and research collaboration.
Industry Engagement Seminar OCT 2018. Addressed government requirements for increased industry engagement for doctoral students.
Building Resilience in Research Students Workshop JUN 2018. Explored strategies to develop resilience in students.
Research Proposal Seminar JUN 2018. Described and explored the function of research proposals, the new online submission process and how the GRS Board assesses the paperwork.
Bridging Cultural Divides in Supervision Workshop APR 2018. Explored cross-cultural communication within supervisory teams.
Adverse Reports in Examination Seminar APR 2018. Outlined adverse reports from examiners and how they are managed by the GRS Board.
Thesis Examination Seminar NOV 2017. Overview of the examination process at UWA, including recent changes to the submission process, nomination of examiners and conflicts of interest, examination and examiners views of problematic theses, and how to respond to examiner reports.
Academic Writing Support Workshop SEP 2017. Information about English language requirements at UWA, StudySmarter support, GRS development and training, and the use of editorial assistance policy.
Confirmation of Candidature Seminar JUL 2017. Described the function of candidature confirmation and how the GRS processes and assesses the paperwork.