MAKING THE MOST O

F

YOUR RELAT

IONSHIP WITH

YOUR SUPERVISORS

K E L L Y P R E E C E

R E S E A R C H E R D E V E L O P M E N T P R O G R A M M E M A N A G E R ( P G R S )

WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM TODAY’S COURSE?

SESSION OUTLINE

Understanding the role of your supervisors

Great expectationsMaking the most of your supervisorsCommon pitfalls Dealing with conflict

PADLET

http://padlet.com/UofE_RD/makingthemostofyoursupervisor18_01_16

PART 1: UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF A SUPERVISOR?

THE ROLE OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

Interested in your research Available to discuss your conclusions and

ideas Able to provide feedback on your progress Able to provide feedback on your written work

THE ROLE OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

Encouraging you to participate in group meetings, seminars and occasional conferences

Developing your professional research qualities by example

Supportive of your professional development …whether in research or beyond…

‘Your supervisor supervises you and your approach to you work. They don’t generally tell you what to do, or what not to do, but they might warn you off some things and try to steer you towards others. As with all advice, you can take it or leave it.’

(Marshall and Green, 2010: 27-28)

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIESStudent

Co-Supervisor

Lead Supervisor

Mentor College

SUPERVISORY AGREEMENT

PART 3: GREAT EXPECTATIONS

EXPECTATIONS IN SUPERVISION

SUPERVISORS EXPECT YOU

To be independent (not simply to do as you’re told but use your initiative!)

To have your own ideasTo be able to communicate clearly in oral and

written form To submit written material(s) in good time

before planned supervision meetings

To seek advice and comments on your workTo attend regular supervision meetingsTo be honest in reporting progress (or lack of!)To follow any reasonable advice given when it

has been requested by the student

To be committed and enthusiastic about their research project

Join/contribute to the research culture of the school

To have a general understanding of the field

POSTGRADUATE RESEARCHERS EXPECT SUPERVISORS

To supervise themTo provide support in the annual report/review

processTo provide guidance on areas of research

training need(s)To read your work in advance of the

supervision time

To be available for advice when neededTo be friendly, open and supportiveTo be constructively criticalTo have a broad understanding of the

research areaTo structure supervision meetings to allow an

open exchange of ideas and advice

These are a lot of expectations

WHAT ELSE WILL YOUR SUPERVISORS BE DOING?

Planning and preparing taught modulesTeaching undergraduate and Masters

studentsMarking vast quantities of coursework and

examsActing as personal tutor to undergraduate

studentsWriting research proposals

Carrying out and keeping up to date with research

Trying to secure funding Attending and presenting at conferencesPublishing new research Attending department and university

meetings

Serving on university committeesManaging their own office (word

processing, email etc.)Supervising other PhD studentsSocial life, home and family time… plus

much more…

PART 4: MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR SUPERVISORS

YOUR SUPERVISOR’S SKILLS

They know what it takes to get a PhD

They have one themselves

They will offer you different skills over the period of your research programme

YOUR SUPERVISOR’S SKILLS

At the start:

Identifying a good question (…?) Knowing what has already been done (…?)Anticipating when a problem will be too hard or too easy

In the middle:

Watching over the ‘bigger’ pictureNudging you in good directionsIdentifying common pitfallsKeeping an eye on the clock

Towards the end:

Giving feedback on draftsHelping identify an external examinerMock vivaLooking at next steps i.e. career plans, publication

THE BALANCE OF KNOWLEDGE

Knowledge of your thesis subject over time

Supervisor

You

EVOLVING SUPERVISION STYLES

Candidate status

Supervisor’s recent style

Completely Autonomous

Dependent

Hands on Hands off

Appropriate support

Possible conflict

Autonomy generation

Benign neglect

WHAT IS YOUR SUPERVISORS’ STYLE?

Which of these roles do you think reflects your supervisor’s style and approaches to supervision at this stage?

Which would you prefer it to be?

WHAT IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP LIKE?

Which pair (if any) fits your current relationship with your supervisor?

Which of these roles do you think reflect your supervisor's style and approaches to supervision at this stage?

Which would you prefer it to be?

Part of making the most of your supervisor is understanding their approach, your expectations, and how to match up the two

TASK: YOUR SUPERVISOR – SAME AS YOU?

STRUCTURED PREFERENCES TO TIME AND PROJECT MANAGEMENTPrefers a logical approach to a project –

identifies tasks that need to be done at the outset.

Use a diary system to plan activities and then does them when planned.

Sets deadlines ahead of time and sticks to them.Plans in contingency time for unseen tasks and

activities.

Plans ahead – often a significant amount ahead.Is flustered by people who are ‘spontaneous’ or

don’t do what’s agreed.Feels most comfortable when they know what

they are going to do and by when.It is difficult to take on new tasks and ideas once

the project is underway.

UNSTRUCTURED PREFERENCES TO TIME AND PROJECT MANAGEMENTPrefers a creative approach to a project where

the tasks that need doing may become apparent during the project.

May use a diary system to keep key dates in mind but may have more than one entry for a particular time/day so they can choose nearer the time.

(May) set deadlines as timelines to be aware of.

Anticipates that there will almost certainly be a ‘big rush at the end’.

Doesn’t plan ahead too far but lives in the moment.Is flustered by people and projects who/which try to

pin them down to fixed timescales.Feels most comfortable when they have some

creative space to define and deliver their project.It is never too late to have another great idea.

CONTINUUM

Structured preferences

Unstructured preferences

MANAGING THE SUPERVISION PROCESS

In order to get the most out of your supervision you should take control of the process using some of the following suggestions…

From Vitae https://www.vitae.ac.uk/doing-research/doing-a-doctorate/starting-a-doctorate/supervision-and-key-relationships

Discuss and agree key issues, e.g. authorship of papers, research ethics and

intellectual property, at the start of the project

Be proactive and arrange formal supervisory meetings 

Prepare an agenda and send it to your supervisor in advance 

Prepare some work before each meeting to provide some focus to the meeting. Early on in your project you might just produce a list of what you have read or done, but as the

project develops you are likely to be able to give data, analysis, papers, presentations

and early drafts of chapters. 

Expect to receive feedback and criticism and use this to improve your work 

Deal with problems as they arise. Often these will be related to technical or resource issues

but also be prepared to discuss issues around the style and frequency of

supervision. Supervisors generally want to do a good job so if you make suggestions for improvements they will usually be willing to

try them 

Summarise meetings and keep a copy for your own record and send one to your

supervisor. This will help to ensure follow-up on any actions and will highlight

any misunderstandings

FURTHER TIPS

Lots of regular posts on supervision on http://thesiswhisperer.com/category/you-and-your-supervisor/

PART 5: COMMON PITFALLS

WHAT ARE THE COMMON PITFALLS?

COMMUNICATION

COMMUNICATE!Keep the communication ‘channels’ open!

Most problems in life are caused ineffective communication

Nearly all PhD/doctoral failures (less than 1%) can be attributed to a break down in communication between student and supervisory team!

PART 6: DEALING WITH CONFLICT

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS ‘Describe the situation that bothers you,

being as specific as you can (for instance: “When you two disagree I go back to work confused about what to do next”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS ‘Express your feelings about the situation

(“When I am confused I get stressed I find it difficult to write anything”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS‘Empathize with the position the other

person is in (“I realise you both have strong views and want to give me your best advice”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS‘Explain the consequences (“But if I stay

this stressed and confused I am going to get behind in my work”)’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

DEALING WITH CONFLICT BETWEEN SUPERVISORS‘Specify what you want from your supervisors

(“It would be very helpful if you could agree in advance on the options which are possible and then explain their advantages and disadvantages in a way that helps us all make a collective decision on what to do”).’

Source: Mum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

www.thesiswhisperer.com

‘Most difficulties in the supervisory relationship are ‘cock-ups’ rather than ‘conspiracies’. Always start from the assumption that all parties are acting in good faith. As is often the case, prevention is the best cure: if you have good work habits (e.g. networking effectively, keeping good records, letting other people know what you’re working on, publishing internal and external reports promptly, communicating clearly and promptly), then many difficulties can be avoided altogether. Good habits will also make early diagnosis easier. Good communication can usually sort problems out before they become serious.’

(Rugg and Petre, 20014: 42)

DEALING WITH CONFLICT WITH YOUR SUPERVISORS

DEALING WITH CONFLICT WITH YOUR SUPERVISORS

COMPROMISE!

DEALING WITH CONFLICT

Speak to your other supervisorsApproach your mentorFind your staff-student liaison officerApproach the Dean

DEALING WITH CONFLICTIf all else fails, you can “change” your

supervisor•Formally or informally•Funding may be an issue•Not just because “you don’t like them”•Has to be agreed and approved by Faculty, via your school and the postgraduate office

SOME ADVICE:Find out exactly how supervision is coordinated in your department;

there will be a procedure for changing supervisor.

Establish the paper trail: write things down, keep all emails etc. Write down the facts, with dates and details, as dispassionately as you can. If there really is a problem, the facts will speak for themselves.

Consult a third party, confidentially. This could be your mentor, or your staff-student liaison officer. Speak as calmly and dispassionately as you can, bring along

your documentation, ask for advice and listen.

Call in a third party to act as a mediator in a meeting with your supervisor.

(Adapted from Rugg and Petre, 2004: 43)

FURTHER RESOURCES

Teaching and Quality Assurance Manual: REMEMBER it is your responsibility to discuss issues with your supervisory team and to check regulations

http://as.exeter.ac.uk/support/admin/staff/qualityassuranceandmonitoring/tqamanual/

THE THESIS WHISPERER AND OTHER RESOURCESConsider the resources and discussion threads available at www.thesiswhisper.com The following posts are linked on the Padlet:Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am stuck in the middle … of two supervisors who don’t agree

How to tell your supervisor you want a divorceMum and Dad are fighting – what should I do?

…as well as a link to the category archive on supervision, and articles from The Guardian Higher Education Network on supervision

TASK: TRY TO SEE IT MY WAY

WHAT WILL YOU TAKE AWAY FROM TODAY?

THANK YOU!

researcherdevelopment@exeter.ac.uk

www.exeter.ac.uk/as/rdp

@UofE_RD