1. IGS RESEARCH SKILLS – MODULE 2 WORKING WITH YOUR SUPERVISOR
Zuhaina Zakaria, PhD
Head of Graduate Studies
(Academic Development, Resources & Students)
IGS, UiTM

2. Goals of the Session
Explore the role of supervisors and students
Identify the expectations of students and supervisors
Develop action plan
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3. Outline Role of supervisor Choosing supervisor Great expectations
Understanding your supervisor
Manipulating your supervisor
Dealing with conflict
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4. Why are we here? Why am I here? Why are you here?
Talk to someone next to you and tell them
who you are & the area of your research
why you decided to do a MSc/PhD
where you hope it will take you
Describe your background
Explain about Roberts if you can – over 50% of PhD graduates leave academia on graduation, so you need to be able to identify transferable skills. If you decide to remain in academia, you will need to be self aware and be effective to survive in a competitive environment.
Give them about 10 minutes to talk to each other working in groups of about 4
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5. So common things are..... 12/04/2017 You have a supervisor
You have some ideas on your research
You have been accepted to UiTM
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6. How does doing a research degree differ from coursework?
Independent Research
Self-motivation
Creativity
Time Management
Publication
Working with a Supervisor
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7. Supervisors You need at least one. They can be beneficial.
They can be frustrating.
They can seem invisible.
They are human.
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8. Role of Supervisor
Definition: person who is responsible for guiding doctoral student (Murray, 2002)
Other terms used are “tutor” or “thesis advisor”

9. Roles of Supervisor Director Facilitator Adviser Teacher Guide Critic
Freedom giver
Supporter
Friend
Manager
Examiner
Brown & Atkins, 1990

10. Role of Supervisor
To ensure early that there is a clear sense of the research question
To help student engage with the field of scholarship – to understand the scholarly context of the work - Confirmation
To ensure Final product is scholarly
as editor: active and energetic – help the candidate be lucid, coherent and fluent.
As scholar: facilitate the candidate’s expression of originality and ensure that the work makes a contribution: keep them on track.
As broker: to introduce the candidate to the community, develop his/her networks
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11. Choosing Supervisor Important Step Study their current projects
Identify the professors working in the area(s) of your interest
Go and talk to them
Study their current projects
Are they in an area current interest?
Are the projects interesting / appealing to you?
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12. Choosing Supervisor (cont..)
Look at his/her recent publication record
Choose professors that are currently active in research
The best indication is the publications are in the last 3-4 years
A certain professor may have been very active 10 years ago and established himself but hasn’t done anything in the last 5 years
He/she might have switched to administrative duties
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13. Choosing Supervisor (cont..)
Consider his/her recent graduates
If the last alumni of the supervisor have been successful, there are chances you may be too
This supervisor help you graduate in a reasonable time frame
Looks out for you professionally
The same applies for the opposite case
However, there are always exception
Remember you and your attitude make the difference!
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14. Choosing Supervisor (cont..)
Finally, talk to the current students
They can give you an insider’s perspective
But be cautious
Different people might have totally different perception
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15. Young vs Senior Faculty Member
An everlasting dilemma
Young faculty
More active and motivated
Less administrative duties
Closer to your age group and therefore more fun
More friendship percentage to the relation advisor-student
Senior faculty
More experienced and connected
More grants
More alumni -- has had the chance to give the world some successful PhDs
Extracted from QUT, Australia
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16. What are the expectations?
Your expectations
Their expectations
Great Expectations Activity
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17. Your expectations
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18. Their expectations
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19. Understanding your supervisor
Their goals
Their skills
Their hates
Their inadequacies
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20. Their goals Supervision is a not a well paid job
supervising students at different universities
Clearly the goal is not (directly) money
So what is their motivating?
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21. Their goals Giving back to the system Creating a scientific “legacy”
Multiplying their output
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22. Their skills
They offer different skills over the life cycle of your PhD
At the start
Identifying a good question
Knowing what has already been done
Anticipating when a problem will be too hard or too easy
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23. Their skills In the middle Watching over the “bigger” picture
Nudging your in good directions
Identifying common pitfalls (see later)
Keeping an eye on the clock
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24. Their skills At the end Telling you when to stop
Knowing what a thesis looks like
Anticipating problem areas for your viva
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25. Their hates Students who quit Students who finish late
Wasted effort all round
Students who finish late
They know writing up isn’t that pleasant
But it needs to be done
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26. Their inadequacies Supervisors are human too They are unable to
read your mind
manage their time
remember much
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27. DEALING WITH CONFLICT

28. Be aware of your supervisors’ other concerns
Undergraduate teaching
MSc supervisees
Other PhD students
Research assistants and research staff
Their own publications
Departmental administration
Other professional roles (editor, referee, examiner, etc)
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29. Dealing with conflict Conflict is common
Supervision is like a marriage
Even divorce is possible
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30. Potential problems for students
Lack of guidance
Unavailability
Insufficiently critical
Overly critical
Lack of knowledge in subject area
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31. Potential problems: supervisors
Overly dependent
Lack of honesty
Uncontactable
Lack enthusiasm
Don’t follow advice
Oversensitive to criticism
Lack commitment
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32. Basis of problems Lack of communication Mismatched expectations
Personality clash
Competing pressures
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33. Dealing with conflict Communicate
Conflict often caused by breakdowns in communication
Keep your expectations realistic
Be organised
Be professional
Be open, flexible and honest
Alert supervisor(s) to problems as they arise
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34. Dealing with conflict Compromise
There are two of you in this “marriage”
Discuss expectations at the beginning
Give sufficient notice for requests
Draw up an agenda for your meetings
Record the outcome of meetings and to supervisor(s)/use PhD Logbook
Arrange next meeting ahead of time
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35. Dealing with conflict If problems persist:
Speak to your second supervisor
Approach your faculty’s Coordinator of postgraduate studies
Approach your faculty’s Dean
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36. Dealing with conflict
If all else fails, you can “change” your supervisor
Formally : there are procedures to follows
Funding may be an issue
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37. MANAGING YOUR SUPERVISOR

38. Why should you manage your supervisor(s)?
S/he probably busier than you are
S/he may not be aware of the regulations to extent you are
Your enthusiasm and organisation may impress them
You want to complete on time with as few problems as possible
S/he will be your key reference for future jobs etc
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39. Managing your Supervisor
Have a weekly meeting (very important)
Sets a quick pace for your projects
Take the initiative -- the MSc/PhD is yours
Supervisors have many PhDs to think about and are much busier
Learn how to communicate, including disagreeing without making it personal
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40. Managing your Supervisor
Try to meet the deadlines
It is important and will build the trust of your advisor in your capabilities
Try to understand their character
Will help you in getting things done
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41. When submitting work to your supervisor
Cover sheet on every piece of work submitted with:
Your name and year of PhD
Your up-to-date thesis title
An up-to-date chapter structure with full headings
Highlight where today’s chapter or bit of work fits within this
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42. Maturing Recognise that priorities change Develop negotiation skills
Individual external issues affect all partners
Develop negotiation skills
Coaching students to see the way ahead
Duty of care to ensure target is reached
Keep the enthusiasm
New grants, new duties, new opportunities
New social groups, technologies, “-omics”
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43. Integrating Others into Partnership
Specialist researchers (not supervisors)
Advisory/mentor groups
External activities
Work/tutoring
Sports, hobbies, theatre, etc
Families
Partners, parents, grandparents, etc
Awareness without intrusion
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44. Manipulating your supervisor
Be positive
Your supervisor is more likely to want to help
You’ll feel better
Work hard
They will be more willing to work hard too
You’ll more likely to get results
A thesis is hard work
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45. Manipulating your supervisor
Write
Internal notes
Conference papers
Journal articles
They will find it hard to ignore paper
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46. Writing is the driver of good supervision
Writing is constitutive of thinking
Personal relations in conversation often mask divergences of views or misunderstandings
Your supervisor gains information about your progress from your written work
Supervisors cannot comment usefully on your progress or provide sound advice unless they can see your thoughts in writing
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47. Manipulating your supervisor
Be their ambassador
Scientific contacts
Social networking
Make yourself invaluable
Reviewing papers
Helping run conferences
Running the lab/group
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48. A relationship to consider: the research student / supervisor balance
Authority of the SUPERVISOR
Freedom of the STUDENT
Supervisor sells decision
Supervisor presents decision & invites questions
Supervisor presents tentative decision subject to changes
Supervisor presents problem, gets suggestions, makes decisions
Supervisor defines limits but expects student to make decision
Supervisor expects student to function within limits set by him/her/dept/ University
Student accepts decision and takes action
Student listens, questions and negotiates amendments
Student takes action and presents results
Student listens and questions decisions
Student presents problem & proposes action but seeks approval before acts
Supervisor makes decision & announces it
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Developed by University of Leeds

49. Common Problems Divided attention Confusion about purpose
Not contributing
Too much contributing
No record of discussions
No mechanisms to monitor progress
Responsibilities poorly defined
These have all been covered in previous slides, but are brought together to emphasise common mistakes - all these are frequently seen in academic reports, theses and initial drafts of papers.
To minimise these mistakes the writer should always review and edit their writing (a checklist follows) and find a friendly fellow researcher to proof-read FINAL drafts. This may be your supervisor, whose time will be limited, so ensure they are commenting on the content of your report, not the grammatical errors and spelling.
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50. Try to Remember They are learning on the job
There are no classes to be a supervisor
They have little experience
Like in medicine: do one, watch one, teach one
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51. Recharging the Batteries
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IGS RESEARCH SKILLS SEMINAR - MODULE 2

52. PhD is a Long Journey not a 100 m Sprint
All things in moderation
Body
Physical activities (workout, your favorite sports…)
Enough sleep
Relationships
Mind
Hobbies, languages, reading
Soul
God
Friends
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53. All Things in Moderation
You need to combine work with fun
If you are happy you will produce more and better research
If you are miserable you will burn-out
Try to do something outside your lab/home at least once a week
Take a break and reward yourself after a big project deadline
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54. Everyday Activities Go for a coffee with a friend Have a nice meal
Go to the movies
Go the gym
Play sports : futsal, bowling, badminton
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55. Conclusion Working with your supervisor need skills: Listening
Negotiating
Interpersonal Skills
Creativity
Remembering that they too have a life
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56. Your MSc/PhD could be the best time of your life
Efficient time management
Good supervision
Succeed at work
Have fun

57. Your action plan

58. Your action plan Continue to communicate
Write down agenda for meetings
Schedule next meeting at the end
Meeting minutes
Write more often in advance of meetings
Make note of outcome of meetings
Draw up organised agendas for meetings
Expect a bit less (warm relationship, guidance, etc)
Be less intimidated to approach the ‘goddess’ with my own thoughts and critical ideas
Improve the communication
Write the ideas
Create a formal agenda
Be more independent
Have a meeting about student-supervisor expectations and/or supervision procedures
Write ‘minutes’ of my meetings and use them as a reference in the future
Set up a meeting agenda
More communication with my supervisor
Create more regular meetings schedule with written input/output

59. Thank you for your attention!!
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60. IGS RESEARCH SKILLS SEMINAR - MODULE 2
References
Tracking Postgraduate Supervision, Queensland University of Technology
Planning, Structuring and Managing your PhD, Dr. Mark Matthews,
Managing your supervisor, Toby Walsh, National ICT Australia, Universities of NSW and Uppsala
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IGS RESEARCH SKILLS SEMINAR - MODULE 2