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Reflections on academic supervision

Article  in  Nursing standard: official newspaper of the Royal College of Nursing · November 2008
DOI: 10.7748/ns2008.11.23.11.35.c6724 · Source: PubMed

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Reflections on academic supervision
Dowie I (2008) Reflections on academic supervision. Nursing Standard. 23, 11, 35-38.
Date of acceptance: July 24 2008.
Summary
Academic supervision is vital for students who are developing
academic careers. New lecturers have little training to prepare them
for the role of supervisor and may not feel adequately prepared to
support the needs of students. This article discusses academic
supervision from the viewpoint of a nurse lecturer, examines the
nature of supervision and makes recommendations for practice.
Author
Iwan Dowie is senior lecturer, Faculty of Health, Sport and Science,
University of Glamorgan, Pontypridd. Email: idowie@glam.ac.uk
Keywords
Academic supervision; Higher education; Skills; Support
These keywords are based on the subject headings from the British
Nursing Index. This article has been subject to double-blind review.
For author and research article guidelines visit the Nursing Standard
home page at nursingstandard.rcnpublishing.co.uk. For related
articles visit our online archive and search using the keywords.
ACADEMIC SUPERVISION is important to
nurture students’ development (Smith 2000,
Thompson et al 2005, Ehrenberg and Häggblom
2007). Supervision provides an opportunity to
discuss a student’s work and to help identify and
explore key issues relevant to the individual’s
chosen topic. Academic supervision also helps
students to meet the academic standards
necessary to pass their assignments. Claveirole
and Mathers (2003) suggest that supervision
should be a contractual relationship negotiated
between the student and their supervisor. Good
supervision should encourage students to reach
their full potential.
Nursing students often enter higher education
with little experience of academia. Many will
have gone to university following the completion
of an access to higher education course, instead
of taking A levels. The supervisor-student
relationship is paramount in helping students to
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develop their academic skills. A breakdown in
this relationship may result in students struggling
and potentially failing (Smith 2000).
Challenges and experiences
As a senior lecturer, my role encompasses teaching,
module management and pastoral support. On
being appointed I was concerned about taking on
the role of supervisor to pre-registration and
post-registration nursing students.
Having experienced good and bad
supervision, I understood the responsibility
placed on supervisors to provide the necessary
support for students so that they can complete
their assessments satisfactorily. Supervision
requires an appreciation of students’ learning and
a respect for the emotional attachment they have
to their study. Helping students to make sense of
their experiences, to relate theory to practice and
to develop through understanding and enquiry is
a major responsibility. To criticise someone else’s
work, even constructively, is difficult. If your
advice as a supervisor is challenged you may feel
that you have said something wrong and you may
even begin to doubt your abilities.
These feelings were particularly pertinent
when I started supervising post-registration
students at degree and masters level. The
students were knowledgeable in their subject
areas and often had many years of clinical
experience. It was difficult to appreciate that
while I might not know as much as the students
in a clinical context, I had a different expertise
associated with the process of learning that
was equally valuable.
Supervision in the clinical context is difficult
as tutors may feel they are out of their comfort
zone, and lack guidelines to help them supervise
effectively. Smith (2000) suggests that learning
can be a difficult process for all students, and
it can be made more complex if there is an
element of self-doubt either on the part of the
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student or the lecturer. My own feelings of
doubt may have made me more cautious about
the advice and support I provided, and this may
have inhibited full and mutual discussion,
which is an important aspect of supervision
(MacKinnon 2004).
Ownership Ownership of the work produced was
an issue of concern. At times, particularly when I
was more confident about my knowledge in a
particular area, it was tempting to have a greater
influence on students’ work. This meant that
much of what was produced originated from my
thoughts, ideas and influence. Ownership of
learning in general, and problem solving in
particular, is vital for students to feel a sense of
achievement (O’Neill and Barton 2005). For
some of the students I supervised, especially early
in my academic career, this was not readily
achieved because of my lack of training and
experience in this role.
My feelings are not unusual and it is
common for lecturers to be overly helpful
during the supervisory process, particularly if
they work in a health-related discipline.
Mansell et al (2002) suggest that nurse
lecturers often adopt a nurturing persona,
which may result in nursing students being
offered greater levels of supervision than
students in non-health-related disciplines.
This caring persona can, at times, be at odds
with others’ expectations in higher education,
where it is often assumed that students should be
much more autonomous. However, there is a
need for tutors to recognise that students
appreciate clear goals and a plan of action
(Dalke et al 2007). At the beginning of the
supervisory process tutors should direct
students and then take a step back to allow the
individual to develop. This is equally true with
regard to some PhD students, where, although
there is a need to foster independence, the
direction initially comes from their supervisor
(Thompson et al 2005).
Accessibility According to Rogers (1983), it is
vital for the student to be at the centre of the
learning process and for the lecturer to be an
accessible and identifiable person. As a new
supervisor, I was eager to please and keen to
have an open-door policy to students seeking
supervision. There was no need for students to
make an appointment, and supervision sessions
could last two hours.
Such lengthy sessions are not unusual.
Andresen (1999) suggests that supervision
should involve an ‘open critical discourse’ and it
may take some time to achieve this. I also
36 november 19 :: vol 23 no 11 :: 2008
recognised the importance of accessibility. I
remember my own frustration as a student at not
being able to see my tutor because of her other
working activities and commitments. However,
although I felt that being accessible was
important, this would often leave me inundated,
with students turning up at various times seeking
supervision. This resulted in ineffective time
management, which adversely affected other
aspects of my work.
Critical analysis Students need to learn the
difference between scholarly critique and criticism.
Scholarly critique enables a constructive
examination of a student’s work, helping the
student to develop, whereas criticism tends to be
destructive, and often leaves a person demoralised.
In a profession used to judging practice as
safe, risky, competent or incompetent, it was a
new experience for students to think in less
concrete terms. They were now expected to
examine the wider picture and weigh up what
was meritorious or problematic in arguments
made by others.
Sadler (1989) suggests that feedback has to
be communicated clearly to students. Suggesting
to a student that a piece of work would improve
with more analysis implies that the student
understands what analysis means. It was
important that I was able to illustrate what
I meant by critical analysis without doing it to
such an extent that students gave up reasoning
for themselves.
Group support Individuals learn extensively
from discussions with peers and colleagues
(Clark et al 2002). Being part of an academic
supervision group provided an opportunity to
discover that some of my feelings were shared by
others. Listening to other lecturers describing
their experiences encouraged me to examine my
own role as an academic supervisor. The group
was in some ways similar to a clinical supervision
group where practice could be reflected on and
examined by others as a means to assist with
change. MacKinnon (2004) suggests supervision
to be ‘worthy of the effort of reflection in order
to improve the quality of supervision’. By
placing my supervision in the context of other
individuals’ experiences, and with the support of
my colleagues, I was able to put my anxieties and
doubts into perspective.
Within the group there was a general feeling
that colleagues were not always prepared for the
role of supervisor. In a study by Mansell et al
(2002), 60% (125/208) of nurse respondents
felt adequately prepared or trained for the
supervisory process, in contrast to 40% who felt
that they were inadequately prepared. In my
experience, supervision is a major aspect of a
lecturer’s role. This view is supported by Clark et
al (2002) who postulated that those supervising
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students, particularly research students, receive
limited training. What is even more surprising
is the lack of literature afforded to academic
supervision despite the prominence of
supervision in the working lives of students and
tutors (Jones 1999).
This lack of training may have increased my
anxieties as a supervisor, and I often questioned
whether I was providing students with the
correct information, and whether this
information was provided in a language that
students could understand. Although most
universities have a mentorship system in place for
new lecturers, supervision is often undertaken
within the lecturer’s own topic area, and this
topic area is not necessarily shared by that of the
mentor. Although there are generic aspects
involved in the supervision of students’
coursework, such as grammar, presentation and
structure, the content is likely to be a cause of
concern for new lecturers who may have limited
knowledge and experience in a particular field.
Students tend to view lecturers as experts or
leaders (Smith 2000), so they may have high
expectations of them.
My greatest fear was letting down a student,
either through inadequate advice or
inaccessibility. One particular incident stands
out: a student informed me that she had failed her
assignment despite supervision, yet had passed
another assignment for which she did not seek
supervision. I had a tremendous feeling of guilt,
and the subsequent self-doubt made me feel
inadequate as a supervisor.
There is a case for more extensive training to
be available for new lecturers (MacKinnon
2004). In the same way that teaching practice is
formally assessed, there is no reason why
supervision cannot be included as a summative
assessment in teacher training programmes.
What is important here is that new teachers
appreciate how their teaching is thought to
relate to their students’ learning. In addition to
learning and discharging information in an
essay, students should be able to apply that
information in practice.
Supervisor-student relationship For academic
supervision to be successful there must be
respect and trust between supervisors and
students. Supervisors need to respect the
knowledge of students, and appreciate their
work. Supervisors should enable students to
think for themselves. According to Rogers
(1983) students are responsible for their own
learning, but with guidance from their teachers
if necessary. Knowles (1990) suggests that all
adults are naturally self-directed; a student who
embarks on a PhD programme chooses this
route and so demonstrates a desire to learn.
Supervisors, acting as facilitators, allow
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students to discuss freely their opinions and
thoughts, providing guidance only when
appropriate.
The academic supervision group discussed the
use of ground rules, and this has been something
that I have been keen to adopt. Ground rules help
students and supervisors to identify clear
boundaries and responsibilities for work
(Cottrell 2001). Ground rules set the standards
of behaviour expected from both parties, and can
include, if necessary, punitive measures to be
followed in case of non-adherence. Ground rules
are viewed as essential by the Quality Assurance
Agency (QAA) (2006), which has undertaken
several audits, many of which have shown that
some institutions have failed to set clear
guidelines. The QAA (2006) recommends that
the responsibilities of tutors and the entitlements
of students should be made clear.
I have recently adopted a set of ground rules
(Box 1) to improve my practice, and while I remain
accessible, an appointment system has been
established. I would also expect students to attend
meetings with some ideas for discussion;
previously I initiated the ideas and, in many cases,
commenced the assignment.
Recommendations for practice
Academic supervision is a challenging aspect of a
lecturer’s role (Thompson et al 2005). Joint
supervision with senior colleagues will help new
lecturers to observe and discuss different styles of
supervision, as well as techniques for managing
challenging students.
New nursing tutors should not be afraid of
referring students to more experienced
colleagues if they feel they cannot adequately
BOX 1
Ground rules for students
Keep to any arranged times – if you cannot
make the appointment let the tutor know as soon
as possible.
Come prepared for supervision – have a plan or a
draft copy of your assignment to present to your
tutor.
Do not expect your tutor to provide instant
feedback on a lengthy piece of work.
If you have not received any feedback from your
tutor, politely telephone or email your tutor to
arrange a feedback session.
Be open to criticism. Your tutor is there to help you,
so do not take criticism to heart.
If you feel you are not receiving an adequate service
from your tutor, raise this with the tutor concerned.
Always remain professional.
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help them. The Nursing and Midwifery Council
(NMC) (2008) places a duty on practitioners to
ensure that they work within their competence.
Knowingly giving improper advice to a student is
a breach of The Code (NMC 2008).
Tutors are not the only resource available
to students, who should be encouraged to read
student handbooks and module descriptors.
Students should also be advised to seek assistance
from their institution’s educational drop-in
centre, particularly for standard queries such as
referencing technique and essay structuring. This
will allow tutors to spend more time focusing on
the subject being explored.
Keeping a reflective diary may help tutors to
review positive and negative outcomes from
previous experiences of supervision.
Conclusion
Academic supervision is important to aid
students’ development. Tutors need to be
adequately prepared for the role of supervisor,
which should be addressed in teacher training
programmes.
Academic supervision groups can be useful
and provide the opportunity for lecturers to
discuss some of the challenges of supervision.
The author recommends that higher education
institutions offer reflective supervision to
lecturers, such as supervision groups, which
enable the sharing of concerns and problems.
Regular supervision will allow staff the
opportunity to discuss their concerns and to seek
advice about the work and progress of students,
if necessary. It is hoped that this extra tier of
support will enhance the supervisory experience
for lecturers and students NS

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