UKCGE Good Supervisory Practice Framework

Reflection and Action Planning

NOTE: Since I joined Electrical Engineering Technology Department of Punjab Tianjin

University of Technology (PTUT), Lahore on deputation in April 2022, I had been involved
in mentoring and guidance of existing faculty who are mostly at lecturer level having MS
qualifications. Besides being Pro-Vice Chancellor and Dean, I also have additional charge
of Director Academics. Therefore, my interaction with the faculty is both of mentoring as
well as of defining policies and guidelines that they can follow.

PTUT recently applied to HEC for NOC to start MS and PhD programs at PTUT and intends
to open admissions shortly. Currently, only Electrical Engineering Technology has 3 PhD
faculty members (including me) who can offer admission to PhD scholars (as per HEC
policies). Other departments will only start MS programs as they have up to 2 PhD faculty
members only while other faculty members are MS qualified. Therefore, as a policy
decision, we have devised a solution of capacity building of the MS qualified faculty
members by encouraging them to register as PhD scholars in our own university. This will
allow us to apply all 10 Good Supervisory Practices from the GSPF on them during their
research progression.

I have started regular discussions and arrangement of trainings/workshops in the

university on topics that I learnt during the 1 st and 2nd Phase of PhD Supervisors Master
Trainers Program. I discussed the case scenarios that I developed with my Cross
Institutional Groups as well as with my Peers in my parent University (University of
Engineering and Technology, Taxila) where I had supervised 8 PhDs and 30 MS scholars
during my 13 years of post-PhD service. During the PhD Supervisors Master Trainer
program, I am in the process of developing some essential documents by adopting the
already developed documentation from other universities to serve as a base document
for PTUT to manage the MS and PhD program effectively. These will be handed over to
the Supervisors and Supervisee as part of their research kits. Some of the documents that
have been prepared are given below:

1. Guidelines for PhD Supervision 2023 (Part of PhD Supervisors Kit)

2. PTUT Framework-for-Doctoral-Program (Part of PhD Scholar Kit)
3. PTUT Academic-Rules-PhD-Programs-July-2023 (Part of PhD Scholar Kit)
4. PhD Proposal Format 2023 (Part of PhD Scholar Kit)
5. PTUT PhD Manual (Guidebook for PhD Scholars and Supervisors – Common in Kits)

The following Form taken from UKCGE Good Supervisory Practices Framework was partly
discussed during the Phase I Training and filled as part of Phase II training outcome. The
Reflection and Action Plan mostly contains “We” instead of “I”, as these are the points
that after learning during these trainings, I shared with my Peers at UET Taxila at
Institutional Group discussions and we decided to use them in our Action Plan for PTUT as
well as at UET Taxila. Wherever “I” is mentioned that indicates my own plan of action to
improve my own supervisory skills based on previous experience and newly learnt
techniques during these trainings. In both cases the relevant evidences are provided based
on my personal experience or organizational level practices:

Reflection
For each Good Supervisory Practice Framework criteria:

 What evidence of practice can you provide (as Annexures of Respective University)?
 Is the evidence personal to you (rather than your department or institution)?
 Is the evidence related to your recent experience, usually defined as being within the previous five years?

Action Planning
For each Good Supervisory Practice Framework criteria:
 What actions do you commit to taking?
 What will indicate that you have successfully completed each action?
  When will you complete each action?

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/1-recruitment-and-selection
1 Recruitment and
Selection Typical examples:
 Publicising the areas of research within which they personally can offer supervision.
 Participating in campaigns to recruit candidates from groups that are under-represented in doctoral education.
 Assessing whether applicants are likely to make the transition to independent researchers.
 Assessing whether applicants’ proposed research projects are realisable and whether they have (or can acquire) the
knowledge and skills to complete them.
 Interviewing applicants.
 Making a final decision and giving feedback.

Reflection  We publicise the areas of research within which I personally can offer supervision. But we are open to
accommodate students from related cross-discipline areas if the student shows promise.
An example document containing a Call for Postgraduate candidates is attached. (AD UET
TAXILA Annex-A). This document was developed as a template for use of all supervisors at UET
Taxila.
 We assess whether applicants are likely to make the transition to independent researchers (based on their
undergraduate performance and research publications/thesis).
 We also interview the applicants to clarify expectations and evaluate their seriousness towards research.
 Action plan  We will right from the start for supervisors and doctoral candidates to have clear expectations of each other and
as first task these expectations will be discussed and, where appropriate, negotiate on how they are going to be
met.
We will ask applicants on developing their research proposals prior to making a formal application. The
proposal template is provided to the applicant to provide them equal opportunity to express their ideas
in an organized and systematic way. (PhD Proposal Template Annex-B)
We will provide appropriate feedback to unsuccessful applicants through email through proper channel.
(Example Email attached about student having fake document in support of his application - PTUT
Annex-C)

2 Supervisory Relationships with Candidates

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/2-supervisory-relationships-with-candidates
Candidates and supervisors need to be able to work effectively with each other. Because each grouping of individuals is, by definition, unique, then each relationship
will be different depending upon the style(s) of the supervisor(s) and the characteristics of the candidate, which need to be aligned at the start to be  successful.
Typical examples:
 Discussing and agreeing expectations with candidates at the start of their studies.
 Being aware of supervisory styles and their relationship to student needs and being able to align them at the start of doctoral studies.
 Being aware of how student needs change over the course of doctoral studies and being able to maintain calibration of supervisory styles.
 Being aware of institutional policies and procedures in the event of the breakdown of a supervisory relationship and of sources of support for both  parties.

Reflection  My students / PhD Candidates have this expectation from the feedback of other students that I am very helpful
and caring with availability round the clock to resolve any issues of my supervisees.
 They consider my Supervisory Style as Pastoral if not laissez-faire (although they understand that I don’t let
 the students stray away from their research goals and get into difficulties). I learnt during these trainings that
having a fixed Supervisory style does not suite for all situations and all supervisees, therefore, having a
dynamically changing role of supervisor is best option according to the internationally accepted best
practices.

Action plan I will remain aware of how student needs change over the course of doctoral studies and being able to
maintain calibration of supervisory styles as and when required according to the different phases and
situations for each supervisee (Guidelines for PhD Supervision 2023 contains instruction and details of
these Styles Annex-D).
We will remain aware of institutional policies and procedures in the event of the breakdown of a
supervisory relationship and of sources of support for both parties. For this purpose, we adhere to the
developed institutional policies regarding change of supervisor (when it is possible and when it is
restricted according to the phase of PhD supervision). In case the supervisor retires from the university
and the student has finished the research work, we allow the same supervisor to continue till the award
of degree. If the supervisee complete course work and hasn’t started research work, we allow change of
supervisor by filling “Change of Supervisor Form – SZABIST University (Annex-E)” with the consent of
both previous and proposed supervisors through NOCs.

3 Supervisory Relationships with Co-Supervisors

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/3-supervisory-relationships-with-co-supervisors
The move to co- or team supervision is intended to enhance the experience of doctoral candidates by reducing their reliance upon a single individual and giving them
access to a broader range of expertise and support. However, the involvement of more supervisors in the process can create a potential for disagreement and
divergence within the team and leave the candidate being ‘stuck in the middle’ to the detriment of their experience.
Typical examples:
 Clarifying roles with co-supervisors and candidates at the start of the candidacy.
 Clarifying expectations of the project with co-supervisors and the candidate.
Regularly reviewing relations between supervisors and with candidates during the course of the candidacy.

Reflection  I introduced Co-Supervisors in some of my PhD scholars due to my extremely busy schedule to make guidance
available for the scholar while I am away. Moreover, Co-supervision also helped me getting technical input from
them in the areas which don’t directly fall under my expertise e.g., Antenna design, Artificial intelligence etc.

 We clarify roles with co-supervisors and candidates at the start of the candidacy.

Action plan
 I will clarify expectations of the project with co-supervisors and the candidate in case of funded projects.
e.g., Deep Packet Inspection (DPI Lab) is an HEC funded project for which I am Principal Investigator and my
Co-Principal Investigator is Supervising some of the scholars who get guidance from me in their research
(List of funded project PhD scholars UET TAXILA Annex-F).
I offered studentship to MS and PhD scholars who selected their research topics according to the
milestones of the DPI Lab project (Offer Letter to Scholar UET Taxila Annex-G).

4 Supporting Candidates’ Research Projects

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/4-supporting-candidates-research-projects
New doctoral candidates may have little or no experience of research, and hence little or no idea of what they are letting themselves in for. Supervisors may then
need to induct them into research, including the nature of research itself, the key concepts, what it involves, and of good practice in undertaking it.
Typical examples:
 Discussing conceptions and misconceptions of research itself with candidates.
 Looking at key ‘threshold’ concepts in research.
 Considering issues of academic integrity, intellectual property rights, and co-publication.
  Advising on a choice of topic.
 Advising on theory, methodology and methods.
 Advising on a research proposal and plan.
 Advising on gaining ethical approval.
 Advising on skills development in relation to the project.
 Advising on issues arising in the course of the research.

Reflection  Advising on a choice of topic

 Advising on theory, methodology and methods.

 Advising on a research proposal and plan.

Action plan  I give introduction to the scholars about the project scope and expected outcomes along with the timelines &
milestones set by the funding agency (HEC in our project) using the website developed for it (DPI Lab UET Taxila
Project Website http://web.uettaxila.edu.pk/dpilab) .
 We advise on gaining ethical approval before using any document or text from literature of other authors.
Whenever such material or text is used, it is properly cited and acknowledgement is given to the funding agency.
 My technical team holds hands of the scholars in training them on the latest tools and software utilized in the
project for early adoption and involvement of the selected scholars into the research activities.
 We also organize workshops for newly inducted scholars for their skills development in relation to the project
(DPI Lab UET Taxila Workshop Certificate Annex-H).

5 Encouraging Candidates to Write and Giving Appropriate Feedback

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/5-encouraging-candidates-to-write-and-giving-appropriate-feedback

Candidates need to produce written work throughout their studies to articulate what they are thinking, to reflect upon their findings, and to gain feedback. But
candidates may prove reluctant to write particularly in the early stages and need encouragement and support from their supervisors to do  so.
Typical examples:
 Encouraging candidates to write from the start of their studies.
 Supporting the development of academic writing.
 Giving timely, constructive, and actionable feedback.
 Supporting the development of academic writing.
Reflection
 Giving timely, constructive, and actionable feedback.
 We encourage candidates to write from the start of their studies. Initially working starting with survey papers to
Action plan
develop understanding of the state-of-the-art research and developments in the chosen field. Once understanding of
research gap is complete, the supervisee will focus on writing possible case scenarios and experimentations that will
help in publishing his/her research outcomes.
 I will implement same strategy at PTUT Lahore so that scholars have clear direction from the start of their research and
also know the possible modes of presenting their work to the research community.
 I will guide the new supervisors about the best practices that I learnt during these courses and also discuss the related
case studies that we discussed to develop scenarios that relate to our students in PTUT for better understanding of all
supervisors.
 I will use the technique of Start, Stop and Continue to get feedback from the Supervisees that will help us identify what
is considered Good practice for me as supervisor by the supervisees and what needs to be changed. ( Asking for
feedback from supervisees - McGill University Annex-I)

6 Keeping the Research on Track and Monitoring Progress

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/6-keeping-the-research-on-tack-and-monitoring-progress

The days when doctoral degrees took as long as they took are long gone. Globally, research sponsors have put policies in place designed to ensure that candidates to
complete their degrees in three or four years of full-time study (or pro-rata for part-time). Supervisors are fundamental to keeping the progress on track.
Typical examples:
 Supporting and motivating candidates to progress in their studies.
 Using supervisions to monitor progress.
 Participating in formal progression events.
 Supporting and motivating candidates to progress in their studies.
Reflection

 We have developed Research Monitoring Proforma that needs to be filled by the supervisee as well as the supervisor
Action plan
after specific time period in the research phase so that continuous monitoring is done, and we clearly know if the
student is on track or lagging behind. This also helps in identifying any problems that the supervisee is facing, thus
allowing us to take remedial actions (Progress Monitoring Form HITEC University Annex-J).
 I will encourage the supervisee to participate in conferences and other related events. Where possible, I take my
supervisees with me in conferences and workshops so that they observe my interaction and discussion during the
event and also come up with their own questions and get answers from me and the research community. This will
provide them the confidence to interact with other researchers and network with leading researchers to brush up their
knowledge in their chosen field.

7 Supporting Candidates’ Personal, Professional and Career Development

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/7-supporting-candidates-personal-professional-and-career-development

Supervisors need at least to be aware of personal issues, particularly in relation to wellbeing and mental health, and able to direct candidates towards the relevant
professional services. They also need to recognise that they may be role models for their candidates, particularly in achieving a work-life balance.
Supervisors also have a responsibility to support the professional development of doctoral candidates in terms of socialization within their disciplinary community
and, where appropriate, in undertaking teaching duties in the subject.

Typical examples:
 Supporting candidates with personal issues, including those relating to well-being and mental health.
 Being good role models in terms of work-life balance.
 Inducting candidates into disciplinary networks and activities.
 Supporting their development as teachers.
 Informing them about academic careers.
 Supporting them to prepare for non-academic careers.
 Supporting candidates with personal issues, including those relating to well-being and mental health.
Reflection
 Being good role models in terms of work-life balance.
 One of my PhD supervisees had family issues that resulted in him leaving PhD studies to start work with his family in
Action plan
Dry Fruits business. Although this abrupt change and the field of work was not related to his PhD research area, I kept
maintained contact with him and continued mentoring him to follow time management and team building skills in his
business activities.
 I also advised him not to drop from PhD program but rather take out time to freeze his second semester of course
work. Eventually after a break of 4 months, he returned back to me and told that his family business is now back on
track, and he could get back to his PhD coursework. He resumed his coursework and did well to attain good CGPA.
 To cut the story short, the supervisee managed to complete his PhD on time because of the time management and
team management skills that he learned during his business activities.
 Although I am already quite open to my PhD supervisees in discussing and resolving their issues. But I will also enable
them to discuss their problems with their peers besides me without hesitation so that by discussion we can find best
possible solution to the issues that are hindering his/her performance in PhD work.
 I usually try not to over-burden my students with too many documents to go through in very short time rather, I allow
 them to identify key points from the literature and expect them to explain in their own words what they study. This
allows me to evaluate their understanding of key concepts and ideas without them realizing that they are being
evaluated and mentored through my positive feedback to correct their concepts if there is a need.
 I will also encourage them to follow a healthy lifestyle with regular walk, jogging, exercise, and other activities for
physical and mental health according to their aptitude.
 I share with them mobile apps and online resources that can help them stay fit both physically and mentally. (e.g.,
Mental Health & Wellbeing At Work - ShareTree , Best Physical and Mental Health Apps Available in 2022 - Nutrisense
Journal)
 I show them the apps that I use on my Phone for my Physical and mental fitness to give them more confidence.
 I intend to continue the previously effective practice of taking my PhD scholars in groups to nearby mountains for
trekking that allows them to become comfortable with the group members and also help in building their physical and
mental endurance. On return or next day, we discuss the things that we observed during the last day activities and
relate them to their research work e.g., Hill Climbing algorithm, Random Walk etc. relates to Computer Science
optimization technique and mathematics that applies to Artificial Intelligence.

8 Supporting Candidates through Completion and Final Examination

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/8-supporting-candidates-through-completion-and-final-examination

Once candidates have substantially finished their research projects, they have to produce a submission, usually but not always a thesis. This is likely to be the longest
and most difficult piece of work that a candidate has ever undertaken, and supervisors have a key role in supporting them to complete their submissions.
In order to support the examination process, it is important that supervisors have a knowledge and understanding of how research degrees are examined, including
criteria for the appointment of examiners, examination policies and processes, and outcomes.
Typical examples:
 Working with candidates to finalise their submissions.
 Advising them on whether the thesis is likely to pass on the basis of your experience as an examiner.
 Roles in appointing examiners.
 Understanding of relevant policies and procedures and outcomes.
 Supporting candidates to prepare for the examination.
 Supporting candidates after the examination
 Working with candidates to finalise their submissions.
Reflection
 Advising them on whether the thesis is likely to pass on the basis of your experience as an examiner.
o At UET Taxila the role of selection and appointment of examiners is performed by the Vice Chancellor on the
recommendation of Board of Advance Research and Technological Development (ASR&TD) from the list of
already approved experts in related fields of Engineering & IT. Therefore the selected examiners sometimes
come as a surprise to the Supervisor and the Supervisee.
 At PTUT, we are in the process of devising a policy in which the Supervisor and the UERC will suggest 6 experts
from the field along with their CVs to the Vice Chancellor through the Board of Advanced Studies & Research
(BASR) where other members can also review and give their feedback on the relevance of the suggested
examiners, thus sorting the list in the order of relevance as per their recommendation. The Vice Chancellor will
then tick any two names that he desires to select the examiners.

 I will devise relevant policies and procedures and identify the outcomes for various stages of PhD research, so that all
Action plan
supervisees get same levels of attention and support till the completion of their PhD.
 I will continue to support the candidates to prepare for the examination by helping them in their presentations, telling
them what to elaborate more and what can be told verbally etc.

 I do support candidates after the examination. I maintain contact with my PhD scholars even after the finish their
PhD degrees. To stay in touch, I invite my ex-supervisees to visit the university and talk to other scholars about their
 experiences during PhD and how we coped with the situations that arise during the course of research work. This
allows new postgraduate students to interact with the alumni and understand the good and bad practices that
resulted in successes and failures without having to experience such things themselves.
 I recently shared my CV with my ex-PhD supervisee who recently finished his PhD degree and seeking job as an
instructor in universities. I told him to use my CV as Template to fill his own expertise in an organized manner. (CV
Dr. Adeel Akram and Snippet of my Chat with the PhD ex-Supervisee at UET Taxila Annex-K)
 I will encourage the new Supervisors at PTUT to follow the same practices with their research scholars.

9 Supporting Candidates to Disseminate their Research.

https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/9-supporting-candidates-to-disseminate-their-research

One responsibility of supervisors is to support candidates to disseminate their research findings. It is vital that the outcomes are made available to the disciplinary
and/or professional community for scrutiny and the advancement of research in the subject.

Typical examples:
 Setting expectations at the start of the candidacy.
 Modelling the process of publication.
 Encouraging candidates to publish as they go.
 Co-publishing.
 Establishing a post-doctoral publications plan.
 I totally agree that setting expectations at the start of the candidacy makes the PhD journey easy and smooth. As
Reflection
discussed earlier, from the very start of the research work, I explain the details of Project with expected outcomes with
my PhD supervisees and also discuss what is the minimum requirement for PhD as per university and HEC regulations. I
tell them that we will aim higher and publish more articles than the requirements and my expectations about number
 of journal articles, participation in conferences and organization of workshops related to the area of research.
 I encourage the candidates to publish as they go. Starting with survey papers during the initial phase of research. I also
encourage them to study research articles during the coursework and give them relevant research papers during
classes asking them to present and explain in the next class. This allows the supervisee to get into the habit of carefully
reading and understanding the published research work and providing meaningful insights of what they proposed in
their research. This also provides an overview to the supervisees on how good research articles are written and what
makes them good publication in high impact factor journals (Discipline introductions - Effective Thesis, Writing a
research article: advice to beginners | International Journal for Quality in Health Care | Oxford Academic ( oup.com),
How to Write a Research Paper | A Beginner's Guide (scribbr.com)).
 I co-publish papers with my supervisees to give them confidence that their work is good enough that I am allowing my
name to be placed in it. I have set standards and good practices for my students to adhere to so that whatever they
want to publish, should conform to ethical guidelines with clear and concise way of presenting their ideas using figures,
tables, flowcharts etc. I also encourage them to use Latex, Microsoft Equation Editor, Mandley (Mendeley - Reference
Management Software) etc. to efficiently present their research work.
 I will share the Model paper structure and the process of publication with the new supervisees at PTUT and also
Action plan
encourage the new PhD supervisors to do the same with their supervisees.
 We will organize workshops to help the supervisees in getting the right set of tools and skills required to excel in
documenting their research work.
10 Reflecting Upon and Enhancing Practice
https://supervision.ukcge.ac.uk/good-supervisory-practice-framework/10-reflecting-upon-and-enhancing-practice

If supervisors are to improve their practice, they need to evaluate it, reflect upon it, determine their strengths and weaknesses, build upon the former and
address the latter. As with other areas of academic practice, supervisors should undertake appropriate professional development to enhance their practice,
which may include workshops and programmes as well as familiarity with the scholarly literature and its implications for practice. Where supervisors identify
good practice, then wherever possible they should disseminate it for the benefit of others.
Typical examples:
 Using an appropriate mix of methods for evaluating supervision.
 Undertaking initial and continuing professional development.
 Familiarity with the scholarly literature.
 Where appropriate, contributing to the professional development of other supervisors.
 Undertaking initial and continuing professional development.
Reflection
 Familiarity with the scholarly literature.
 I will use an appropriate mix of methods for evaluating supervision including the forms developed by
Action plan
www.ithinkwell.com.au for Supervising PhD Students, Kearns and Finn, 2017. These forms are provided to the
Supervisors and Supervisee at different stages of PhD supervision so that they can evaluate their supervisory practices
and identify what corrective actions need to be taken at the right time (Tools for the Supervisors I Think Well Annex-
L).
 I will where appropriate, contribute to the professional development of other supervisors, by providing them with the
opportunities to take relevant trainings such as NAHE and British Council organized workshops. Moreover, whenever
required, I will arrange in-house workshops tailored to the requirements of the university for the supervisors and
supervisees providing them with the right tools and relevant material (Tools for the Students I Think Well Annex-M).