Palestinian Polytechnic University

Hebron
March 19th, 2014

Research and Project Supervision

Gregory Light, PhD

Denise Drane, PhD
 WORKSHOP OVERVIEW

Mode: Interactive presentation,

discussion and activities

• The Challenges of Supervision

• Responding to student problems
• Roles & relationships
• Assessing Projects/research
 Group Question:

What are the main

Challenges you have
with supervising
projects and
dissertations?
 Challenges

• Title of the project

• Student commitment to project, preparedness, seriousness
• Hypothesis not found to be correct
• Narrowing down broad ideas to questions that are useable for project
• Absence of resources & financial support
• Relationship between supervisor and student
• Relationship between industry and the university, transferability of technology, business opportunities for students
• Evaluation of group projects
• Communication and proposal writing skills, drafting and editing
• Different challenges for undergrad vs. masters students, standards for the different levels need to be established
• Contribution of supervisor to work…how much?
• Sensitivities of faculty when their students are being judged by other faculty
• How to help students develop a structured problem
• How to help students develop work plans
• Low proficiency of students in writing
• Students short term interest in project vs. long term interest of professor
• Students see the project as a course to pass rather than seeing it as part of the work they will do in the future
• Participation in projects needs to be considered from the beginning of the project
 KEY ISSUES OF
SUPERVISION
Supervision Relationships
• Relationships and roles in supervision
• Responding to student problems and challenges
 
Supervision & Assessing Project/Research
• Formative assessment
• Creativity and originality
• Summative Assessment
 TEN ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN SUPERVISOR AND STUDENT

Supervisor Student
Master Servant
Expert Novice
Guide Explorer
Project manager Team worker
Editor Author
Doctor Patient
Senior partner Junior
Professional senior colleague Junior Colleague
Friend Friend
Counselor Customer
 FOUR DIMENSIONS OF
SUPERVISION
The intellectual dimension
• Establishing learning contracts
• Student expectations of their
supervisor
• Supervisor expectations for their
students
• Self-directed learning
• Encouraging Dialogue
 
The social dimension
• The challenge of social isolation
The personal dimension
• Supporting the Research Journey
• Research styles and professional
identity
 
The practical dimension
• Encouraging problem-solving
• Fostering independence and
accountability
• Developing the interpersonal
Group Question:

What are the main

problems students
come to you with?
• The project doesn’t work
• Student doesn’t know where to start
• How to develop and understand background literature
• Lack of cooperation in teams
• Students don’t understand and then don’t follow through
• Restrictions on and availability of technology
• Students are frightened about starting new ideas because they are
unsure if they will pass
Activity
In groups of three
• identify student problems you
have experienced
• Identify what response you feel is
most appropriate to the student
and why
SUPERVISION: MEETING
EXPECTATIONS
Group Question:

What are the main

problems for
assessing students?
ASSESSING
RESEARCH/PROJECTS