Your Professional Development

As supervisor, you have a key role in ensuring that you:

• develop and maintain an up-to-date knowledge of university processes
• develop and maintain an up-to-date knowledge support structures – for both you and your students
• critically evaluate your supervisory style and approaches
• use the full range of support around you in ensuring that you continue to improve your supervision

Given the uniquely close but professional relationship between supervisor and student, how you supervise can have a direct bearing on the future of your student, both in terms of their future trajectory and how they subsequently work with colleagues in the future.  A good supervisory can inspire and encourage, whilst a poor supervisor can dishearten and discourage.

Every supervisory relationship is unique. What is good in one relationship or discipline might not be considered effective in another and that things like culture, expectations and personalities can impact on whether a supervisory relationship is positive. However, the following list provides a general idea of the types of characteristics a good lead or co-supervisor might possess.

• Having detailed knowledge of the subject / research area
• Providing regular feedback
• Being available, as appropriate
• Providing regular academic and pastoral support
• Being approachable and empathetic (but you are not expected to be a counsellor or to solve issues without the correct knowledge or experience)
• Listening to students’ needs / worries
• Signposting to appropriate support and guidance elsewhere, when required
• Communicating regularly with fellow members of the supervisory team, clarifying responsibilities within the team from the start
• Clarifying expectations and responsibilities between the supervisory team and the student
• Showing respect
• Providing motivation
• Encouraging broader research and development activities (including training and development, having an interest in the student’s career development, and encouraging public engagement, publication, conference attendance and external networking
• Encouraging the student to engage with the local research community
• Being knowledgeable of, and adhering to regulations and policies
• Facilitating timely completion of doctoral events such as candidature, confirmation, progress reports, final viva)
• Providing support to enable students to successfully meet deadlines, and pass their final viva before their end of registration
• Regularly discussing and reviewing students’ workload
• Not supervising more students than is manageable

This list is purely a guide of good practice and that the full responsibilities of a supervision team can be found in QA7 Appendix 1.

Professional boundaries relate to a set of principles and ways of behaving in a professional context that help protect our relationships with others, our ability to successfully perform our role, and to meet our responsibilities. Maintaining professional boundaries:

• helps us maintain our professional integrity
• avoids placing ourselves at risk
• provides clarity regarding roles and relationships

All roles and relationships are complex, and ‘grey areas’, ambiguity or miscommunication can complicate boundaries, even when this is not intentional. We nevertheless have a responsibility to consciously consider the implications of our behaviour in every situation and to strive to ensure all colleagues and students are treated with dignity and respect. This means being continually self-aware, exercising careful judgement, and being aware of potential consequences for students, academics and the University of engaging in certain behaviours.

Professional Boundaries Guidance for Academic Staff

Good supervision is a professional skill that demands attention through ongoing development and refinement.

Supervisors in any academic department will be at various stages, levels and needs, and these are not necessarily a function of age or years spent supervising.

• New academics (probationary lecturers) - sessions are provided by Academic Staff Development acdev@bath.ac.uk, through the Pathway to HEA Fellowship for probationary lecturers
• All academics who supervise - the Centre of Learning & Teaching Staff Development Opportunities, as well as Workforce Development’s Programmes & Courses and the online resource Development Toolkit provides various development opportunities, courses and resources around many of the key skills required as a supervisor e.g. Coaching, Communication skills, Difficult conversations, Project management, and Wellbeing.

The University of Glasgow has made available a collection of short videos used in their Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PgCAP):