Supervision Of Postgraduate Students Research Articles

Key factors contributing to postgraduate students’ success: Making a case for Coronavirus-19 and beyond

Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic caused major disruptions to the education sector, with detrimental effects on the supervision of postgraduate students and their success. Higher education institutions (HEIs) shut down to observe COVID-19 protocols and minimise the spread of the virus. University closures forced postgraduate-supervision processes to be conducted online, resulting in students experiencing many challenges, such as, loss of social networks and social interaction, lack of access to university computer laboratories and software, inability to collect face-to-face data, and wellness and mental problems. Whereas abundant research exists on COVID-19, little is known about factors that contributed to postgraduate students’ success during the COVID-19 pandemic. This qualitative case study reports on the factors that promoted student success during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspective of 23 postgraduate students. Data were collected through an online questionnaire and analysed through colour-coding and thematic categorisation. Results revealed that both students and supervisors contributed to the success of postgraduate students. They also showed that some students possessed certain attributes that enhanced their success, as well as that some postgraduate supervisors employed novel approaches to students’ supervision that promoted students’ success. This article encourages HEIs to leverage these factors to promote postgraduate student success beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

Postgraduate Supervision: Opinion Based on Personal Experience

Supervision of postgraduate students at universities is one of the core responsibilities of academics and is considered a measure of academic output.1 De Gruchy and Holness2 described graduate supervision as being “situated at the interface of teaching and research, and having to do with the transference of research and related skills”. Supervisors are tasked with the responsibility to support and guide students to identify feasible research topics and questions, develop study protocols, provide oversight of the research process, complete their projects on time and to integrate candidates into academia.3 In view of the significant role that supervisors play in postgraduate education, Mapasela and Wilkinson4 asserted that good supervision is central to successful postgraduate research. Similarly Mothiba5 and Igumbor.6 affirmed that the quality and success of postgraduate education and training largely depend on effective and efficient supervision.

Implications of policies on the use of social networking sites for knowledge sharing: Experiences from postgraduate students in higher education institutions in Tanzania

Like elsewhere in the world, students' use of social networking sites (SNSs) in higher education institutions in Tanzania has dramatically increased in recent years – something which has called for policies and guidelines to guide its proper usage. This study examined the effects of policies on the use of SNSs on postgraduate knowledge sharing in the four northern Tanzanian higher education institutions that were chosen for the study. The purpose was to examine the effect of such policies on students' usage of SNSs, to assess students' awareness of such policies, and to determine whether they adhered to it. This study is important in addressing the role of policies on the use of SNSs in knowledge and information sharing among postgraduates at higher education institutions in Tanzania. In order to collect quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously, the study employed a convergent mixed-methods approach. Thirty members of the academic staff who oversaw the instruction and supervision of postgraduate students as well as a total of 171 postgraduate students participated in the study as survey respondents, and eight heads of academic departments participated in interviews. According to the research, the selected Tanzanian higher education institutions did not have any specific regulations on the usage of SNSs. The use of SNSs had been included into other institutional guidelines and procedures. The study found that students had a general awareness of the use of SNSs as stipulated in other national ICT and related policies but little knowledge of the contents of those policies. Despite lacking in-depth knowledge of these policies, however, students almost unknowingly adhered to them because they intuitively understood the repercussions of violating the cyber laws as stated by the national authorities. Policies and guidelines may provide proper guidelines on the use of SNSs on academic-related matters, which may in turn improve students’ academic performance. The recommendation is that the government of Tanzania should revise its policies and direct higher education institutions in the country to comply by formulating stand-alone policies to guide the use of SNSs for knowledge and information sharing among postgraduate students. This may safeguard users from any form of harm, protect the image of the institutions, and help to ensure institutional competitiveness. A further recommendation is to provide training for the purpose of raising awareness among postgraduates on the proper use of social networking sites for knowledge and information sharing.

The magic ingredient: masters students’ interest in their dissertation topics

ABSTRACT The concept of acknowledging students’ interests – both what they may be interested in and what is in their interest – is gaining increasing purchase in the new competitive economy of higher education. In addition to the obvious benefits of boosting student success in higher education institutions (HEIs), there are well-established educational advantages of foregrounding students’ interests. The philosophical and psychological literature abounds with justificatory explanations of why interest is so crucial to learning of all kinds. Apart from the clear motivational benefits, organising learning around interests helps educators to realise the goal of Bildung, the education of the whole person. However, notwithstanding the obvious value of utilising interest in teaching and learning, there is a dearth of relevant research on the topic of relevance to HEIs. This research aims to help redress the balance by investigating how the interests of learners may be utilised effectively in the guidance and supervision of postgraduate students undertaking masters’ dissertations in education.

Factors Contributing To Successful Postgraduate Student Supervision: A Case Study In South Africa

Factors Contributing To Successful Postgraduate Student Supervision: A Case Study In South Africa

Factors Contributing To Successful Postgraduate Student Supervision: A Case Study In South Africa

Factors Contributing To Successful Postgraduate Student Supervision: A Case Study In South Africa

On the Application of Agile Project Management Techniques, V-Model and Recent Software Tools in Postgraduate Theses Supervision

Due to the nature of most postgraduate theses in control engineering and their similarities to industrial and software engineering projects, invoking novel project control techniques could be effective. In recent decades, agile techniques have attracted popularity thanks to their attributes in delivering successful projects. Hence exploiting those methods in education and thesis supervision of engineering topics can facilitate the process. On the other hand, because of the limitations imposed by the CoVid19 pandemic, the integration of well-established online tools in collaborative education is noteworthy. This paper proposes an application of the agile project management method for the supervision of postgraduate students’ theses in the general field of engineering. The study extends a Scrum technique combined with approved systems engineering and team working tools such as Jira Software, Microsoft Teams, and Git version control (Github website). A custom designed V-model to nail an outstanding thesis is presented. The overall blended method is beneficial to provide feedback and self-assessment aid for the students and the supervisors. Employing this technique has shown promising progress in easing the supervision of students whilst helping them to manage their projects.

Supervision of Post-graduate Students: A Faculty Case Study of Co-supervision at a University of Technology in South Africa

This paper recollects the experiences of co-supervision of 8 Masters (M.), 3 Doctoral students and 4 promoters and supervisors at the Faculty of Humanities. The aim of the study was to establish a sound understanding of co-postgraduate promotion and supervision at one Faculty at the University of Technology in South Africa. Co-postgraduate student supervision implies more than one supervisor, at times two and in rare cases three. This multifaceted supervision approach is referred to as a safety net. On the one hand, co-postgraduate students' supervision could be framed as multi-voiced dialogue process with the aim to enhance the quality of research done by the postgraduate student. At times, this approach is said to bring along a negative dimension for the student and supervisors. A qualitative research case study using an interpretivist approach was used. For both the promoters/supervisors and postgraduate students, an open-ended questionnaire was used. A thematic data analysis was used. The findings of this study both from the students and supervisors' experiences unearthed an understanding that underpins past and present practices of co-post-graduate supervision for future practices.

Postgraduate supervision: A practical reflection on how to support students’ engagement

The quality of postgraduate education largely depends on effective supervision of postgraduate students. Nowadays, the supervisory role has become more challenging due to different ethnic, cultural, political, economic, linguistic, and educational backgrounds of postgraduate students where their attraction and retention are paramount for educational institutions. Students’ satisfaction balancing studies and other interest is also important during their postgraduate learning experience and supervision is challenged to assist towards this direction as well. Literature about postgraduate supervision has focused on describing the ever-lengthening lists of functions that must be carried out. The present study, through a critical literature review methodology and reflection upon personal practice, explores how postgraduate supervisors can support & engage students with their studies balancing other demands and interests, what are the challenges supervising international students, and how, the supervisory team can manage internal conflicts, function better and more efficiently. The key conclusions show that facilitating development of skills important for students’ ’studies and lives, bridging studies and other demands /interests together, rewarding students’ success, responding to cultural and educational differences & personal interests, and finding ways all members of the supervisory team to work more effectively can lead to more efficient and effective postgraduate supervision.

Developing a supervisor identity through experiential learning: Narratives of three novice academics working in a South African University

One of the critical tasks of academics in any research-intensive university is the supervision of postgraduate students. Given the central role of this activity, how novice academics learn to supervise is significant. In this paper, we present our narratives as novice academics, and we focus on our learning of the supervision role. We drew from experiential learning and role identity theories to frame our understanding of this process. Using a narrative inquiry methodology, we shared and examined our narratives of lived experiences as novice supervisors. Upon examining our narratives, we identified four sources of learning that were significant in developing our supervisor identity: our current or previous supervisors; senior colleagues; meaningful corridor talks; and the practice of reflexivity. We recommend that institutions of higher learning pay added attention to the development of novice supervisors. Although structured programmes are significant, other learning avenues need to be explored to assist novice supervisors to develop a supervisor identity.

A reflective essay on experiences and practices of postgraduate supervision in the University of Limpopo : a life history approach

This study investigated the problem of postgraduate supervision that results with students' delayed graduation, low postgraduate students' output and lack of capacity. The purpose of this essay is to reflect on my postgraduate supervision experiences and practices of working in one disadvantaged rural university in South Africa. The study is embedded within interpretivism paradigm, and was informed by Personal Construct Theory and Life History Approach. My autobiography of the period January 2004 and June 2020 was used as primary data. The findings point to the prevalence of delayed graduation and output; adoption of single-handed supervision as an impediment towards attainment of required post-graduate students' skills required to progress in their studies and serve as future independent researchers; mono-supervision created supervision backlog that adds up to pipeline students. I used various models, such as student group supervision, mentoring supervision, and collaborative supervision. Collaborative supervision enhanced student development. This study concludes that supervision of postgraduate students is a crucial aspect for improved learning spaces and the choice of a solid supervision model improves research output. This study recommends that collaborative cohort supervision model be adopted by deprived universities to improve supervision capacity and students through-put.

PO 8608 ESTABLISHED PARTNERSHIPS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAPE VERDE WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER, UK AND THE INSTITUTE OF HYGIENE AND TROPICAL MEDICINE, PORTUGAL

BackgroundThe University of Cape Verde (Uni-CV) was founded in 2006 and since then has developed an effective international strategy that is enhancing the teaching and research culture of the university. To build capacity in the public health field, Uni-CV has established collaborations with the University of Leicester (UoL), UK, and with the Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (IHTM – NOVA University), Portugal. These follow different approaches.MethodsDifferent type of capacity building initiatives focused on researchers and postgraduate students.ResultsThe collaboration with UoL was established in 2016 and builds on funded research programmes in infectious disease and evolution of antimicrobial drug resistance (AMR). These programmes have allowed technology development and transfer, which offer the opportunity for undergraduate students to lead laboratory–based research projects at Uni-CV. In these two years, we have successfully characterised the epidemiology and patterns of AMR underlying Helicobacter pylori infections in Cape Verde. Beyond the research outputs, we have trained four undergraduates in laboratory-based microbiology at Uni-CV. From this experience, we are currently designing new sustainable higher education programmes aligned with the MSc in Public health at Uni-CV that aim to support Uni-CV lecturers in the supervision of postgraduate students, either independently or in collaboration with UoL researchers.The collaboration with IHTM was established in 2008 with the main aim of developing the research capacity of Cape Verde researchers and health professionals in infection and vector-born diseases and in bioethics. These activities have also led to collaborative research in these areas. Since then, six training courses were taught that benefited ∼20 Uni-CV lecturers and ∼100 government professionals.ConclusionAlthough these collaborative approaches are different in nature, they have been successful in the training of health professionals, researchers and technicians in Cape Verde and have contributed to the establishment of mutually beneficial research programmes.

Research supervision as a mutual learning process: introducing salutogenesis into supervision using 'The Collegial Model'.

Research using salutogenic factors to promote health is extensive. Salutogenesis, and its core concept 'sense of coherence' (SOC), is a resource-oriented theory and framework, applicable in different contexts. Research combining health promotion and doctoral supervision in higher education is scarce. This article places research supervision in a broader context of sustainable working life by focusing on stress management. It is about health promotion in an area of research supervision, a new approach not described earlier. Research on supervision in general is extensive, focusing on co-generative mentoring, counselling and coaching. A new salutogenic model, 'The Collegial Model', is presented as an example of practical application. The aim of the present article is to introduce and discuss how the salutogenic theory and model of health can be applied to research supervision of postgraduate students. Knowledge about how SOC impacts health and learning has benefit from a systematic review on salutogenic research covering published papers from 1992 to 2003 and until today. 'The Collegial Model' examines fundamental characteristics of supervision related to ethics and sense of coherence: relations, communication, processes, reciprocity, reflection, learning, comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness and coherence. Principles for carrying out supervision 'the salutogenic way' are suggested. The conclusion is that doctoral supervision involves mutual learning processes between colleagues in the supervisory team. Supervision has to be theory driven, implying that supervisors could benefit from applying a salutogenic way of thinking and working, particularly in development of guidelines for research supervision.

SUPERVISION OF POST-GRADUATE STUDENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Knowledge transfer is an inevitable process in higher education where research outputs are largely associated with the production of Masters’ and Doctoral graduates. The supervision of postgraduate students at universities is therefore one of the core responsibilities of academics and is considered a measure of academic output. Supervision not only transfers research and related skills, but is also an intensive and interconnected form of educator-student engagement. The role of the supervisor in providing a supportive, constructive and engaged supervision process is important in the development of next generation practitioners who have the correct educational and skills mix to fulfil the future needs of the profession. The underlying principle of student support during supervision is that an experienced supervisor will be able to move through the learning processes with the student as this becomes appropriate. As the student gains competence in the basic skills of conducting research in a particular field of study, he or she will move to a deeper understanding of the nature and reality of that field. Research and, ultimately, high quality supervision of students, plays a pivotal role in the scholarship of discovery and the development of evidence-based practice.

Towards improving the supervision of postgraduate students in Tanzanian higher learning institutions

In recent years, Tanzanian higher learning institutions have attracted many candidates to pursue various postgraduate programmes. However, some higher education stakeholders have echoed their concerns that the number of postgraduate students who successfully graduate from the institutions is low, despite the increase in postgraduate enrollment. Supervisors have consistently been identified by postgraduate students as the main source of either delaying graduation or dropping from the postgraduate studies. This study was conducted in Tanzania, involving 76 academic staff, including 42 males and 34 females, from four public universities and two private universities. The study was designed to achieve two specific objectives: First, to examine the challenges of supervising postgraduate students as experienced by supervisors in Tanzanian higher learning institutions; and secondly, to recommend best practices for improving the supervision of postgraduate students in Tanzanian higher learning institutions. The findings indicated that the supervision of postgraduate students in Tanzanian higher learning institutions faces numerous challenges which could be categorized as student-related and administrative challenges. This calls for collaborative efforts among higher education stakeholders to ensure quality graduates who can contribute significantly to the development of their societies. In view of the findings of this study, it is recommended, among others, that the higher learning institutions should improve administrative and support services to enable both supervisors and supervisees perform their responsibilities effectively.

The Research Journey: Through the Lens of the Adult Learner

<p>This research provides an opportunity to reflect, evaluate and to implement better procedures for practice, specifically, the research supervision of post graduate students at the taught Masters Level. In this context, empirical data were gathered from recently graduated ‘taught masters’ students in the business arena in an Irish Third Level Institution. The main objective was to understand their specific research and learning needs better. This current research is novel, as an examination of the academic literature in relation to this area is scant. It is envisaged that this research will provide a ‘voice’ for the students in this field. A quantitative approach was applied and data were gathered from 62 adult graduates.</p><p>The main finding of this study concerns the alignment of the programme as a whole, where it has become apparent and recommended that a taught module on the programme, ‘research methods’(a mandatory module) will need to be delivered just prior to the commencement of the research thesis module that this research paper appraises. Currently, it is delivered over a year before commencement of the research thesis proper to the students. Overall, the findings are positive and are discussed in detail in this research.</p><p>The main aim of this evaluation of current practices is to establish where improvements can be made as a direct result of the recommendations from the recent graduates in this study. These recommendations will be considered, and relevant resultant changes will be made to improve future practice. It is envisaged that the findings of this research will better inform the author, the Department, and the Faculty of Business & Humanities for future programmatic reviews. The objective is that more effective methods will be established for future students to achieve their own learning and research objectives more effectively.</p>

Acute febrile illness and treatment seeking behavior among residents of a coastal area in South India

Abstract Introduction Fever is a common symptom during the monsoon in the coastal regions in India. Fever can lead to dangerous life threatening conditions in some cases if left untreated. Thus it is important to know the occurrence of acute febrile illness (AFI) and the treatment seeking behavior for the same among population of coastal areas. Materials and methods A community based observational study was conducted in coastal area of Villupuram district, Tamilnadu. Using a pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire, house-to-house survey was done by trained medical students, under the supervision of post graduate students and faculty. Occurrence of fever and treatment seeking behavior was studied in the resident population. Results Among 811 subjects, 15.9% ( n = 129) reported to have one or more episodes of fever in the past 3 months. More males (17%) reported to have fever than females (14.6%). The reported incidence was highest among children of age group of less than 10 years (36.5%) followed by age group 10–19 years (17.80%). Average duration of fever was 5.4 ± 2.7 days. Nearly 20% of the participants with fever ( n = 27) neither visited any health care facility nor reported to have any form of treatment. Most of the study participants (47.7%) preferred to access government health facility for their febrile illness that occurred last time. Conclusion The reported incidence of the AFI was high among children as compared to adults and government primary health care facilities were the most preferred health care facility visited for febrile illness.

Improving postgraduate supervision in an Open and Distance Learning (ODL) environment. A case study at the College of Education University of South Africa (Unisa)

In an open and distance learning (ODL) environment postgraduate students, in the main, study part time and are often far removed geographically from the university and their supervisors. There is very little face to face contact between the students and supervisors. Supervision takes place from a distance. Postgraduate students are not able to complete their qualifications in the minimum time required. The purpose of this paper is to examine how supervision of postgraduate students can be improved in an open and distance learning context so that students complete their qualification in the minimum time required. A qualitative approach was used to collect data from postgraduate ODL students. The results indicate that students are generally satisfied with the supervision that they receive, however, the following areas need to be considered in order to improve postgraduate supervision: proposal writing, research methodologies, data analysis, and the appropriate allocation of supervisors. The following recommendations are made: supervisors need to have more face to face contact with students, supervisors should be allocated to students on registration and regional workshops conducted by the university should specifically address the issues of proposal writing, research methodologies and data analysis.

A Pilot Study on Postgraduate Supervision

The postgraduate education is considered to be important as it provides the educational institutions opportunities to build their research capabilities, enhance academic reputations and financial gain. The success and quality of post graduate education largely depends on effective and efficient supervision of postgraduate students. Despite its immense importance, the teaching and learning through postgraduate supervision is not still fully understood. As the expectation of high quality postgraduate supervision is increasing, the supervisory role is becoming more challenging due to the fact that most postgraduate students are coming from various ethnic, cultural, political, economical, linguistic and educational backgrounds and their attraction and retention are paramount for educational institutions. The primary objective of this work is to undertake a study on postgraduate supervision experience to provide better support for improving timely research completion, quality supervision, retention rate, student satisfaction, research environment and administrative support services. The research was undertaken based on questions based surveys. A set of anonymous questionnaires was distributed among postgraduate students studying at 3 universities in Australia. The study indicated ways to improve timely completion, quality thesis writing and scientific publications. The role of the supervisor plays a crucial role to the overall satisfaction, retention and completion.

On Cavellian scepticism and postgraduate student supervision

In this essay I offer an imaginary of postgraduate student supervision focusing on sceptical encounters with the other. Drawing on the seminal thoughts of Harvard philosopher Stanley Cavell (1997), particularly on his ideas on ‘living with scepticism’, I argue that postgraduate student supervision ought to be an encounter framed by scepticism. I point out that supervising students sceptically might engender moments of acknowledging humanity within the Other, attachment to the Other’s points of view with a readiness for departure, and showing responsibility to the Other.