Supervising Students for Degree projects

The starting point of the course is the course participants' experiences of supervision, and through discussions, examples, models and theoretical perspectives, we together shed light on concrete supervision situations.

Target Group

The course is mainly targeted towards doctoral students, teachers holding or not holding a doctoral degree, and doctoral researchers/teachers.

The number of participants is restricted to no more than 24.

Content

The course provides you with an opportunity to reflect on supervision as a teaching/learning activity, taking on supervisor-student understandings. Different supervision strategies, how to select out and tie in to these, as well as how to gather student feedback on supervision, are crucial components of the course. In addition, the idea of drawing up a supervisor-student contract or sharing agreement will be shared, as well as the components of conflict management and conversation skills. The perspectives of qualifications and employment will be embraced discussing supervisory issues. We are also going to bring up legal matters concerning supervision, subjecting to discussion the regulations of the Swedish National Higher Education Act, the Higher Education Ordinance and the Discrimination Act in the context of gender and diversity issues. You will also be given some guidance on how to improve yourself further as a supervisor. An important component of the course is how to deal with quality issues and assessment of degree projects in the light of the quality assessment system provided by the Higher Education Authority. The participants will be offered opportunities to share their ideas and to practice their assessment skills using different criteria for assessment.

Learning Outcomes

After completion of the course, the participant should be able to do the following:

• discuss and problematize the conditions of supervised students
• reflect on their role as a supervisor based on the frameworks, conditions and routines that apply to the supervision of independent projects and essays within their own subject area
• reflect on factors that affect the interaction between supervisor and supervisee and apply strategies for active listening in relation to the supervision of independent projects and essays
• develop various strategies for equal treatment of students, adapted to group and individual needs
• relate their role as a supervisor to relevant frameworks and policy documents
• analyze and assess independent project work
• discuss fundamental requirements for scientific texts and develop strategies for the gradual introduction of students to scientific writing within the subject context in which the independent work/essay is conducted.

Extent

A total of two weeks on a full-time basis, comprising 4 days in-campus divided into two blocks (3 + 1) and 6 days for homework assignments off-campus.
Please note that your presence and participation during the first scheduled course session is mandatory in all courses arranged by the unit, unless otherwise stated.

Homework Assignments

In the course, you will be required to complete two homework assignments: a preparation assignment (before the course starts) and another assignment during the course (before coming to day 4).

Preparation Assignment: No later than one week before the first meeting with the class, the participants are to submit the following materials in the web-based system Studium:

• Written statement on the participant´s ideas of teaching and learning at the basic and/or advanced level of higher education, with emphasis put on supervising (philosophy of supervision). This statement should encompass at least one page of A 4.
• Written statement on the participant´s opinion of the responsibilities shared between supervisor and student working in a degree project or writing a term paper (rights and obligations, supervisor/student understandings relating to the idea of `drawing up a contract´). Length or writing: one page of A 4.

During the course, the written statements referred to above will be used for a twofold purpose: to illustrate and connect back to the participants´ own supervisory experiences and ideas in the light of different theoretical perspectives; to further discuss in small groups the different supervisory issues perceived and followed up on..

In order to make for easy access to course information submitted, as well as the homework assignments completed, the learning management system Studium will be used. Further information about this system will be announced in the notification.

Homework assignment before day 4: Directions for the assignment will be provided at the beginning of the course. The assignment will deal with assessment of student achievements and quality assurance of degree projects/term papers.

Course Period

For information about course dates, see Calender.
The course will be taught in Campus Blåsenhus. Classroom and the names of the facilitators will be announced in the notification.

Financial conditions

The course is free of charge for staff members affiliated with Uppsala University.

More information

Division for Quality Enhancement
Cesar Pay Gómez, Phone: 018-471 68 18, E-mail: cesar.paygomez@uu.se

Anette Månsson, Phone: 018-471 13 39, E-mail: anette.mansson@lingfil.uu.se

The following applies for all courses given by the Unit for Academic Teaching and Learning: If a course participant is unable to complete a course within the given time frame, all elements / assignments must be completed within three years from the start of the course in order to receive a passing grade / certificate of completion. The prerequisite for this is that course information and course objectives are the same.