Supervision at a Distance

Distance supervision may occur for the whole of the candidature or for parts of it. Sometimes, students are not registered as “distance students” because they can be on-campus students while their supervisors are either on a different campus or not on a University campus at all. 

Whatever the situation, principles of good supervision always apply, and information and guidance about the processes of supervision in general and how they apply in the University of Otago context can always be found through the Graduate Research School.

The challenge is putting in place strategies to ensure that supervision is a positive and fruitful experience for both students and supervisory teams. Thinking about the areas that are critical to good quality distance education, in combination with principles of good supervision will help you, your co-supervisors and your students to work out ways of working that suit all of you.

Two areas are of particular importance are Interactions and Communications.

Distance students often feel isolated

Encourage students to meet regularly with others outside the supervisory team.

People close to them, such as work colleagues, friends, family can provide a range of support from personal through to expert advice and help. They are great sounding boards or sources of naïve questions that can really encourage students to think clearly about their research and to express and explain ideas in lay person’s terms. The personal support and motivation that people close to distance research students can provide can be invaluable.

Seek creative ways to include distance students in the research community of the department.

• Make departmental research seminars available synchronously through Zoom and/or record them so that distance students and/or distance supervisors can view them at any time.
  
• Include distance students as presenters of research seminars. Explore ways of making it possible for the distance student to present and have interaction with others without having to travel to a campus.
  
• Create asynchronous opportunities for interaction and discussion to occur on research-related topics. Make use of Blackboard, Facebook and the like, and include all departmental staff and students, including distance students.
  
• Always invite participation by distance students, even though it may be likely that they are unable to participate in synchronous events, due to time zone differences or work commitments. It is important that they know what is going on and are given explicit and workable opportunities to be engaged.
  

Time can slip away so quickly!

Yes, your higher research degree students are independent learners. Many are already well qualified and very experienced. However, that does not also mean that you can leave them simply to ‘get on with it’, assuming that they will make contact if they need help.

Set appropriate expectations right from the start. Be proactive and expect regular contact. Schedule recurring meetings in diaries - for example, weekly at the start of candidature then after about 6 months or so, move to fortnightly meetings. Routines such as regular scheduled meetings can create a sense of security/connection that distance students often crave for when they are not able to encounter other students and departmental activities because they are not on campus. Regular, timetabled meetings add a layer of order and organisation to their study time as well, again, something that distance students need to keep them in touch and on task.

Charge the student with setting the agenda before each meeting, and then writing and distributing brief notes before and after each meeting to all on the supervisory team, even if all supervisors are not able to attend all meetings.

As a primary supervisor, your role is to manage the supervision team as well, and so keeping everyone in the team in touch is important.

Life is busy!

A blunt piece of advice: Never, never, never use the busy-ness of your life as an excuse for missing meetings or deadlines where your research students are concerned.

Yes, we are all busy! However, as a supervisor you have responsibilities towards the students you supervise. Those students should never feel that they are a bother to you or that they are preventing you from doing your work when they ask you questions or ask you to meet with them. Their supervision IS your work.

Invest time early in the candidature, working through with your students and with other supervisors how you will work together. Set times and limits. Discuss parameters, possibilities, how flexible or inflexible you and they can be; in which areas and in which ways. Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate! Set clear and agreed-upon expectations early and review those expectations periodically.

Providing good feedback is a big job at a distance

Providing good feedback that makes sense to students is always a challenge. Distance supervision adds another layer of complexity to this process. It is very easy for students to misinterpret meanings when they have to rely on written feedback only, and when that feedback is made up of short comments, single words or marks such as ticks and crosses.

Make use of Zoom or Skype as part of a synchronous feedback meeting/discussion. Or you can record yourself (using Zoom) giving spoken feedback, then send the recording as an accompaniment to your written comments. Ask your student to respond either in writing or in a short recorded video using Zoom.

When providing feedback, whether it is spoken or written, always remember the “sandwich” rule: positive comments followed by critique/advice/guidance, followed by positive comments