All Ireland Society for Higher Education
The demands being made on post-graduate students, supervisors and Institutions are often difficult to balance. Often the expectations of all three are different, further confused by the view of Government that a research doctorate is training for leadership in industry. It is increasingly expected that students will complete within a specified time frame (submitted and examined within four years), funding is seldom for more that three years. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that a project is sound and is brought to completion. Key to this is the day-to-day working relationship between student and supervisor.
This workshop will explore the nature of a British/Irish PhD and how supervisors can best help students do high quality research while at the same time acquiring the necessary skills that make them employable. There will be opportunity to exchange examples of best practice and to discuss practical ways of establishing an effective working relationship which will enable both supervisor and student to be satisfied with the outcome.
Dr Alistair McCracken is a Senior Lecturer in the Applied Plant Science Department in the School of Agriculture and Food Science, QUB. As one of the Student Support Officers in the School he has contact with both undergraduate and postgraduate students about non-academic issues. Alistair has an interest in helping colleagues develop the most effective relationship between supervisor and post-graduate student so that both benefit from the relationship. He is one of the facilitators on annual workshops run for Probationary lectures on PG supervision. He is currently on part-time secondment from his own Department as one of four Skills Consultants given the task of helping in the implementation of the University's Skills Policy. He has particular concerns about how to get the correct balance between developing PG subject-specific and generic skills while at the same time not compromising the research programme.
Linda Carey
Training Officer
Staff Training and Development Unit
Queen's University Belfast
Tel: +44 (0) 2890 273822 or 335042
Fax: 02890 331845