Developing research supervisors: breaking down internal barriers and drawing on resources from the Australasian academic community

Abstract

This paper reports on the progress of a project focused on the important learning and teaching issue of research supervision. The aim of the project is to enhance the learning journey of post-graduate research students by improving the capability of research supervisors at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) Australia. The project has established a Community of Practice - Research Supervisors (CoP-RS), conducted a training needs analysis to determine the training requirements of supervisors, designed a professional development program, coordinated the delivery of pilot workshops, and is evaluating the effectiveness and outcomes of the activities. This paper describes the background which prompted the project, then details the activities undertaken to date and planned for the future. The outcomes and challenges are described. Conclusions are drawn and future research directions suggested.