Supervision in Doctoral Education: Key Issues for the Entry Phase

1. Conference onSupervision in Doctoral EducationEntry phase – Warming up for researchUniversity of Zagreb, April 19th 2011 Lucas Zinner Head of the Center for Doctoral StudiesUniversity of Vienna

2. Key Issues • YES “Supervision is not a matter of luck. It’s a matter of awareness, intention and professional development of supervisors, advisors and mentors.” • Key issues for the PhD entry phase • Recruiting is crucial • Clarifying your relationship • Delivering the research question • Planning the (individual) PhD trajectory • Ensuring peer group support in your micro-environment • Sharing experiences and purposes L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011

3. Recruiting • “Dilemma: Should the students interest fit into the professors research program or do we have the responsibility to support the students freedom of choice?” • Recruit as you were hiring • Assessing the candidates skills and interests against supervisors and department’s requirements and potentials, • Being active and selective, • Not (only) formal knowledge but stamina, initiative, ability to handle frustration and motivation create successful completers, • Discouragement might be fair and professional. L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011

4. Clarifying your relationship • “Mentoring is a relationship. It is a close relationship between a student and a senior faculty member. It includes not only academic guidance but also prolonged nurturing of the student’s personal, scholarly and professional development.” • Clarifying your relationshipBroad spectrum of different roles from counselors, advisers to mentors • Financier and PI • Judge and assessor • Door opener and networker • Father/mother substitute or best friend • Multidimensional facilitator • The roles and expectations related to them have to be made explicit! L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011

5. Delivering the research question • “In the eagerness to contribute to human knowledge young people tend to define their research subject to broadly and it is usually the role of the mentor to narrow it down. The psychological danger, in the process of narrowing down, not to suppress the original enthusiasm of the student.” • Deliveringtheresearchquestion • an entireprocessbyitself, • firstmajorstep in thetransitionfromcoursetakertoindependentscholar, • a tasktobejointlyaddressed, • experiencedguidanceneeded. • Solvingpuzzlesisthedriverforresearch! Share thisrightfromthebeginning. L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011

6. Planning the PhD trajectory • “The transition should be gradual with the initial stage where the mentor should be more directional, short term focused, assigning short term tasks and deadlines. Gradually that should move into the direction of more open ended and long term goals.” • PlanningthePhDtrajectory/project • Construct an overall time lineand break it down to different stages, • Defineandagree on subtasks, • Defineshortandmidtermgoals, • Agree on monitoringmeansandmeasurementofprogress. • Deadlines areimportant! • React, ifwarningsignspopup! L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011

7. Ensuring peer group support • “The mentor socializes student into the culture of the discipline….In the process of professional socialization the mentor is introducing the student into the “backstage” of the discipline or profession.“ • Ensuringpeergroupsupport in yourmicro-environment • Informal knowlegeiscrucial, • Activemoveagainstisolation, • Teamwork skillsandcooperationacrossbordersare essential, • Support formingtowardsstewartsofthediscipline. • Supportive „peerculturalenvironment“ strengthensteamworkandincreasesresearchoutput. L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011

8. Sharing experiences and purposes • “Supervision is not a matter of luck. It’s a matter of awareness, intention and professional development of supervisors, advisors and mentors.” • Sharing experiencesandpurposes • Establish and use a network of peers to reflect on diverse supervisory issues and purposes. L. Zinner, Zagreb 2011