Navigating Your Student’s Research Journey: Milestones Made Easy

1. Navigating Your Student’s Research Journey: Milestones Made Easy Presented by Susan Gasson, (3138 5166; s.gasson@qut.edu.au) CRICOS No. 00213J

2. Outline • Research Students Centre and the Faculty • Research Students Centre Website • Milestone Process including Under Review • Annual Progress Reports • Online Forms • Extensions CRICOS No. 00213J

3. Aim and Objectives Aim: • Provide information about the Candidature milestones • Answer questions about the role of the supervisor in managing milestones Objectives: • Increase understanding of the Candidature Milestones and related concepts of timely completions, satisfactory progress CRICOS No. 00213J

4. Research Students Centre and the Faculty • Research Students Centre • PhD Prof Docs and Masters across Uni • Research Degrees Committee • Central administration (policy, procedure) • Admission: Scholarship: Candidature: Examination: Training • Faculty • Discipline specific expertise and advice • Close contact and local knowledge • SOU CRICOS No. 00213J

5. Research Students Centre Website • FORMS • PORTIA • POLICY • COURSE ADVICE • ADMISSION: SCHOLARSHIP: CANDIDATURE: EXAMINATION: TRAINING CRICOS No. 00213J

6. Milestone Process including Under Review • Timeline Completion • What are the issues (scholarship, visa, life) • When have you done enough • Milestone feedback • Satisfactory Progress/ Approval • Provisional approval • Under review • Show Cause (Progress, Transfer, Leave, Discontinue) CRICOS No. 00213J

7. 1. The Project Management Approach • a framework for managing candidature. • mechanism for ongoing quality assurance of research work • strategy for: • enabling timely completion • setting and meeting goals and objectives; • managing limited resources • managing risks CRICOS No. 00213J

8. What are the milestones • Stage 1 – application for admission • Stage 2 – preliminary research proposal • Confirmation – the research proposal • Annual Progress Report – progress report updating the timeline and proposal as required • Final Seminar – final quality assurance of your draft of thesis • Thesis Examination – the assessment of your work against degree requirements. CRICOS No. 00213J

9. Approval Process • Milestone form approval process: • Supervisors • Faculty nominated experts for checking and declaration • Research Degrees Committee for approval • Approved • Provisional (minor changes) • Returned for further work (alternative pathways) CRICOS No. 00213J

10. Role of the supervisor • providing sufficient background to give the student an adequate ‘starting point’ • assisting the student to find relevant background material for the project • providing timely feedback • guidance rather than ‘instruction’ • Also see Code of Good Practice CRICOS No. 00213J

11. give guidance to the higher degree research candidate on requirements leading to the delivery of degree outcomes; • ensure appropriate establishment of arrangements to address infrastructure provisions and ensure compliance with the code of conduct for research (i.e. health and safety, intellectual property; data management; ethics; collaborative arrangements; authorship etc); • monitor and manage and report to faculty any workload or absence issues for the student or the supervisor that could impact on successful candidature progress. • address the Faculty Supervisor Accreditation framework and consult Head of School (or equivalent) on any workload or compliance concerns; • ensure that a candidate whose major work is being conducted away from the University or faculty, or in a joint project with a commercial or industrial partner, has reasonable access to the research culture of the faculty and appropriate agreements for access to resources and equipment off site; • Assist the candidate, as appropriate, to address any compliance or reporting requirements related to external fund or arrangements. CRICOS No. 00213J

12. monitor and guide the candidature anticipating timely completion of all milestones through to completion. This would normally require: • agreement on regular (at least monthly) meetings with the candidate; • regular review and provision of constructive feedback on written work; • timely and explicit feedback on progress toward successful completion and instigation through the faculty of additional reporting or support as reasonable to seek to rectify delays or difficulties; • monitoring the development of graduate capabilities as described in QUT policy and advising the candidate on opportunities for the enhancement of capabilities relevant for successful completion and career preparation; • completion of relevant paperwork requirements for milestones and the thesis examination process (i.e. timely preparation and/or sign off of paperwork; review and feedback on drafts; nomination of panels, etc) • facilitation of the student’s engagement with the research culture of the faculty and more broadly as reasonable (i.e. introduction to key researchers and support staff; encouragement in attendance and participation in seminars and workshops; collaboration as agreed in attendance at conferences or preparation of publications; consideration of suitability for teaching and research related roles, etc) CRICOS No. 00213J

13. Role of the student • preparing the document (i.e. writing it) not • expecting your supervisor to do it for you! • extensive background literature work • developing drafts for comment by supervisor • learning how to use feedback to improve outcomes • to develop ideas and directions • - i.e. learning to take an active role in the process • Conduct research independently and within the Code of Conduct for Research CRICOS No. 00213J

14. become familiar and comply with policies governing the degree, and with any other relevant University and faculty policies including those related to the Code of Conduct for Research (i.e., intellectual property, health and safety, ethics, authorship and data management); • work with the supervisor to establish and maintain a productive working relationship that would normally involve regular scheduled meetings, regular submission and review of written work; • take the initiative in raising problems or difficulties (however elementary they seem) and sharing responsibility for seeking solutions including identification of other sources of support (i.e. liaison librarians, high performance computing, counselling services, training and workshops, external funding opportunities etc); • ensure any workload issues related to outside candidature activities (eg. Sessional teaching, research assistance work) do not impact on progress; • provide formal milestone reports to the Faculty Research Committee (or equivalent), through the supervisor, as scheduled by the University, faculty or supervisor in a timely way with due consideration of time required for provision of feedback and the value of the collaborative review process; • be aware of and comply with the Code of Conduct for Research including • Workplace Health and Safety (A/9.2); • Ethics • Intellectual property • Authorship • Data management • Collaborative arrangements • utilise the resources, facilities and opportunities provided by the faculty to facilitate progress in the research, • integrate into the research culture of the faculty, and acquire or improve the skills and knowledge required for completion of the project and development of appropriate postgraduate capabilities; • prepare the thesis for examination, including arranging for its typing, proof-reading and binding and, where appropriate, consulting the supervisor regarding matters of style and presentation, according to policies.

15. Milestone Reports • Satisfactory Progress? • Confirm Research Capacity • Issues and Problems • Confirm the topic/research design/...achievable • Advice of delays • Confirm funding/support CRICOS No. 00213J

16. Unsatisfactory Progress • Remedial plan: • Leave (to resolve health, finance, personal issues) • Under review (to resolve research performance issues) • Refer to Services (DIGR, Counselling, Postgrad Coord, Dean R&RT, Liaison Librarian, HPC, augment supervisory team ) • Transfer to alternative award • Discontinue/Termination • Explicit and timely feedback through process: • 3 months for under review • 20 days for show cause to RDC • 20 days for Appeals Committee CRICOS No. 00213J

17. Extensions • Highlight in Annual Progress Report • Consider scholarship & visa implications • Prepare a realistic timeline • Scholarship extensions: • Delays beyond control • Co-funded • 3 months CRICOS No. 00213J

18. Online FORMS • Online form submission • Check supervisors are correct • Ensure the draft you are to attach is acceptable to your supervisory team • You can monitor progress and see comments online • Review the Screen Shots to confirm requirements and clarifying with supervisor and FRAO (faculty research administration officer) as required. CRICOS No. 00213J

27. Useful websites • Forms and Guidelines (http://www.rsc.qut.edu.au/AllForms/Forms/index.jsp) • Resources Catalogue (http://www.rsc.qut.edu.au/studentsstaff/resources/index.jsp) CRICOS No. 00213J