Supervising

Increasingly topic coordinators are called upon to co-teach with a group of sessionally (i.e casually) employed tutors and demonstrators. These tutors are often teaching for the first time and may need guidance to learn appropriate teaching strategies and to clarify their understanding of the topic's core learning intentions.

The University's expectations in relation to sessionally employed teaching staff are that they will:

(a) have access to appropriate professional development opportunities
(b) be paid for attending any specific professional development sessions.

The Supervising sessional academic staff workshop covers this and other relevant issues.

Workshops specifically designed for sessional staff are:

• Introduction to Sessional Teaching
• Sessional Staff: Introduction to Assessment
• Science & Engineering Demonstrator Training
• Sessional Staff: Supporting the Success of your First Year Students

The Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching team can also develop and run customised programs in consultation with you. Workshops generally cover:

• managing the learning and teaching environment
• working with first year students
• working with diverse student populations
• providing feedback to students
• assessing student learning.

View currently scheduled sessions.

Booklets are available for distribution to sessionally employed staff with information about learning and teaching issues and the Flinders University environment. 

The Higher Degrees by Research (HDR) Supervisor Development Program is compulsory for academic staff members wishing to supervise HDR students. The program is offered by the Dean of Graduate Research in conjunction with the Learning and Teaching Services team.

Staff are required to complete the HDR Supervisor Development Program within 12 months. The program comprises two core workshops and the choice/combination of electives, lunchtime seminars or steps online training. A complete list of workshops and online training is available through the HDR Supervisor development FLO site. For further information and to enrol in the seminars, go to seminars for HDR Supervisors.

An honours degree can be complex to supervise. Undergraduate learning involves students actively constructing knowledge within the established boundaries of a known field whereas postgraduate studies aim to have students challenge and extend the boundaries of what is known, making an original contribution to the field. Honours forms a transition between the two. It provides a supported introduction for students in planning, conducting and reporting on an independent piece of research.

Honours study:

• explores a known field through a small, guided research project
• challenges the boundaries of one's own knowledge
• evaluates the appropriateness and value of what is known and constructed.

According to Flinders University policy, the main purpose of an Honours program is to “foster research training”. However, faculties do differ in what their honours programs aim to do. As such, honours supervision differs from other supervision work because:

• projects are limited by time and size,
• it may be the first experience students have of working independently on a large project,
• it may lead to a PhD or be part of a larger research project,
• it develops deeper understandings and challenges students’ own potential by using evidence to support arguments.

There are different models of Honours programs and the supervision requirements associated may differ. Two of the models offered at Flinders University are:

• direct-entry 4 year honours degrees,
• Bachelor entry honours (additional honours year)

The Flinders University policy on Honours programs also includes information on both supervisor and student responsibilities. Support for honours supervision is currently provided by most schools to help staff new to supervising honours develop an understanding of the complexity of the programs. Contact the research manager or honours coordinator in your area for more information.