Staff Development Through Integration -Training of Doctoral Supervisors as a Symbiosis Between Faculty Cooperative and Faculty

Abstract

POSSIBILITIES WITHOUT BOUNDARIES -a Programme for post gradual supervisors that is a symbiosis between central and faculty specific activities. Background The demand for different activities and possibilities aimed at supporting academic staff engaged in the supervision of postgraduate students has steadily increased over the years. It is taken seriously on all levels within the University. The result so far is that there are different activities offered within the Faculties and also centrally at the former Centre for Teaching and Learning (UPC). The latter is a course spanning over seven course days, and also including three days for developing a plan for a change at the participants´ departments. The course is open for teachers from all Faculties, and it focuses on general aspects of the Doctoral Programme as a whole and the supervisor's responsibility relative to the Doctoral student's four/five years of studies - not only the research project. Parallel to this a lot of activities are taking place at the different Faculties. Some of it is very specific and strictly related to subjects and subject areas. Other parts are of a more general character. The latter could perhaps be made more effective by crossing the Faculty borders and thereby pooling the resources both financially and on a specialist level. And if this could include the centrally organized activities even more could be won in the sense that the individual supervisor could build his/hers optimal "programme" that meets both individual needs and is possible to implement within limited resources. The most obvious effect will be that Doctoral students work together with supervisors with a broader perspective and a deeper knowledge about the Doctoral programme as a whole. Aim The aim of the project is to make it possible for the individual teacher to have access to different activities that will form the optimal support for him/her in fulfilling the role as Doctoral supervisor. Expected results of the project The project will result in the development of a series of activities within the different Faculties complementing the already existing ones. All these activities will be gathered in a database to make it possible for all concerned to get an overview. There will be coordination with the aim of avoiding double work, pooling resources and open up these courses for teachers across the Faculty borders. The centrally organized activities will be included. In this way the resources will be used more effectively and the supervisors will have a wider range of offered support. It will also balance the strictly subject area needs to those concerning the more general aspects of doctoral training as a four/five year educational Programme. Line of action As a preparation for the Project a survey was undertaken and activities under development at the different Faculties were identified. Those judged to be examples of new methods and tests of new ideas, and fitting the model, are supported financially and by a special Coordinator. The Coordinator works within the project and is going to construct the database built upon the model besides having a consultative role relative the Faculties. That means listing activities that have a broader aim and is open for teachers from other Departments/Faculties and also relating these activities to the centrally organized activities. The work should also result in recommendations concerning suitable combinations of faculty specific, across faculties and centrally offered activities that would form an optimal preparation and continuous support for teachers fulfilling the role of Doctoral Supervisors.