Introduction
This is one of the SEDA-PDF named awards available through SEDA’s Professional Development Framework. It is of relevance to a range of staff who supervise postgraduate research.
Successful graduates of programmes accredited against this award are entitled to refer to themselves as a SEDA Recognised Supervisor.
Aims
- To support individuals in the development of their research supervisory skills
- To recognise the professional contribution and achievements of those staff working in this capacity
- To advance the scholarship of teaching and learning
- To enhance the quality of learning for students, particularly by enabling greater flexibility and helping them to equip themselves with skills relevant to the workforce of the twenty first century
- To facilitate the sharing of best practice across institutions
- To demonstrate encouragement of formative and developmental activities to enhance professional practice.
Audience
This award is for those who hold posts which involve some duties and responsibilities for postgraduate supervision. An increasing number of universities are beginning to recognise the need for training in this area and are now developing and running formal courses to help prepare academics for this particular aspect of their role. This named award will be of considerable assistance to institutions wishing to demonstrate to research councils their procedures for ensuring the quality of supervision.
Values
Award recipients will have shown how their work is informed by the SEDA Values:
- Developing understanding of how people learn
- Practicing in ways that are scholarly, professional and ethical
- Working with and developing learning communities
- Valuing diversity and promoting inclusivity
- Continually reflecting on practice to develop ourselves, others and processes.
Core development outcomes
Award recipients will be able to:
- Identify their own professional development goals, directions or priorities
- Plan for their initial and/or continuing professional development
- Undertake appropriate development activities
- Review their development and practice, and the relations between them.
Specialist outcomes
Additionally award recipients will be able to:
- Monitor and evaluate their own supervisory practices with a range of self, peer and student monitoring and evaluation techniques
- Use interpersonal, organisational and coping skills
- Use their specialist knowledge and skills appropriately in the higher education context
- Plan and implement an appropriate strategy for the supervision process
- Perform effectively their student support and academic administrative tasks
- Use an appropriate range of methods (and skills) to monitor, examine and assess student progress and attainment and give feedback on work
- Supervise production and assessment of the research project (thesis)
- Enable the development in their students of key skills for lifelong learning.
Additional guidance on this named award.
