HDR Supervision Development Workshops

The Higher Degree Research (HDR) Supervision Development team offer a series of HDR Supervision Development Workshops, complementing those offered by Colleges, Schools and Centres.

These workshops address a range of topics, issues and experience relevant to good practice in HDR supervision. Participation in any of these is a 'qualifying renewal activity' for HDR Supervision Annual Registration Renewal under the ANU HDR Supervision Development Framework. The 2024 program will be listed below as it is confirmed, and in the monthly Research News.

HDR Supervision Development Workshops are open to all HDR supervisors, and are free; please enrol to receive the Zoom link or location details.

Foundations of HDR Supervision Workshops are offered to those new to supervision, as part of the HDR Supervision Initial Registration process. Please visit the Foundations of HDR Supervision Workshops webpage for more information, and to enrol for one of these workshops.

HDR Supervision Topic Workshops, Issues Forums and Masterclass Panels

2024 schedule*

* The HDR Supervision Topic Workshops, Issues Forums and Masterclass Panels are offered online (unless otherwise indicated), via Zoom (Zoom information). Subject to demand, other workshops may be scheduled as the year progresses. We’ll update the schedule on this webpage and in the monthly Research News.

'Adjacent possible' job markets for HDR graduates

Focus – Supervisors and careers professionals are tasked with helping their HDR candidates take the next steps in their career. But, the dearth of academic jobs in many disciplines makes this task complicated. The ‘adjacent possible’ job market for people with research talents remains largely hidden because most employers do not use ‘PhD’ as a keyword. Motivation problems are rife amongst PhD candidates, who are disheartened about the academic job market and are not sure what is available outside academia.

Professor Inger Mewburn will show you data on the opportunities available for your candidates and what skills are in demand inside and outside academia. She will then share some of her favourite strategies for working with candidates, including disrupting some of the unhelpful thinking patterns candidates have about their future career.

In this session, you will:

• Learn about the size and extent of the non-academic job market for researchers: how many jobs are there and what sort of jobs can our graduates do?
• Understand what Covid has done to the academic and non-academic job market.
• Learn some tools and strategies you can use with your candidates to help them start thinking more strategically about their careers.

Lead – Professor Inger Mewburn is the Director of Researcher Development at The Australian National University where she oversees professional development workshops and programs for all ANU researchers. Aside from creating new posts on the Thesis Whisperer blog, she writes scholarly papers and books about research education, with a special interest in post PhD employability, research communications and neurodivergence. Find out more about Inger here.

Wednesday 26 June 2024, 12-1pmDetails and enrolment.

Why don’t HDRs get on with their writing?

Focus – Many HDRs love reading about their topic, talking about their research, conducting experiments, doing field work, collecting and analysing data – but often seem to avoid writing about their research. They don’t always seem to realise that signing up for a PhD means becoming an author (no written document = no degree). This workshop explores why HDRs can struggle to produce useful text and offers practical strategies for supervisors to help their HDRs get on with the writing.

Lead – Dr Cally Guerin is a member of the Researcher Development and HDR Supervision Development teams at ANU. She has been teaching, researching and publishing on doctoral education since 2008, working with both HDR supervisors and students to develop effective research practices. She is currently the joint executive editor of Higher Education Research & Development and a founding co-editor of the Doctoral Writing blog .

Thursday 18 July 2024, 12-1pmDetails and enrolment.

Recruitment: what are you looking for in a new HDR?

Focus – Finding new HDRs to supervise is challenging in lots of ways. While there are the standard processes for ranking applicants and awarding scholarships, many new HDRs struggle as researchers. What else should we take into consideration when recruiting HDRs? During this workshop we will:

• consider personal characteristics of successful HDRs
• identify areas where equity issues might arise
• suggest strategies for recognising possible gaps in research skills

Lead – Dr Cally Guerin is a member of the Researcher Development and HDR Supervision Development teams at ANU. She has been teaching, researching and publishing on doctoral education since 2008, working with both HDR supervisors and students to develop effective research practices. She is currently the joint executive editor of Higher Education Research & Development and a founding co-editor of the Doctoral Writing blog .

Wednesday 14 August 2024, 12-1pmDetails and enrolment.

Supervising a thesis by compilation – worth the heartache?

Focus – The thesis by compilation is becoming an increasingly common format for doctoral studies across all disciplines. This session considers the ANU policy and context when submitting a series of publications for doctoral examination, and explores both the benefits and challenges this format affords. By the end of this workshop you will understand:

• the ANU policy and its implications for your HDRs and their writing
• the advantages of writing a thesis by compilation
• the situations where this format introduces extra challenges for both HDRs and their supervisors

Lead – Dr Cally Guerin is a member of the Researcher Development and HDR Supervision Development teams at ANU. She has been teaching, researching and publishing on doctoral education since 2008, working with both HDR supervisors and students to develop effective research practices. She is currently the joint executive editor of Higher Education Research & Development and a founding co-editor of the Doctoral Writing blog .

Tuesday 10 September 2024, 12-1pmDetails and enrolment.

Making panel supervision work for you

Focus – Panel supervision of HDR candidates has significant advantages, but also introduces extra challenges for supervisors and HDRs alike. This short interactive workshop is designed to help you get the best value out of panel supervision, so that supervisors and candidates reap the benefits. We will identify different models of panel supervision, consider the roles that members might play, and explore strategies for working effectively in this mode.

Lead – Dr Cally Guerin is a member of the Researcher Development and HDR Supervision Development teams at ANU. She has been teaching, researching and publishing on doctoral education since 2008, working with both HDR supervisors and students to develop effective research practices. She is currently the joint executive editor of Higher Education Research & Development and a founding co-editor of the Doctoral Writing blog .

Tuesday 12 November 2024, 12-1pmDetails and enrolment.

Respectful Relationships training

The Respectful Relationships Unit (RRU) offers a range of training for University staff. They are designed to increase understanding of sexual assault and sexual harassment and support preventative strategies. Topics in the first half of 2024 are: LGBTQIA+ Ally Training; Responding to sexual violence; and Understanding sexual violence and bystander intervention.

Training offered by the ANU Respectful Relationships Unit also includes the Rights, Relationships and Respect in Research online module.

Various dates.Details and enrolment.

Recordings of the HDR Supervision Topic Workshops and Masterclass Panels

You can access recordings of the HDR Supervision Topic Workshops and Masterclass Panels at the HDR Supervision Development Portal.

More information or suggestions

We welcome your feedback and suggestions for workshop topics. Contact us at hdr.supervision@anu.edu.au or via telephone on +61 2 6125 1503.