HDR Supervision Development Workshops

Provider business unit: HDR Supervision Development Team

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 2025 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

The 2025 program is posted below*

TopicDay, date and timeEnrolment link

Mythbusting statistical methods

Thursday, 14 August 12-1pmDetails and enrolment
Beyond Red Pen: Transforming Writing FeedbackTuesday, 23 September 12-1pmDetails and enrolment
Giving and receiving feedbackWednesday, 15 October 12-1pmDetails and enrolment
Good practice panel Wednesday, 5 November 12-1pmTo follow
Training offered by the ANU Respectful Relationships Unit, including the Rights, Relationships and Respect in Research online moduleVarious datesDetails and enrolment

* 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.

 

Myth busting statistical methods

What has happened in statistical methods since you were a PhD student?! This workshop will examine three statistical myths (1) nothing has changed in statistical methodology since the 1980s (2) traditional methods work fine even when assumptions are not met (3) when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail. I will introduce exciting new concepts such as hierarchies of variability, bootstrapping, machine learning and imputation.

Lead - Professor Alice Richardson, Lead of Statistical Support Network

Thursday, 14 August 12-1pm.Details and enrolment.

 

Beyond Red Pen: Transforming Writing Feedback

Are you spending hours editing your candidates' drafts? There's a better way. This workshop shows you how to shift from editor to writing mentor, helping candidates develop as writers while actually reducing your workload.

In this interactive online session, you'll learn:

  • Why traditional editing approaches often slow down candidate progress
  • How to give feedback that develops writing capability
  • Practical strategies for supporting neurodivergent writers
  • Ways to intervene earlier in the writing process
  • Time-saving frameworks for giving effective feedback

You'll leave with practical tools and techniques you can implement immediately with your candidates. Perfect for new supervisors, but experienced supervisors will also gain fresh perspectives on writing development.

This workshop challenges traditional approaches to supervisor feedback, showing you how to:

  • Break the cycle of waiting for complete drafts
  • Help candidates become independent writers
  • Create clear expectations around writing and feedback
  • Support different thinking and writing styles
  • Speed up progression to submission

Lead - Professor Inger Mewburn is the Director of Researcher Development at The Australian National University, but she is better known as @Thesiswhisperer on the internet. Aside from running workshops for ANU researchers, she creates new posts on the Thesis Whisperer blog, writes scholarly papers and authors books about research education. She has special interests in post PhD employability, research communications and neurodivergence.

Tuesday, 23 September 12 - 1pm.Details and enrolment.

 

Giving and receiving feedback

Giving feedback is a fundamental part of a supervisor’s role, and a key component of the supervisory relationship. Receiving and acting on feedback can be challenging. In this workshop, we will explore feedback from both staff and student perspectives, and we will consider what recent research has to say about effective HDR feedback practices. 

Lead - Susy Macqueen is Associate Professor in Applied Linguistics. Her research is on language assessment in education, health and migration contexts. Her doctoral studies focused on English language learning for university study.

Wednesday, 15 October 12-1pm.Details and enrolment.

 

Respectful Relationships training

The ANU 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. The training resources include the Rights, Relationships and Respect in Research online module, which you can undertake at any time

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 .

TopicYear
HDR oral examinations at ANU2025
Thesis by: artefact, creative work, publication, or written? – options and considerations for ANU HDR thesis formats’2025
AI-Intelligent Supervision2025
Why don’t HDRs get on with their writing?2024
'Adjacent possible' job markets for HDR graduates2024
Developing research writers - it's more than feedback on drafts2024
Juggling skills for supervisors2024
Setting up your new HDR for success2024
Recruitment: what are you looking for in a new HDR?2023
Why don't HDRs get on with their writing?2023
Developing research writers – it’s more than feedback on drafts2023
Industry engagement for HDR candidates – Research internships and Industry PhDs2023
Simple strategies for supporting HDR mental health2023
Ethics applications for HDRs: REMS making your life easier2023
Supervision in the culturally diverse academy2023
Using iThenticate to help your HDRs avoid plagiarism2023
Supervising the final year of candidature2023
Maintaining your sanity as a supervisor: simple stress management strategies2023
Supervising a thesis by compilation – worth the heartache?2023
Mental health and psychological safety2022
Managing relationships with HDR students – working with different personality and communication styles2022
Supervision in the culturally diverse academy2022
Helping your HDR candidates access the job market2022
Maintaining your sanity as a supervisor: simple stress management strategies2022
HDRs as professionals: what does this mean for supervisors?2022
Supporting HDRs – how much is too much? Appropriate support2022
Why don't HDRs get on with their writing?2021
Ethics, integrity and IP issues in HDR projects2021
Developing doctoral writers – it’s more than feedback on drafts2020
Best Practice Panel - Supervising thesis by creative works2020
Best Practice in HASS Supervision Panel2020
Best Practice in STEM Supervision Panel2020
Simple strategies for supporting HDR students’ mental health2020

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.