Amid the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic, I found time to complete the UK Council for Graduate Education (UKCGE) Research Supervision Recognition application. The programme sets a benchmark for good practice in research supervision and provides recognition of good research supervisory practice, recognised by a national body.
The programme and the associated framework is focused on ten criteria which are: The recruitment and selection of research students; good supervisory relationships with candidates: good supervisory relationships with co-supervisors; supporting candidates’ research projects; encouraging candidates to write and giving appropriate feedback; keeping the research on track and monitoring progress; supporting candidates’ personal, professional and career development; supporting candidates through completion and final examination; supporting candidates to disseminate their research; and finally, reflecting upon and enhancing supervisory practice. I developed an application around these ten criteria in which I identified and evidenced my supervisory good practice. It offered an opportunity to explain, justify, and underpin my practice with contemporary literature, and also speak to previous doctoral students that I have supported in order to seek their views of practice and support. Completing the process highlighted to me how diverse my experience has been, supporting numerous different projects in a range of research areas and how diverse the backgrounds of those that I have supported have been. I have supported students from China, Vietnam, Switzerland and Germany to completion and I am currently supervising students from China, Nigeria, Ghana, Oman, Germany and Italy.
I received a positive outcome to my application, so I am now a UKCGE Recognised Research Supervisor. The process and feedback were somewhat uplifting. It was nice to read the positive feedback, which concluded:
“It is no surprise that you have twice been shortlisted for the Excellence in Doctoral Supervision Award at your university. Without hesitation, this application satisfies all criteria. It was a pleasure to review.”
It was nice to read this, after so much striving to get papers published in journals, leading to reviewers saying ok, reasonable or acceptable for publication. It is nice to receive a positive and uplifting review, in such a challenging time.
Robin Bell 