Course PhD Supervision (supervisors)

The course A132/29 PhD Supervision is being offered by the Graduate School of Health, Aarhus University, 2024.

Criteria for participation: PhD-supervisors currently supervising or co-supervising enrolled PhD students or research year students at AU HE. The PhD-supervisor must be employed as Postdoc, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor at AU HE, or clinical associate professor or clinician at AUH.

Requirements for participation: PhD-supervisors currently supervising or co-supervising enrolled PhD students or research year students at AU HE. The PhD-supervisor must be employed as Postdoc, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor or Professor at AU HE, or clinical associate professor or clinician at AUH.

Aim: The quality of PhD students’ education is partly dependent on the PhD supervisor’s competencies as a supervisor. The aim of this course in PhD supervision is to expand the participants’ repertoire of supervision strategies and methods to provide a flexible approach to supervision, strengthen their reflections on practices, roles, and relationships in the supervision process, and share experiences and new knowledge for advancing PhD supervisors’ competencies.

Learning outcomes: 

• Describe and give reasons for own supervision practice.
• Analyze and consider actual dilemmas in supervision.
• Identify and argue for individual choices in managing one’s supervisor role.
• Negotiate supervisor and supervisee expectations.
• Explicate and critically consider values and traditions in the researcher community.
• Apply communicative methods and time management tools.
• Give constructive text feedback that promotes writing.
• Describe and give reasons for talent development in the supervisor’s research environment.
• Adapt the rules and regulations of the Graduate School of Health.
• Discuss the asymmetric supervisor-supervisee relation and responsible conduct of research.

Workload: The full workload of the course is expected to be 35 hours

Content: The course is about supervision in research education, focusing on the supervision of PhD students and research-year students. The course aims at developing supervisors’ competencies and flexible approaches in the actual supervision process. Participants will work individually and in learning groups with practical exercises on feedback, communication, and alignment of expectations between the PhD student and the supervisor. Material from the supervisors’ own context, e.g., text feedback examples and actual dilemmas in their own supervision, will be included in the course.

As part of the course, participants are expected to spend approx. 12 hours of preparation. The preparation includes preparing and reading written material, providing peer feedback via Brightspace, and conducting collegial sparring.

Instructors: Mette Krogh Christensen (course organizer) and colleagues from the Centre for Educational Development, AU, and Graduate School of Health, AU.

Venue: Centre for Educational Development, building 1910, room 228, Aarhus University, Aarhus

Participation in the course is without cost for employees at HE, AU.

Course dates:

• 04 September 2024 09:00 - 15:30
• 11 September 2024 09:00 - 15:30
• 01 October 2024 09:00 - 15:30